REVIEW: Red Zone by Janet Elizabeth Henderson

In Red Zone (Red Zone #1) by Janet Elizabeth Henderson, Friday Jones is in huge trouble. With a device implanted inside her head that records everything she can see and hear, she heard something she wasn’t supposed to. Now she’s being hunted by those that will stop at nothing to make sure the information doesn’t get exposed. Luckily, she has a back-up plan in taking something that will wipe her memory clean. However, if she doesn’t get the antidote to what she takes, she can kiss her life goodbye. Yet, she needs help if she’s to escape the forces after her. Will Striker be able to help or will Friday die trying to stay one step ahead of those after her?

There was more chuckling. “I can hear you thinking. That brain of yours never stops, does it?”
Now he was just trying to irritate her. “Do intelligent women threaten you, Striker?”
The sultry look he cast her way made her stumble. “All the damn time, bebe, but my luck’s held out, and so far, they’ve never carried through with it.”
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.”

Ms. Henderson weaves a unique, fast-paced, captivating tale of a heroine’s desperation to make certain no one gets the information she has stored inside her brain and a hero’s determination to keep her safe while struggling to deal with the powers he and his friends received from sources unknown. The way this story started drew me into the story immediately, as Friday is in for the fight of her life when she takes drastic measures to ensure the information she has is safe. Will Striker be able to help Friday accomplish everything she needs to? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time where this story gets really interesting and brings plenty of excitement, as the heroine desperately needs the hero’s help and will do anything to get it. How much is the heroine willing to bargain for help? Will the hero ask for something more than the heroine is willing to give?

As for the dialogue, this story is told from various POVs and is an entertaining mix of good versus evil. Really, this story kept me on the edge-of-my-seat and is filled with plenty of action and suspense. Will the hero be able to get the heroine where she needs to go? Will the bad guys catch up to them? Moreover, although this couple feel like they’re always on the run from the bad guys, there was a good dose of playful banter due to the heroine’s inquisitive nature, the charming Cajun hero and how the heroine being in the hero’s life has awakened his powers so much more than he ever imagined.

She huffed out a sigh but climbed into his lap. “You use that charm of yours to get your own way far too often.”
“You sayin’ I’m irresistible?” He grinned at her.
“You’re something all right.” She snuggled in closer to him, relaxing in his arms.
He nuzzled at the spot behind her ear that fascinated him, while his team laughed. They thought he was joking, teasing her, seducing her. But he wasn’t. He needed to hold her, to reassure himself she was okay.

With the main characters, I loved the hero and heroine. There is so much chemistry between them, which not only makes this story fun and breaks down the high intensity of what this pair go through in order to escape those that are after the heroine, but their teasing banter and strong mutual attraction had me reading quickly determined to discover when they would finally give into their strong chemistry. Since the hero is so charming with his sweet endearments and protectiveness. Not that Friday needs protecting. She can take care of herself just fine. Then again, everyone needs a savior every now and then no matter how tough they are.

While the hero, he’s smart, ruthless, a good leader, protective and I loved how willing he was to help the heroine despite the fact that he’s a smuggler and everything is about negotiating the best price in order for him to get just as much out of a deal as the person that wants something from him. What does he want with Friday? Is there anything she can offer him that he wants? Furthermore, the hero is a very intriguing character because no one besides his team know much about him. Why doesn’t anyone know anything much about Striker besides that the fact that he’s only been around for three years? Will he and his team’s secret remain just that – a secret? How far are the bad guys willing to go to uncover the hero’s secret?

”These past four days. They’ve been a gift for me. More precious than you can ever know. I’ve tasted freedom and learned how to love. All because of you. I wouldn’t take a minute back. Not one minute.”
He couldn’t speak. It was impossible because he knew if he did manage to get a word out, it would be to beg her to stay with him, something neither of them could make happen.

Overall, Ms. Henderson has delivered an intriguing and exceptional paranormal in this book where Big Brother is always watching and no one knows if what they say is ever really safe; the secondary characters in the hero’s team entertained me just as much as Friday and Striker; the sizzling romance heats up the pages and had me thinking how lucky Friday is to have found such a wonderful guy in Striker; and the ending had me worried for the main characters because of what happens, but left me smiling because of how things turn out for this pair that had me totally surprised and ready to jump for joy. However, it was the epilogue that wrapped this story up nicely and has me looking forward to future books of this series. I would recommend Red Zone by Janet Elizabeth Henderson, if you enjoy paranormal romance or books by authors NJ Walters, Tricia Tyler, Nina Croft and Lisa Kessler.

Book Info:

Publication: April 22nd, 2019 | Entangled Publishing | Red Zone #1

Welcome to the new world. Things have changed just a bit. Big Brother’s not only monitoring important things like what toilet paper you buy—it now has direct access to everything you see thanks to the mandatory implant you get at birth. And Friday Jones has seen something she wishes she hadn’t.

Now she has all kinds of undesirables after her—some to straight up kill her and others who want to steal what’s locked in her head. So, she’ll need the help of a ruthless mercenary, Striker, if she has any chance at survival. That he’s a jerk, who she wants to punch in the face, well…a dying woman sometimes has to make tough choices.

Striker’s special abilities have kept him in the shadows for a reason. He has no interest in getting mixed up with the smart-mouthed, hard-headed women no matter how his body reacts. But then he discovers what’s in her head and all bets are off.