Many thanks to NetGalley, Montlake and the author for an advanced copy of Dangerous Ground in exchange for my honest review.
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- Title: Dangerous Ground
- Author: Rachel Grant
- Publisher: Montlake
- Pub. date: 17 August 2021
- Series: Fiona Carver #1
- Page count: 379
- Source: NetGalley
- Genres: adult fiction, romance, action & adventure, mystery, thriller
In the remote and unpredictable Aleutians, danger comes without warning in an adrenaline rush of a novel by USA Today bestselling author Rachel Grant.
Archaeologist Fiona Carver has unfinished business in the Aleutian Islands. After an emergency evacuation cut her first expedition short, she’s finally back. But time is not on her side as she races to finish documenting the remnants of a prehistoric village, recover missing artifacts, and track down missing volcanologist Dylan Slater.
Having bluffed his way onto Fiona’s team with fake credentials, wildlife photographer Dean Slater is willing to risk more than federal prison to find his missing brother, but he needs Fiona’s help. She knows the inhospitable terrain better than anyone.
When the two set out together on a perilous journey, it becomes more than a recovery mission. In their fight for survival, nature isn’t the only threat. They aren’t the only ones on the hunt. Mile by dangerous mile, someone is hunting them.
Content warning: described blood, loss of a loved one, on-page death, panic attacks, terminal illness, violence (gunshots, physical assault)
I was intrigued that Rachel Grant was called the “queen of romantic thrillers” by many reviewers on Goodreads and she had this vast array of political and military romances. I don’t usually read this subgenre, but it’s always nice to switch it up a little, like trying out different cuisines so that I don’t get of always eating rice and curry! Haha! It also helps that this is the first of a new series by Grant, so I felt comfortable to dive into a series that seemed as new to me as it did to everyone else. I have also got maybe three of her other books on my Kindle shelves, so I was very excited to see how this worked out!
Dangerous Ground starts with little hassle, dropping the reader straight into the scene with wildlife photographer Dean Slater having used the fake identity of an ornithologist, Bill, to gain access to an expedition to the remote island of Chiksook. Six weeks back, his twin brother Dylan, a volcanologist, had been on assignment under a company named Pollux there before he mysteriously disappeared after an emergency evacuation of the island, and Dean is determined to find his twin brother.
Fiona Carver was probably the last person who might have seen Dylan Slater. She is an archaeologist with the navy who is working on the Chiksook project, and who is now excited to return since she had left her dig site vulnerable to the elements after the unexpected evacuation the last time this group was here. Fiona suspects early on that something isn’t quite right about Bill the ornithologist, but soon things take a more ominous turn as mysterious new members join the expedition and some serious sabotage events start taking place.
1. The fantastic blend of thriller, romance and archaeology!
First of all, I feel like every romance reader should indulge in at least a little bit of the romantic thriller subgenre. The urgency and fast pace of these novels give the romance a way different dimension that will leave your heart pounding! I love it! Also, the author does such a fantastic job of fleshing out her characters’ archaeology and wildlife photography backgrounds. Lots of research has obviously been invested and it shows in her wonderful characterisation.
2. Characters who will intrigue you from the first chapter.
Dangerous Ground is told from two perspectives: that of Dean and Fiona. It is so fun because they both possess only fragments of the real story and that just kept me guessing throughout. Also, these two are such solid characters that I mourn this book has to end and I have to wait till Book Two to see them again! There are also more characters that I am really hoping I will see more of!
3. Very fast-paced thrills and action.
The whole story takes place over a few days, a week at most. But there is a lot that happens, from traipsing through dangerous terrains, running away from bad guys and much more. I really liked this pace because it kept me reading this book and I finished it off in two sittings. That is crazy fast for me!
4. The mix of Indiana Jones and Romancing the Stone vibes!
Since Dangerous Ground is set on a remote island that is rich in history, culture, dangerous terrain and bad guys, I think it is inevitable that this kept reminding me of Indiana Jones but with a more restrained and realistic air to it. I also enjoyed the light-hearted references that Dean and Fiona made to these classical archaeological hits. Also, who can resist the couple fighting for their survival trope?
5. The really slow-burn romance.
Dean and Fiona develop this searing connection as soon as they board the plane to Chiksook, but I really like that they still fell in love with each other throughout the course of the story. I hate it when insta-love arcs take over a story because I find those wholly unrealistic. It was such a treat watching Dean and Fiona fall in love while fighting for their lives. But at the same time, it is incredibly slow burn! Okay, so they were in survival mode for 95% of the story but the author really makes us wait for Book Two with the cliffhanger she leaves us on.
Dangerous Ground by Rachel Grant is a sexy romantic thriller that gave me all the Indiana Jones vibes with more romance and ‘fight for survival’ vibes! The author weaved a suspenseful fast-paced story with these great characters and I can not wait for more when Crash Site comes out in January 2022!
Rachel Grant is the USA Today bestselling author of the Flashpoint series and the Evidence novels. She worked for over a decade as a professional archaeologist and mines her experiences for story lines and settings, which are as diverse as excavating a cemetery underneath an historic art museum in San Francisco, surveying an economically depressed coal-mining town in Kentucky, and mapping a seventeenth-century Spanish and Dutch fort on the island of Sint Maarten in the Netherlands Antilles. In all her travels and adventures as an archaeologist, Rachel has found many sites and artifacts, but she’s only found one true treasure: her husband, David. Rachel Grant lives on an island in the Pacific Northwest with her husband and children.
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3 thoughts on “‘Dangerous Ground’ by Rachel Grant: 5 Reasons To Pick Up This High Stakes Romantic Thriller”
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This sounds amazing! And definitely something I’d love. Thanks for sharing😁
Glad you like the sounds of it! Hope you get a chance to read it, Tammy!