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Ultimate Weapon (The McCloud Brothers, Book 6) | 
 enlarge | Author: Shannon Mckenna
Publisher: Brava
Category: Book
List Price: $14.00
Buy New: $11.20
You Save: $2.80 (20%)
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Rating:  14 reviews
Sales Rank: 10895
Media: Paperback
Pages: 384
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.5 x 1.3
ISBN: 0758211899
Dewey Decimal Number: 813.6
EAN: 9780758211897
ASIN: 0758211899
Publication Date: November 1, 2008
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Product Description
Covert operations are what Val Janos is all about. The man is mysterious and sinister, and lethally hot. Only Tamara can understand the strange intensity that drives him to win at all costs - and only she can match it.Val has one weak spot: Imre, the frail old man who befriended him when he was scared hungry kid abandoned on the streets of Budapest. But daddy Novak knows about Imre, and Imre's head is on the block if Val doesn't deliver Tam up to Novak's tender mercies. A white hot passion explodes when Tam and Val get too close. They both have too much to be afraid of, too much to hide. And now, for the first time, too much to lose...
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 There's a light at the end of this tunnel... November 11, 2008
Holly R (Las Vegas, NV)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Right off the bat, I love Tamara. I love her prickly defensiveness and her outrageously over-the-top, witty personality. And I really liked Val Janos' deliciously sexy and dangerous persona. But together? Hmmm. I think they might have been better served paired with someone with a less heavily tortured past. But at the same time, I don't think these two seriously wounded and prickly people would have responded to someone who was light and fluffy and full of sunshine, so I guess this was just a no win situation.
Tamara was a little subdued in regards to her usual acerbic wit and I missed it, alot. Her relationship with her daughter, Rachel, was so sweet though. It was funny and poignant and so real. I especially liked how frazzled she was getting, having her life taken over by a little baby. Val was sexy and alluring and it was fun reading about how Tamara and Val were trying to one-up each other. Whenever Tamara got the better of him due to her secret wearable weaponry, I thought it was laugh out loud funny. There was definitely moments of humor sprinkled about this story, which was quite welcome seeing as how this was a dark and somewhat dreary read, but Ultimate Weapon was missing that spark that I found in the earlier McCloud books. But again, Tamara and Val were incredibly wounded souls so I doubt a more humorous story would have worked for them. Actually my favorite part was reading about Imre, after he had been captured, and my heart just broke for him and Val. It's a very sad scene, when he makes his sacrifice so that Val can go free, and I thought it was beautifully done.
Ultimate Weapon is pretty much a straightforward revenge tale. No info on the possible resurrection of Kevin--Or am I just wishful thinking?? The plot was rather simplistic, compared to Shannon McKenna's more crazy and out-there stories, but it worked. We get all the background info on Tamara and it was as sad and heartbreaking as I knew it would be. This story is fast paced and intense, and certainly interesting, but unfortunately I don't think I was very excited by it-- see missing "spark." There was also a very nasty scene involving a broken arm and a rope and all I have to say is that ten seconds never felt so long before.
Ultimate Weapon wasn't bad, but it wasn't a knock out of the park, either. I really wish it had been because Tamara deserved a much better send off. While I liked Val, I wish Tam could have been paired with someone like Sean McCloud because she could have used his funny, badboy antics to help loosen her up. Or Nick Ward, because I thought those two had great chemistry together. But since those two guys were usually half afraid of her, I guess only Val could do. Which is a shame to think that way because I really liked Val. And in all honesty, this is as much his story (if not more) than hers, so they both got cheated out of what-could-have-been. But I will still give it four stars because I liked it and I'm happy I read it and I can't wait for the next Shannon McKenna story. :)
Ultimate Weapon - Tam's Story November 5, 2008
krse89 (North Dakota)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
The book definitely had a different style and and darker tone to it than the previous books written about the McCloud clan. But I had been anxiously awaiting Tam's story and it was worth the wait!
Val Janos was the perfect man to get through Tam's defenses. I had trouble believing that she let him through her defenses at all, with her history. There were also a couple of scenes at the beginning of the book where I had trouble believing her character's actions, but I understand that it moved the plot forward.
I did not like the dynamics between Janos and Tam's physical relationship; specifically, him holding her down during almost every sexual encounter... but the author provided insight into why that dynamic existed, and why from Tam's point of view, she needed him to take charge.
It was a fine line for the author to travel, creating a believable connection between two such damaged souls with dark and painful histories. But McKenna made it work. Once the action scenes kicked in, I was holding my breath!
I can't wait for the next book!
 BIG LET DOWN... November 6, 2008
Avid Reader (Chicago, IL USA)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Shannon McKenna missed the mark with this one! Ultimate Weapon is my least favorite book so far in the "McCloud Brothers" series. The plot line was much more intense/serious in this novel, therefore the read was not as fast-paced and "fun" as previous ones. McKenna remains second-to-none when detailing the more "intimate" moments (wink! wink!) between the two main characters, however overall I felt the story itself fell short/flat. I missed the frequent verbal exchanges of light banter and sarcasm that have traditionally been shared between the McCloud's and their wives.
I've always gotten a kick out of Tam's devious/survivalist attitude in the previous novels, however I found her to be quite lackluster this time which was unexpected. Val had some shining moments as her/a leading man, but I could have taken him or left him.Ultimate Weapon (The McCloud Brothers, Book 6)
 powerful romantic suspense November 2, 2008
Harriet Klausner
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
Motherhood changes the attitude of even hardened felons as the PTA factor impacts most. Thus former thief Tamara Steele has become an acceptable jewelry designer because her goal is to be the nest mommy to her adopted three-year-old Ukrainian daughter Rachel, whom was rescued from a black-market organ harvesting operation.
However, you can run from your past, but you can't hide as Tam's history surfaces. Mobster Daddy Novak is angry over the murder of his son Kurt; he thirsts for vengeance with his finger pointing at Tam, who was Kurt's lover and in Daddy's mind betrayer.
Nasty gangster Georg Luksch blackmails his subordinate Val Janos, who wants to retire from a life of crime, to abduct Tam. Luksch plans to make her into his sex slave begging him to do anything he wants to her. To rescue his elderly Hungarian "dad" Imre from Luksch Val must hand over the woman he is falling in love with to his odious boss.
Blending heated interludes with caring for a toddler inside a powerful romantic suspense, Shannon McKenna proves she is the sub-genre's ULTIMATE WEAPON with this superior one sitting thriller. Val and Tam makes the tale work as each is a complete protagonist struggling with the insidious choices. With two nasty villains and one reformed hero seeking the heroine, fans will appreciate this exciting novel.
Harriet Klausner
5 blue ribbons from Romance Junkies November 9, 2008
C. Dionne (Cloverdale, OREGON USA)
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
For Val Janos remaining deadly, mysterious and unpredictable has proven to be the only thing that prevents him from becoming vulnerable to those who wish to control him. He has few weaknesses but his latest mission has brought them all to the forefront.
Tamara is as deadly - if not more so - than Val. Unfortunately she pissed off the wrong people and even all her attempts at hiding from her enemies have proved futile. They know she's alive and have hired Val to bring her to them.
Tamara doesn't trust any man and she's certainly not going to allow anyone to use or hurt her beloved little girl. She's been successfully making a living with a jewelry line called Deadly Beauty, wearable weaponry cleverly disguised in highly sought after jewelry. Unfortunately it's one of her pieces that bring her to the attention of Daddy Novak, the father of a man she killed. His protégée Georg lied about her death and Daddy Novak now knows that Georg's hired PSS (Prime Security Solutions) to find her. Val is the PSS operative charged with locating Tamara and bringing her to Georg but nobody knew about the little girl she's caring for and Val does not `do' children.
Daddy Novak is nobody's fool. He knows Val and is well aware of his past - after all he was very instrumental in making Val into the man he is today. He's also smart enough to know that Val's weakness is the one man who befriended him as a child, Imre, and Novak isn't above using the old man as leverage. Val's faced with a difficult situation and isn't quite sure how he's going to keep Imre, Tamara and little Rachel safe.
Tamara doesn't suffer betrayal easily and Val's implementing himself into her life under false circumstances is intolerable. She could kill him for doing so. In fact that thought is rather appealing especially if it means she could escape with Rachel and build a new life elsewhere. However that isn't going to happen. Passion, anger, fear and the promise of retribution against those who've hurt them in the past are a heady combination. Against Tamara's instincts she's faced with trusting Val with her life and heart - one which she thought she no longer possessed. Can their deadly instincts save them from the sinister plans against them? One things for certain, with two people this dangerous, passion is bound to be unbelievably intense and well worth any risk!
Shannon McKenna has won over many readers with her jaw dropping intensely passionate storylines. ULTIMATE WEAPON is by no means your typical happily ever after, hearts and flowers romance - it's better! Val and Tamara are kick butt heroines that really don't possess many likable characteristics at first but as you get to know them you begin to understand exactly why they are so standoffish. Tamara and Val are constantly at odds and as a reader I could feel the tension between them growing through each scene. I loved how the consistently keep `one upping' each other and how each of them reacts to being outwitted. Little Rachel's background and how she came to be with Tamara really touched me and shows a whole different side to her character than we could have hoped to see otherwise. This is a delightfully intense tale that holds readers attentions until the very last page. ULTIMATE WEAPON showcases Ms. McKenna's talent for in-depth characters and explosively passionate storylines that will leave your heart racing and pulse pounding.
Chrissy Dionne (courtesy of Romance Junkies)
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