Breaking Point: I-Team #5    by Pamela Clare Order:  USA  Can Berkley, 2011 (2011) Paperback, e-Book      Reviewed by Martina Bexte I-Team journalist Natalie Benoit is in Mexico attending a conference when her bus is ambushed. Hours later she regains consciousness in a dark, vermin infested cell, her head pounding as she tries to remember what happened. Her captors had dragged her away and there was more gunfire, leaving her with a chilling and horrifying certainty that her colleagues - and friends - were all dead. And that the only reason she's still alive is for ransom. The bleak realization that she's on her own is overwhelming - her government doesn't negotiate with terrorists or cartel thugs. Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride never imagined he'd be betrayed by another operative. After enduring a week of torture, he knows his strength is waning, that his torturer is close to breaking him. But when Zach hears the voice of a fellow captive, he digs deep for the strength to survive one more day. With Natalie's ingenuity and help, they escape and manage to elude the Cartel's hunters long enough to send a cryptic message to Natalie's counterparts in Denver - Zach doesn't trust local law enforcement. Over the course of a few days, Natalie is forced to endure more than she could ever have imagined, from killing a man to crossing a baking desert on foot. If not for Zach's strength and elite skills learned as an ex Navy SEAL, she wouldn't have survived. But it's soon clear than the sadistic drug lord who'd held them both captive isn't about to forgive or forget that they made a fool of him. Clare gives the many fans of her gritty I-Team series another huge adrenalin rush in Breaking Point. The action is brutal and non-stop, the tension and suspense high, the plotting meticulous and the romance touching (and smokin' hot) as Natalie and Zach fall in love while barely keeping one step ahead of the brutal Mexican drug lord intent on revenge. Clare also brings back Julian, Marc and Gabe, showcasing their specific talents as they join forces to protect Natalie and Zach from escalating death threats. No one does romantic suspense like Pamela Clare. If you aren't already a fan of her realistic, engrossing and sizzling I-Team series, you're missing out on some great reading! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Romance books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews