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    Breaking Point
    Breaking Point
    Breaking Point
    Audiobook12 hours

    Breaking Point

    Written by Pamela Clare

    Narrated by Kaleo Griffith

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Denver journalist Natalie Benoit and Deputy U.S. Marshal Zach McBride find themselves captives of a bloodthirsty Mexican drug cartel. Working together, they escape through the desert toward the border, the attraction between them flaring hotter than the Sonoran sun. They fight to stay ahead of the danger that hunts them as forces more powerful than they can imagine conspire to destroy them both...
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 31, 2012
    ISBN9781452680613
    Breaking Point

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    Reviews for Breaking Point

    4/5

    99 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I really shouldn't have started this book late at night - couldn't put it down, as happened with the first 4 books in this series, so I should have known better. :)
      This is the 5th book in a row to get a 5 stars favorite rating from me. Usually I get bored with a series after a while but in this case I can't wait for the next book. Maybe because Pamela Clare doesn't 'pop' them out like some authors do.
    • 4/5
      I remember the crime quite well but had never heard the outcome of this case; also, I had no idea that she was in basically a Quiverfull family. Anyway, the audiobook was great, completely engaging throughout - a great read for a trip since it was so engaging.The author seemed to be a little slanted towards the insanity defense but did a thorough job of describing the trials and the possibilities of motive and insanity. The author made quite a good case of describing post partum depression or, actually, just major depression, and showed how far we've come in diagnosing and understanding that depression can make people do unbelievable things, including despicable crimes. This book actually changed my thinking about the crime, especially as the author describes how overworked and brow-beaten she was... and I came away with a new and different view of the father. I guess that speaks to the quality of the book because I don't usually change my mind because of books... but the author presented a great book. Highly recommend if you remember this case.
    • 2/5
      on Tuesday, November 23, 2004 I wrote:

      I have read more then half but I have to say I am very disappointed.I do not like the way it was written.You do not get any reliable information. It is mostly hear say. I discovered this book was written in a hurry and finished before the trial was doneThat's why I have bought another book on the Yates case with much better reviews. Are You There Alone?: The Unspeakable Crime of Andrea YatesI will wait till I receive that one, read it, then finish this book and then I will sell this one, because I need to earn some money.

      Update September 2-2010: (guess I never sold it cause it is still on my shelf) ;)
      and looking on another site even once I'd read all of it I was still not liking it.
    • 5/5
      Breaking Point
      4.5 Stars

      Synopsis
      Captured and tortured by the vicious members of a Mexican drug cartel, US Marshall, Zach MacBride, is on the verge of giving in when Natalie Benoit, an I-Team journalist, is thrown into the cell next door. the two work together to escape and grow physically and emotionally closer as they fight to survive against all odds.

      Review
      A well written story with fast-paced action scenes and a steamy romance.

      Both Natalie and Zach are compelling characters. They have both suffered incomparable losses and it is not surprising that they find comfort in each other. The way in which their past traumas is handled is realistic and believable as is their connection and the buildup of their relationship.

      Zach is intense, powerful and sexy but with a core of vulnerability that pulls you in. Natalie is intelligent and resourceful. The fact that she is capable of holding her own and rescuing herself makes her one of my favorite heroines in the series. For this reason, her barely mentioned plans for the future at the end of the book are annoying and completely inconsistent with her characterization - it is the reason this book as 4.5 instead of 5 stars.

      Another highlight of the story is the reappearance of characters from the previous books. They were mosty absent in Naked Edge so it was wonderful having them play a more significant role here.

      Regarding the villain in the book, despite the fact that he is cut from the same cloth as the evil human trafficker in Hard Evidence, he is not as intense or as threatening as that villain. The fact that his identity is revealed early on may have reduced the level of tension that he inspires.

      Overall, a solid addition to the series and I hope that Clare continues to write about the I-Team.

    • 5/5
      This book was so good! This was the first book I read by Pamela Clare and I am soooo glad I did. I have since went back and read all the I-team books.
      This one is by far my fave. The hero in this book is so deliciously yummy! Read it and you will totally enjoy it.
    • 5/5
      Uuh, this was incredbile! The whole book was one big emotional rollecoster from beginning to end! Zach was the sweetest and most amazing man ever, and then you add Natalie's cuteness and her way of being just made them my second favorite couple of this series..the top spot still belongs to Hunter and Sophie. ;)
    • 5/5
      Breaking Point is the first book I’ve read by this author, and, wow, it was a great romantic suspense! Now I understand why so many of my friends are fans of the I-Team series.The plot is fully-developed with non-stop action practically throughout the entire book as journalist Natalie Benoit and U.S. Marshal Zach McBride escape captivity from a demented drug lord, Cardenas, who thrives on rape, torture, and murder. The danger doesn’t stop there, though, once Zach and Natalie cross the border to the U.S. Natalie’s life is still in danger, and even though Zach doesn’t think a relationship between them will work, he continues to remain in her life, determined to protect her until Cardenas is caught.Zach, Natalie, and other characters featured in previous I-Team books work together to figure out why a Mexican drug lord is intent on killing Natalie, a local Denver journalist with no connection to Cardenas and his operations. The story kept my interest as I anxiously waited for all of the antagonists and their motives to be revealed. The tension and suspense build to a riveting climax where the fear and terror are palpable. Natalie is one of my favorite heroines. She’s intelligent, courageous, resourceful, and she doesn’t take unnecessary chances that will leave her vulnerable to attack. Zach is an ideal, but tortured hero who is confident and competent in doing battle with his enemies, but runs away from the inner demons that continue to plague him. It will take a lot of patience and love for Natalie to hold onto any hope they can have a future together. Zach has managed to awaken feelings in Natalie that she thought could never be resurrected. In the midst of all of the danger, Zach and Natalie are able to help each other work through the grief that has consumed their lives. The chemistry between them is explosive, and their romance sizzles with passion. Even though I hadn’t read any of the previous I-Team novels, I was able to follow the plot without feeling lost or confused. This book can be read as a standalone, and if you enjoy romantic suspense, I highly recommend Breaking Point.
    • 5/5
      Pamela Clare’s amazing I-Team series continues with Natalie’s story. This is one face-paced, hot story, that hooked me from the moment the first gunshot went off and refused to let me go until everyone was safe and sound. Whilst on a trip to journalism conference in Mexico, Natalie is taken hostage by a ruthless drug cartel. She wakes to find herself in a filthy hovel, with no means of escape and prison guards who leer at her as if she is prime cut of beef. Ever since her trauma during Hurricane Katrina, Natalie has been claustrophobic, and finds the confined space, along with the dangerous situation, too much to handle. Cracking up is not an option but she can’t seem to calm until through the wall comes a comforting male voice. Zach McBride is a fellow prisoner who the cartel has locked up for stealing their cocaine. He is actually an undercover agent, but that’s a secret that could get him killed. Even the cartel can’t break him during many rounds of torture, so Natalie has no chance of getting to the truth. One thing is clear to the both of them, no matter how they ended up there, they both need each other to get out.

      Zach is no in state to launch an escape attempt, but he knows that he has to lead the charge. The evil Cardenas (the head of the Cartel that has them both under lock and key) has had Zach tortured daily in the hopes of finding his drugs, and Zach knows the fate that he has in store for Natalie, is much worse. After hearing the guards talking about how Cardenas wants to rape and sacrifice her to their skeleton God, he knows that he has to get her out. However, getting her out doesn’t mean that the danger is over and, after a long journey crossing the Mexican border which is filled with danger, Natalie and Zach try to resume their normal lives, separately, only to have the drug cartel come to find them again. They both accepted that there could be do future in the relationship that developed between them, but fate seems determined to have her say. The question is, will they ever be safe long enough to see if they have a future together?

      Before reading this book, I was team Julian all the way (seriously, what is not to love about that man?) Now I’m not so sure I could pick one out of all the I Team husbands! Zach is the ultimate tortured hero. He has PTSD from his time in the army, he has survivor’s guilt from being the only member of his troop to arrive home and he has been electrocuted for God’s sake...with a car battery! I think I fell in love with him when he tricked the cartel guards into feeding Natalie and sweeping her cell. In his head, there was no future for him that could possibly involve Natalie. He had to be in a war against someone, had to be fighting some evil. That wasn’t a life he could imagine for someone like her. I can’t remember which book I read it in, but the Hero turns around to the heroine and basically says I’m tired of fighting this attraction so let’s do this, and this is what happens here. He wants her because she is strong, and he respects that she is an equal partner in the escape plan, not someone he needs to rescue. He can’t help but fall for her, and when he gives in, he REALLY gives in :D I liked Natalie too. She was in an awful situation, like the worst. At no point did Zach lie to her about the trouble she was in, never tried to sugar coat it, but she dealt amazingly well! She assumed that Zach that was a criminal because she knew he was hiding things, but, because she trusted her instincts, she was quite happy to give into the sexy temptation of him. Once she found out what he truly was, she was more than willing to fight for him. She called him on his crappy excuses and obvious fear, unwilling for him to be able to squirm out of what they had because of them. The sexual chemistry between these two was explosive (seriously...shower scenes :D) and the sex scenes gave me butterflies. The man is hot, tortured and so damn sweet, when he wants to be. Of course, this is when he isn’t being a bit of a douche because he wants to push her away. I loved them together, and I loved the way that they both each had their emotional strengths. She wasn’t scared of what she felt for him, even if it felt like cheating on her long dead fiancée at times, but he was. He wasn’t terrified of anything they would do to him, she was. They fit each other well.

      The best thing about this book was the camaraderie between the members of the I Team family. When the danger comes back to Denver, the troops rally around Natalie to save her from the evil drug lord. Zach, Julian, Marc and Gabe all work together to make her safe. Now I was pointed towards these books by a friend (thanks Saskia :D) and one thing I’ve begun to notice is the fact that these men all have nothing when they meet our heroines. Ms Clare certainly does tortured well and these hotties are all alone! By this book, there is a whole I Team family. SPOILER ALERT.... There is a point where Julian is injured trying to protect Natalie. The way Marc comforts him, and Gabe watches over them, made me a little sniffly. I love a good Bromance, and this is one of the best. These men don’t just have a wife and family now, they have each other. I adored this book because of these scenes, because of the boys together, protecting each other whilst ribbing each other. After reading all of the shit these dudes have been through, it makes their HEA twice as sweet.

      If you haven’t started this series, why the hell not? This book is smart, sexy and fast paced...read it if you like tortured men and sexy books, because Pamela Clare does both very, very well.
    • 4/5
      Natalie saves him and Zach McBride saves her in more ways than one. Two strong characters, meet in a prison camp where life is unbareable. After many problems they escape and make their way slowly home only to have trouble follow them. Thanks to friends from previous books in this series things have a way of working out. The similarities in each of the Hero and heroine's life help them to understand each other and to make the plot believable. This is a high energy and high angst book that keeps you glued to the pages.
    • 4/5
      I do not normally like books about drug cartels, border patrols, or US Marshals. I do not seek out books set in Mexico, and while I've been recently been reading a lot of contemporary romances, most of the time historicals are my cup of tea. And yet I totally loved BREAKING POINT by Pamela Clare, despite the fact that it's all about a US Marshal who's trying to bust a drug cartel in Mexico and the uppity reporter who's kidnapped on a trip south of the border. Why? Because it's good! It's good enough to make me toss my usual checklist out the window and hang on for the ride.

      The book has several distinct stages. Natalie and Zach start out as prisoners, equally helpless. Then they're on the run together, and slowly Zach's military training and wilderness know-how give him an edge, allow him to dominate the relationship. And finally they're in Denver, on Natalie's home turf, and Zach has to prove himself. Natalie and Zach's relationship is tested by each new dynamic...not just a change of circumstance or scenery, something more essential. BREAKING POINT pushed their relationship past the point where most romance novels end, but the plot and action continued at a breakneck pace from beginning to end. It was really well done.

      The setting was well-realized. I'm writing this review a week or two after I finished the book, but I can still remember the places and people that she described. Especially the compound where Zach and Natalie were held at the beginning, and the desert crossing when they make their way back across the border into the US. I liked the characters, I rooted for them, and the romance was super hot.
    • 4/5
      Drug trafficing in US & Mexico- Cartels, Violence, Money Laundering and Steamy Sex. Natalie Benoit an investigative reporter gets captured in Mexico and finds Zac Mcbride US Marshall in the cell next to hers and being tortured. They escape together. One is a survivor of Katrina and one is a survivor of Afganastan. The Story travels from Denver, Colorado to Juarez, MexicoNegs: Some repetitionPos: Good Character development
    • 5/5
      Breaking Point is the latest book in the I-Team series. Natalie, the protagonist, is in Ciudad Juarez for a Society of Professional Journalist convention. While on a bus tour a group of very bad men storm the bus, kills every single Mexican journalist in there and kidnaps her. During captivity she hears a voice that comes from the cell next door. The voice belongs to Zach McBride, our hero.And then the fun begins. I have read tons of romantic suspense and I can honestly say that no one does it better than Pamela. This book proves that. It is difficult to find a romantic suspense novel that has the perfect balance of both genres. Oftentimes you get a book that is heavy on the suspense but the romance seems almost like an afterthought, or you get a romance novel with a ridiculous cliché bad guy and a very predictable plot that has nothing suspenseful about it. But a book that gives you the same amount of focus in both aspects of the story is difficult to find. The other thing is that the romance in her books has a feel to it that goes perfectly well with the plot. Is down and dirty, so even though the heroes are the ultimate alpha male who protects and loves his woman till the bitter end, there is nothing sugary about it. These are people running for their lives, in very stressful situations, and the romance reflects that.I have loved every single one of the heroines in this series, and Natalie was no exception. She is strong and a fighter, but she is also feminine and vulnerable. If you have read the previous books in the series (and if you haven’t what are you waiting for?) you know that Natalie was a bit of a mystery. We know that something bad happened to her during Hurricane Katrina, something that has left her emotionally scarred, but we don’t know exactly why. In this book we find out and it is bad. But she is not giving up on life, and once she finds herself kidnaped by the biggest gang of psychopaths in romantic suspense history, she fights. And you know what? She saves Zach, she is the one who finds a way out of the prison. That is how cool Pamela’s heroines are.Zach was incredible. He is probably the most heroic of Pamela’s male leads (he was a former SEAL). He was also wounded, and like Natalie he had some very traumatic experiences that left him sad and feeling undeserving of life and love. But he was very strong. He goes through hell and doesn’t break. I loved him. He was a complex character. The best part was that he didn’t mind being rescued by a girl, he respected her, and they were perfect for each other.You know the phrase “a rollercoaster of emotions”? Well, this book was the definition of that phrase. The book starts with a bang, is followed by a bang and it ends with a bang. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time. The first half of the book was so nerve-wracking that at one point I felt like I was reading a post-apocalyptic novel. They were running through the dessert, there was no one to help them, and when you finally think that they are safe and that you might get to take a breath, they are back to running for their lives again. Not to mention all the slightly less anxiety inducing moments where they deal with angsty romance related issues. The only sweet, cutesy scene happens at the very end during the epilogue, this is typical of these novels and I like it very much, after everything that happens to them is nice to see them get their HEA, some people might dislike this because it is a bit different in tone to the rest of the book, but I liked it, and again, it is a romance.There is a lot of bromance in the book. Julian, Marc and Gabe, the heroes from the previous books, have secondary roles in this one and their scenes are fantastic (including a WTF/how could she! moment close to the end that almost gave me a heart attack). If Pamela were to write a suspense novel, with only them as characters -no girls, only them- I wouldn’t complain.The bad guys were really bad, there is a lot of violence in the book and Pamela doesn’t shy away from it, so be warned about it. The worst part of it is that these things actually happen. I have seen the news and sadly this is one of those cases were reality is worse than fiction. If this book serves to make people aware of what is going on in Mexico and in Ciudad Juarez in particular, then great, because there are innocent people currently living in hell. Now, there was no typecasting in the book, the bad guys were Mexicans but she doesn’t make you feel like all Mexicans are delinquents, on the contrary, I loved that she mentions how the people in Juarez were trying to survive and to bring some progress to their city, fighting for it. I was so glad for that scene, because I’m sick of reading suspense books where every Mexican or Colombian is a drug dealer or a murderer, like there is nothing good in those countries.I only have two complains. The first one is that Zach has a very miraculous recovery after the ordeal he goes through. One moment he can’t even stand on his own, and the next thing I know, he is running, shooting, breaking bad guy’s necks, throwing knifes. That was unbelievable, he had some broken ribs, he was brutalized and tortured, he had blisters, he was famished and possible dehydrated. The second one was that they have sex in the middle of very stressful circumstances and I don’t think that any normal people would be thinking about sex in those moments. But it is fiction, and the book is so good that it didn’t bother me much.My favorite book in the series is Unlawful Contact, but the rest of the books -this one included- are tied in second place. If you are a fan of romantic suspense, if you like action packed thrillers, or adventures, or very hot romances -and I mean scorching hot- then get this one, and get the rest of the series as well. The book stands alone fine, but you will probably enjoy it more if you know all the characters from previous books, and it is a little spoilery of the previous book. As I said there is equals amount of suspense and romance, there is a lot of sex, so if you only like suspense and if you are not into explicit sex scenes then you might want to read something else. But for the rest of you, this book is a keeper.