Conrad Greene had tried to save a man- William who was like a brother but then he saw in William’s eyes he wanted to die. His heart had shattered when he saw hate in the eyes of the woman he loved. Conrad was living in the flood plains of Brazil where he was trying to live out the rest of eternity.he had a dog named Rocky as his companion. Then a charter plane had crashed right into Conrad's home leaving the pilot and a man dead. But there was also a locked briefcase. In the briefcase had been a gun and several photos one of Laura Hartwell the woman who had Conrad’s heart.  Conrad realizes he has come across a plan to kill the President Of The U.S.A. Conrad goes to Washington DC to reveal what he now knows. Conrad let's Laura know her life may be in danger. Laura is now with the Secret Service, she helps guard the President. Although Conrad tries he cannot stop a bullet from killing the President. Greene now leads a team of elite human and immortal agents to take down the elusive organization bent on taking over the world.

I enjoyed this story a lot considering I am not into take over the world stories but I did finish this one and more important enjoyed it. The action is almost non-stop and I liked that. Then the part on Conrad’s love for Laura. It seems a little far fetched but i got through it. I liked the characters a lot. The twists and turns of this story kept you interested and reading. I recommend.

I received an ARC of this story for an honest review.

(I got an e-copy of this novel through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.)

This is the third book in this series ("Seventeen") I read, and even though I haven't rated those any higher than 3/3.5 stars so far, I must say they do all fall in the "I liked it" category: there are slight changes in the genre itself (man-hunt, artifact/ancient secrets, special services...), things sometimes go too fast for serious character development, but all things considered, whenever I want an action-packed story with guns, helicopters, wild chases and people with powers (immortals), these novels deliver.

Both merit and flaw here: each novel focuses on a different character. Merit, because it allows the author to put these people (immortals as well as their human allies) into situations for which they are more suited than others, and have a bigger picture slowly come together—something tells me there should be at least two more installments to this series. Flaw, because said characters can't be explored as deeply as they would if they were the heroes of two, three, four books. Somehow, we get a glimpse and back-story elements, but there are times when I'd like to see more.

However, as I mentioned above, the "Seventeen" books are pretty good in terms of action, lively fights, and from what I know, believable research, if a little over-the-top now and then (I tend to like a bit of over-the-top, by the way). Picturing each scene is fairly easy, and I'm positive they'd also do great as movies. Hardened secret services agents, assasination attempts, political play on a worldwide level, antagonists that go back to older days, an investigation taking place in several European cities... Mostly those elements make for an entertaining read. Not something I'd discuss at length for a book club, sure, but then, this isn't what I expect from such novels. I expect to be entertained and awed with good action scenes—and those I get.

One interesting thing: the kickass medic. I haven't seen that kind of combination too often (a healer-type character who can also hold his/her own and doesn't have to be protected by the others). All right, Conrad's power is kind of unique, in that all the others who had it are now dead, from what I understood, but it ties into the red thread intrigue going on from novel to novel. I really hope there'll be more about that in the next volume, about those immortals with a specific mark on their skin, and what their role is supposed to be (because there must be one, right?). Both Crovir and Bastian societies are somewhat tied into working with each other, and it sort of hints at a bigger threat looming in later.

There's one side of the story I would've liked to see explored more, though: the consequences of so many heads of state being targeted. The characters realise what's at stake, and do their best to prevent it, but I thought we didn't get to see exactly how things played out for regular people. Did they care? What about the lockdown on airports? How did international diplomacy unfold? It was here, but somehow "in the background", and it made the threat less... tangible.

This qualm put aside, it was a pleasant read. Not too deep, but definitely entertaining.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, thank you!

 

Greene's Calling is the third book in the Seventeen series. You can also read my reviews of the first books: Soul Meaning and King's Crusade.

 

Once again, this book is completely different from the first two! The immortals are still the same, and there are some characters from the other books that make an appearance halfway the book, but mostly this is like starting over again. The genre has shifted from man on the run and in search of answers to Dan Brown novel to political thriller is this last instalment (although it's the kind of political thriller that contains a lot of fighting and shooting rather than something more diplomatic).

 

Greene has been living on his own for some time, trying to get as few human contact as possible. His way of life is brutally destroyed when a small crashes down on his house in the Brazilian jungle. He discovers a plot to assassinate the American president in the papers on board. But that's only the beginning of a much larger scheme...

 

I enjoyed reading Greene's Calling, just as I enjoyed the other books. I was hoping for more answers concerning the two immortal races, but not really any were given during this book. Greene is (just as both Soul and Alexa) a special snowflake as he - and only he- has an extreme ability to heal mortal people (when I say extreme, I mean extreme). The pace is always fast and there is a lot of action, so if that's something you like, you'll enjoy this book.

 

One thing I found a bit odd though was that

although all these world leaders were shot by 'the best' assassins, in the end only the Russian dies. Some old cold war feelings?

And what a lousy assassins! Or, more people with healing powers, because what are your chances of surviving being shot in the head (as happened to quite some of the world leaders)?

(spoiler show)

Received via NetGalley and AD Starrling for an completely unbiased review

Note: this book can be read as part of the series, or completely stand alone.

Conrad Green lives in the Amazon. He lives a simple life, filled with simple pleasures and the love of a dog. It has been decades since he had any long term connection to the world, and he plans to keep it this way. He has lost everything that once meant anything to him, and now is content to wait out his immortality alone. When a plane crashes into his Amazonian home Conrad finds details surrounding an assassination attempt against the President of the United States. Conrad rushes to Washington to reveal the plot, and becomes the head of the search for the elusive worldwide network plotting to take down all of the world's superpower nations. Time is running out, can Conrad save the world and get the girl that got away centuries ago?

If you're a big fan of over the top military adventures and paranormal fiction, you might just enjoy Greene's Calling. Melding together high octane action, and a group of Immortals who have special powers Starrling creates what can only be described as Clive Cussler's paranormal cousin.

Greene's character is interesting in that he is one of the members of the Immortal race who has inherited strange healing powers from his lineage. He is no stranger to violence and the life style of a warrior. The long-time obsession with Laura seemed a bit far fetched. A few hundred years and he hasn't found another woman to love? Not only this, but Laura hasn't found another lover either? Im not a believer in long term fidelity after a relationship breaks down. Although, I'm not an Immortal either.

Starrling uses well researched real world data to create a world much like our own, and delves into the question of what would happen if a terrorist organization were to attack all major heads of state. How would tense relationships between countries sustain? How would the security details react?

I did not read the previous two Seventeen series installations, but may read the fourth based on a heavy cliff hanger ending that can only promise more fun and over the top experiences. My only recommendation is to throw realistic expectations out the window and try not to take the book too seriously. This is certainly a fluffy, fun read for when you're on the beach!