Catalyst

Along with a great suspenseful story the author always gives us a great history lesson throughout the book. South Sudan has is a country full of violence and has been in a civil war since 2013. And if that isn't bad enough first world countries are using and exploiting Africa over its oil fields. Now you are probably wondering why I just gave you a history lesson. Well those two things – the civil war in South Sudan and foreign oil corporations exploiting Africa are the heart of this book. Gabriella Prime was the daughter of the multi billionaire CEO of Prime Energy. She used to work for her father's company until she washed her hands of her family and the company due to their unethical practices and changed her name to Brie Stewart. She is now and aid worker in South Sudan helping those that were displaced by the civil war. What she had no idea of is she is just a pawn for the CIA (Savannah James) and on the radar of evil Russians who want her for their own nefarious purposes. Sebastian Ford has been stationed with his Army Special forces A Team in Djibouti. Sebastian is known as Bastian the bastard and he did play the roll well in the previous book but here we find out its a rather large chip he has on his shoulder from the wrongs that were done to his Native American tribe in the past with Gabriella and her family being at the top of his hate list. He is shocked to see her South Sudan and figures she is there for her family to steal their oil. He makes quite the ass of himself before Brie tells him she has cut all ties with her family and is there doing aid work. And the action takes off from there.. Both Brei and Bastian had a world of past pain that sat on their shoulders that they needed to work through. Problem was, Brei though that her past was firmly behind her and she rudely finds out that is not the case. Another page turner full of suspense and action and the next book should be explosive with the CIA agent and the Army guy who loathes her ways..

**I received an Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review** Catalyst can really be broken down into two separate books. The first section features Brie escaping a USAID compound in South Sudan, captured and taken to a slave market where she’s rescued by Bastian. At that point, they go on the run to avoid capture by those hunting Brie. The second section features Brie and Bastian going to Morocco to take down a Russian oligarch trying to start genocide in South Sudan – who also happens to have an unhealthy obsession with Brie. Both of these sections could be completely separate novels and, honestly, I’m not sure they tied together as seamlessly as they could have. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this novel. It’s just that on the one hand, you had Brie and Bastian trying to survive on barely having enough food and clothing in some of the worst conditions you could imagine. On the other hand, you had them in Morocco in a palace with servants around every corner where every desire is granted. I suppose that was part of Rachel Grant’s plan – to show the utter differences between the two worlds. And in that regard, she did a fantastic job so obviously I’m contradicting myself and they did tie together seamlessly! Ha. The storyline was well developed and thought out. It shows that Ms. Grant did her research. The descriptions were vivid and I could picture the images easily. The romance between Brie and Bastian was the perfect push and pull. I’m one of those readers that wants the coming together of the characters to happen quickly and yet, I quite enjoy the slow development. Some of the intricate details regarding the storyline outside of the romance portion were a little confusing but that might just be me and it never once got to the point where I was taken out of the story. I did find the appearance of Ivan to be a little startling. The last time I read about him was in the Evidence series where his life circumstances were quite different. I won’t give much away for those that haven’t read the Evidence series – and if you haven’t, I suggest you do. I appreciated the author’s note at the end giving a little explanation for his presence in the book. I have two main critiques of the book. The first being that there wasn’t an epilogue. It would have been nice to have a little time jump to see if Brie had been able to patch things up with Rafe. I also would have liked to know if Bastian’s parents accepted Brie into the fold and how they felt about things. The second was the subtle (or not so subtle) political statements. This is my review – my opinion – but all I’m saying is that when I’m reading, I am doing so for entertainment. I’m doing it to escape the outside world. I’m just not a fan of authors inserting their own political beliefs into their novels – particularly if it doesn’t enhance the novel any. Having said that, I realize that – just as I can insert my opinions in my reviews – the author can insert their opinions in their novels. On another note, I appreciated Ms. Grant highlighting the problems in South Sudan (and I do not see this as a political issue as it’s a human issue). Americans don’t often think about the fact that girls often have to drop out of school when they reach puberty. The availability of sanitary products for those girls would literally change the course of their lives. In a world where we’re constantly being shown republicans and democrats fighting each other, it’s sobering to be reminded of – and encouraged to donate to – issues that other countries are dealing with that can, at times, make our problems seem small and petty. Just something to mediate on.

This is a definite five star read. The bad guys are many truly disgusting. This is the second book in this series and pulls the reader into the world of the Sudan, poor, undernourished, abused and heart felt sadness. The story focuses on the pillage of natural resources and the plight of those people trying to survive. Two lovers fighting the good fight, trying to make a difference in a world so warped, it is close to impossible. Excellent read. Put at the top of your TBR list.