Shane’s Last Stand: Sneak Peek at Suzanne Brockmann’s Latest

Title: Shane’s Last Stand (Short Story)
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Genre: Romantic Suspense

Popular romantic suspense author Suzanne Brockmann’s highly-anticipated new book, Born to Darkness, is slated for release on March 20. It’s the first book in a brand new series called Fighting Destiny. Best known for her Troubleshooters books, Brockmann’s new series is just a little bit different. It’s set sometime in the near future, where things seem bleak for the world economy and the United States. Born to Darkness has been touted as a paranormal romance, and it certainly has science fiction and paranormal elements weaved in. In Brockmann’s new world, a new designer drug is sweeping through the population, promising special abilities and eternal youth. The catch? The drug’s extremely expensive, instantly addictive, and can drive you mad.

Despite the new and unusual setting, what hasn’t changed is that the hero, Shane Laughlin, is a Navy SEAL…. or at least used to be one, before he was stripped of his rank, dishonorably discharged, and barred from most jobs. In preparation for Born to Darkness, Brockmann has released a short story exclusively in e-book format to introduce us to Shane, and to tell us about his last mission as a SEAL. (There’s also an exciting bonus preview of the first chapter of Born to Darkness to sweeten the pot.)

Entitled Shane’s Last Stand, the short story will whet your appetite for Born to Darkness. We join Shane, a Lieutenant in SEAL Team Thirteen, at the start of what was supposed to be a straight-forward mission in Afghanistan to eliminate a terrorist mastermind. The mission is off to a bad start when Shane injures his ankle in the paradrop… then things get worse, when Shane realizes that the mission’s not so straightforward after all, and that his terrorist target isn’t who she seems. Knowing that he’s committing career suicide by bucking the chain of command, Shane gives the order to abort the mission to save an innocent woman, and to protect the rest of his team’s careers. This was an extremely short story, but a great teaser for Born to Darkness (which I have of course already pre-ordered!) The writing is just as absorbing as any Troubleshooter book. Shane’s strong moral compass, and determination to do what’s right despite the cost to him, make him an attractive hero, and I’m looking forward to learning more about him.