Firestorm

By: Rachel Grant

Narrated by: Greg Tremblay

Length: 11 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's Summary

CIA covert operator Savannah James is after intel on a potential coup in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but she needs a partner fluent in Lingala to infiltrate the organization. 

Sergeant First Class Cassius Callahan is the perfect choice, except he doesn't like her very much. He doesn't trust her, either, despite the sparks that flare between them, fierce and hot. Still, he accepts the assignment, even though their cover requires Savvy to pose as his mistress.   

They enter battle-worn Congo to expose the financing for the coup. A trail of cobalt, gold, and diamonds leads them into the heart of darkness, a jungle in which everyone is desperate to find the mother lode of ore and gems. Betrayal stalks them as they follow the money, but Savvy will stop at nothing to bring down the would-be dictator before he can ignite a firestorm that will engulf all of Africa.  

Deep in the sultry rain forest, spy and Green Beret forge a relationship more precious than diamonds, but Cal knows Savvy is willing to sacrifice anything - or anyone - to complete her mission. As they near the flash point, Cal will have to save her from the greatest threat of all: herself.

©2018 Rachel Grant (P)2018 Audible, Inc.

Critic Reviews

"Firestorm is a scorching-hot read with the added bonus of grit, substance and integrity. A great Romantic Thriller!" (New York Times best-selling author Toni Anderson) 

"Grant expertly braids together action and romance in a propulsive, page-turning suspense thriller.” - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

You won't be able to put this one down!

All the books in Rachel Grant's Flashpoint series are terrific. High-stakes, action-packed plots sit alongside a steamy romance and her central characters are always fully-rounded and well fleshed-out. In Firestorm, Sergeant First Class Cassius "Cal" Callahan, and CIA agent Savannah James get their chance to shine; they've been striking sparks off one another since book one (Tinderbox) and I've really been looking forward to their story.

Savvy is tasked with getting information about a Russian-backed would-be dictator who is rumoured to be planning a coup in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the only way she'll be able to get it is to get herself into an exclusive party being held aboard the yacht belonging to one of his Russian backers. There's no way she'll be able to get an "in" on her own, though, which is where Cal comes in. She wants him to pose as a businessman who deals in stolen artefacts, while she'll go along with him as his sex toy. Cal isn't wild about the idea - he's got his own reasons for being distrustful of the CIA, and although he is strongly attracted to Savvy (and she to him), he doesn't like her methods and her single-minded ruthlessness when it comes to getting the job done.

I won't spoil the plot, which is superbly constructed and executed; the pacing is excellent, the romance is sweet and sexy by turns and the central characters are compelling. The author never fails to impress me with the amount of research that must go into these books, and the scenarios she comes up with are frighteningly realistic!

Narrator Greg Tremblay is, quite simply, one of the best narrators I've ever heard, and his performance here is outstanding. All the characters are clearly differentiated, his female voices are excellent - never too high-pitched - and he gets right into the swing of things, whether it's in an action sequence or one of the more romantic moments.

All the books in this series are must-listens for fans of romantic suspense.

Exciting, thrilling keeps you on the edge loved it

I just love this author and all of her book she pulls you in with excitement, thrills, action and suspense. This is romance as its finest with an author that never disappoints you with strong women who know how to hit the ground running and the hero’s that do their best to keep them safe. I have loved this series it has a great plot and delightful characters that keep you turning the pages. She pulled me in from the first page until the last. I stayed up very late at night I hated to put the book down.


Mr. Temblay did an outstanding job pulling the listener in giving a wonderful listen to his many different character voices to his wonderful tones they all were delightful. He held me on the edge through all the danger to the romance. His female voices were as great as his male ones. I had to trouble picturing the scenes as they unfold holding me on the edge through the danger which is filled with action. His tones and emotions were great you always knew who was talking and just what they were feeling. There was no repeating of words, no background noises, no volume changes. It sounded like he finished it at one setting if breaks were taken I could not tell. He made me feel like I was setting right there watching a movie as he delivered the excitement and thrills even a few chills that I felt all the way to my toes. He performance was outstanding giving me a listen I was hooked on from start to finish

When Savannah and Cassius meet you can see the sparks they create coming right off the pages. Savannah is a strong woman which Cassius likes he just isn’t sure he trust her. Cassius is very alpha, strong, handsome and daring. He makes demands and expects her to fall in line following him and the orders he gives. Rules are rules as these two try their best to put up a wall to keep their attraction at bay. Neither willing to admit what they feel which really adds to the story giving a very interesting and exciting read. As danger comes their way they must learn how to work together as they try to fight their attraction. What follows is one exciting, passionate, daring read that you won’t be able to put down.

Ms. Grant has out done herself filling each page with excitement, suspense, danger, wonderful hot love scenes that is full of tension, lust, thrills and chemistry that leaves you holding your breath just waiting to see what comes next. The danger keeps you on the edge with eyes glued to the pages turning them as fast as you can. I was talking to the characters as if they were real people. When you start talking, yelling at the book you know you are so invested you can’t put it down that you have a wonderful read you wish would not end. Mr. Grant deliveries all this and more she is one of my go to authors when I want something exciting that I know will pull me in making my heart beat faster as she takes me through one thrilling scene into the next. I have trouble waiting for her next book to come out. If you are looking for a wonderful author that keeps you one the edge with excitement and thrills you have found her. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have.

Great story line excellent series!

I am an avid reader and this series is EXCELLENT and one of my favorites, the writing is awesome and the story lines are well developed and interesting to follow.

Rumble in the Jungle!

Rachel Grant has been blowing me away with her tales of the men and women from the fictitious Camp Citron. This third offering in the "Flashpoint" series was certainly the most explosive yet, featuring a slow burn enemies-to-lovers run through the Congo that will keep readers/listeners gripped 'til the very end.

Our unlikely lovebirds are the two that were least likely to fall, thereby falling the hardest: CIA covert operator Savannah James, and SFC Cassius (Cal) Callahan. Savvy's tapped him for a top secret CIA mission because he has the right skill set and the right look. But he can hardly stand to be in the same room with her. But he's a professional, and when the mission goes sideways (as they always seem to do), he's the one you want by your side.

As Savvy and Cal trek through the Congo, their personal lives begin to echo their surroundings; a surrealistic mix of beauty, pain, and betrayal. They see the stark horrors that civil war has done to the land and its people, and they realize just what a jungle this place really is. They also begin to recognize within themselves the painful denial they've been subjecting themselves to in an effort to pretend their passion for each other doesn't really exist.

Yep. These are the guys that fall hard and light up the jungle night with their electricity. It's like watching that beautiful deer get to the fence every day. You know he's going to jump it, and you know what that looks like. But you never get tired of seeing it because it's so magnificent and graceful. Savvy and Cal are like that--except maybe not quite so graceful. But their story is an awesome read.

Great story!

I really enjoyed this book. it was filled with a great story line and a little romance as well. It comes across much like a true story of sorts. As a retired soldier I could relate.

More precious than Diamonds?

When CIA covert operator Savannah James mission goes to hell the only person she can rely on is Sergeant First Class Cassius Callahan.

A Green Beret fluent in Lingala he is the perfect choice. Except he doesn't like or trust her, and he has his own agenda.

As they enter battle-worn Congo to expose the financing for the coup they find that not everything is as it seems and the desire burning between them only serves to blur the lines and distract them.

Deep in the sultry rain forest, spy and Green Beret forge a relationship more precious than diamonds. But how much are our heroes prepared to sacrifice for each other?

Another hot political thriller from Rachel that I enjoyed listening to with Audible Escape.

Great series

I loved the story, action, and romance in this book series. I’ve listened to them all. They are well written but they are really long. By the time I got to this one I found myself using fast forward through some of the descriptions of the lands. The author tells a great story, but it long.

Action packed African adventure

That was a lot of adventure for one book! Savvy & Cal take off from Djibouti to go disrupt future dictators in/near the Congo and, well, hijinks start to ensue even before they leave. Both are clever, heroic, and kind, making them a fun couple to tag along with. I recommend it.

For those who might have seen my negative review of Dr Morgan & Pax’s book, this book has all of the interesting African backdrop & adventure with none of the toxicity in the main couple. After that book, I would not have picked this one up except for it being in my audible package. (Am still trying to decide if I want to read the aid worker one as it seems more up close with female debasement than I feel like coping with this week. This book had more empowerment despite jerks being mean and it didn’t come from the hero.)

The couple do keep secrets from each other, but trust is earned over time and secrets were revealed over time, so I was ok with that. My biggest quibble was them deciding that the funding from the minister was going to mining instead of education. I don’t think they were wrong to try and confirm where the funding went, or wrong thinking child slave labor was a possibility, but in their POV’s it was treated more as a known fact than a possibility for a lot of the narrative. (I also wish that I still believed shining a light on war criminals’ activities was enough to cause necessary repercussions.)

Even so, it’s a good tale with solid pacing, all kinds of shenanigans and wins and some few moments of sexy fun. The main characters do get banged up some but most of it is from bushwhacking thru rain forest. The bug bites will be their worst souvenir. (Aka not unscathed, but not getting 80 concussions.)

Steam: Med-Low. M/F on page. They were on a mission and I never thought “hey, maybe save that for later”. Author did a good job of creating safe spaces for sexytimes. But the plot was mission focused so while the occurred throughout, there were not a lot of scenes.

Narration: Good narrators like this one add to the experience. Audio volume dips a few times at ends of phrases but nothing major.

Much more than just a narration

Tremblay performs on the audiobook as if he is onstage. His emotions evoke images that bring the characters to life. Combined with Grant’s excellent writing and plot twists, I couldn’t but it down.

Monuments women

Please do more with this group. Your books are very entertaining. I live the idea about monuments women.... Go for it!