Terminal Hunter

Have you ever read a series that you wished would never end? The Underground Series by Esther Mitchell is one of these. In Terminal Hunter, the third in the series, Ms. Mitchell brings back a cast of heroes and heroines that readers love to visit, especially, Tamia Kuan, whom the series primarily revolves around.

Terminal Hunter opens with Commando Tamia Kuan who's six months pregnant. She's still trying to hide her condition from everyone, including those she works with, because of "that damned code." The War Department's Fertility Code is something that all individuals must sign in order to enter the military. It prohibits any military personnel from having children. If a woman becomes pregnant, she must abort the child or face being prosecuted for treason, which could cost her life.

Tamia is a strong woman who is used to relying on herself. She bottles up all her stress, worry, and emotions, which makes it hard for her to reach out to others; let alone accept that others may care for her. In addition to fear of someone discovering she’s pregnant; Tamia is struggling to communicate and make a relationship work with the father of the baby, Unit Commander, Richard Carinson.

Richard "Ric" Carinson is most definitely an alpha male, but not in a chauvinistic way. His worry over his teammates is commendable; his anger at the death of one of his teammates understandable. He is in the middle of a delicate top secret military operation. It's hard for him to keep his mind strictly on the matter at hand because he is also trying to get the Fertility Code overturned. There's just one problem, the man responsible for the War Department's Fertility Code, is the very man the commandos are investigating. Until the man is found guilty, they can't even begin to persuade someone to look into the matter of changing the code.

Ric's inability to communicate his feelings to Tamia seems to be a problem; however, his protectiveness toward her is something that many women experience with the father of their children. Not only will Tamia and Ric have to be exceptionally careful to prevent the discovery of Tamia's pregnancy; they will have to do so while on a highly volatile special ops mission.

I’m not sure if I was feeling overly emotional while reading this story, but when I read the death scene and its after affects, I literally cried. The dialogue between the characters, the emotions they felt, and the description of what happened are so very real, and so heartrending, that it is almost impossible not to get teary eyed.

The plotline in Terminal Hunter hits a person on several emotional levels. There is the thrill of action when the reader experiences the hunt for the bad guys, angst at the death of one of the teammates, joy at the thought of Tamia and Ric’s union producing a baby, and hope that there will be another story in this remarkable series.

Bravo! Ms. Mitchell for a story well written. I look forward to reading the next adventure in this excellent series.

Reviewed by: Lady Amethyst