The Danger Game by Ian Bull

"Ian Bull's books are action-packed thrillers that start in California and then go careening around the globe.

Ian Bull is the pen name of Donald Ian Bull, and he brings twenty-five years in Hollywood and a lifetime in California to his writing.

He is the author of THE QUINTANA ADVENTURES, a series featuring the exploits of Army reconnaissance photographer Steven Quintana and movie star Julia Travers, and their rocky relationship.

THE PICTURE KILLS is the first book, and SIX PASSENGERS, FIVE PARACHUTES is the sequel. THE DANGER GAME is the third book in the series.

He is also the author of THE CALIFORNIA NOIR series, which are noir romances set in different cities and different decades in California. The first book, LIARS IN LOVE, is a romantic crime caper set in 1980s San Francisco. FACING REALITY is a noir romance about a filmmaker in Los Angeles in the year 2000 who learns the hard truth about making it in Hollywood. The third book in the series, MURDER AT TOURMALINE, set in San Diego, is coming soon.

Using his full name, Donald Ian Bull, he published a book of his blog posts about life in California, CALIFORNIABULL (at CaliforniaBull.com., He has written a book of essays, WATER MARKERS, about swimming.

His family is originally from Ontario, Canada. He grew up in San Francisco, graduated from UC Berkeley and UCLA, and now lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter." ~Amazon

"The Most Popular App in the World Around the globe, everyone’s playing The Danger Game, the most popular storytelling app ever created. World-famous actor Julia Travers and her fiancé, Stephen Quintana, are the stars of the entertainment sensation, playing fictional versions of themselves trapped in a hostage situation. Viewers pay to submit plotlines, hoping their ideas will be chosen for episodes where Steven and Julia must “perform or die.”

With 100 million downloads and counting, fans are going crazy for this interactive series. They can’t wait to see Julia in her most exciting role to date. But it isn’t a fabrication. Steven and Julia really have been kidnapped, and their lives are on the line—again. Their captors plan to kill them in the final episode and disappear with a billion dollars in profit.

Back in Los Angeles, friends Carl Webb and Trishelle Hobbes know the truth. But how can they outsmart this app, when they don’t even know where Steven and Julia are? They enlist the help of the U.S. Army’s best cyber operation specialists and create their own rival app, The Rescue Game, dedicated to spoiling The Danger Game and discovering Julia and Steven’s location in time to save their lives.

The race is on.

Steven Quintana and Julia Travers are familiar with danger. In The Picture Kills, Julia was kidnapped and taken to a remote Bahamian cay where she was forced to risk her life for a movie, until Steven risked his to rescue her. In Six Passengers, Five Parachutes, Steven was trapped in a reality TV show set on a crashing plane, and Julia fought to rescue him. The tabloids insist these misadventures were publicity stunts. And, now, Julia and Steven are trapped in The Danger Game and making a fortune for their captors while fighting for their lives.

The Danger Game is author Ian Bull’s final installment in The Quintana Adventures trilogy, published by Story Merchant Books, about Army Ranger photographer Steven Quintana and actor Julia Travers. Bull has also written Liars in Love and Facing Reality, along with several books of nonfiction under his full name, Donald Ian Bull. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter." ~Amazon

Find out more about Ian Bull and his work on:

Amazon

Goodreads

Blog

Numeric Breakdown:

1: didn't like it/skip it
2: it was okay/not for me
3. liked it/worth reading
4. really liked it/loved it
5. it was amazing/must read

If you're a fan of fast-paced action, non-stop adrenaline rushes, and unexpected twists, then this book has a lot to offer you.

Danger Games is the third and final installment of the The Quintana Adventures. Since I hadn't read the first two books, I was hesitant to dive into the last one, but I found it wasn't necessarily vital to read the first two books to keep up with this one. The author kindly provided a note at the very beginning to help you catch up on the activities of the first two books. With that introduction, the reader is dunked into immediate action and adventure. 

It starts off on a bang, and it doesn't end there. The author is skilled at presenting humor from the beginning, even if that wanes as the story progresses - for obvious reasons. The first person pov carries through as several characters get a chapter - Steven, Julia, Carl, and Tina. Having the back and forth perspectives helped move the story along and gave a 3D view of the characters, setting, and situation. 

The author's adept at setting a fast-paced, action-packed adventure that kept pulsating through each page. As the reader, you didn't know what's going to happen next, but the suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat. You want nothing more than for Steven and Julia to escape. As a reader, especially if you didn't know how these things worked, you're given to believe the author had excellent knowledge or the appearance of excellent knowledge concerning computers, programs, and coding. The storyline was unique and different from other books I've read, and it held appeal with its wit, clever dynamics, and consistent characterization.

With all that said, and with acknowledgement that the description does state the characters are playing a game at the mercy of their kidnappers and are forced to "perform or die," I have to say I was a bit unprepared for the harsh elements of the plot and the inclusion of torture. I wasn't fond of the seemingly well-developed but gross plan of Tina's as well as her boyfriend and her henchmen. Since I hadn't read the first two books in the series, I suppose I couldn't understand the anger behind this type of plan either. 

For me, the situations the kidnappers put the main characters in were hard to read through. There were other parts that didn't sit well with me, and I would support an "explicit" label in terms of the violence and language held within the storyline. It would also show why, although I'm not a fan of giving a 2-star rating, this story lands in the "it was okay/not for me" review category for me. 

There were definite positives with the story's pacing, action, non-stop suspense, and desire to see a positive outcome for the main characters. However, it didn't meet my expectations of an action and adventure story. I encourage you to read for yourself and see what you think. 

Thank you to the author and Reedsy Discovery for allowing me to have an ARC copy and share a honest review. 

Thanks for joining me, and as always, Happy Reading!!

~Rebecca Reddell