The Betrayed Series Ultimate Companion Collection (Betrayed #.5-3.5) by Carolyn McCray

The Betrayed Series Ultimate Companion Collection (Betrayed #.5-3.5) Reviews

• 
  Carol

  This series was my first from this author.
  
  At first I was a bit weary for having checked her booklist on Amazon, I was stunned by the incredible range of her writing.
  
  It took me only a few pages of the 1st book of the series to be completely hooked. I loved the characters, the action, the mystery, the suspens... I for one was not bothered by the controversy(ies). This is fiction and I love fiction that makes me pause and ponder and think "why not?".
  
  This is one series I'd love to see being made into movies (several movies). I'm delighted that another Betrayed series is being written, albeit without Brandt or Rebecca but Lopez and the rest of the gang will ensure me several hours of sheer pleasure.
• 
  Tonya Hoppe

  I loved this series. Lots of suspense with a little romance not to mention religious history. Gives you something to think about. A great read.
• 
  Sue

  Great series that keeps you reading to see what could happen next. Love the characters and story line. It's fiction but great premis.
• 
  Jessie

  I could not get enough of this series. It was so good!!
• 
  Victoria Beavers

  It's not Thor, but it's very readable.
  
  Everyone can't be a Thor--and for the sake of variety, that's okay--but for the Thor-without-the-steroidal audience for which this book is intended, it's quite readable. It has just about all of the requisite keys to make it good. Characters you love and the ones you love to hate. Overseas locations, both exotic and exotic-with-an-edge. Action, in-depth enough to contribute that rush but not so much to become a cliche. Romance that's just enough for the readers who crave it but thankfully not so much to bog down the excellent pace of the story. A format that strays a tiny bit from the norm with chapters that alternate between current day and the days when Jesus lived. And a traitor. Of course there's a traitor. There's always a traitor.
  
  Even though the story uses the life of Jesus, the book isn't a platform for a religious statement or viewpoint. It's used for an historical backdrop.
  
  The rating is based on the type of book it is. It doesn't aim to be a highly cerebral tome filled with rich description and layer upon intricate layer of detail. It's Thor/Gilstrap/Eisler lite, and it is successful.
  
  
  
  
  
• 
  Char

  Be prepared to loose sleep reading this series. It is one fantastical shoot em up bang bang after another. All the characters are believable and dialog intelligent. Read her other series hacked first and fell in love with her style of writing. Though subject matter is listed as controversial it is something to think about as for me, does not alter my personal faith as it does not for the main character. Don't know if I could be so flexible and unflappable as the pretty archeologist, but hey it's not real life here is it. Great read! Will read more of this author for sure.
• 
  Mariam

  first book was good, the second alright but the third had something missing. I would recommend the first book only
• 
  Kristin

  It's a very well written set of books. I did put them aside as it's not my style for this genre. It reached a point that, as a Christian, it became too far fetched for me to fully enjoy.
• 
  P.A.

  Excellent reading experience. Wonderful characters. It's great having the entire series. Reading all the way through brought everything to life. I'm going to miss my new found friends.
• 
  Mark

  Dnf
• 
  cheryl doerr

  Awesome
  
  I loved this book from the very beginning. It is a wonderful book. Full of action. I recommend this book to everyone who reads.
• 
  Simone

  I could not get through the first few chapters. It just didn't hold my interest. Don't use my review to help you decide. You might like it.
• 
  Angela

  It's extremely rare that I will finish a book that does not hold my attention, especially when it is extremely long, as is the case with The Betrayed Series: Ultimate Omnibus Collection. Perhaps if I had the physical books as opposed to reading it on Kindle, I might have a different opinion. Then again, maybe not. It took everything I had to get through this collection and sadly, I cannot see myself remembering it for very long.
  
  The main collection of stories revolves around an anthropologist who is searching for a "God gene" and who enlisted by the government to assist a crack special forces team who, at the start, are investigating an explosion at the Eiffel Tower. A group of people who claim to know a huge secret about the origin of Christianity are determined to keep the secret from everyone, and when the anthropologist's mentor begins to find pieces which will bring that secret to life, the group begins to target him. To save their skins, they must follow the clues and solve the mystery. Oh, and when the mystery is solved, the anthropologist must decide whether she should reveal what she learned to the world, thereby effectively destroying the faith of billions of people or keep that knowledge to herself.
  
  The second book of the Betrayed series follows the same basic premise and reunites all of the surviving characters to save the world from another group that are the self-appointed keepers of an ancient mystery. Adventures, chases, interpretations, and a bit of romance follow the group through Russia, into Central European mountains, and into the hot bed of the middle east. While the background may have changed, the basic premise, pacing, and even the sequencing of events is similar to the first book.
  
  The third book picks up where the second book (and the bridge story in the omnibus edition) leaves off, with the same bad guys hot on the team's trail after the SEAL team leader has a random encounter with a little girl in the Congo who performs a miracle. The bad guys want the girl and attempt to kidnap the SEAL team leader -- on his wedding day. While this book does not have an ancient mystery to unravel, it still has the same chases, adventures, and exotic locations of the first two books, making it feel...well...extremely familiar, if not exactly the same as the other two books.
  
  Now, don't get me wrong. I don't mind repetition...to a point. After all, I read Dan Brown's first four novels (Digital Fortress, Deception Point, Angels & Demons, and The Da Vinci Code) one after the other. Though there is a great deal of repetition of themes, characters, plot movement, etc in the Brown books, for me, the writing and the pacing of the stories are enough that Brown kept me interested enough to come back for more. Carolyn McCray's work is good, but unlike some of the reviews on amazon.com, I did not find it as good or as satisfying as Dan Brown's works. I was not impressed with the anthropologist character, and, as others have pointed out, the chase/flight scenes were not believable. Perhaps it was the constant narrow escapes with minimal damage despite flying bullets, fire, and water that made me roll my eyes in disbelief (never known anyone to be that lucky).
  
  Bottom line, this omnibus edition was too much to take at once. I should have put it down and read something else instead, something to break up the monotony of this work. However, I feared if I did that, I'd never return to this book again. I'm not upset that I purchased this book; on the contrary, for what I paid for it, this was a very good deal. Despite that, this is a book that I probably will not pick up again.
• 
  Patricia Wolverton

  Be careful of what you believe
  
  I cared about the heroes or protagonists and I hope whoever reads this collection studies the.Christian faith more fully. I found several problems in the historical accuracy. I was bothered by that. Fortunately I have a well trained theologian pastor who is well read on historical Christianity, languages and biblical culture. It was a wild ride for a adventure, but caution readers on what to believe about it
• 
  Les

  I am having a hard time trying to describe this collection of 3 full length stories and three or 4 short stories that make up the collection. Don't get me wrong I just loved this series; it just is a little indescribable.
  
  And it is chock full of ideas that will alienate and offend people who are very settled in their Christian view point. Ideas that makes the Last Temptation of Christ or the da Vinci Code look like the Good News Bible.
  
  The basic premise of the whole series is that there is a scientist who when accompanied by a kick ass bunch of US Special Forces guys travels around the world exploring ancient historic sites and ultimately destroying them. They don't set out to destroy them but it is the inevitable results. Because they are being chased by a mysterious well funded group of zealots who are determined to prevent what ever religious secret the Doc & pals are onto from becoming public knowledge. Now I am not sure how blowing up, destroying or ruining some of the world's most beloved, respected and appreciated sites goes unnoticed by the world at large ... but that isn't a plot of the book anyway.
  
  Now the other thing you need to be prepared for is the pacing. The speed at which things happen make a comic book movie look slow and boring. The team careens from crisis to chaos to disaster to pandemonium leaving destruction and chaos in their wake..
  
  Every character is larger than life... and practically immortal. But it is a bucket full of fun.
  
  
• 
  Jennifer Wiggins

  Betrayed is a really fun action adventure with some religious inspiration for the mystery.
  
  I wasn't a big fan of the thought of Judeo-Christian-Islamic myths and secret societies as the bad guys at first, but I kept reading just because I love the characters. And I'm glad I did, because I really enjoyed this series.
  
  It isn't going to revolutionize your personal philosophy or theology. I, personally, didn't see the big deal with the "controversy;" but I'm not very religious, so maybe some could be.
  
  Betrayed was like a guilty pleasure. Just fun to read, with over-the-top characters and action, wildly unrealistic adventure of a black ops team and a scientist.
  
  If you want epic fantasy, keep moving. If you want a realistic peek into modern spies, keep moving. But if you want a light read that will make you smile, maybe roll your eyes a little, then pick up Betrayed.
• 
  Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic)

  Published: 2012
  Author: Carolyn McCray
  Edition: Kindle
  
  I thought this was a very good series of books which kept hold of my attention and didn't get boring or predictable. I hadnt read any books by this author before but after reading this one....i definately would read more by Carolyn McCray (Cristyn West). It is a collection that is extremely hard to tear yourself away from you will end up with sleepless nights because you want to know what is going to happen next. The storyline is one that draws in the readers attention and makes you want to read it straight away. The characters were very good and interesting, the stories weren't predictable and the writting style fitted perfectly with the storyline. A good read for fans of books that are hard to put down.
• 
  Bob

  The Betrayed Omnibus Collection includes Ambush, 30 Pieces of Silver, Targeted, Havoc, Shiva, Covert (bridge short story between Havoc and Shiva), and Mayhem (post-Shiva short story).
  International action as a special ops team and a religious antiquities researcher chase down DNA of Jesus and fight off two groups out to stop them. Then the search switches to the search for the trth of the Black Madonna and the possible new messiah. Much mayhem, close escapes and seemingly the destruction of religious/national monuments around the world as the factions fight and escape. Despite the seemingly indestructible heroes it made for good escapist reading. Down loaded the next set by this author for later reading.
• 
  Artie

  A fun, fast-paced, easy read with some interesting plot twists. There are millions of cliffhangers at the ends of chapters and books, so if you're the kind of person, like me, who has to read on, prepare to lose sleep.
  
  I should point out that there are grammatical, historical, and even spelling mistakes, but if you can suspend your disbelief you may really enjoy this one. Just pretend it's a movie.
  
  In short: Put away your red pens and editorial caps, microwave a bowl of popcorn, and get comfortable.