Reviewed by Julie
Book provided by the author
This novel mixes both traditional and military suspense, and features Navy Seal Brant Adams, a love 'em and leave 'em playboy and the wife of Brant's CO, Rebecca McDougal, a woman in danger from her abusive husband and the types of people he has exposed her to. They seem like an unlikely match, but Brant is drawn to Rebecca like no other woman before her. When she confides in Brant about some odd financial dealings her husband has been hiding from her , Brant agrees to help her find out what is going on. What happens next will change the course of their lives forevermore.
I love SEALS! Sometimes I don't even read the blurb if I see SEAL in the book title. I just buy it. That's how obsessed I am with these hot, sexy, super disciplined, well trained guys who put their lives on the line going on dangerous missions. I am also a big fan of the more traditional romantic suspense novels, so a combination of the two styles would be right up my alley. No?
Well, sadly, this book has a few problems. Some are my own personal issues, so I'll get my old fuddy duddy views out of the way first. Adultery under any circumstances is a sensitive issue for me. Yes, Max was abusive, dangerous, and puts Rebecca in the cross hairs, but two wrongs don't make a right. So, I had some problems with that set up, but again that's just me.
However, the issues continued as several times I felt the plot went overboard and became highly implausible.
I also had some issues with Rebecca's character. She wasn't the “too stupid to live” type of female protagonist, but she was too dependent on men to save her, making her character lean to much in the 'damsel in distress category' which is often off putting to some modern readers. Max's “protection” was a way to control her, but Brant's constantly saying he would protect her, which was meant as a romantic gesture, became a little redundant and made Rebecca's character too docile and bland.
One other thing bothered me a little about this book- which was, at times the story felt a little dated. I kept thinking this book reminded me of romantic suspense written in the 1990's, only with a few references to cell phones and Facebook pages thrown in here and there to give it a more up to date feel. However, this is not a reissue to my knowledge.
Having said all that, Brant's back story explains why he has kept women at arm's length and refused to entertain the notion of a relationship. But, he genuinely likes Rebecca, enjoys her company, and respects her, which makes a casual affair distasteful to him, although he struggles with these new feelings and fights it for a while. But in the end, he folds nicely, allowing love to work it's special magic on him. Brant's character growth was the highlight of the story and made the time invested in the book worthwhile.
Although this book wasn't one MY favorites, it might be something those who enjoy romantic suspense and military heroes might want to look into, despite some of my misgivings. This author is a seasoned writer and I have enjoyed her novels in the past and I am sure I will again in the future.