Book five in the award-winning military romance series, A Warrior's Challenge.
When an Ivy League girl falls for a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, all the cards are stacked against them except one.
Patrick Cobbs has just graduated his BUD/S training. He's the last guy Marg Stines’ anti-military parents want for their daughter. With her grandfather’s name etched on the Wall of the Fallen, Marg’s father will do anything to keep them apart. Pat’s father is a drunk; his family is poor. He has nothing to offer Marg except the man he wants to become. Only one person believes in them, and he’s dead.
This is the fifth book in the series. It is my favourite series ever. Yes I drop everything to read these books. I feel the characters. I feel their pain and I smile when they do. Seriously these books get under my skin when I read them. When I don't read them they are still at the back of my mind shouting for a re read.
So when I heard we were going back a few years and reading Patrick and Margs story I wasn't jumping for joy. I wanted the storyline throughout the series to keep going. However I was wrong. The author blew any negativity I had out of the water. I absolutely loved this story. I wouldn't want to change a thing. I now have a different view of Patrick and love him even more.
Of course I'm super excited we get to read more of the team and more importantly to me Thane. If you follow my reviews or your interested in reading this series just remember Thane (Ghost) is mine. Drool & dream about him but at the end of the day he's mine.
I had goosebumps, was biting the inside of my cheek and I shed tears reading this. Yes the author broke my heart into little pieces and slowly put it back together again.
If you like military romances then you seriously need to read this series. I'm so looking forward to reading more from this awesome author.
5 Star Read: This had to be one of the hardest books to read in the series thus far. It was an emotional journey throughout. I cried silent mournful tears, page after page. That was until the end. I broke down in a torrent of tears.
My absolute favorite and will read again and again. I strongly recommend! It has outstanding qualities. The characters are wonderful and surprising and multi-dimensional. The writing is luring, engaging, and well-crafted enough to keep me interested from cover to cover and beyond. The plot is astonishing with twists and turns weaved into a well thought and planned story. There’s no pretense and romance was well balanced and done entirely correctly with properly distributed amounts of hints, behaviors and incredible, undeniable chemistry. Predictability is at an all-time low. With the exception of series based books that follow the same path but are just as good. Overall, Favorite, must read again, recommend!!!
I'm really struggling to put into words just how much I love the Warrior's Challenge series, and each book just keeps reinforcing that love and growing it!
This book takes us back in time to when Cobbs and Austen first join the SEALs and meet Marg and grow a forever and ever type of friendship - and love. Watching Thane and Cobbs friendship form from the beginning and seeing it forged in steel though deployments and trials and daily life is almost as good as watching the forever love grow between Cobbs and Marg. Friends like that are few and far between and meant to be treasured. Seeing this makes the present day part of the story in the series even more poignant. I fell even harder for Thane seeing the younger version of himself.
But Marg and Cobbs' relationship, their forever and ever love, wow, did that ever spark and the flames engulf me. Cobbs' strength, character, nobility, honor, and depth of feelings made me fall hard for him - loving him more than what I expected to. Marg's determination, confidence, feminine strength, and love poured out of the pages and into my heart.
Before I was done reading the book, I already wanted to start it over from the beginning and re-experience it all, and then after turning the last page and reading THE END, I wanted to immediately go back to Code Name Ghost and see the story with a whole new set of eyes. And a full reread is in my near future.
If you enjoy military romance, if you enjoy seeing a forever and ever type of love, you don't want to miss this. If you want to experience all the feels from laughter to tears, from freaking out scared to edge-of-seat intensity, you don't want to miss this. Natasza Waters knows how to take you on a beautiful journey through her stories.
“There were too many unknowns. In this job. In life. Fate. The only thing he could be sure of was how much he wanted her.”
Natasza Waters is a new to me author, and being a big cover whore, I snagged this story! And let me tell you book peeps, I am soooo glad I did!
In Code Name: Forever & Ever, we are told the story of soulmates Patrick Cobbs and Marg Stines. When you find your person, you just know, and Marg knew the second she laid eyes on Navy SEAL Patrick Cobbs he was her other half. Their romance hits several bumps, but through it all, they will love each other Forever and Ever.
I always tell my friends if a story makes me smile, laugh, get mad or cry, it’s a 5 Star read, and this story did it all! I absolutely loved it! I plan on going back and reading the rest of the series! Highly recommend!
Superbly descriptive, the author strikes the perfect balance of relatable emotion and inner strength as readers follow Patrick and Marg Cobbs’ journey of instant attraction, that is filled with both internal and external conflict, all the way to their happily ever after. Additionally, one is put on an emotional rollercoaster that she continues to demonstrate a natural gift for writing multiple storyline climaxes that manage to flow into a beautifully packaged novel. However, one should be ready with Kleenex as both new and seasoned readers to the series will find a gut wrenching epilogue that is sure to bring even the hardest of hearts to their knees.
A fabulous story. I have read all the previous ones in the series, and loved them all, but I think this could be the best one. I don't think you have to have read the previous books in the Code Name series, but it wouldn't hurt, either. It's not a fluffy puppies and kittens story, there is real heartbreak but also enduring love. I almost stopped reading it very early on, but I took a deep breath, paused a moment, and charged on. Readers should honestly just one-click it, you won't regret it. I can honestly say, I have never read a story like this. It's unique. Now going back to re read the series...can't wait for the next story. Congratulations- a very well written, gritty story.
This book travels from present day to the beginning of Cobbs and Thane’s career and friendship in the Navy SEALs. It’s also the love story of Marg Stines and Patrick Cobbs.
For me, this story had the feeling of The Notebook. We start with Patrick’s death and then Waters takes us back to Marg as a young woman defying her family’s wishes of a strategic wedding to live her dream of becoming a model.
Then she meets Patrick and knows he’s The One.
This is not a unicorns and rainbows kind of love story, it’s real, gritty, heartbreaking, and beautiful.
I give Code Name: Forever and Ever 5 lovely kisses- Highly recommended! First posted on It's All About the Romance
Goes down as another off my 2017 Bookworm Bingo Challenge – A book with an outstanding hero or heroine. Well this one had three of them – Marg, Patrick and Thane – so get ready for a great emotional read. This story can be read as a stand alone.
A bittersweet read where I almost want to pretend the very beginning and ending didn’t happen. Get ready for a few tears because this one will definitely pull at the heartstrings when you get back to the ‘present’ day. Lets live in the past for now though.
So this is where we find out how it all began with Marg and Patrick, though she does bump into Thane first. New in town after breaking away from her parents and wanting to make it on her own modeling in a new town – one that happens to be filled with Seals mined you, hello hotness – Marg feels the need to let off some steam. Enter Thane, one sexy Seal who will hook you with a smile. A one-time thing that she has no intention of repeating but that doesn’t stop her from going back to the same bar again. See its not him she’s looking for but the silver eyed dream man she saw earlier while out with her grandmother. One look and she was hooked, now she just has to find him.
She doesn’t have to look too far though as it turns out he is none other than Thane’s best friend and diving buddy Patrick. Now if Thane had any hope of getting her for a girl that went right out the window the moment she was in front of Patrick again. It’s like the rest of the world vanished and he was her centre. Glad it goes both ways but nothing is ever that simple. How will he cope if (or rather when) he finds out he was second? Not second choice though lets make that very clear, even if it takes him a little while longer to see that. From the moment they meet its like they can see their future but he is in the training stage of becoming a Seal and knows the danger that it entails. Something Marg is only too familiar with after hearing more of her grandmothers’ stories. Her first love and Marg’s biological grandfather was a Seal too it seems. She knows how quick a connection can come and the risks of being with one. She can also see her granddaughter is going to follow the same path she did. Well if Patrick can get his head out of his arse and realize that she is not going anywhere no matter what he or her family says. She seems to be a bit of a danger magnet herself anyway with fires popping up and trouble at sea. But she shouldn’t worry too much as it seems she has a guardian angel looking out for her and those she loves – that includes you Patrick. Love the theme of that throughout as it helped link with something that happens at the end – even if I’m pretending it didn’t happen. To me we are living in the past not the present so there.
Loved Thane and all the other Seals and their partners as it helped create a realistic world that Marg would become a part of. Secrets never stay secret for long but sometimes you can come out the other side of them for the better. Great bit of storytelling that will pull at the heartstrings and will keep you hooked until the end. A true love story about soul mates that once found will never truly be parted.
Margaret Stines isn't the typical rich girl daughter of a film magnate. She isn't a spoiled brat who wanted everything handed down to her. No, she's quite the opposite. She's smart, driven, independent, strong and loving. She doesn't condone her parents' decision to make her a trophy wife to the man of their choice. She believes in love and she knows someone's out there deserving of her love.
Patrick Cobbs is going to be a Navy SEAL, along with his best friend Thane Austen. These military heroes are the very kind of men Marg's parents don't want her to ever get associated with. In San Diego, far away from home, she starts anew as a model. She doesn't want to be a star. She just wants to live her life the way she wanted it, no pressure, no expectations, no ministrations from the parentals. Men are enamored by her beauty, admire her from afar, adore her, stalk her. And then there's Cobbs - the one man who practically shatters her world, the one man who makes her heart beat wild.
But their future is not certain. Not when he's about to become a SEAL. Not when he's going to be away from her for a long time. Not when she's not sure if she's ever going to see him again. Not ever.
I am at a loss for words... I never thought I'd cry so much over a book involving navy SEALs and models.. Believe me, at first I thought this would be like another version of erotic military -romance stories I've read before. But I was in for a shock.
Code Name: Forever and Ever is all heart and soul and blood. I want to bop my head for not reading this sooner. Natasza Waters is a phenomenon. I can't comprehend this feeling of guilt for not having read her previous books before. I swear, this book is all things amazing - heart pounding, bone melting and tear inducing. I love the story so much, I wanna cry again.
The best thing about this book - I believe that there are angels watching over us. Forever and Ever. Amen.
Well this might sound strange but at this point in the Warrior's Challenge series I'm glad for the birth of 2 people: Josephine Cochrane who invented the first working dishwasher and Jacob Christian Schäffer who designed the first washing machine. Without them the next week would have been very interesting with an empty closet and china cabinet since I was glued to my Kindle from the first character of the book till those famous words "The End". As was already said in a different review Ms. Waters again manages to put the reader in the middle of the action where you kind of get the 5.0 surround speaker feeling: Bullets whiz past your ear, you practically feel the heat of the flames and the suspense of the situation is palpable in the air arround you. I wish other authors could do the same because I constantly find myself finishing a book and feel this 5.0 surround feeling is missing. I loved to see how it all started and started re-reading the entire series. The surrounding with how Marg is coping with Pat's death was great though gut-wrenching because I know first hand how Marg feels. The great thing was that though Ms. Waters made me bawl like a baby in this book and in the last she also consoled me and reminded me of a fact:
"Our angels try to steer us in the right direction and protect us when we step down the wrong path. Often they are those little voices you hear. Don't doubt them, they have your best interests at heart"
Thank you Ms. Waters for this piece of comforting wisdom and another masterpiece in this series! Can't wait for the next one...
wow. An amazingly well written, heartbreaking love story that spans years and not only for the two young main characters, but for a grandmother as well. This story truly comes to life as you feel the love of the characters, although getting them to the HEA of their romance took some time, some pain and heartache, it got there. But the life of a Navy SEAL and the life of their families that are left behind is not always an easy one, and sometimes these brave men and women don't come back, and the families that they leave behind have to learn to move on with their loss. But when you have an everlasting love, how do you move on and can you be brave enough to do this. Friendships you've made with your military family help, but that longing never goes away. This story touched me so much that I find myself wiping tears from my eyes just writing this review. I loved Patrick and Margaret's characters as well as her grandmother, Sally. This book reads as movies I've seen before, where the ending of the story begins the book and you go back in time to how this remarkable story began.
This is the first book I've read by Ms. Waters and I didn't know what to expect. Needless to say I was blown away!!! I love Marg and Patrick's story.
Marg lived a privileged life where everything was dictated to her and her parents were playing matchmaker. They wanted her paired with one of her father's executives where she would be living the life she grew up with. Marg had her own plans for her life and she struck out on her own to be a model in a Navy town.
Patrick was completing his Navy Seal training and had one goal- get out of the town he grew up in. When he meets Marg he is blown away, but he has nothing to offer Marg. Being poor and from the wrong side of the tracks he thinks he will only pull her down.
Being from an anti-military family, Marg will put everything on the line for Patrick. Will soulmates find their happily ever after or will forces pull them apart? I highly recommend this book!!!
If you haven't read the Warrior Challenge series, you should. In order to understand this book fully you will need to read the others first. This is a throwback to the life of Patrick Cobbs, and trust me, read the rest first...they are so good! Now, having said that, I really enjoyed this book. I can say it wasn't my favorite in the series, but it's still very good. Ms. Waters knows how to write....period! I love how strong Marg is, but Patrick's insecurities made me want to slap him at times. The younger Thane Austen...yum! It was a wonderful glimpse into who he was beforehand, before he became the staunch military man. I loved the addition of Grandpa Braden, he just added the right touch to the story. Just a warning, keep a tissue near by!
If it were possible to give a book 6 stars i totally would for this book! This book meant so much to me because it was military based. Military romances are so hard. Everything about this book was so special, Natasza made me cherish ever since word and ever single emotion. I sobbed so many times throughout this book and there were times where i really wanted to just smack Pat in his face and come to his senses. I felt so many emotions and it was the best kind of roller coaster. I can't wait to read the rest of this series, I hope their stories are just as good as Pat and Marg's <3
WOW!!! Code name: Forever and Ever is Patrick's and Marg's love story. . . and let me tell you something you didn't already know: theirs is a love to die for! It's EPIC! A love so beautiful and powerful and pure. You will be moved and touched by the expert way Natasza has put into words the kind of love Patrick and Marg shared. This is unforgettable love at it's best. Another winner in an already awesome series.
Poignant and beautiful, Natasza Waters next book in her Warriors Challenge Series hits home with the dramatic story of Margaret and Cobbs. As with her other books, Waters has the unique talent of putting her readers right in the heart of the action.
For me, this one just felt out of order. We meet Cobbs and Margaret in book 1, we know about their story, we know about Ghost and we know they live HEA. I just didn't feel this one was needed and I wasn't really all that in to it.
In a way, I am glad I knew the ending before the beginning. It was gut wrenching enough to know what would happen. I would have hated the book if I read this beautiful story and he was killed at the end. I need a HEA. Regardless, I am still crying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.