Current status: Confident. Disciplined. And aching with sexual need.
Mission: Chaperone the brigadier general's daughter.
Obstacle: Eden Walters: the very hot, very willing brigadier general's daughter...
For tough-as-nails Mitch Dugan, the army is everything. Until he experiences the rush of another jump...into Eden's bed!
The high he gets from leaping out of planes is no rival for their sexual chemistry. But Mitch is a proud military lifer...and former army brat Eden has no intention of staying with a man who's never around.
It's time for this sexy soldier to pull the rip cord and save himself -- fast. Or he might end up in a free fall with the one woman he can't have....
First, let me say this is how I show up at my desk every morning to write. Dahling, I couldn’t possibly write a word unless I was wearing 3-inch heels with a Martini at hand. NOT!!! But it’s so different, and face it, infinitely less scarey than the way I usually work, running shorts and t-shirt with a cup of tea nearby, that I had to put this picture up.
I’ve been an avid reader ever since I was growing up on a farm in south Georgia. At that time I dreamed of writing poetry while living in The Big Apple and traveling the world. Fast forward, bypassing lots of not-so-glamourous jobs such as barbeque joint waitress, telemarketer, and corporate numbers cruncher, to today’s reality. I write contemporary romance, live in The Big Peach (ya know, Atlanta), and I’m working on the world travel.
I actually live in the suburbs with my husband, daughter, three cats, two rescue greyhounds, and chihuahua who bosses the whole house.
Writing is one of the best jobs in the world and one of the most miserable–depending on which day you’re asking. However, obviously the best outweighs the most miserable or I wouldn’t be working on that next book. So, here’s the straight skinny on the good, the bad, and the downright ugly.
This was a very entertaining read, a bit shorter than the usual HQ Blaze novel but even so I didn't feel that things were rushed or missing. Sure, Mitch and Eden jumped into bed pretty fast and fell in love with each other in mere 4 days, but I was OK with it. They were fun, likable and, more important, had great chemistry together. The only thing that bothered me was the ending. Make no mistake, there was a HEA - after all, this is Romancelandia - but I wasn't 100% satisfied with it. A military career isn't easy, that's for sure.
What a lovely, 'feel good' little story. There was no killer on the loose, no scorned lover seeking revenge, no crazed fan-stalker...Just a man and a woman discovering that not everything not strictly black-and-white or according to rules is bad.
After a childhood spent in "chaos" with parents who didn't care about themselves or their child, Mitch Dugan is a straight, black-and-white military man. And he loves it. The rules, the protocol, the order. His life is picture perfect and he wouldn't want it any other way.
Enter Eden Walters. This successful photographer is happy to have escaped the strict military life she led as the brigadier general's child. She's made her own life, her own choices, and she loves the not-strictly-by-the-book lifestyle with all its shades of gray.
She's at Fort Bragg to shoot a charity calendar and Mitch, after an impromptu kiss in the hallway, is ordered to be her guide. The sparks fly immediately, and the three-day affair they embarked upon soon turns into something more...But even if they would talk permanent, they could never make it work, when he's all about order and she's sworn to never experience a military lifestyle again.
I absolutely loved this story. It's sort-of the sequel of Ms. LaBrecque's Triple Threat, following the story of TT hero's best friend, paratrooper Mitch Dugan.
I loved it how neither the hero or heroine fell into the typical stereotypes about romance h/h. Mitch loved his military style, but wasn't your typical alpha soldier constantly barking orders (inside or outside the bedroom). And Eden wasn't the typical romance heroine either. She's experienced military lifestyle fist hand, so she knew the ropes, and she wasn't a wilting violet either. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. I loved both of them, and though I knew how it would end, it still seemed pretty hopeless at times for them to actually make everything between them work.
The ending broke yet another stereotype - it's a major spoiler, so I ain't telling, and I loved it how they both had to work for achieving their ultimate (and combined) goal. They both had to compromise, they both realized they'll have to make a few sacrifices...But in the end it would be worth it.
A truly feel-good story, perfect for an afternoon when you're feeling down. Time flew bye and when it was finished, I wanted to read more. Loved it. Definitely a keeper!
Mitch is a tough, straight-laced, by the book, Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel who views life in black and white and believes in always following the rules. Eden is an artistic, free-spirited photographer and former army brat who loathes the imposed rigidity of military life. When Eden is hired to photograph a military fundraising paratrooper calendar and Mitch is appointed her chaperone and liaison, the sparks sizzle, crackle, ignite, and fly between them.
Mitch and Eden share an instant, undeniable attraction and combustible chemistry, and even though they’re total opposites and consider getting involved a bad idea, they decide that a quick fling is exactly what they need to get each other out of their systems. It’s not long before they’re having a hot, good time together, but things get complicated when they begin to realize that there’s quite a bit they have in common outside of the bedroom and deeper feelings start to emerge. Can these two supposed opposites attract learn to compromise and find a way to turn their short-term fling into a lasting, permanent relationship?
It’s a sweet, fun, and steamy contemporary romance quickie and another smokin’ ‘Uniformly Hot’ Blaze read! 4 stars!
I downloaded Triple Threat by LaBrecque, which is a sequel of sorts to this, free for the Nook and it got me curious for Mitch. I'm glad I went ahead and bought this, but i have to say Mitch wasn't what I expected based on his actions in the free short. I think I expected him to be more closed off both emotionally and physically, but that wasn't the case.
Something about LaBrecque's writing style bothers me. Not enough to kill the story for me, but enough to pull me out several times. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is. Part of it is an overuse of certain phrases.
I liked the heroine. She was an independent woman who really wasn't looking for a man to complete her life. Those are few and far between in category romance. I also liked the hero. The story was short and spicy. I enjoyed it.
Ripped! is an easy enjoyable read with lots of sexy paratroopers being photographed for a calendar shoot however the photographer, Eden Walters gets more than she bargained for when not only does she literally bump into Mitch Dugan on base but is chaperoned by him too.
This has all the sexy elements that you would expect from this Blaze series. Ms. LaBracque introduces the reader to some likeable characters as well as some that need to be knocked down a peg or two.
I enjoyed the perspective on the military in this book. I am not sure that the "villian" added anything since the problem was solved without involving either of the main characters, but it was still a fun read.
I liked the characters in the steamy story, both had strong personalities very different yet they came together. Easy going photographer Eden does a military photo shot and Lt Col Mitch is her base escort. There was also a bonus short story about Mitch's friend Eli and his girl Tara.