Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Military. Show all posts

Thursday, February 20, 2014

BOOK REVIEW - FIGHTING REDEMPTION by KATE MCCARTHY - CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

By: Kate McCarthy
Published By: Kate McCarthy
Released: Available Now
Details: Kindle, 346 Pages

RATING: 5 BRING YOUR TISSUES STARS!

It's a snot festival.

Blurb: Goodreads

Ryan Kendall is broken. He understands pain. He knows the hand of violence and the ache of loss. He knows what it means to fail those who need you. Being broken doesn’t stop him wanting the one thing he can’t have; Finlay Tanner. Her smile is sweet and her future bright. She’s the girl he grew up with, the girl he loves, the girl he protects from the world, and from himself.

At nineteen, Ryan leaves to join the Australian Army. After years of training he becomes an elite SAS soldier and deploys to the Afghanistan war. His patrol undertakes the most dangerous missions a soldier can face. But no matter how far he runs, or how hard he fights, his need for Finlay won’t let go.

Returning home after six years, one look is all it takes to know he can’t live without her. But sometimes love isn’t enough to heal what hurts. Sometimes people like him can’t be fixed, and sometimes people like Finlay deserve more than what’s left.

This is a story about war and the cost of sacrifice. Where bonds are formed, and friendships found. Where those who are strong, fall hard. Where love is let go, heartache is born, and heroes are made. Where one man learns that the hardest fight of all, is the fight to save himself.


BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

This book should come with a complimentary travel pack of tissues.

Seriously.

Now, I know there are readers who don’t want to read a book based on the tear factor.

TRUST ME!

READ THIS BOOK.

Kate brings a story that will break your heart, make you cry the ugly cry, but it is much more than that. I was really woken up to how much sacrifice is involved with soldiers lives.

This story feels very, very, real.

We sit in our homes, reading our books and living life as best we can, while soldiers are risking their lives every second we are watching a good movie on tv, having a nice hot shower, going out to dinner with our friends.

War comes with casualties.


I am now even more aware of all those soldiers in Afghanistan who are risking their lives for us.

The people.

I felt like I was shadowing these characters when they were at war. Kate did her research and it shows in her writing.

Jake Tanner and Ryan Kendall are best mates. Ryan’s dream was  to become a soldier.

It came with a lot of sacrifice.


“Even though we’ve never been together, you’ve always been mine, and even if I never get to keep you, you’ll still be mine.”

Finlay Tanner tripped her way into Ryan’s life as a ten year old. Jake her brother and Ryan became firm friends from that day onwards.

Ryan and Jake dedicate their lives to being a soldier and become SAS, Special Air Services.

Ryan is a very selfless character, in so many ways. He makes loving somebody very hard.

He missed her. It was that simple and that complicated.


He has a past that no child should live through. He could have taken the low road, but he took the high path.

He became what he set out to become.

Kate pours so much heart and soul into this read, unless you have a heart of stone, you will be guaranteed to be crying the ugly cry.

Just when you have dried your snot up...because you will be snotting all over the place...this IS the ugly cry , people, you will be doing it all over again.

Why did everyone always paint love as pretty rainbows and happily ever afters? It wasn’t any of that. To love was to feel the greatest of agony, burn in the hottest of fires of Hell, and fail the only people who ever mattered.


This book is hard to put down once you start it because the characters will captivate you.

Ryan is a beautiful character.

“My breath, my heart, my life. I won’t ever leave you if you keep that safe inside of you.”

Jake will tear at your heart.

Jake and Ryan have such a manly brotherly bond that is loyal to the core. All of their SAS Team are awesome characters. The male camaraderie in war and in their personal lives, made me laugh and it made me cry.

“There are no goodbyes in life. Only see you later.”


Kyle is a brilliant character. The more you read him the more you love him.

There are so many ‘feels’ in this book , it will stay with you well after you have finished it. 

I highly recommend this emotional, but brilliant read.

Well done, Kate.

Michelle

Thursday, November 7, 2013

BOOK REVIEW - FORGED IN STEELE by MAYA BANKS - KGI # 7 - ADULT SUSPENSE ROMANCE - BERKLEY

By: Maya Banks
Published By: Berkley
Released: Available Now
Details: Paperback from Library, 372 Pages

RATING: 4.5 HARD AS STEELE STARS!

Blurb : Goodreads

The Kelly Group International (KGI): A super-elite, top secret, family-run business.
Qualifications: High intelligence, rock-hard body, military background.
Mission: Hostage/kidnap victim recovery. Intelligence gathering. Handling jobs the U.S. government can’t…

Steele, a KGI team leader, is an enigma not even his team mates understand. His emotions are tightly locked down and nothing can break that icy exterior. Nothing except Maren Scofield, a doctor on a mission, a woman who has gotten under Steele’s skin and threatens to crack that unflappable cool he’s legendary for.

Steele is determined not to allow Maren past his carefully guarded defenses, but when she’s in danger, there’s no way he’ll allow anyone else to protect her. She’s hiding something. He’s sure of it. But he isn’t prepared for the shocking discovery her secrets reveal. Or how they will forever alter the course of his destiny. He has a decision to make. Hold tight and shut her out. Or take a chance on something more powerful than he’s ever faced. Love.



BOOK REVIEW by Michelle:

I have been very excited to read about the man-of-few-words, take no bull-shit, man-of-action, Steele. We have seen him being this gruff, in-charge warrior who shows little emotion. 

The ice-man.

“You did good, sweetheart,” Steele said to Rachel.

He was treated to several surprised expressions. One, he never used endearments. He just wasn’t a warm, affectionate guy. Two, he didn’t typically offer unsolicited conversation.

He let us see a teeny bit under that tough exterior when P.J went through a very bad time and dropped the ball on him and the team. Or else it is business as usual for Steele.

So of course I am going to be acting like a peeping tom wanting to see Steele get consumed, swallowed whole, by the big ol’ love whale and see how he handles it.

ANOTHER MAN DOWN!!

Well, the big beef cake went all Mills and Boon on me with his words of love and protection. 

His love switch got flipped.

He did a big ol’ about face. 

Talk about character whiplash.

Firstly he didn’t muck about in this book. He was straight up ready for some Maren time in her bum-fuck , Costa Rica cottage.

Growl!

Goodness me.

I think Maren was equally surprised by Steele's proposition.

“If you think my hard-on has nothing to do with you, then you’re deluded.”

Her mouth gaped open as he pushed past her and stalked from the room.

“Ooo-kay,” she murmured.

Not what she’d expected him to say at all.

He wants Maren out of his system, so what does the big guy go and do, get himself some Maren, then realize he wants another helping. 

But, shiz doesn’t go according to plan and poor Maren finds herself being courted, villain style by a baddie.

A bit of a nutter, really.

Minion caveman Carlos throws her over his shoulder and whisks her away to his evil masters lair.

This news does not make Steele a happy man. Just when he was letting his big warrior-man wall down, he could lose the woman he wants to ... well, he has to sort through those feelings, but he wants to do something.

This is Steele the man who will die for his team, his life is his team. He has sat back and watched babies popping out of the Kelly boy's wives.

The ice-man is in trouble.

He stepped back, making a sudden decision, one that had been nagging him for days. He’d sworn that he’d have that one night with Maren and never look back. But he wanted to see her again. She was becoming an obsession and he didn’t do obsession. The only thing he’d ever been obsessed with was his job.

But now he was overwhelmed with the urge to see her again. He wanted to touch her, feel her against his skin, inhale her scent and lose himself in her arms for another night.

When Steele falls hard, it comes with all the accessories.

No mucking about.

I could read about all the lads in this series for a very long time. I am quite addicted to it. Maya knows how to write these lads badass and totally swoon worthy. She knows how to bring them down emotionally when it comes to the deserving women in their lives. She knows how to show us the lengths they will go to for the women in their lives.

I keep picking up the vibe that it will be Rusty and Sean at some stage. He is acting all growly around her with the decisions she is making about her future.

Rio is still my secret crush.

Hancock was a nice surprise. I think he is rather humma , humma. He has some layers we need to peel back.

And... we get to find out Steele’s first name. Yup! It’s a good one.

I love the humor that Maya injects into the series with how the lads talk to each other.

Renshaw caught up to Steel and cast a quick glance at Steele’s arm. “And you too, boss man. Looks like you have a boo-boo too.”


Donovan is next on the love train chopping block. Giddy Up!

After The Storm is Donovan’s book and I can't wait until January 2014 to read it. Boo! Too long to wait. Better start looking for the reservation list at my library. Took me long enough for my number to come up for this one. Why? Because this is an uber popular series. We all want to watch another big warrior get taken down by love.

Military men, strong women-in-distress, smexi monkey sex, growly men, protective men...makes for a great fictional escape.

Hooyah!

Michelle