Anne Elizabeth

Mission: Devil Dog - Tara Nina

Sgt. Jack Stone, a sniper, is on a training mission, with his team going up against a team from Parris Island. When he spots one of the opposing snipers, he understands why he was given little information about the exercise. The other team consists of woman Marines, a test unit exploring the feasibility of using women as snipers. What gets his attention is that he knows the sniper he sees - his ex-girlfriend and the woman who broke his heart.

The first day of the exercise didn't go quite as Jack expected, and his pride took a bit of a hit. A confrontation with Riley that evening brought home to him that he'd never stopped loving her. Riley just wanted to talk to Jack to clear the air about why she did what she did. Both ended the evening determined to defeat the other the next day.

I liked seeing Jack and his partner, Bear, as they waited for their opportunity. Matters got very complicated when one of Riley's teammates, who was extremely jealous of her abilities, went off the deep end. The tension ramped up quickly as Riley fought for her life. While Jack and Bear could step in if necessary, I loved how Jack stood back and watched Riley handle it on her own. The end of it was a nail-biter, and I ached for Jack's fear that he would lose her. I loved the teamwork shown by the rest of the snipers as they worked to save her life. The scene at the hospital was excellent, with a sweet ending.


Funny Bone - Anne Elizabeth

Chuck and Cheryl are engaged, and Chuck is about to leave on a SEAL mission. He wants them to get married right away so that he knows she is his forever. Cheryl loves Chuck as much as he loves her, but a part of her holds back. Given up for adoption as a baby, Cheryl fears being abandoned and knows that there are no guarantees that he will return. There are flashbacks to when they met and when they got engaged, and when Cheryl met Chuck's parents, all of which emphasize her love for him and her fear of losing him.

During their dinner out, his pager goes off, forcing an early departure. Chuck pushes for a quick marriage while Cheryl both wants it and dreads it. I liked seeing how well Chuck understands Cheryl and how he walks her through examining her fears. While I got a little frustrated seeing Cheryl's mind running around in circles, I loved Chuck's patience as he waded through her mental turbulence. I liked the ending and seeing them come together. My only disappointment was the amount of "tell" versus the amount of "show."


B & B Bivouac - D. C. DeVane

Air Force Captain David went to Washington state to attend SERE school (Survival, Evasion, Resistance, Escape). After a journey where nothing went right, he arrived to discover the barracks burned down and the other students scattered about in makeshift housing. The last to arrive, David ended up in a B & B in a pink bedroom. His first encounter with his hostess knocked him for a loop, and he stayed off-balance for much of the story. David has the stereotypical pilot reputation of being a party animal and ladies man. Finding himself fascinated with Susan was not what he expected. Susan turned her childhood home into a B & B and went from a busy urban professional to a busy business owner. She currently has no one special in her life but knows better than to get involved with someone who isn't sticking around.

I enjoyed seeing David and Susan get to know each other. Much of their time together was early mornings as she prepared breakfast. They connect quickly and find it easy to talk to one another. There are some terrific scenes as they share things they don't talk about with other people. I loved how Susan watched out for David, leaving dinners for him and slipping snacks into his bag. When David goes into the field for a week, he and Susan realize that their feelings for each other have grown. When David returns to the B & B, he inadvertently damages something important to Susan. I loved watching him find inventive ways to make it up to her (with some unexpected help). The ending was sweet.


Angel from Above - Lindsay Downs

My favorite of all. Cristal is a medevac pilot with the Army. After being something of a screwup her first two years at West Point, she found her calling when she got a taste of flying helos. As the story opens, Cristal is preparing for her first deployment during Desert Shield. With no rest for the weary, almost as soon as she arrived in the country, she and her crew went on a rescue mission. Cristal didn't expect to be gobsmacked by their leader when extracting the special forces team and their injured member. The feeling was mutual, as Paul was just as drawn to her. I had to laugh at the way she ignored him at first, not wanting to contribute to his ego. I liked how Paul looked out for her and her crew and then found a way to accelerate his team's transfer to her base.

This was definitely a love-at-first-sight story, but I felt as though it worked. Despite their work schedules, Cristal and Paul found time to be together, allowing their feelings to grow. I loved the scene where Cristal found out why the twinkle in his eye when Paul teased her looked so familiar and the shock it gave both of them. I also laughed out loud when Paul and Cristal were called before their C.O.s and told to explain a particular prank pulled by their mothers during Vietnam. Their relationship progressed beautifully until Paul freaked out about Cristal being in danger and told her he wanted her to stop flying medevac. She did not take it well (ouch!). Both of them went through a miserable period before the very intense event that brought them back together. In a terrific scene, Paul admitted his stupidity and did a decent grovel. I loved the ending.


So Others Might Live - C. H. Admirand

Bronwyn is a writer researching her next book. She intends to sail her cousin's boat - by herself - to experience every step of the process. Her cousin tries desperately to talk her out of it. He knows there's a storm coming, and the radio doesn't work. Just when he thinks he's talked Bronwyn into taking him along, she manages to leave without him. She quickly finds herself in trouble.

Purcell is part of the local Coast Guard rescue crew. He already pulled three fishermen out of harm's way, dislocating his shoulder along the way. Though it's back in place, he is still in pain. Then they get a call from a Good Samaritan, reporting a missing boat and cousin. Purcell jumps into the water to get to the boat and is stunned to find an injured young woman attempting to sail the boat. He's even more stunned when she refuses to be rescued.

I didn't care for Bronwyn, at least at the beginning. Stubborn and headstrong, she refused to listen to reason, putting herself and ultimately the Coast Guard crew in danger. She redeemed herself somewhat when she realized how stupid she'd been. I liked Purcell and his dedication to his job, even when injured.

I'm not sure I would call what they had love-at-first-sight, more like instant attraction. I enjoyed their encounter at the hospital and their desire to take care of each other. I had to laugh at their return to the Coast Guard base. Bronwyn wanted to discover what happened to her cousin's boat, and Purcell was determined to help her find out. Bronwyn didn't expect to find her cousin there or have to face the music quite so soon. Purcell's protectiveness was sweet, and his comments on keeping her were adorable.


Overall, I enjoyed the anthology. I love stories involving our men and women in uniform, and special ops stories are always especially good.… (mehr)

Terrific book that sucked me in from the first chapter and didn't let go until the end. I've been a fan of the author since I read SEAL at Heart, and this was my favorite book so far. I loved the blend of romance, action, intrigue, and suspense. Another big plus was the space theme and the SEAL history that went with it.

Dr. Kimberly Warren, a brilliant engineer, and designer of the Warren Shuttle, has a problem. Trouble plagues her top-secret space mission, from technical issues to several scientists and two Navy SEAL astronaut candidates' deaths. A high-ranking Navy official and family friend promises to get her some help.

Sent in as astronaut candidates, Captain Bennett Sheraton and his teammate, Jonah Melo, also have the hidden agenda of searching for solutions to the program's issues and finding out who murdered their SEAL brothers and the other scientists.

First up is the romance. The sparks between Bennett and Kimberly were evident from the moment they met. Usually focused almost exclusively on work, Kimberly's reaction to Bennett surprises her. Bennett initially looks at his reaction to Kimberly as a distraction he doesn't need. But those sparks soon grow too strong to ignore. I liked that both Kimberly and Bennett are mature adults (he's 40, she's in her 30s), tops in their fields, with terrific senses of humor. Once Kimberly and Bennett make up their minds to pursue the connection between them, they are all in. They don't play games with each other's emotions, and when an issue crops up, they talk about it. They work hard to prevent their romance from interfering with their work yet still manage to carve out time to be together. Kimberly also takes care to show no favoritism to Bennett when picking a pilot for the shuttle - perhaps going a little too far in the other direction. Each is protective of the other, with good reason, as the launch grows closer. There are some tense moments during the space mission, and both realize that they want a future together. Bennett's post-mission recovery created some interesting challenges for the couple. The ending was fantastic, especially the trip to DC.

Next up is the intrigue. The mission brings together scientists and candidates from all over the world along with their accompanying rivalries. Kimberly continually has to play referee and deal with a project director, Kess, who seems intent on usurping all of her power. As Bennett and Melo dig into the program's problems, they discover a variety of issues. I loved their teamwork as they put their problem-solving skills to work. The tension ramped up as both Bennett and Melo witnessed some troubling interactions among two candidates and became increasingly suspicious of Kess and his intentions. The discovery of another dead candidate answered some questions, while an unexpected twist with Kess answered others. However, that isn't the end, and Bennett and Kimberly must remain vigilant.

Last is the suspense that builds from the moment Bennett arrives until the shuttle is safely back on earth. This was my favorite part, as I thoroughly enjoyed all of the little details about the process. From the start, there is the whole question of whether everything would be done in time to make the launch window. I could feel the tension as the engineers stressed over the software/hardware issues. Though there wasn't truly any question about who would be chosen as the pilot, there was enough competition to add to Bennett's stress. As an added complication, Kimberly was systematically pushed further out of the loop of the mission. As the launch got closer, I had the feeling that there was trouble yet to come. After the launch, I was glued to the pages as Bennett conquered one hurdle after another. The comet part was a nail-biter, as was its effect on the rest of the mission. I understood Kimberly's fury with the powers-that-be and loved seeing her take matters into her own hands with Melo's help. The landing had me on the edge of my seat until it was over and Bennett was safe.

One of my favorite secondary "characters" was Sally, Kimberly's computer system. There were times she seemed almost human. Though I was a bit confused about how she could be all-seeing at times, yet didn't know who committed the murders. I didn't let it bother me too much, preferring to enjoy what she did do. I also liked Sally's counterpart, Sully, the shuttle's onboard computer system. I loved how Sully got his name and Bennett's enjoyment when he figured it out.… (mehr)