I loved the glimpses we got of Harvard in the previous books, so I was shocked to discover that he's kind of a jerk. When Richards doesn't want to date him, he doesn't take it well, but at least she calls him on it and she isn't one of those romance-novel women who just falls at the jerk's feet. Even when she tells him she's waiting for marriage, he acts as if he accepts her decision - for about five seconds, then he's telling her that she just hasn't met the right man or that she's too passionate to be hiding away or some such garbage. If her decision is to wait until marriage, who is he to decide she's making the wrong decision or keep saying, "when we have sex?" I was happy to see how it turned out in the end, but I didn't like the route they took getting there. Very disappointed in the way the author portrayed a male MC who could have been - should have been - amazing. ( )

I read this book years ago and it wasn't my favorite of this series. I've just reread it and my original opinion stands. It's okay but not a favorite. I think that it's because stories about women working in a man's field and the problems they face are just not that interesting to me. Not that they shouldn't do the work, just that it's not really something I'm all that interested in reading about. Maybe it's so far from my reality that I can't empathize. It's pretty well written with no major plot holes etc. ( )

Durante ocho semanas, la agente P.J. Richards iba a tener acceso a un mundo dominado por hombres, y no estaba dispuesta a distraerse con nada… ni con nadie. Y eso incluía al “Harvard” Becker, jefe de los SEAL. Harvard no quería distracciones como P.J. cerca, y aunque respetaba sus habilidades y su inteligencia prefería no tener que ser responsable de ella. Sin embargo P.J. no era una mujer que se rindiera fácilmente y, en su opinión, Harvard tenía mucho que aprender. Pero P.J. nunca habría esperado que él estuviera tan dispuesto a instruirla en otras asignaturas… como la confianza, el deseo y quizá incluso el amor.

Typical SEALs book from Brockmann. While the Tall, Dark, & Dangerous books are definitely formula books, the characters kinda suck you in. ( )

Harvard's Education by Suzanne Brockmann
TDD #5

Daryl "Harvard" Becker & P.J. Richards

FInCOM agent, P.J. Richards, is part of an anti-terrorist team doing some combined training missions with the SEALs from Team 10. As a member of this CSF (Combined SEAL/FInCOMM) team, she is given access to areas and to training ops which are usually not available to women. Having clawed her way up, she has experience with the prejudices she will have to face. She's learned how to be tough and how to perform better than her peers just to convince them she is capable of doing her job.

She finds a friend in Joe Cat and eventually in Harvard, although it takes Harvard a while to adjust to his natural inclination to protect her. It's hard for him to see her in combat situations and he's afraid the distraction would cause problems. She needs him to trust that she is capable so others will see that her success is due to her abilities and not in receiving special favors.

They are both tested when they are caught up in a real-life deadly situation when two rival drug lords start warring with eachother--right in the midst of where their training operation is being held. P.J. shows her mettle in helping to locate and rescue one of their own from under the noses of the enemy.

These two are a great couple. Harvard comes from a big and loving family. He's well educated (attended Harvard, hence the nickname) and a genuinely good guy. P.J.'s background is the opposite. Her mother had her at 14. Her grandmother had her mother when she was 16. P.J. was abandoned at age 12 and decided at a young age that she was going to break the cycle. She's tough and smart and funny...and she has a surprise for Harvard. ;) ( )