Review - - A Lethal Betrayal

A Lethal Betrayal

by Lori Matthews

Coast Guard Hawai'i - Book 1

Publisher: Wild Coyote Press

Release Date: May 22, 2023

Reviewed by PJ

Chief Petty Officer Dane Landry is injured and burning through his last chance with the US Coast Guard. His new team is tasked with finding stolen military-grade technology, but he finds himself in the crosshairs of an investigation as the prime suspect in the murder of a former teammate. With his career and freedom on the line, his top priority should be clearing his name while navigating the complex web of suspicion and betrayal that surrounds him. Being thrown together with the beautiful investigator is a distraction he doesn’t need.

Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent McKenna Rankin is determined to find out who killed the Senior Chief, but it soon becomes obvious there’s so much more at stake. Her attraction to the prime suspect is an obstacle she hadn’t anticipated, but one she isn’t sure she wants to overcome. As her investigation heats up and tensions run high, Dane and Mac must find a way to reconcile personal feelings with professional obligations while racing against the clock to uncover the true culprit before it’s too late.

PJ's Thoughts:

Lori Matthews keeps upping her game with each book she publishes. A Lethal Betrayal, book one in her new (connected) series, sucked me in, taking me on a wild, pulse-pounding ride from start to finish.

I felt like I was holding my breath for at least 90% of this book. Matthews loads it up with action, danger, suspense, and enough twists to give me whiplash. Tightly plotted, the story offers intense, life or death scenarios that kept me on the edge of my seat, gasping for breath, trying my best to figure out exactly who the villains were and how it would all work out in the end. I did center in on one person from the start and added another into the loop midway through the book but, boy howdy, did she keep the others close to the vest, sending me this direction and that until all was finally revealed. I love it when an author keeps me off balance like that, guessing right up until the end. 

As superb as Matthews is at weaving together breath-stealing suspense plots, so too does she excel at crafting complex, multi-layered, fully-developed characters who engage my emotions. As important as the action and suspense are to this book, the romantic, emotional connection between Dane and Mac holds its own as a counterpoint, adding a necessary emotional depth to their life or death heroics. 

Fans of Matthews' Coast Guard RECON series will recognize a few secondary characters in A Lethal Betrayal but readers new to the author should have no trouble at all beginning with this new Hawai'i series (though I also highly recommend the RECON books). 

A Lethal Betrayal is a fast-paced, action-packed, breath-stealing romantic thriller that kept me reading way past my bedtime. This series is already as addictive as her previous ones. I'm fully engaged and excited to discover which team member will take center stage next. 

Review - - Faking it With the Green Beret

Faking it With the Green Beret

by Tracy Brody

A Sweet Faking it Romantic Comedy

Publisher: Tracy Brody

Release Date: November 21, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

  

His Life is like a Country Song

Green Beret Captain “Big John” Bryson returns from deployment to learn his girlfriend cheated and his dog died. Turns out, his ex lied and dumped his beloved mutt, Boss, at the shelter. Forget the ex, John just wants his dog back.

An abuse survivor, Elizabeth Carroll is singing a happier tune without a man in her life. She has her work as a counselor and The Oasis, a trio of tiny homes on her property where abused women can get a fresh start. She also has her rescue dog—or did—until his former owner wants him back. After John intervenes to protect one of her residents, Elizabeth offers him and Boss housing at The Oasis. But who will protect Elizabeth’s heart from the charms of the off-key singing, 6’5” teddy bear of a soldier?

Fighting for the love John desperately wanted all his life has given him more battle scars than his dangerous missions. He and Elizabeth could be an opposites-attract love story, if only John can break through the guarded beauty’s defenses. If he can’t earn her trust and heal her invisible wounds, their unlikely duet will end on a bad note. With Boss’s help, can they create the perfect harmony to give them the future they’ve both dreamed of?

PJ's Thoughts:

Tracy Brody blends laugh-out-loud humor and sweet romance with the emotional depth of heartache, past abuse, and hopeful healing in this new contemporary romcom that had me laughing, shedding a few tears, and sighing with satisfaction when the final page was turned. 

John can sing off-key to me any old time. I adored him. In this character, Brody has created a battle-tested warrior with a marshmallow center. He's tough when needed - a protector - but also gentle and kind when the occasion calls for it. The care he exhibits with the women at The Oasis, his patience with Elizabeth, his devotion to duty and honor, and his love for his dog would have sealed the deal for me...even before he started serenading me off-key. And speaking of his dog, Boss not only stole the hearts of all the characters in the book, and mine, he also stole every scene in which he appeared. 

Elizabeth is a complex character with a traumatic past (see below for the author's note) who devotes herself to helping other women who have experienced similar situations. I admired her courage to break away from those who had hurt her and embark upon a healing path. She and John are so good together. The author leads them on a gradual journey to friendship, trust, and eventually a deeper, emotional relationship. I loved the humor between them while appreciating the fine line they walked when feelings began to deepen. The sensitivity given to her fear was commendable and, again, in those situations, John's actions and attitude were all I could have hoped for. 

Kudos to Brody for crafting a story that, although it deals with difficult subject matter and is heart-wrenching at times, addresses those issues head-on while also maintaining it's central focus of humor, heart, healing, and hope. I give this one my enthusiastic recommendation. 

One additional note. Each chapter in this book begins with a song title (and artist) that sets the tone for what's to come. I have no idea how long it took for the author to research and choose these titles but they are brilliant...and kept me humming throughout the book. 

Trigger Warning

Note from author in front of book

"This is a romantic comedy book; however, it also deals with the sensitive subjects of physical and sexual abuse. Elizabeth is an abuse survivor and works with other women who've left abusive situations. While the abuse is not shown on the page, it is discussed in the book and is part of what Elizabeth has to overcome through counseling, EMDR therapy, and with encouragement from John.

The intent is to show women supporting one another and that there is help and hope for healing. Should the idea of a character sharing abuse in their past be a trigger for you, this may not be the book for you - at least not at this time. I do hope you will get to a place of happiness, joy, and strength."

Blessings,

Tracy

Review - - Subverted

Subverted

by Lori Matthews

Coast Guard RECON - Book 4

Publisher: Wild Coyote Press

Release Date: June 28, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

After an abandoned ship is found in international waters, Team RECON is summoned by Homeland Security to find answers. Finn Walsh has massive reservations about boarding the empty US Navy ship. His worst fears come to life when they find all the navigation equipment and electronics disabled, smashed, or gone. But when Finn finds a hidden stash of dead bodies, and the boat begins to sink because of a violent storm, he can’t get off the ship fast enough.

Homeland Security analyst Victory Stanhope evaluates foreign and domestic terrorist cells from the safety of a desk in Washington D.C. After a dangerous stint with the CIA, that’s exactly how she likes it. But when a ‘request’ to investigate an abandoned ship comes from the Director himself, Tory heads back into the field only to discover that one of the Coast Guard team she is overseeing is a man she slept with once at a low point in her life and she’s never forgotten him.

In the interest of national security, Tory sidelines her strong attraction to Finn and throws herself into the riddle of what happened to the crew of the Oceanus Explorer and who is selling government secrets to other nations.

The stakes get even higher when Tory realizes that the sinister mastermind of the treasonous plot is closer to home than she thought possible.

PJ's Thoughts:

I woke up at 2:00 AM this morning and couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to read a chapter or two of Subverted, the newest Coast Guard RECON book by Lori Matthews that downloaded to my Kindle yesterday. At 5:00 AM, I was still wide awake and deeply immersed in the life or death intensity of this compelling story. Matthews has once again delivered intriguing characters who engage my emotions, edge-of-my-seat suspense, thought-provoking scenarios I hope never happen but am well aware could, and complex, multi-layered storytelling that kept me up - literally - all night.

If you enjoy romantic suspense thrillers that grab your attention from the start and hold it securely until you turn that final page, you won't want to miss this book. It includes crossover characters from the first three books in the Coast Guard RECON series (which I also highly recommend) but also stands well on its own. I loved it. 

Review - - Incinerated

Incinerated

by Lori Matthews

Coast Guard RECON - Book 2

Publisher: Wild Coyote Press

Release Date: March 15, 2022

Reviewed by PJ

 

Meet Axel Cantor of the US Coast Guard’s TEAM RECON. As in reconstructed. As in broken and needs fixing.

When a cargo ship gets stuck in the Suez Canal and an American journalist on board ends up dead, Axel is sent in to investigate. He didn’t count on running into Sloan Bishop another reporter and the love of his life. Or maybe the hate of his life. Ever since he ended up in one of her articles.

Sloan is a driven reporter and will get the story at any cost. She’s on board the ship to document the first-ever female pilot to navigate the canal. But it all goes sideways, literally. The female pilot is blamed but Sloan knows there’s more to the story. When her best friend and fellow journalist, Eddie, is murdered, it becomes personal.

As the body count rises on the stuck cargo ship, the Sea Jewel, both Axel and Sloan will have to lower their defenses to work together to figure out what is really going on. There is something much bigger at play here, so big that Axel has to call in reinforcements – his fellow RECON teammates.

PJ's Thoughts:

Matthews continues to bring the action, danger, and romance in this second book of her Coast Guard RECON series. The suspense is intense and intricately woven throughout the book. The romance is second-chance (one of my favorites) though it took a back seat to the suspense for me, likely due to the heroine. While I adored Axel, it took me a long time to warm up to Sloan, mostly due to her "get the story at all costs" attitude. She does finally realize the error of her ways - and they get their happy ending - but it does take a while.

Matthews' research is impeccable and brings the locations in her books to life. In this one, she made me believe I was on a ship grounded in the Suez Canal. The sights, smells, and sensations of being trapped on a boat controlled by mercenaries had me experiencing emotions right along with the characters. Full immersion into a story is one of the facets of writing at which this author excels. 

The suspense/action/danger portion of this book was 5 stars all the way for me, keeping me on the edge of my seat with heart racing pretty much the entire book. The characters were fully developed, engaging my interest and emotions. Where it fell a little bit short for me was in the culmination of the romantic arc (it felt rushed) and a few threads related to the suspense storyline that were left hanging. I don't know if those threads will be picked up later or not but I wanted more closure. Other than those two issues (minor in the grand scheme of things), this was another high octane, glued to the pages, romantic suspense thriller from an author who is quickly becoming one of my favorites. If this type of story is your cup of tea, Lori Matthews is definitely an author you'll want to check out. 

Incinerated can stand on its own but as the members of the RECON team feature prominently in both books I recommend beginning with Diverted (click to read my review) before moving on to Incinerated. 

 

Review - - Home to Texas

Home to Texas

by Kaki Warner

Brides of Rough Creek Texas - Book 2

Publisher: Berkley

Release Date: June 29, 2021

Reviewed by PJ

Lieutenant KD Whitcomb had mapped out her career from West Point to the Pentagon. But when an injury under questionable circumstances forces her to leave the army, her dreams fall dead at her feet. Feeling lost and needing to rediscover the tough woman beneath the uniform, she heads back to the family ranch in Rough Creek. Only two things get her through the nightmares and sleepless nights: the support of her family and the CID officer investigating the incident in Afghanistan. He infuriates her. Makes her laugh. Gives her hope.
 
Richard Murdock is struggling, too. There’s something fishy about this last case…and the threats coming from Afghanistan aimed at both him and KD. He’s ready to leave the army and make a new start. But how will he protect KD? And what should he do about the growing attraction between them? He’s been burned before. But there's something about KD's vulnerability and strength that calls to him, and he'll do whatever it takes to protect her and give her a chance to build new dreams…including helping her start a PTSD equine therapy program at the Texas ranch.
 
If they can overcome the threats against them and heal old wounds, this second chance might be better than they ever dreamed.

PJ's Thoughts:

I've been reading Kaki Warner since her debut. One of the things I most enjoy about her writing is her ability to create complex, fully-dimensional characters who pull me into their hearts, minds, and often complicated lives. That skill is once again on display in Home to Texas. I felt like I knew these people. I shared their frustrations, desires, pain, joy, anger, and fear. I was immersed in their journey and eager to discover how it would all play out.

This second book in Warner's Brides of Rough Creek series is filled with both heart-tugging romance and breath-stealing danger. The author does a good job of depicting that danger, both in Afghanistan and Texas, along with the military aspects of the story. While both light humor and heart are evident in many of the scenes with KD's family, Warner doesn't shy away from the dark (sometimes harsh) humor found among people who routinely put their lives on the line for their country. 

I liked both KD and Richard and enjoyed the evolution of their relationship. The spice, sweetness, support, respect, and love between them convinced me they were solid. It was fun seeing KD's family again (after meeting them in book one, Rough Creek). Raney and Dalton were particular favorites but I also enjoyed new beginnings for KD's mama. At times, the suspense plot seemed a bit far-fetched, but still within the realm of possibility. It kept me engaged and on the edge wondering how it would all play out. I particularly enjoyed the scenes between Richard and the FBI agents.

If you enjoy complex, military-themed stories with a good blend of romance, action, and danger, give this one a try. It stands well on its own though I do also recommend book one, Rough Creek. Did I mention how much I love Raney and Dalton? ;-)

CW: 

PTSD

Violence

Physical trauma

Review - - A Shot Worth Taking

A Shot Worth Taking

by Tracy Brody

Bad Karma Special Ops - Book 3

Publisher: Tracy Brody Books

Release Date: June 30. 2020

Reviewed by PJ

   

AN FBI AGENT WITH SECRETS

FBI Linguist Angela Hoffman’s expertise and previous experience send her undercover on a critical operation. Only when her mission converges with the target of the Bad Karma Special Ops team, she is recognized by Tony Vincenti. A joint task force is formed to track a dangerous terrorist, and, as they work together again, Angela’s prior attraction to Tony escalates. Only her past work and betrayals eliminate any chance of her having a serious romantic relationship--even with the enigmatic soldier who makes her long for the kind of family she never had.


AN ELITE SOLDIER WANTING TRUST

Undercover operations are Sergeant First Class Tony Vincenti’s specialty. He previously played Angela’s lover. This time, he’s hoping after they wrap this mission to see what can happen between them for real. However, when they learn of a potential attack, all hopes for a romantic interlude are put on hold while they race to find the target of a dirty bomb.

A FUTURE WORTH RISKING EVERYTHING FOR

Tony is certain Angela is everything he wants in a woman, but first he has to earn her trust and convince her that, despite her past, they can have a future. When Angela’s fears become reality and she’s targeted by a deadly threat, she has to trust him with her secrets so he can protect her life. But will that trust run deep enough to convince her once and for all he’s a shot worth taking?

PJ's Thoughts:

Military romantic suspense is one of my favorite romance categories and Tracy Brody is a new author I'm enjoying. Brody combines well-developed characters with sizzling romance, edge-of-your-seat danger, snappy banter, and realistic suspense, then wraps it all up within a well-researched military unit. It's clear she's taken the time to do this sub-genre justice.

I enjoyed Tony and Angela's romance. These are two well-matched individuals with a whole lot of sexual chemistry. But, more than that, they like one another, respect each other's abilities, and are good teammates, on and off the job. Still, I sure did love that chemistry. Brody is very good at building sexual tension.

Brody is also good at building other types of tension and there's plenty to go around in this book. From terrorist bombs, to an attempt on Angela's life, to secret missions abroad, there was plenty of danger and potential chaos to keep me flipping pages. 

If you enjoy military romantic suspense with interesting characters and life or death consequences, give A Shot Worth Taking a try. It's the third story in the Bad Karma Special Ops series but stands well on its own. You will, however, meet several characters from the first two books and I recommend those stories as well. Desperate Choices (a 128-page extended length novella), introduces the series and tells Bad Karma leader, Ray Lundgren's story while the first full-length novel, Deadly Aim, introduces the entire team and tells the story of Spec Ops sniper, Mack Hanlon and Black Hawk pilot, Kristie Donovan. That one kept me reading way into the night. 

Tour Review & Giveaway - - An Everyday Hero

An Everyday Hero
by Laura Trentham
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: February 4, 2020
Reviewed by PJ
 

At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams up in flames. A series of bad decisions and even worse luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when everything that brought her joy has failed her.

Then Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, a gifted girl who lost her father in action and now hides her pain behind a mask of sarcasm. But Greer sees something undeniable that she can’t walk away from. To make matters more complicated, Greer finds herself spending more and more time with Emmett Lawson―a man with both physical and emotional scars of his own. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her―and along the way they might just save themselves too.

PJ's Thoughts:

In An Everyday Hero, Laura Trentham brings readers into the lives of three people who are all in pain but, when brought together, just might be able to save each other...and themselves. Greer invested her whole life in her single-minded pursuit of a music career only to have it all spectacularly crash and burn in the midst of a panic attack. Returning home to her small town looking for solace from her boyfriend, she instead finds him pants-down with another woman. Is it any wonder she goes a little batsh*t crazy at the local bar when someone plays Carrie Underwood's "Before He Cheats," and finds herself before the local judge (who also happens to be her favorite uncle)? She expects a light fine, maybe highway trash pick-up, but instead he sentences her to volunteer hours at a local musical therapy center. Music. Her greatest love, greatest failure, and greatest fear. She is not a happy camper which, of course, makes her the perfect person to be assigned to two others resistant to the center's efforts: Ally and Emmett. 

Athletic and handsome, Emmett was the golden boy of his hometown who went off to war to uphold his family's tradition of service but came home severely wounded, both physically and emotionally, and is well on his way to closing himself off completely from his friends, his family, and life. I ached for him and for his parents who have no idea how to reach him. Fourteen-year-old Ally is a heart-breaker. Her father is dead, killed in service, her mother has lost the ability to cope following his death, and Ally is so consumed with anger and grief she fairly vibrates with it, the walls she's erected around herself, practically impenetrable. I wanted to wrap my arms around her and take her pain into myself but what Ally needs is something else.  

I found Greer, Ally, and Emmett all so very realistic and relatable, quickly becoming invested in each of their stories. Processing pain, and grief, are very personal endeavors and Trentham excels at creating those individual journeys on the page while, at the same time, intricately weaving them together as a whole. Greer is the catalyst that puts both Ally and Emmett on their individual paths to recovery, eventually bringing them together in a surprising way but Greer is on her own path as well and as much as she helps them, they help her in return. I liked Greer and I loved the (totally different) relationships that form between her and Emmett and her and Ally. You can feel their pain - Trentham doesn't sugarcoat it - but there's also hope, humor (especially between Emmett and Greer), heart-tugging romance, and deep friendships that form as they all sort through the fears and feelings that are keeping them from moving forward. 

An Everyday Hero is a story of second chances, redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, and love. Its a story of overcoming the challenges faced by wounded veterans and by military families left behind. And it's a story of healing, friendship, acceptance, and finally finding the path we're meant to travel. I laughed, I cried, and I turned the final page so grateful to have met these wonderful characters through Laura Trentham's deeply emotional storytelling. It's a book I highly recommend. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Have you read any of Laura Trentham's books?

Do you enjoy books with military themes or characters?

Tell me about the last women's fiction novel you enjoyed.

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM, February 7, 2020 will receive a print copy of An Everyday Hero. 

*Must be 18 or older.

*Open to U.S. addresses only.

Review - - The Military Wife

The Military Wife: Heart of a Hero
by Laura Trentham
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: February 5, 2019
Reviewed by PJ

Harper Lee Wilcox has been marking time in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina since her husband, Noah Wilcox’s death, nearly five years earlier. With her son Ben turning five and living at home with her mother, Harper fights a growing restlessness, worried that moving on means leaving the memory of her husband behind.

Her best friend, Allison Teague, is dealing with struggles of her own. Her husband, a former SEAL that served with Noah, was injured while deployed and has come home physically healed but fighting PTSD. With three children underfoot and unable to help her husband, Allison is at her wit’s end.

In an effort to reenergize her own life, Harper sees an opportunity to help not only Allison but a network of other military wives eager to support her idea of starting a string of coffee houses close to military bases around the country.

In her pursuit of her dream, Harper crosses paths with Bennett Caldwell, Noah’s best friend and SEAL brother. A man who has a promise to keep, entangling their lives in ways neither of them can foresee. As her business grows so does an unexpected relationship with Bennett. Can Harper let go of her grief and build a future with Bennett even as the man they both loved haunts their pasts?

My thoughts:

Laura Trentham will break your heart and then stitch it back together, stronger than ever, in this poignant, heart-wrenching, and, ultimately, life-affirming story about the men and women who protect our country on the front lines and those on the home front - the spouses, children, and families - whose contributions, and trials, are no less significant.

One of the strengths of Trentham's contemporary romances is her ability to create richly complex and realistic characters into whose lives I become completely invested. The same is true of The Military Wife, her first foray into women's fiction. She brings these characters to vivid life in a convincing portrayal of honor, duty, sacrifice, fear, survivor's guilt, grief, and love. They all notched places for themselves in my heart, taking me along on each of their journeys and wringing my emotions with the challenges they face. 

The writing is flawless with seamless transitions from present to past that enable the reader to fully understand the events, and people, that have brought the primary characters, Harper, Bennett, Allison, and Darren to this point in their lives. I especially appreciated the insight gained through the flashback chapters that tell the story of Harper and Noah's courtship and marriage as well as those telling the story of Noah and Bennett's close friendship. Experiencing those journeys with them makes the present journey Bennett and Harper are traveling, both individually and as a couple, all the more satisfying. The secondary characters, as well, are all vividly crafted and realistic. 

Those of you who have read Trentham's other books should be aware that while The Military Wife is women's fiction and there are some serious issues dealt with, there's also plenty of sexual tension, humor, deep emotion, and, for the romance lovers among us, a happy ending. I highly recommend it. (Keep the tissues handy.) 

Blog Tour Review - - Call to Engage

Call to Engage
(A Team Poseidon Novel)
By Tawny Weber
Publisher: HQN
Release Date: June 27, 2017
Reviewed by PJ

Lieutenant Elijah Prescott should be spending his precious leave somewhere with sun, surf and scantily clad women. Instead, he's heading home with two goals in mind. Figure out exactly how his last assignment went to hell and almost killed him—and reconnect with the woman who might offer salvation. 

Ava Monroe has streamlined her life, eliminating every source of pain—including a marriage touched by tragedy. One glimpse of her ex and those good intentions turn to bad-girl desires. Her strategy: get over Elijah by getting under him again, sating herself until she can finally let go. But as betrayal within the rank of the SEALs turns deadly, there's no denying that her heart and her life are on the line. Elijah is the only man who can protect both…

Elijah and Ava never had any trouble communicating between the sheets. It was outside the bedroom where the difficulties began. The pampered, only child of wealthy, controlling parents, Ava was not prepared to be the wife of a Navy SEAL. In truth, she never tried to be, letting her fear and her mother's continual attempts to sabotage her marriage to Elijah rule her. When tragedy struck, instead of turning to her husband in their shared grief, Ava ran - from her pain, from her fear, and from her husband. Four years later, Ava may think she has her life together but until she faces the pain, loss, and fear that ended her marriage, she'll never be whole or completely happy.

Elijah Prescott is one of the good guys, putting his life on the line for his country and his SEAL teammates. He's moved on from the divorce he never wanted but he's never forgotten - or stopped yearning for - the only woman he's ever loved. Recovering from a serious injury in a mission gone wrong, Elijah has been cleared physically to return to duty. But the emotional scars of being betrayed by a friend and teammate who is still on the loose are slower to heal. A three-week leave sends Elijah to his cousin's gym in Napa and, unexpectedly, straight into the arms of his ex-wife. Will this be the second chance they need to right the wrongs of the past and move forward together or clear one another out of their systems for good?

Call to Engage packs sizzle, action, suspense, and a deep emotional punch into a story that kept me invested in these characters and their journey from beginning to end. Weber takes time with both Elijah and Ava, not focusing only on the off-the-charts sizzle between them (though I thoroughly enjoyed the sizzle!) but slowly unveiling the emotional minefields that undermined their marriage. Ava, in particular, has years of issues to confront before she will ever be wholly happy, whether with Elijah or on her own. Weber handles those issues with compassion in some cases, tough love in others, and no easy fixes, grounding her characters in the reality of grief, emotional upheaval, fear, desire, hope, acceptance, and love that many readers have faced and to which we can relate. Add in a traitor on the loose, a team of hard-bodied SEALS, and a life or death race to protect a child and you have another satisfying, heart-grabbing, breath-stealing winner from Tawny Weber.

Though I had no trouble reading this book as a standalone, there are events that occur in book one, Call to Honor, which I believe would have made reading Call to Engage an even richer experience had I read them in order. I'm already looking forward to the next Team Poseidon book, Call to Redemption, scheduled for release on October 31. 

Do you enjoy military romance?

Have you read Tawny Weber's books? 

Are you reading the Team Poseidon books? Any secondary characters calling to you for a book of their own?

One randomly selected person leaving a comment before 11:00 PM (EST), August 11, 2017 will receive a print copy of Call to Engage. (U.S. / Canada only)

Today's Special - - Lindsay McKenna

It is my pleasure to welcome military and romantic suspense author Lindsay McKenna's Running Fire Blog Tour to The Romance Dish today. I've been a fan of Ms. McKenna's work since the early 80's and a new book from her is always cause for celebration in my house. According to her website, McKenna has published more than 100 books since 1981 with 22 million books in 22 foreign languages sold world-wide. That's a whole lot of great reading! A ground-breaker in the romance industry, her 1983 Silhouette Special Edition, Captive of Fate launched the military-adventure romance genre, a segment of romance fiction that has become very popular over the years.  You can find more information about Lindsay McKenna and her books at her website. 


Choosing Names for Characters
by Lindsay McKenna

                The name I choose for every character I write about means everything to me.  The name needs to resonate within me, inspire me, sweep me off to the hero and heroine’s personality, their thoughts, emotions, desire, dreams and wounds.  A name has energy to it and a very specific vibration.  That name is a template from which the character “talks” to me for the duration (and sometimes, after) the book.   

                When I start a new book, I’ll see a character come forward and introduce themselves to me.  I see what they look like, how they are dressed, the expression on their face, etc.  From that, I pick up a vibe about him or her.  I can feel who they are inside and out, as if they are utterly transparent to me on every level with me.  This is the magical part of creation which I love.

                The only downer is my characters never tell me their names!  I go through a number of books, thumbing through them, muttering a bunch a names to see if one “fits” them or not.  I go to tons of baby names websites on the Internet.  I look for unique, interesting or oddball names.  I’ve written over 135 books and all my favorite names have long ago, been used up!  

                Choosing every name of every character is one of the most important things I do when developing a story.  Every time I say that name out loud, I get an instant telepathic and emotional hit on that character.  I never go out-of-character because of this.  Choosing a name that embraces the particular character’s personality is vital. 

                I favor short names over really long, convoluted ones.  I like names you can create a nickname from or around. For example, the hero of RUNNING FIRE is a US Navy SEAL named Kelly Ballard.  But everyone has, forever, called him by his nickname, Kell.  And so, he grew up with it.  There’s usually a reason why some people get nicknames spinning off their given name.  Sometimes, there isn’t.   In Kell’s world, people around him just automatically shortened it.  Besides, Kell is an easy going sort of man and wasn’t one of those people who went around correcting everyone every time they didn’t call him by his real name, Kelly. (There are people out there like that, believe me).  I also don’t care for a name I can’t pronounce without stumbling all over it.  I figure if I do, so will my reader.

                It was tougher for me to find the heroine’s name: Leah Mackenzie.   Names sound strong or weak to me.  When I say the name, I want to investigate the layers  enclosed within its vowels and consonants.  In Leah’s case, when she came forward to introduce herself to me, I felt layers of steel, of grief, of suffering, but also, family meaning everything to her, a kindness and a loyalty that ran deeply through her.  She was a highly complex and compartmentalized person, so I needed a name that had far more layers than normal to it.  

                Above all, Leah was a person who cared deeply for family, and less for herself.  I needed a name with vulnerability built into it.  I wanted that softness that I felt deeply hidden and guarded by her.  I had to have a name that contained those juxtapose polarities:  marshmallow combined with steel.  I spent seven days and finally discovered the name that resonated with her:  Leah.  

                Afterward?  I always have fun looking up on the Internet what a name means by the country of its origin.  And also, any historical or religious significance to it, or not.  I’m always amazed, after I choose a name and then scour the basics of the name through history, that it ends up reflecting some basic tenets of my character. Go check the name Leah on Google, and you’ll get a ton of information!  

                I hope you enjoy the many layers, twists and turns of Running Fire!  Please run over to my website and sign up for my quarterly newsletter (free).  It contains exclusive information, giveaways, and surprises that only my subscribers will receive!  I love to hear from my readers, so make yourself known to me at www.lindsaymckenna.com.  

Thank you for blogging with us today, Lindsay! 

Readers, are character names important to you? Have you ever read a book with characters whose names don't "fit" in your mind? Do you have difficulty connecting with a character when you don't know how to pronounce his/her name?

What does your name mean? Have you ever felt like you should have a different name? If you could re-name yourself, what name would you choose?


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He was a haven in the midst of Hell… 

Temporarily assigned to the Shadow Squadron in a troubled region of Afghanistan, Chief Warrant Officer and pilot Leah Mackenzie is no stranger to conflict—even if most of her physical and emotional scars are courtesy of her vicious ex. Still, she's got a bad feeling about picking up a team of stranded SEALs. A feeling that's all too justified once enemy fire hits their helicopter and all hell breaks loose… 

SEAL Kell Ballard's goal was to get the injured pilot out of harm's way and find shelter deep in the labyrinth of caves. It's a place of dark intimacy, where Leah finds unexpected safety in a man's arms. Where prohibited attraction burns brightly. And where they'll hide until the time comes to face the enemy outside…and the enemy within their ranks.