Review: SEAL of Honor

Reviewed by Carrie
 

What is it about military men that get the blood pumping?

I will come right out and admit it – I am a sucker for a hot alpha Navy SEAL. Something about the combination of quiet strength, cocky confidence and unwavering need to protect all wrapped up in a body that is physically honed to perfection.

SEAL of Honor is the first in a new series by first time author Tonya Burrows and it’s a good one. Gabe Bristow is still ornery over having to leave the SEALs after an accident leaves him with a medical discharge. Floundering without the security of the Teams, his best friend Travis Quinn, also a former SEAL, convinces Gabe to join up with an A-Team-like group of men to rescue an American businessman kidnapped in Colombia.

To further complicate matters, the kidnapped businessman’s sister, Audrey, shows up to try to put her 2 cents in. It was a little odd that the reason they too her on was because she was fluent in Spanish when they already had a linguist on the team, but easily overlooked. There is a true progression of character for Audrey throughout the book. At first, I found her naïveté mildly annoying. For instance, when she and Gabe are surrounded by guerillas in the jungle and trying to escape, she was horrified that Gabe was going to kill a cow to cause distraction. Really? A cow was more important than evading death?

Fortunately, as the story progressed, Audrey put on her big girl panties and started to deal. By the end of the book, Audrey was no longer looking for someone to rescue her, but being proactive for herself. I liked that she was a good companion to Gabe. Her sweetness tempered all his stern childhood and military upbringing. The sexy scenes were a bit stilted, but I believe that will smooth out in later books. I also liked that their HEA wasn’t some long drawn out affair and I really hope that readers will get short updates about Gabe and Audrey later in the series.

Burrows does a nice job setting up the men for further books in the series. All of the men are outcasts from their former governmental-type jobs who, under the command of Gabe, begin to gel into a true unit by the end of the book. I’m very interested to see where the stories go, especially the badass explosives guy, Ian Reinhardt. Burrows hints to backstories of the men, and if you are a fan of tortured heroes, keep an eye on this series.

Grade: B

*ARC Provided by Entangled via NetGalley

Click to purchase: Amazon

Seal of Honor

by Tonya Burrows

Release Date: May 27, 2013

Publisher: Entangled Publishing