Tag: Tall Dark and Deadly

Review: Hawken’s Heart by Suzanne Brockmann.

Posted July 14, 2008 by Rowena in Reviews | 2 Comments


Hero: William “Crash” Hawken
Heroine: Nell Burns
Grade: 4.75 out of 5

Government agent Crash Hawken awakens in a Washington, D.C., hospital to learn that he is the prime suspect in the assassination attempt of a commanding officer. Charged with treason, conspiracy and murder, he is alone — except for Nell Burns.

Nell and Crash have a history — as friends, as lovers. And she knows he could not have committed these crimes. Soon they are on the run, determined to uncover what really happened the night of the attempted assassination. But first they have to survive another day.

Another book down and another one to add to the books that I enjoyed from beginning to end. I was really interested in Crash’s story after having heard about him in Cowboy’s book and then meeting him in Harvard’s book. Those mysterious heroes never fail to make me melt and Crash was no exception.

The story starts off with Crash being taken to jail for the murder of the only father he’s ever cared about…Jake Robinson. Before we can find out what has happened, we’re taken back in time a year earlier when Crash’s troubles all started. We’re taken back to when his mother’s cousin, Daisy Owen, the person who stepped in and showed Crash that he was worth loving and we get to know the family Crash has come to love. Daisy’s boyfriend, Jake Robinson was a Navy SEAL and is now an Admiral want to give this young boy who just lost his mother a family and they do exactly that.

Crash falls in love with his cousin and her boyfriend. They become the only family he ever had and he treasures them but because he doesn’t like getting hurt, he holds his feelings close to him and he doesn’t let anyone get close to him. If he doesn’t feel anything for anyone, he can’t get hurt. Only he feels something very much for the heroine in this story, Nell Burns. Nell is his cousin, Daisy’s personal assistant and she has since moved in with Daisy to help take care of her in her dying days.

It is Nell who delivers the news about Daisy’s cancer to Crash and it is Nell that helps melt the walls around Crash’s heart.

This story was a sad story. It engaged my tear ducts and it engaged all those girly feelings that guys detest in women. I oohed and I ahhed over this book and got lots of grief of it from my brothers roommate, Kurt. He caught me tearing up at some parts and was moaning and groaning at how much of a wimp I am.

Oh well.

I hella loved this book. I loved getting to know Crash (love him!) and I loved seeing Nell make him realize that he should be treasuring the memories they make together instead of wasting time pushing her away. I loved when he finally gave in and let himself love Nell, when he finally realizes that he doesn’t have to die and how he very much wants that future (bleak as it might be) with Nell, it makes all of his boneheaded mistakes and decisions fall to the wayside.

I really enjoyed Nell’s character. I loved how she gave her love a shot and when it didn’t work, she didn’t give up on life, she tried her very best to move on but when she knew it was futile to try to get over the one person she loved most in the world, I loved the way she embraced helping Crash clear his name even if he didn’t want her help.

This is another keeper for me, I really enjoyed the plot, the characters (LOVE JAKE) and I just really really love the world that Suz Brockmann has created for these wonderful, wonderful SEALs. If you haven’t read this series, you seriously need to hurry up and rectify that because Suz knows how to rock your world with world saving heroes like her SEALs.

WOO HOO!

This book is available from Mira Books. You can buy it here.


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Review: Harvard’s Education by Suzanne Brockmann.

Posted July 13, 2008 by Rowena in Reviews | 7 Comments


Hero: Daryl “Harvard” Becker
Heroine: PJ Richards
Grade: 4.75 out of 5

For eight weeks FInCOM agent P.J. Richards is being given access to the absolutely-no-women-allowed world of the U.S. Navy SEALs, and she isn’t about to let anyone tell her she can’t hack it. P.J. can’t afford to be distracted by anything . . .or anyone. And that includes Senior Chief “Harvard” Becker. Harvard believes that there is no room for women in a combat zone. It’s too dangerous, too tough . . .and with P.J. involved, too distracting. He might respect her sharp intellect and her shooting abilities, but he still doesn’t want the responsibility of making sure she stays alive. But P.J. isn’t a woman who backs down easily, and to her mind, Harvard has a lot to learn. She just doesn’t expect him to be so eager to instruct her on other subjects . . .like trust, desire and maybe even love.

Harvard Becker never really made it to my radar in the other books so I didn’t know what I was expecting when I got to his book. After the hot mess that was Melody Evans, I was really wary about trying another TEAM 10 book, hoping against hope that I didn’t encounter another secret baby plot because I seriously detest those plots and I was able to sigh with relief when I started this book because this was a story where the couple were friends before they became anything more than that and I absolutely ate this story up.

This book captured every single emotion in me and rung me out that by the time I finished this book, I was emotionally drained. I was caught up in every little thing from Harvard and PJ’s budding relationship to the training stuff, PJ’s fears, Harvard’s adjustment of losing his childhood home to the snafu where I thought we were going to lose one of my favorite SEALs (which if I’m honest, every single SEAL that I’ve read in this series is one of my favorites, LOL), there was so much packed into this book but instead of feeling overwhelmed with stories, characters and what not, everything had a place and served a purpose and every single thing added to the story. I wouldn’t have changed anything in this book because it was an amazingly well written story.

Harvard was one of the best kinds of heroes. He was a very stand up kind of guy and very serious but super intense. I had a huge ginormous crush on him right from the very beginning and that surprised me because he went from being just one of the SEAL guys that I never thought about to be the one SEAL that I couldn’t stop reading about. Even now, a few days after I’ve finished the book, I still kick myself that I’m done with Harvards book already because it was that entertaining of a read.

I loved the way Harvard was with PJ. I loved that he knew he had issues about her being a woman and training to do the job that he didn’t think she was qualified for. That was a big issue between them and the way Suz brought that issue to a head made me love this book that much more.

I loved that Harvard had to prove to himself and to PJ that he loved her enough and he trusted her enough to actually be apart of his team…and to see his reasons for not wanting her on the mission, not that he didn’t trust her but because he didn’t want to risk her life was just so effing sweet. The way he showed PJ that he meant what he told his family was just too cute. I was so in love with Harvard that I had to call Izzy to ooh and ahh over this book because I loved it that much.

I’m so relieved to announce that PJ was not a stupid ass heroine. She was one of those tough as nails women who could do any job better or just as good as any man. She didn’t want anyone handing her the easy way of things, she was there to work and to prove to them that she could hang. Her attitude when she first meets Harvard is understandable even if it rankled a bit because, I seriously wanted her to hang up her billy bad ass attitude and just unwind like the rest of them, the way she had to be on complete guard each and every moment of the day was a bit draining but it was necessary to build up her character. I didn’t hate her at all throughout this book. I admired her, I enjoyed getting to know her and I thought she was the perfect heroine for Harvard.

One of my favorite scenes was when Harvard asks PJ to come with him to visit his parents new home in Arizona on their off days. She agrees and they have to board a plane to get there. She’s deathly afraid of heights and to see Harvard supporting her and being there for her was just absolutely sweet. He says, “I won’t let you fall,” to her and it was such a simple phrase, one that I’ve seen plenty of times in romance but the way that Harvard said it made me all gooey inside with all things great for him. Seeing Harvard being there for PJ all those many times and then having PJ come to his rescue at the end was just fantastically written and I ate this book up.

Should you read it? Heck to the yes, this book is really good and I fell just a little bit more in love with the Alpha Squad because the loyalty these boys have for one another, the respect and the love they have for one another really makes for great characters and I seriously, seriously love them.

Suz scared the crap out of me with this book but man that only added to my love of this series. It’s action packed with that romantic twist that will have many a women falling in love with these guys. I’m serious in saying that if you guys haven’t read this series, you seriously need to. There’s a different SEAL for all of our different wants and Suz doesn’t disappoint.

READ THIS BOOK!

This book is available from Mira Books. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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Review: Prince Joe by Suzanne Brockmann.

Posted June 30, 2008 by Rowena in Reviews | 6 Comments


Hero: Joe “Cat” Catalonotto
Heroine: Veronica St. John
Grade: 4.5 out of 5

Veronica St. John is facing the challenge of a lifetime. The media consultant has two days to teach a rugged Navy SEAL to impersonate a European prince who has been targeted by terrorists. It’s a tough assignment, but Veronica is sure she’s up to the task — until she actually meets Joe.

Despite his physical resemblance to the handsome prince, Lieutenant Joe Catalanotto is nothing like the stuffy aristocrat. Everything about the combat-hardened Navy SEAL — from the arrogant gleam in his eyes and streetwise attitude to the New York accent — says regular guy, not royalty. One conversation and Veronica knows nothing could turn this military man into nobility. Joe, on the other hand, is confident he’s got what it takes to complete his duty.

But neither of them expects their assignment to include falling in love . . .

I have been a Suz Brockmann fan since I first picked up Into the Night and fell in love with Michael Muldoon. I was sold on that series and have fallen in love with many a SEAL because of that series. Now, I started reading that series back in I think it was 2003 or 2004, I can’t remember but I remember falling for Muldoon and then wanting to know more about this Sam Starrett guy. And after I finished that series, I was so determined to try the Tall, Dark and Deadly series, only I never got around to it.

Until now.

I think I have fallen in love again.

I swear, Suz Brockmann knows how to write the hell out of a hero. I’m already addicted to her Team 10 guys. I already can’t wait to finish out this series. I’m starting Blue’s book and I can’t wait to dig right in.

So this story is about Lt. Joe Cattalonotto, Commander of Team 10 and how he looks exactly like Prince Tedric of Ustanzia and how there’s been a hit on Prince Ted’s life while he was on his tour of the United States and how he needs a double to stand in for him until the terrorists are caught.

In comes Navy Seal lookalike Joe.

Joe’s mission is to help find these bastards that tried to kill Prince Ted not because he wants to protect the Prince, oh no, he wants to find the bastards who tried to kill Princy Boy because those same guys killed a son of his friend’s. He wants to bring them down because of that. So in order to play this out, he needs to learn how to be a Prince in two days and the person who’s going to whip him into shape is Veronica St. John.

The story is filled to the brim with fast action and lots of running from the feelings. Some of it was bearable and others (Veronica’s reasons for loving Joe but not wanting to marry him) made me want to strangle someone…Ronnie being at the top of that list.

What I loved most about this book was how easy it was to fall into Joe’s world. To fall into his love story with Ronnie. It wasn’t rushed or anything but some of it was enough to make me roll my eyes down the street. Like, at the end I got that Joe was madly in love with Ronnie and that he would have done anything at all to be with her again but when you’re shot, bleeding all over the place, your helicopter crashes into the freezing ocean and you’re fighting for your life and the only thing you can think about is that Ronnie has finally agreed to marry you and that she loves you makes me want call you on my cell phone and when you answer, scream into the phone, “LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE!” Because, who in their right mind is going to have time to think about the woman that they love admitting that they love him?

Seriously?

I mean, if it was a, “I don’t want to lose her, I love her too much to die” kind of thing, that’s understandable and even admirable but when you’re dying and losing ground and you’re thinking, “OMGOSH, did she really mean it? Did she mean it when she said that she loved me? Could she really love me? Truly? Love? Me?” That’s a load of bull, right there…I can’t believe that.

But other than that scene, this book was pretty great.

Joe was a fantastic hero, one that had me oohing and ahhing over how hot and strong and smart and everything good that he was. I loved him. It’s that simple, I shouldn’t have been surprised that I would love Joe because he was Alpha and he was honorable and he was just a good guy and strong and I can’t say good enough things about Joe because he was just a great hero.

Veronica, she was cool, I guess. I mean, she was great up until she made that idiotic decision. Suz loves to write those heroines who drive us readers crazy but Veronica made up for her stupid decision after they come to grips with the fact that they love each other. I’m itching to read the rest of the series so I’m just going to go get to it.

This was a great beginning to a series I know is going to be fantastic. You should definitely read this book if you haven’t…it’s great, great, great.

This book is available from Mira. You can buy it here or here in e-format.


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