Breaking Point - Lindsay McKenna (HQN - May 2014)

Series: Shadow Warriors (Book 5)

OPERATION SHADOW WARRIORS

An ongoing U.S. military experiment to test the integration of trained female military operatives in live combat scenarios…

The Alpha Platoon. A unit of Navy SEALs stationed in the unforgiving dryness of Afghanistan…who just learned that their newest team member is a woman. But Bay Thorn has a spine of steel -- and the chops to prove it. Without a team to back her up, however, she's dead in the water. And her only ally is Gabe Griffin, a lone SEAL who is lethal, dangerous and unbearably attractive….

Between the open hostility from her team and the harsh Al Qaeda territory, Gabe is a lifeline for Bay. But mutual respect quickly grows into mutual attraction. And with each day and every assignment, the longing only deepens.

They mustn't speak of it. Mustn't act on it. Because in this line of work, falling in love can get you killed….

Loved it. Another terrific entry into the series about women moving into combat roles. Bay has been part of the Shadow Warriors for several years. She is a highly trained combat medic and has previously served with another special forces unit. Now she's been assigned to a platoon of SEALs and she has to prove herself all over again. Bay's introduction to the team is pretty rough. There are several of the guys who are outright hostile, but one of them speaks up for her. He's assigned as her mentor, to show her the way they do things. 

I really enjoyed Bay's introduction and first few days with the team. She knew she'd be facing opposition and tried not to let it get her down. She was confident in her abilities, as long as they would give her a chance. It was fun to see the way that she demonstrated those abilities. I really loved the shooting competition and the way that Gabe showed such confidence in her. I liked the way that bits of her background were shown and how they had such a big part in what she could do. 

Gabe's support means a lot to her. She has a great deal of respect and admiration for his abilities and knowing that he has confidence in her helps keep her going. What she doesn't expect to happen is the attraction she feels for him. Bay was engaged to another medic, who died in action in Iraq. She swore she wouldn't get involved with another military man, but her heart wasn't listening to her head.

Gabe had been impressed with Bay from the minute he met her. She had a strength of will he didn't see often in men, much less in women. He's assigned as her mentor/partner and it doesn't take him long to realize that she will be an asset to the team, once the other guys see that she can hold her own. Besides her military skills he is also drawn to the softer side of her. Seeing her use her medical skills on the locals emphasizes her nurturing personality and Gabe finds his attraction to her growing. Gabe had been married before to a woman who couldn't handle his job, and being around Bay shows him what he could have with a woman like her. Both of them know that a relationship between them is impossible under the current conditions. They work very hard at keeping their emotions in check, and are mostly successful. 

I liked the way that their relationship developed slowly, with them getting to know each other without physical intimacy getting in the way. It also showed the respect that they had for each other. I enjoyed seeing them get together at the end, and especially liked Gabe's sensitivity to Bay's need to adjust to noncombat conditions. It helped that he goes through the same things himself. I really liked the realistic look at what their next year would be like, with him doing training and her deploying again.

There were a few things I didn't like as much about this book. I really expected there to be more of a struggle for Bay with becoming part of the team. There wasn't much interaction between her and the other guys, except for the cookie incident. That really made it seem like she ended all the hostility with a few cookies and I would have liked to see more. I loved Bay's strength of will and abilities, but I don't recall her ever showing any truly negative emotions. No gripes about the sand, frustration over the guys' attitudes, not even over not being able to haul off and kiss Gabe now and then. Nobody can be that upbeat all the time, especially under those conditions. And for some reason, even the two major missions didn't seem as intense as they've been in previous books. These things weren't major drawbacks, but they weren't quite what I usually expect. Won't stop me from reading the next one.

Degree of Risk - Lindsay McKenna (HRS #1791 - Mar 2014)

Series: Shadow Warriors (Book 4)

When her Black Hawk helicopter is shot down in Afghanistan, Army medevac pilot Sarah Benson does what she must to survive. Hiding by day and hiking through the mountains by night, Sarah manages to save a mother and daughter before being taken captive. Even then she fights. She has to get back to the base--and to the man she loves.

Once Ethan Quinn learns that Sarah has survived the crash, he refuses to stop until he finds her, though the battle-hardened Navy SEAL knows the odds are against him. For him, it's more than a matter of courage--it's their future he is fighting for.

Wonderful sequel to Risk Taker.  This one is a little less of a romance, as Sarah and Ethan's love is well established, but it is a testament to the strength of their love and the strength it gives to each of them. It starts out with Sarah and Ethan struggling to find chances to be together, not easy with their schedules.  It's even harder with the way Sarah's CO has it in for her and schedules her more than anyone else - until the SEAL Master Chief steps in.  Sarah and Ethan have a rare two days off together to recharge their relationship.

When not flying Sarah spends her downtime with her new SEAL family.  One night, as she prepares her Army issued emergency pack, her SEAL brothers intervene, giving her one like those they carry.  This ends up being a very important gift.  A few days later Sarah and her copilot are shot down while delivery ammunition to a forward operating base.  Sarah's copilot is killed, but Sarah escapes, taking her emergency pack with her.

This scene was incredibly intense as we see it from two points of view.  First, we have the attack from Sarah's perspective.  There is the tension of the flight itself, dangerous because of the weather conditions which force them to fly low.  There is also the ever present danger of attack by Taliban forces.  When they are shot at with a missile, the efforts made by Sarah and Tait to evade are heart pounding. As the helo crashes, Sarah is desperate to escape and to live to make it back to Ethan.  On the other side, Ethan and his team were in that same area and witnessed the attack and crash.  Ethan's grief at the possibility of her death and his fears for her safety if she escaped are heart wrenching. 

As we follow Sarah in her efforts to escape detection by the Taliban and make her way to safety, her strength of will is amazing.  She deals with her fears that she is presumed dead and that no one will be looking for her by calling on the independence she built up during her growing up years.  She tries to remain hopeful that Ethan and the others will believe in her survival.  As she does her best to evade capture, she witnesses a brutal attack on a woman and young girl and risks her own safety to save them.  When she is captured, the man in charge brings flashbacks of the foster father who abused her.  The skills she learned back then came in handy during her captivity, enabling her to stay relatively safe while trying to find a way to escape.  

Meanwhile, Ethan and his team refuse to accept the Army's insistence that Sarah is dead and go on the hunt for evidence of her escape.  Ethan's relief when they found it was palpable.  The involvement of all of Sarah's "brothers" was exciting to watch as each one put their own unique talents to work. Even the Master Chief got personally involved in this mission. Ethan had to work very hard to keep his focus on what he was doing, as his mind tried to wander through all his memories of their time together.  The tension as they got closer to Sarah, hoping that they would be in time, kept the story flying forward.

The final showdown had me hoping that all would go well.  The chaos that ensued as Sarah's actions blended with those of the SEALs had me on the edge of my seat.  When all the shooting was done, the reunion was so emotional.  I loved seeing her favorite combat medic arrive on the medevac chopper, and the interesting twist that came with his examination of her injuries.

The conclusion of the book was a wonderful statement of the strength of the love that Sarah and Ethan had for each other.  The ceremony involving all the SEALs was incredibly moving and showed just how much Sarah had come to mean to them all.  It also showed the huge strides that Sarah had made in her own life.

Risk Taker - Lindsay McKenna (HRS #1787 - Feb 2014)

Series: Shadow Warriors (Book 3)

A Navy SEAL fights the most important battle of his life--love--

In the mountains of Afghanistan, her daring rescues have made Medevac pilot Sarah Benson a legend. She loves taking her helicopter where others fear to fly--the danger, the adrenaline...and the distraction from thinking about her own hurt heart.

U.S. Navy SEAL Ethan Quinn is man enough to prize Sarah's valor as well as her beauty. But his efforts to reach his beautiful colleague cannot pierce her armor. Can he prove that it's possible to find love in a war zone?

Fantastic book, with an excellent balance between the action and the romance. Both main characters are portrayed with incredible depth.  Sarah is medevac pilot in Afghanistan who has pulled off some daring rescues.  When she isn't flying she holds herself apart from others, especially men.  Ethan is a SEAL who is drawn to her beauty and the sadness he sees in her eyes.  

Sarah is a daring pilot whose early childhood has created a deep distrust of men.  That distrust is augmented by the treatment she receives from the other men on base.  We first see her as she is approached by a man who does not take his rejection well.  Ethan is drawn to her from the moment he sees her.  He senses a deep sadness in her and would like to get to know her.  Later that day he rescues her from an assault and has the chance to get to know her a little.

Ethan is a different kind of SEAL.  Outside of his profession he is a kind and sensitive man.  He has a side of him that his SEAL brothers are unaware of - he writes poetry.  He uses his writing to deal with the things he has seen and the emotions they cause.  From the moment he rescues Sarah he feels a deep connection to her.  That connection allows him to see the vulnerability behind the walls she puts up.  

I loved seeing the patience that Ethan had in getting to know Sarah. Everything he learned about her only made him care even more.  I loved the way that he used his poetry to show her how special he thought she was.  Sarah's fears run deep, but there is something about Ethan that she finds easy to trust.  She tells him things that she has never told anyone else and is surprised by how much she wants to know about him. The poetry that he writes for her touches her deeply, but her insecurities have her pushing him away.

I loved that Ethan gave her the space that she asked for, but wasn't going to give up on his feelings for her.  The time that they spent together showed him that she did care, but he could see that she had trouble believing in what they could have.

I loved the action sequences and the additional depth they gave to the story.  What they do is such an important part of who Sarah and Ethan are.  I loved seeing the confidence Sarah has in herself and her abilities as a pilot.  She also has a bone deep need to make sure she gives her all to the rescue of the injured.  The descriptions of her flights are so good that I could almost feel the way the chopper moved during the explosions and feel the tension as she tried to get in and out safely.  I could feel her fear when she knew that Ethan was one of those on the ground as she flew in.  I liked seeing those same sequences from Ethan's point of view.  His immense respect for Sarah and what she does was obvious. I could also feel his fear for her as she flew into the battle to evacuate his wounded brethren.

One of my favorite parts of the book came at the end, as Ethan takes her to meet his fellow SEALs.  The respect that they all showed to Sarah was incredibly moving.  I also loved the way that Ethan's boss showed her the kind of respect and appreciation that her own did not.  Even better was the demonstration that, as an honorary member of the SEAL family, they had her back.  The description of just what that entailed was very satisfying.  I am looking forward to the continuation of their story in the next book.