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Showing posts with label M.L. Buchman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label M.L. Buchman. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

Book Review: Chinook (Miranda Chase NTSB #6) by M.L. Buchman

I really like the unique characters and situations in this story.
Chinook (Miranda Chase NTSB #6)
by M.L. Buchman

56335264. sy475

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08QSPWHL2
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Buchman Bookworks, Inc. (March 23, 2021)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 23, 2021
File size ‏ : ‎ 1500 KB
Genre: Political Fiction, Suspense, Technothriller
My Rating: 4.0 of 5.0.


When the fastest and most powerful helicopters in the US Army’s fleet start falling out of the sky, Miranda Chase and her team of NTSB crash investigators are called in.
One crash leads to another and they are fast entangled in a Chinese conspiracy to start a war. Only Miranda’s team can stop the trade war from becoming a real one.


Review:
Miranda Chase is a genius with autism. She navigates life in a unique and detailed fashion. Each member of her team – Mike, Holly, Andi, Jon and Jeremy – has their own unique foibles and skills which allow them all to work together, protecting each other and successfully completing each mission or job. Jeremy had recently had a quick and traumatic romance, watching his one-night love interest crash to her death.

Taz (aka Vicki) was sure she would be sent to military prison, so she faked her death. She has been working extreme jobs, now firefighting, and learning to live on her own for the first time in her life. She is alarmed when Jeremy appears in her world to investigate a Chinook helicopter crash near the latest wildfire. Instead of getting turned in, Taz is surprised that Jeremy and the team allow her to come along with their fast-paced investigation.

While Jeremy and Taz try to figure out where their ‘relationship’ might go, a Chinese leader is manipulating events in the background. This results in another Chinook helicopter crash right in front of the team.

This is the first book I have read in the series which means I was not familiar with the main characters. However, I was able to follow and enjoy the characters as I met them. There is a good mix of intrigue, emotional drama, and action that kept me interested. I have enjoyed other books by this author who does a good job delivering romance as well as suspense. I recommend the author and this series for clear intrigue and action.

Source: March 2021 from Author (through BookFunnel). This qualifies for my 2022TBR and 2022eBook goals.

Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Book Review: Wild Justice by M.L. Buchman

I love the strong characters, and mix of action and romance that Mr. Buchman presents.
Wild Justice
by M.L. Buchman
File Size: 1402 KB
Print Length: 313 pages
Publisher: Buchman Bookworks, Inc. (October 17, 2017)
ASIN: B074319W2Y
Genre: Military, Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


DELTA FORCE
The best counter-terrorism force on the planet.
SERGEANT DUANE JENKINS
• Elite Delta operator—explosives just make him grin •
AGENT SOFIA FORTEZA
• Top Intel Analyst for The Activity—thinks data is sexy•
The team must face their toughest mission yet: take down a massive human-trafficking ring and a corrupt Venezuelan spy agency—without leaving a trace.
Sofia and Duane.
In common: black sheep of extremely wealthy families, renegades against the status quo.
Differences: tactician vs. explosives expert, thinker vs. pure warrior.
Together: fight to keep their team alive, and their love.


Review:
This story opens with an intense sniper reconnaissance scene where Sofia and Duane meet in a sniper blind. She is a complete surprise to him, while she is expecting a team. Their acerbic banter is engaging from the get go. Sofia is an aloof, intel analyst who wanted to be on site when the special ops team arrives. She is impressed with Duane’s precision in preparation and execution of the take down.

Duane quickly observes that Sofia is smart, skilled and capable in addition to being stunning. His growing interest in her sort of blind sides him and the situation only gets worse as she remains with the team as they zip from one mission to another…to another. Then Sofia invites Duane home where they face another tense situation.

There is plenty of intense action in at least three settings that are well plotted and fast moving. I found the detailed description of Caracus very interesting. There is a good balance with the strong romance element. Duane and Sofia are passionate characters accustomed to their independence as revealed in their difficult family backgrounds. They move cautiously in spite of the obvious draw that escalates into an intense relationship without being overtly graphic. Their conflicted feelings begin to create difficulties in the team dynamics and have to be dealt with.

The author presents technical details on guns, boats and helicopters. This will either be interesting to the reader or can be skimmed after recognizing that it fits the characters. There is some profanity which for me is not necessary but can also be skimmed.

I am always confident that I will find an engaging story with strong romance in Mr. Buchman’s works. The story includes a battle against the terrors and evils of human trafficking. In an afterword the author encourages donations to the causes fighting those evils which is certainly commendable. I recommend this book and this author’s work to romance readers who like military elements and strong male and female characters.

I am pleased to have received this from the author for an honest review.

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

Book Review: Keepsake for Eagle Cove by M. L. Buchman

If I was an effusive reviewer, which I’m not, I might gush about this one!
Keepsake for Eagle Cove
by M. L. Buchman
File Size: 1613 KB
Print Length: 188 pages
Publisher: Buchman Bookworks, Inc. (August 30, 2016)
ASIN: B01KR8OKQ4
Genre: Small Town, Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0


-an Eagle Cove romance-
In the heart-warming conclusion to the Eagle Cove series:
Tiffany Mills hides a secret about the small Oregon Coast town of Eagle Cove. The line between her past and her present grows blurred. Until, with her life as a recluse threatened, she must defend her beloved homestead in the woods.
Devin Robison wants nothing to do with women, at least for now. He needs a summer as far away from his past as he can get. The opposite of Chicago? A renovation job on a remote Oregon lighthouse keeper’s cottage feels just perfect.
But when their pasts collide and their present unfolds, they both discover the Keepsake for Eagle Cove.


Review:
Tiffany Mills keeps to herself although she has a secret connection to the small town of Eagle Cove. Injuries from her past have made her extremely cautious around people so she has been taking her time becoming a true member of the community. Yet they continue to draw her in, treating her as a friend and accepting her silence until she is ready to share.

Devin has just come to town to found most everyone busy in a double wedding. He has escaped a bad experience in high society Chicago and is ready for some time in a quiet, unpretentious town. What he didn’t expect was to find is a beautiful, shy young woman who has as many talents as she has defenses. He is willing to give Tiffany time to warm to him but he isn’t beyond creating opportunities to spend time with her.

Tiffany begins to open up with Devin as the town folk watch carefully, simultaneously encouraging him while threatening to take him down if he hurts her. The town eccentrics, a Yurt dwelling (complete with goats) and the FlamEagle Festival add natural enchantment to an already delightful romance.

I loved this story from beginning to end. The author provides a warm depth as both main characters grow closer with their quiet strengths, sweet humors and warm chemistry. Other strong, and sometimes quirky, characters add charm to the community that wants to embrace, and protect, Tiffany. There are work and life details that enrich the story and are never boring. The small town dynamics are beautifully portrayed and the whole story is solid, charming romance. I was pleased that it didn’t need any heavy sex to make it appealing. There is fun banter among the town folk and a few gentle love scenes which were just perfect in my opinion.

I have enjoyed Mr. Buchman’s romantic suspense and at least one other small town romance (Where Dreams Are Born). This story clinches for me that his books should be on my automatic buy list. Although this is book 4 in the series it read fine as a stand-alone. I have not looked to see which characters were in the prior books but I am thinking their stories would be just as delightful. Readers who like engaging romance, and don’t need the steamy side, won’t want to miss this story.

I am thankful to have received this title from the publisher for an honest review. Release date 8/30.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
M. L. Buchman has over 50 novels and 30 short stories in print. His romantic suspense books have been named Barnes & Noble and NPR “Top 5 of the year” and twice Booklist “Top 10 of the Year,” placing two titles on their “Top 101 Romances of the Last 10 Years” list. He has been nominated for the Reviewer’s Choice Award for “Top 10 Romantic Suspense of the Year” by RT Book Reviews and was a 2016 RWA RITA finalist. In addition to romance, he also writes thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.

In among his career as a corporate project manager he has: rebuilt and single-handed a fifty-foot sailboat, both flown and jumped out of airplanes, designed and built two houses, and bicycled solo around the world.

He is now making his living as a full-time writer on the Oregon Coast with his beloved wife and is constantly amazed at what you can do with a degree in Geophysics. You may keep up with his writing and receive exclusive content by subscribing to his newsletter at www.mlbuchman.com.

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Book Review: Where Dreams Are Born (Angelo's Hearth) by M.L. Buchman

If you like a full-bodied story with romance, don't miss this wonderful tale of two strong characters finding their way through life issues to love.
Where Dreams Are Born (Angelo's Hearth)
by M.L. Buchman
  • File Size: 1389 KB
  • Print Length: 290 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1469996766
  • Publisher: Buchman Bookworks (November 7, 2013)
  • ASIN: B006AT9W3Q
Genre: Contemporary Romance
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: November 7, 2013
One calendar. Twelve lighthouses. Two hearts.
Cassidy Knowles stands on the wind-torn bluff and clutches the calendar of lighthouses. The last gift from her father, with a dozen letters for a final year-long journey “together.” From vineyard roots, Cassidy has climbed up the food-and-wine critic ladder, leaving her rural roots far behind.
Russell Davis, #28 on the latest “most eligible” list, the last guy on the planet Cassidy wants. Fine with him. He has no desire for the driven, urban-fashionista, never-touch-nature Cassidy Knowles. He sets his dream by a calendar of lighthouses. The genesis of a sailing a journey. A journey that keeps leading him to the last woman he’d ever want.
Where can two hearts chart the same course? In the warmth around Angelo’s Hearth.


Review:
Cassidy Knowles is a career woman struggling her way up the competitive ranks of New York food and wine editors. She returns home to Seattle to be with her dad as he is dying of cancer. She is thrilled when her food and wine review columns gain strong success and syndication from her position in the Northwest.

Cassidy’s father left her a calendar of lighthouses and twleve letters - one to open at each setting. Cassidy has two vastly different friends from college who have remained ‘besties’ through the years. They all support each other, sharing joys and woes.

Russell Davis is a highly successful bachelor who has become disenchanted with the fast life in New York as a top notch photographer. He moves to Seattle to find himself and to visit his childhood friend, Angelo, a superb cook who owns a small restaurant.

The first time Cassidy and Russell meet she is doing a wine tasting for Angelo and Russell barges into the kitchen dressed in work clothes from restoring his new, antique sail boat. She barely notices him but he decides that she is a high maintenance city girl like the girlfriend he left in New York. The second time they see each other he has his old flame draped on his arm yet he is stunned by the tableau of Cassidy crying on the shoulders of her best friends. The next time they meet on a blind date arranged by Angelo. Russell discovers that Cassidy is smart as well as beautiful but he still thinks she is shallow and rudely insults her. She realizes that, although good looking and smart, he is a big jerk.

Cassidy is surprised to see a sailboat off shore as she visits each lighthouse. Russell is enchanted by the glimpse of a young woman in a red coat at each lighthouse as he sails by. Russell becomes fixated on the ‘lady of the lighthouses’ and is disappointed when he finds Cassidy at one of the sites instead of his mystery ‘lady.’

Can the two overcome their bad first impressions when they realize that they are looking for each other? Beyond that, can they find a place where they can share their dreams instead of being drawn apart by different goals?

Cassidy is a bright, mostly confident career woman and I could relate to her vulnerabilities in seeking to combine career with love. I also liked Russell although he really is a jerk and did act clueless several times. I truly enjoyed the history of each lighthouse and thought that was a fantastic plot theme adding interesting settings. Although the romantic tension begins early, the full romance doesn’t bloom until farther into the book which worked really well.

I loved the friends, the dialogue, the tension...well I loved everything about this book and highly recommend it. I have enjoyed the military romances by ML Buchman as well.  This book makes it clear he is a versatile writer who delivers a strong story with romance. Sometimes contemporary romances are just 'nice' but sort of the 'same old same old' with some authors relying on the romance scenes to make the story. That is not true of Mr. Buchman's works. He adds romance to a strong story that keeps me engaged without need for passionate scenes.

I am so glad I received this for an honest review as part of the Romance books from StoryBundle.

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Book Review and ARC Giveaway: Wait Until Dark by M.L. Buchman

This is an author I can trust to deliver entertaining action and romance.
Wait Until Dark
by M.L. Buchman

  • File Size: 554 KB
  • Print Length: 384 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 5, 2013)
  • Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B009RXJ2HS
Genre: Military Romance
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0


Book Description
Release date: February 5, 2013 | Series: The Night Stalkers
Praise for I Own the Dawn:
"A rousing mix of romance and military action thrills...Buchman blends tender feelings with military politics to keep readers riveted."—Publishers Weekly
"I can't wait for the next book."—RT Book Reviews, 4 Stars
"Filled with action, adventure, and danger."—Booklist Starred Review
Name: Big John Wallace
Rank: Staff Sergeant, Chief Mechanic and Gunner
Mission: To serve and protect his crew and country.
Name: Connie Davis
Rank: Sergeant, Flight Engineer, Mechanical Wizard
Mission: To be the best...and survive.
Two Crack Mechanics, One Impossible Mission
Being in The Night Stalkers is Connie Davis's way of facing her demons head-on, but mountain-strong John Wallace is a threat on all fronts. Their passion is explosive, but their conflicts are insurmountable. When duty calls them to a mission no one else could survive, they'll fly into the night together—ready or not.


Review:
Connie Davis is a tough SOAR mechanic and technician. Her brain is nearly photographic and she can spin out facts and details as well as think quickly on her feet. She never knew her mother who died when she was three. She grew up as a military ‘brat’ moving from base to base with her father teaching herto work on the big Huey helicopters as a young girl. Then one day when she was 14 her father didn’t return from a mission.  These losses, on top of her ‘geeky’ smarts, created demons that keep her apart from others.  As a SOAR crew member she has earned respect even if she still doesn’t always feel like she fits in. Most importantly, she recognizes that she might not be returning from the next mission so there is no room in her life for romance and commitment.

Big John Wallace has never worked with a mechanic as sharp as Connie. He may not have realized it at first but he soon sees that she has an awesome ability to function, especially under pressure. Then he suddenly sees her as a woman - sexy, brilliant and competent. A combination that is hard to resist as a gentle friendship begins to grow.

The team is being prepared for a secret mission. First they are sent for downtime and John and others are thrilled with the prospect of maybe getting to visit home through Christmas. John asks Connie to join him when he realizes she has no where to go. Connie reluctantly agrees and she finds a whole family of warmth at John’s home farm. In addition to Mom and Paps, there is quiet, comfortable Grumps who lets her tear into his 1938 John Deere tractor. Noreen, John’s sister, isn’t thrilled at first but soon is sharing secrets with Connie.

John and Connie give in to their blazing passion but Connie is still holding back. He has plenty of friends and history; she has none. The warmth of family and a crisis overwhelm her and send her running back to base leaving John to face grief on his own. John is furious but doesn’t have time to try to resolve his anger before they are assembled for their mission.

John and Connie have to work past their emotions to carry out their crucial tasks for the safety of the team.  They have to face a nuclear threat as well as their own emotional turmoil.

I really enjoy the intensity that M.L. Buchman brings to his stories. Although this book in the series seems a bit more focused on the relationship and emotions of the characters, there is still plenty of action and technical details woven in to keep a high pace and interest. I enjoyed the interaction of characters from prior books as they watched the relationship develop, falter and carry through the mission. If you haven’t tried this series yet, I highly recommend it for romance action fans.

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

Connie has trouble with feeling emotions:
There was no one left alive to care about her feelings, so why did John?
Without feelings, the requirements of performance were much easier.  Page 149.
John is surprised by the impact Connie has on him:
He knew her kiss blew his knees into butter, and her smile blew his brain into next week. Page 166.

I received this books from Sourcebooks for an honest review.
Partially set in Oklahoma for my 2013 Where in the World Are you Reading Challenge.

ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY FOR ARC COPY.


For 3 Extra Bonus entries Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.

* This contest is open US and Canada Only.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on March 1, 2013.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on March 2, 2013.
Winners are asked to respond by email or the linked winners form within 72 hours of the announcement.

Thursday, August 30, 2012

Interview and Giveaway with ML Buchman, Author of I Own the Dawn


Please help me welcome ML Buchman, author of I Own the Dawn.

Comment from Martha: I really like The Night is Mine and was glad to snag I Own the Dawn to review as well. I am so impressed by the energy and intensity of your romance suspense titles.
Reply from Matt: Thanks so much! I’m certainly having a good time doing it as well.

  1. I love series and I like to this question:  When you do a series do you have each book plotted out before you start the first one or do the subsequent books flow from the first book?
MB: Each book is built on its own. I have a theme of what connects them, sort of a forward vision but always glad to be diverted by chance and possibility. For example, I know the first installment in this series is four books long because I chose a helicopter that has four seats and I’m filling them with women one-by-one; one helicopter, one crew, four seats, four love stories. And to sell the series, I did have a brief synopsis of each heroine and hero. But could I have predicted Dilya in I Own the Dawn or the sad story of “villains” before I wrote it? No.

  1. I noted on your blog that you were pulled into romance by a 1996 visit to a RWA national conference.  How does writing a romance compare with writing science fiction? What are the main differences, and what do these forms of writing have in common?
MB: Great question. I’ve always had a love story in all my books, “novel with romantic elements” as they’re called. So once I discovered romances I thought, “No worries. I’ll just shift the focus to the love story and have a romance.” So not! In my science fiction and my thrillers it is the on-going plot that sustains the story. Yes, my characters grow and change and are shaped by the challenges they face. (In many books in these two genres, the character change is miniscule. Lee Child’s Jack Reacher, great thriller reading, but the character is the same guy beginning to end of the book.)

Anyway, I had to write (and discard) several romances before I learned the ins and outs of creating a romance. A story that is based on: no question who the love interests are, who are intensely drawn together from the first pages, and who, with minimal need for the reader to suspend their sense of disbelief, just can’t get together for 3-400 pages. In the romances I enjoy reading and writing, mere plot is not enough to keep them apart. In my SF/F and thrillers, I need to understand what could make them fall in love and let them travel that road. To write a romance I find I must dig deeper into the character and really understand what makes the character the way they are about being in love, both for and against. It’s immense fun.

  1. Have you had to do any unique research or what was one of the most surprising things you learned in researching for any of the Night Stalker series?
MB: I researched this intensely. I wanted to be as authentic as I could which sent me exploring in many directions. A couple of things stand out.
a) Going to Heckler & Kock’s on-line forum and asking about how to best use a sniper rifle against (well, that would be telling), and the amount of derision in addition to the help I received.

b) Standing in a gun shop asking really naïve questions of a gun shop owner packing two pistols in a shoulder harness, one at the small of his back and probably more elsewhere. All the while with his newborn girl cradled in his arms.

c) Spending a couple of hours with a woman who flew a double-tour on a Black Hawk helicopter in Iraq as crew chief. What she cared about was not what I expected. She signed up for the country, but flew for the people beside her. Her reentry into society was a rude shock in the simplest ways. For years, every meal had been taken care of, there were no electric bills, no question of rent. But most of all, for her and I came to understand for others as I read more and more about soldiers and especially about special forces teams, it was about the people they were with first and foremost.

  1. What most inspires your plots?
MB: My sense of justice or injustice. Those who twist humanity into inhumanity creates many of my plots. And my characters are the ones to will fight against that until their very last breath.

  1. Is there a particular character you’ve had the most fun with while writing the Night Stalker series?
MB: Dilya. Her insights are her own. She was an accidental character who was supposed to visit for one scene and then refused to leave. It allows her to speak truth in the oddest ways. I love writing the men and women, but she was a complete surprise.

  1. If you could have a theme song for the Night Stalkers, what would it be? And/or do you have a dream cast for your books?
MB: Ha! I don’t have a song for my Night Stalkers. They fly in silence, but “We Will Rock You” might not be a bad one. They fly from a place of immense power. My books are all cast, that’s how I see them when I’m writing. I’ll change and shuffle and combine features of several, but I need to see them.

The Night is Mine starring Uma Thurman as Captain Emily Beale and a young Aidan Quinn as Major Mark Henderson.

I Own the Dawn starring a composite of several but mostly Roxanne Dawson (engineer on Star Trek: Voyager) and Jenette Goldstein (the tough gunner-babe in Aliens) as Kee Smith and Jude Law as Lieutenant Archibald “Archie” Stevenson III.

Wait Until Dark… but that would be telling.

  1. Where is your writing headed? Sci Fi, Fantasy, Suspense or more Romantic Suspense?
MB: Yes! My wife and I made a list while out walking a few days ago. There are 14 books that I could write right now. More in the Night Stalkers series. A spin-off tale that appears in book 4. I have a contemporary romance series started (Where Dreams are Born is out, book 2 by spring). I have a silly fantasy series of 3-4 that I’m dying to get to. And then, sigh, we thought up a new romance series based on a Tuscan B&B that I’m just dying to start. Being a writer is never having to say you’re bored. :-)

I see that you wrote a guest post about being male and writing romance so I’ll refer readers to this link for those comments: http://goodbadandunread.com/2012/08/16/guest-blog-you-write-what-by-m-l-buchman/
Thank you so much for delivering awesome action and romance packed suspense stories. (I will probably pick up one of your apocalyptic stories before the year is out.)  And thank you for sharing your thoughts with readers. 
Thanks to you for some great questions!
I OWN THE DAWN BY M.L. BUCHMAN – IN STORES AUGUST 2012

Name: Archibald Jeffrey Stevenson III
Rank: First Lieutenant, Dap Hawk Copilot
Mission: Strategy and execution of special ops maneuvers

Name: Kee Smith
Rank: Sergeant, Night Stalker Gunner and Sharpshooter
Mission: Whatever it takes to get the job done

You Wouldn't Think It Could Get Worse, Until It Does...
When a special mission slowly unravels, it is up to Kee and Archie to get their team out of an impossible situation with international implications. With her weaponry knowledge and his strategic thinking, plus the explosive attraction that puts them into exact synchrony, together they might just have a fighting chance.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
M. L. Buchman has worked in fast food, theater, computers, publishing, and light manufacturing. It's amazing what you can do with a degree in geophysics. At one point he sold everything and spent 18-months riding a bicycle around the world. In 11,000 miles, he touched 15 countries and hundreds of amazing people. Since then, he has acquired a loving lady, the coolest kid on the planet, and lives in Portland, Oregon. For more information, please visit http://www.matthewlieberbuchman.com/.
Be sure to check the Contest page for a chance to win a free, signed copy of I Own the Dawn.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for allowing me to host a giveaway here to!
TO ENTER THIS GIVEAWAY for Print Copy from Sourcebooks:


For 3 Extra Bonus entries: Visit the author's website and tell me something you find of interest.
For 3 Extra Bonus entries: Comment on this Interview
For 2 Extra Bonus entries: Comment on my review.

* This contest is only open to residents of US and Canada.
* This contest will close 10 PM (Central) on September 7, 2012.
The winner will be randomly selected from all entries.
WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED on September 8, 2012.
Winners will have 72 hours to respond by email or the winners form linked in the announcement.   

Book Review: I Own the Dawn: The Night Stalkers by M.L. Buchman

This is a full action, high intensity read with great details! 
by M.L. Buchman
  • Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (August 1, 2012) 
  • Language: English 
  • ISBN-10: 1402258135 
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402258138
Genre: Military, Romantic Suspense
My Rating: 5.0 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: August 1, 2012

Name: Archibald Jeffrey Stevenson III
Rank: First Lieutenant, Dap Hawk Copilot
Mission: Strategy and execution of special ops maneuvers

Name: Kee Smith
Rank: Sergeant, Night Stalker Gunner and Sharpshooter
Mission: Whatever it takes to get the job done

You Wouldn't Think It Could Get Worse, Until It Does...

When a special mission slowly unravels, it is up to Kee and Archie to get their team out of an impossible situation with international implications. With her weaponry knowledge and his strategic thinking, plus the explosive attraction that puts them into exact synchrony, together they might just have a fighting chance.


Review: 
Kee Smith is a female “warrior”.  She was a street orphan and trouble landed her in the Army where she found a ‘home.’ She tested and scrambled her way to the top level of warriors as a sharpshooter so that she could get assigned to the elite Special Operations Aviation Regiment division, SOAR, and specifically to the Night Stalkers. 

Kee comes to the camp with a hostile attitude. She has always had to prove herself and she is inclined to believe that even the ‘legendary’ Major Emily Beale, with her FBI father, was handed her position. Kee soon learns that each member of the SOAR team, including Beale, clearly earned their wings and respect.

Archie is a chopper piolet and an amazing tactician, strategist, with SOAR. He has flown with Beale since they became friends at West Point. He comes from a family of influence with a father who builds boats and a CEO mother who has learned to navigate the political and financial world of alliances and trade groups.

On an early protective run the team picks up an eleven-year-old girl hidden in the rocks.  She has clearly been walking a long time, alone and scavenging to stay alive. Kee takes her under her wing before she even realizes she has chosen to protect the girl. Kee makes Dilyana feel safe while Archie brings her calm and smiles.

The street smart Kee and 'Professor' Archie may not seem a likely pair but they are pulled together by their mutual attraction. They take vacation with Dily in tow and Archie’s parents showing up unexpectedly putting Kee into an emotional quandary she is unaccustomed to.

Kee struggles with her mixed feelings and fear of closeness as they are called back to base for a secret flight. Although they experience misunderstandings and mis-communication, soon they have to learn to trust each other to complete a near impossible, full risk mission. They are the last chance to prevent a terrorist event that could trigger a major war.

This book has great action, a plausible plot and amazing detail. Mr. Buchman’s descriptions put you in the midst of the action.  Even in the middle when the scenes are personal there is great emotional investment that keeps the reader’s attention moving forward.

I was very impressed with the detail of the military setting and tactics as well as the political complexities that would be effected by the terrorist act. If you like romantic suspense with full on action, impressive detail and intense emotions this is an author and a series you need to read.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kee thinks of Dilyana seeing her parents killed up close and recalls this vivid imagery:
The more you heard, the better your imitations. You learned to break it down. The timbre of the initial snap, the shriek of the whistle while it passed within a couple of inches, the Doppler drop-off as it moved on. And that dreadful wait, hoping it hit rock or dirt with a sharp slap rather than turning into a silent moment and then the cry of the gut-shot guy who was supposed to have your backside. Page 97.
Kee’s life is changing due to a child and a man:
Faced the world in her own way at her own pace. And the Kee Smith she knew only had one pace. Full thrust.
Now an eleven-year-old girl braided her hair and a SOAR officer held her hands and spoke of dreams.
She tried to breathe past the tightness in her chest. P285.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing the book to review and for allowing me to host a Giveaway.See the next post, the author interview, for the Giveaway.
CymLowell

Saturday, March 3, 2012

Book Review: The Night is Mine by M.L. Buchman

Great action and romance story!

by M.L. Buchman
  • Mass Market Paperback: 416 pages
  • Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca (February 7, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1402258100
  • ISBN-13: 978-1402258107
     Genre: Military, Romantic Suspense
     My Rating: 4.75 of 5.0


Book Description
Publication Date: February 7, 2012 | Series: The Night Stalker

NAME: Emily Beale
RANK: Captain
MISSION: Fly undercover to prevent the assassination of the First Lady, posing as her executive pilot.

NAME: Mark Henderson, code name Viper
RANK: Major
MISSION: Undercover role of wealthy, ex-mercenary boyfriend to Emily

Their jobs are high risk, high reward:

Protect the lives of the powerful and the elite at all cost. Neither expected that one kiss could distract them from their mission. But as the passion mounts between them, their lives and their hearts will both be risked...and the reward this time may well be worth it.


Review:  This book has strong characters, a suspenseful plot and fast pacing to make a very entertaining read.

Captain Emily Beale has had to fight her way to be counted as a valued member of the SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment) elite flying team. She has proven herself in many missions, pulling through with skill and guts. She works hard to be even better than the men she works with so she isn’t exactly happy when a news crew focuses on her unique cooking skills in the field instead of her flying achievements. But those skills pull her out of her unit to a special undercover assignment as chef, personal pilot and protector to the First Lady. Emily doesn’t like the woman much but can’t really refuse the orders since they come from the Commander in Chief himself who happened to be her childhood “boy next door” crush.

Major Mark Henderson recognizes Beale as one of the best pilots under his command. He has tried to treat her equally with the guys but it has been hard as his admiration for her keeps expanding. He is furious to learn she has been pulled from his team with no explanation. He realizes he wants her back... and for more than her military skills. Although fraternizing with a lower ranking officer could lose them both their jobs, Mark can’t resist a kiss right before she is shipped out. That taste has him chasing after her to find what she is up to and make sure she is safe.

Emily and Mark end up expanding her undercover scheme to include him as her high power boyfriend in order to help ferret out the secrets of who is attempting to assassinate the First Lady. As they play their roles they lose the battle of trying to resist the chemical pull that they now acknowledge between them but is such a danger to their careers.

There is lots of intense flight action to kick this off. As the book progresses there are fun cooking details, trouble in the first family, challenges with the Secret Service, explosive helicopter rides, traumatic eye injury, and jealous misunderstandings. The plot was a bit outlandish but it was different and fun.

Emily is a fabulously dedicated and skilled pilot - a great, strong heroine with brains and determination. Mark is equally tough and strong with a sense of humor thrown in to add a little fun. The writing is especially crisp in the action scenes, giving the tempo an extra punch. The romance is sensual and sexy without being graphic.  This was a fast read in pacing and because the excitement and suspense levels kept me glued to the action.

I happened to see this appropriate comment under the Product description:
Booklist (Starred review!)
"Readers who enjoy Suzanne Brockmann, Vicki Hinze, and Merline Lovelace as well as those who like good romantic suspense, military or otherwise, will enjoy the first book in the Night Stalkers series."
Those are three authors I love and I will add Mr. Buchman to the list if he produces more good reads like this. I'm ready for more in this series!
~~~~~
Some 'romantic' observations:
By Mark:
And when Captain Emily Beale flew ten tons of armored attack helicopter into battle, it was absolutely the sexiest thing he'd ever seen. Location 437.
By Emily:
Could she have found a more unlikely guardian angel than Major Mark “The Viper” Henderson? And who knew angels could make her feel so d**n happy. Location 1791.

Thank you to Sourcebooks for providing this book through NetGalley.
This was set primarily in Washington, D.C. for my Where Are You Reading Challenge. I will also add it to the ARC and New Author lists.

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