Sammy’s review of SEAL’s Honor (Alaska Force, Book 1) by Megan Crane
Romantic Suspense published by Berkley 06 Nov 18

I happen to love military romantic suspense/action books. While I have numerous Megan Crane books sitting on my huge TBR pile, this is the first book by this author I have read. With that said, it won’t be my last. I am desperately trying to fill my Suzanne Brockmann void. While this book is not Troubleshooter territory, it’s just as good. What I think I loved the most is the place. I feel like Alaska is another character in the book. The beauty and the harshness of the land just added to my list of likes about the story, along with characters who make up the Alaska Force team. Not to mention that these men are hardcore and have serious attitude problems. While I know Blue, the hero, won’t be to everyone’s taste, I just absolutely adored him. He reminded me of old Anne Stuart heroes, and I loved me some Stuart heroes! While Blue is not too extreme (he has no ideas about killing the heroine), he does walk the line in an anti-hero kinda way. This can work if in the right hands and I am pleased to report Megan Crane has my trust from here on out.

Everly wakes up in the middle of the night confused and scared. She’s not too sure what exactly woke her up, but she knows something is very wrong. She opens up her bedroom door and sees me hovered over her dead roommate’s body, and Everly panics. She manages to get away to tell local detectives her story, but things don’t be seem to be panning out – no one believes a word she says. Now scared for her life, Everly knows what she witnessed and she also knows there is no way these men are going to let her live to keep telling her tale. Her brother suggests maybe she should get in touch with Blue Hendricks for help. Blue was a boy who grew up on their block and they both know that he’s a mean, tough, killing machine. If anyone can help Everly, surely newly retired Navy SEAL Blue Hendricks can.

Blue left the military and he really feels like there is no place he can call home. He left things on bad terms with his mother and stepfather. These emotional scars that he carries play out through the book. He’s definitely damaged, just not completely broken. He’s standoffish, rude, a little scary, unattatched, but redeemable. He finds himself in a bar at the end of the world (for all intents and purposes) when he heard about Alaska Force and he’s looking to work for them. He’s not ready for civilian life and he definitely feels very unworthy of everything. He meets with the crew of AF and decides to join this team of highly dangerous ex-military men.

Everly drives across the country to find Blue and find him she does. However, the man is not too happy about this. The last thing he wants to do is confront his past and she’s definitely a reminder of a time that causes him a lot of resentment and unhappiness. Though the meeting is contentious, he and the team hear her out. Blue feels responsible for her since she’s from his past. Blue is on the fence after Everly’s story, but he comes around to believing that Everly saw something, so they decide to head to Chicago to find out exactly what’s going on. From the moment Everly sees Blue, she’s very attracted to him. Blue, while attracted to her, has no business getting involved with anyone. Things heat up while Blue is playing bodyguard. With each moment that gets under his skin, he becomes an emotional 13-year-old. He uses tactics like calling her little girl and making her feel insignificant. Everly also knows that’s his defense mechanism. While Everly comes close to Mary Sue territory, she never fully gets there. I find her refreshing and I love her optimistic outlook. Everly is what makes this book work on many levels. Her patience, her determination, and her feelings for Blue put her in my favorite heroine category.

As they get closer to the truth, the stakes are high. With all the adrenaline coursing through their veins as they outrun the bad buys, they both give in to the amazing chemistry they have been dancing around. It’s sweet, sexy, and off the charts. With a complicated guy like Blue, you know things are going to get worse before it gets better. They head to his childhood home to hide Everly. This is an absolute nightmare for Blue. He has a lot of unresolved feelings about his mother and stepfather. This is where you really get to learn who and what Blue is really about. While I understand where he is coming from, I don’t understand why a young boy who just lost his father wasn’t taken to a counselor or his mother not seeing where his discontent was coming from. The one very good thing is that in the end, he makes peace and his stepfather plays a big role in the healing. I think that’s pretty powerful.

The rest of the team is called in because things are coming to a head. The bad guys are revealed and Everly can go back to her normal life. What Everly realizes is that she is just going through the motions. She doesn’t like her job anymore, and her feelings for Blue are real. Blue, of course, pushes her away and goes back to Alaska with his crew. Everly, meanwhile, is trying to live her life true to herself. Then she takes off to Alaska to get her man! The ending is special. These two fought hard for different reasons, yet come together because the one reason they can’t deny is the love they have for each other.

I really loved this book. It’s been a few weeks since I read it, but it lingers. For me that is what makes a great story. This is one book that I will revisit when I need a pick-me-up. Murder, grumpy hero, optimistic bad-ass heroine, hot sex, and emotional payoff make this book a must read. To say I am impatiently waiting for Book 2 is an understatement.

Grade:A

See Sandy M’s DNF review here.

Summary:

Out of the dark…

Everly Campbell is desperate. When her roommate is murdered and the body vanishes, Everly fears she might be next. With no one to trust, Everly runs to a remote Alaskan town to find the one man she knows she can count on. His crew of ex-military brothers could be her only hope. Blue wants to keep things all business, but Everly isn’t a little girl anymore and the commanding former SEAL offers more temptation than she can resist.

…Into the Blue

The last thing Blue Hendricks needs six months into his uneasy reentry into civilian life is trouble in the form of his old friend’s kid sister, all grown up and smack in the middle of a dangerous murder investigation. But he didn’t become a SEAL to turn his back on the hard stuff, and he can’t bring himself to ignore Everly’s call for help – no matter how much he knows he’s not fit to be around the soft, vibrant woman she’s become. Not after the things he’s done.

As the men on Everly’s trail draw closer, Blue will do anything to protect the woman he’s starting to think of as his…

Read an excerpt.

Other books in this series: