Veena’s review of Running Fire (Shadow Warriors, Book 10) by Lindsay McKenna
Contemporary Romance published by HQN 28 Apr 15
I’ve been enjoying the Shadow Warrior series, especially with Ms. McKenna’s ability to wring a deeply emotional response not just from her characters but also from her readers. This one touched me very deeply. I hurt for Leah at the emotional and physical abuse she’s been subjected to by the very people who should have been devoted to cherishing her. In contrast, the SEAL team, who are total strangers to her, is devoted to keeping her safe in the face of disciplinary action. I enjoyed the military action and danger that surrounds our characters and the tie-ins to some of the earlier stories in the series as the love story plays itself out.
This story starts off with a bang as Leah Mackenzie and her team are deployed to rescue a SEAL team under tense conditions. Unfortunately, they become a target for the Taliban and their aircraft is destroyed, killing all on board except Leah, who is thrown overboard. Rescued by SEAL sniper Kell Ballard and kept safe in the cave system, the two hide out from the Taliban who are amassing men and arms in great numbers right around them.
We soon discover that when the heart is engaged, no amount of military rules and regulations can keep people apart. Leah and Kell soon find that, regardless of the danger that surrounds them in the mountains where they’re hiding out and the even greater danger that awaits them once they return to their base, the chemistry between them creates a strong bond, and protective Kell Ballard and his SEAL brothers will do all they can to keep Leah safe from the danger that threatens her.
I can’t imagine a father not cherishing his only child, a precious little girl at that, so her father’s actions, when he finds out the truth of how his daughter has been abused by her husband, are appalling in my mind. I am somewhat glad that the story line works out the way it does, since it eventually keeps Leah safe from having to publicly confront her abuser.
Thank you, Ms. McKenna, for sharing Kell’s family with your readers, because it does my heart good to see Leah become part of a happy family.
Grade: B
Summary:
He was a haven in the midst of Hell…
Temporarily assigned to the Shadow Squadron in a troubled region of Afghanistan, Chief Warrant Officer and pilot Leah Mackenzie is no stranger to conflict—even if most of her physical and emotional scars are courtesy of her vicious ex. Still, she’s got a bad feeling about picking up a team of stranded SEALs. A feeling that’s all too justified once enemy fire hits their helicopter and all hell breaks loose…
SEAL Kell Ballard’s goal was to get the injured pilot out of harm’s way and find shelter deep in the labyrinth of caves. It’s a place of dark intimacy, where Leah finds unexpected safety in a man’s arms. Where prohibited attraction burns brightly. And where they’ll hide until the time comes to face the enemy outside…and the enemy within their ranks.
No excerpt available.
Other books in this series:
