Sandy M’s review of Some Kind of Hero (Troubleshooters, Book 19) by Suzanne Brockmann
Contemporary Romance published by Ballantine Books 11 Jul 17
I’ve been reading a lot more contemporary romance lately, since the few historicals and paranormals I’ve picked up have been sadly lacking. Though it’s been a few years since my last Suzanne Brockmann book, I thought her latest would fit right in with all those other contemps I’ve been devouring. But I have to be honest…
I’m quite disappointed Some Kind of Hero really didn’t work for me. Which still throws me for a loop when I think about it. The main reason it doesn’t work in my world is the daughter of Navy SEAL Peter Greene, Maddie. She’s only fifteen years old. Her mother recently passed away, so she’s now come to live with the dad she doesn’t know all that well. So you can imagine the chip on her shoulder. She gets caught up with one bad student and suddenly Maddie is in one huge heap of trouble. Being fifteen, she’s knows everything, right? Her huge heap is now a very large hole of trouble and she thinks she can resolve it all on her own, with a couple of friends who may or may not really be friends. These kids are racing around to find answers, and it’s all just a bit too much.
It’s Peter and his next-door neighbor Shayla who are putting clues and memories together to try to find Maddie. They, of course, have no idea what’s really going on, just that Maddie is missing. Shayla is a writer, divorced with children of her own. She’s taken with Peter, but figures a man like him wouldn’t be interested in someone like her. Especially when he begins to share his memories of Maddie’s mother. It’s these scenes that are quite enjoyable and what kept me reading even after Maddie made me want to give up sooner.
I also got a bit irritated with Shayla’s “communication” with the hero of her FBI series, Harry. He’s always talking in her head, and that interrupts a conversation or whatever else going on much too often, breaking the flow of the scene for me. The first few times Peter noticed it – without realizing what’s she actually doing, of course – it’s cute. But I’d have preferred a different type of quirkiness that didn’t disrupt the scenes so much. And Peter’s slight ineptness when talking to Shayla doesn’t quite sit right. He’s a take-charge man of confidence and women don’t seem to be one of those things he’s unsure of. Being a father, yes, which does make him more endearing, but sounding silly with Shayla doesn’t do him any favors with this reader.
There’s just enough to set me on edge and not be curious to keep going and find out what happens. But because it’s Suzanne Brockmann, I may try again another day.
Grade: DNF
Read Sammy’s review here.
Summary:
Navy men don’t come tougher than Lieutenant Peter Greene. Every day he whips hotshot SEAL wannabes into elite fighters. So why can’t he handle one fifteen-year-old girl? His ex’s death left him a single dad overnight, and very unprepared. Pete can’t relate to an angsty teen, but at least he can keep Maddie safe—until the day she disappears. Though he’s lacking in fatherly intuition, Pete’s instinct for detecting danger is razor sharp. Maddie’s in trouble. Now he needs the Troubleshooters team at his back, along with an unconventional ally.
Romance writer Shayla Whitman never expected to be drawn into a real-world thriller—or meet a hero who makes her pulse pound. Action on the page is one thing. Actually living it is another story. Shay’s not as bold as her heroines, but she’s a mother. She sees the panic in her new neighbor’s usually fearless blue eyes —and knows there’s no greater terror for a parent than a child at risk. It’s an ordeal Shay won’t let Pete face alone. She’s no highly trained operative, but she’s smart, resourceful, and knows what makes teenagers tick.
Still, working alongside Pete has its own perils—like the heat between them rising out of control. Intimate emotions could mean dangerous, even deadly, consequences for their mission. No matter what, they must be on top of their game, and playing for keeps . . . or else Pete’s daughter may be gone for good.
No excerpt available.
