Review: Lots of Stories to Suit Everyone's Tastes!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 22, 2014
This is a review for three of the parts of this box set. The first is for the novella Stone Hard SEAL by Sabrina York. Based on this book alone, you'll be getting your money's worth and more!Stone is a SEAL, a dedicated military man who is tasked to rescue Lily, a senator's daughter when her cruise ship is hijacked and she is captured by pirates. Stone wants to treat Lily like any other mission but something about her tempts him like no other woman has - is he willing to risk it all to let her into his life?I enjoyed this novella very much! For its length I found the introduction to the characters and the setting to be well defined, bringing you quickly into the heart of the story. Both Stone and Lily's characters are very likeable - Stone is a take charge, dominant man whose reputation of being hard and unfeeling really just masks his inner feelings. He doesn't wear his heart on his sleeve but when faced with the right woman for him, is fully capable of tender and heartfelt emotion. Lily is a feisty young woman, normally fun and lighthearted and now thrust into the position of having to rely on her inner strength to get her through her ordeal. Together the sexual tension between them simmers and it's only a matter of time before they act on those feelings. The love scenes between them are steamy and well written. The action scenes are entertaining to read and move the plot along at a fast pace. The overall tone of the novella is one of a sexy romantic adventure and was truly delightful to read. I'm looking forward to more of the Alpha Seals stories by this author.The second review is for The Kiss of A Seal by Anne Elizabeth. This is the story of Jessa and Tyler, a SEAL and trainer who are already together when this short novella begins. I liked both characters again. Tyler was dominant but with a real sweet side. Jessa was feisty and fun. The one aspect of the story I didn't care for was that Jessa was engaged to another man, albeit an engagement of convenience. I would have preferred that she had broken up with this man before becoming involved with Tyler. However that was the conflict part of the story and a necessary part of the plot. Overall it was short and sweet, although there were some editing issues in the version I read, which have hopefully been corrected in the final version. I would rate it at 3 stars.The third review is for Night with a Seal by Cat Johnson. This is the story of Jon and Alison. Jon is a SEAL on active duty, used to not being involved with women as his missions would come up quickly and he wouldn't know how long they would last. Alison is the best friend of his former teammate's sister. Meeting up with Jon one night, they decide on a one night stand, no strings attached. Though they pull this off without a hitch, they are not far from each other's thoughts in the ensuing months and circumstances bring them together again.I quite enjoyed this story as well. There was a good mix of steamy sex and action scenes. Jon and Alison's characters were well developed and interesting and the sexual chemistry between them was well written. I thought the action scenes were really well done, and the camaraderie between the SEAL brothers added some lighthearted moments to the darker scenes. I liked the fact that it wasn't a love at first sight story, that there was some work involved in getting them to realize that they could have a future together. 4 stars!