Review: 3.5 Stars....Good. but not GREAT
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 8, 2012
I had a hard time getting into this one ~ the writing is superb, and while I do love me a military hero, I didn't connect with Evan, and I felt this book was maybe TOO detailed on military info?I struggled getting past the first 20% ~ It was pretty dry, but once Claire & Evan started really striking sexual sparks off one another the story started to pick up, but I just never wamed up to them in way I wanted to.  I had really high hopes, since I'd heard such awesome things about book 1.  For me, the back story of the military training excercises overrode the romance.  I love a good military romance, but I want the romance OR the suspense to be the focal point of the story, not the military deets.You know how you SAY you like you to read about something, but you don't want the really harsh reality deets?  That was one of the things that ... was kind of like sand in my shoe w/ this one.  I know they're true, but I don't want to read about it in my romance books.  And that really took away from Evan and Claire for me ~ if you like that, or don't think you'd have a problem with it, please don't let this bias you.  It's totally my opinion, and I didn't even realize it was such a hang up!  But many things like the fact that Claire isn't supposed to be friends w/ her best friend because she's an officer really bothered me.  And the fact that Evan had a problem with Claire for that ~ Ugh.  I know it's reality, but I don't want it in my fiction.Claire and Evan strike sparks off one another form the first time they meet ~ she calls him Captain America for his perfectness ~ but it takes quite a while for her to realize there is actually a man under the uniform.  And I get that that is a lot BECAUSE they are both all about the job ~ because it IS their lives until they find each other.  And I loved that part, and it's what made me say the writing is superb in the story ~ you can feel the emotions of the characters emanating off the pages, and I can't even convey the clarity with which the story came across to me.