Review: 99 cents for 1 great and 2 okay stories isn't bad
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
My take on the stories in order:- "It Takes a  Seal" by Delilah Devlin.  This one started off badly with the heroine immediately coming across as a B for no reason.- "Seal of My Heart" by Sharon Hamilton.  I had high hopes for this one based on praise for other reviewers.  My hopes were dashed though when the engaged heroine initiates making-out with the SEAL.  While it's later revealed that her fiancee wasn't a great guy, at the time, she didn't know that nor have any cause to cheat - she starts kissing the guy after knowing him for just a few hours and it wasn't like there were extenuating circumstances.  I really dislike cheaters.- "Smoking Hot" by Anne Marsh.  I actually was attracted to this anthology because she was one of the writers.  Sorry to say, this is another "no" vote for me.  The heroine just seems so stupid and shallow.  I think she was supposed to come across as endearing, but when you read her thoughts of lust for the hero even as she's being told that her best friend has been killed - yikes, WTH is the matter with you girl!- "The Navy SEAL's E-Mail Order Bride" by Cora Seton - Great story!  While the title and set-up is cheesy and one you've seen before, the overall story is not.  There were frequent emails before they got together and when they did decide to give it a temporary try, it was couple that really worked together.  You really saw the honor in the hero as he works his butt off trying to reclaim his family's heritage as well as pay off the debts of a dead beat relative.  I loved how the heroine worked tirelessly side-by-side to help him realize his dream.  This romance really stood out to me because it showed a real couple working together.  You get tired of the billionaire hero solving the female's lead's issues in an instant - this is so over done.  I love how they found strength in each other.  Also, it's clear that the author really knows ranch life.  I look froward to the others in this series and glad I had a chance to discover it.- "Fall out" by Zoe York. This one was just okay for me.  More thriller than romance.  The h was okay but I found her a bit sanctimonious, up tight.- "Close Quarters" by Roxie Rivera.  An okay story.  The h is kick-axx and the H is cool too.  Both are not entirely perfect which makes their characters more believable than most romance players.- "Killing Honor" by S.M. Butler.  I liked this one on the same level as "Close Quarters."  What made this story for me is that it depicted life for an already married SEAL which I found unique and refreshing. The romance was already established, so no "chase" but rather looks at how can it be sustained when the SEAL is gone for 2 years.  Don't expect the heroine to be kick-axx.  She is really the every day person but with above average patience and tolerance for her husband's occupation.  I think this could have been a better story if the female lead hadn't been sending the poor hero such mixed messages which approached TSTL behavior.- "Coming in Hot" by Kimberley Troutte. One of  the stupidest and most selfish female leads I have ever read.  You can't understand what the SEAL saw in her.  She breaks his heart and then has the nerve to guilt him into rescuing her clients.  If she was so concerned about her clients, why didn't she use her connection to her admiral father who could do even more for her (she doesn't because her pride gets in the way of saving lives).  Even though the SEAL tells her no and ends up helping mainly to save his unit, she then is disappointed that he wasn't helping as a favor to her (hello, just concentrate on saving lives rather than your ego).  The worst part of this story is how she insists on coming along on the rescue mission even though as a travel agent, she doesn't have the right skills and instead would just be a liability - I gave up on the story after that.- "A SEAL's Song" by Jennifer Lowery.  I loved the idea of the heroine being a singer, but sheesh the execution of this story was an eye rolling one.  The h and H are kidnapped (which for the H made no sense, the kidnappers would have just killed him and been done with it).  There is something like 4 escape attempts in a few hours and seem successful at first and then are caught by the bad guys in the next 5 minutes - I mean come on, the bad guys would have just bound/gagged them after the first attempt.  The story got better towards the end with how the SEAL woos her once they're out of danger, but the beginning was just so "you gotta be kidding me."- "SEAL's Embrace by Elle James.  This one just didn't grab me.  Maybe because the H felt too much like a player to me.