Thursday, July 7, 2016

review || ULTIMATE COURAGE { early review tour } by Piper J. Drake


27416021
Forever | July 26, 2016 | Romantic Suspense
True Heroes, book 2
★★★★★

SOURCE: BARCLAY PUBLICITY

Elisa Hall is good at starting from scratch. Leaving an abusive relationship in her rearview, she packs everything she owns into the trunk of her car and heads for refuge with her friend in Hope's Crossing, North Carolina. 

Alex Rojas returned from his second deployment as a Navy SEAL to find his condo empty and divorce papers on the breakfast table. Now he's building a life for himself and his daughter at Hope's Crossing kennels training younger dogs and handlers to search and rescue, struggling to adjust to life back in the States and as a single father.

When Elisa shows up at the kennels, it's obvious she's running from something. Luckily, the dogs and trainers at Hope's Crossing are more than capable of warding off trouble. And with every minute he spends with Elisa, Alex becomes even more and more determined to protect the woman he's certain he won't be able to live without...

{ about author } .

Piper J. Drake (or “PJ”) began her writing career as “PJ Schnyder” writing sci-fi & paranormal romance and steampunk. She has recently received the FF&P PRISM award for her work as well as the NJRW Golden Leaf award and Parsec award.

Now, PJ is exploring the complexity of romantic suspense, incorporating her interests in mixed martial arts and the military into her writing.



{ review } .

Just like she does for our heroine, it was Boom who wove her way into my heart in the last book and had me wanting to read her father's story. Rojas, or Alex as he will go by with Elisa, is one of the men working at Hope Kennels. He lost his wife and now is raising Boom (Serena) on his own -- except for the fact she has pseudo family in the form of those they live with and are around at Hope Kennels.

I just knew I was going to love Rojas's story and Ms. Drake did not disappoint. He's such a great father and as much as he probably would like to keep Boom in a bubble, she's adventurous and fun, and he's not about to dim her fire. When Boom and Elisa meet at an emergency room (where we get a feel of the fear Elisa has and start to draw conclusions about her past relations), Boom falls for her and has her dad give Elisa a card for the self-defense classes they're a part of. A left glove and card later, and Elisa finds herself drawn into the world that is Hope Kennels.

I truly enjoyed these two. The only -- only -- part that really irked me was the quick turn-around with the heightened suspense scene toward the end. It was too loose, and Alex's reactions too predictable (that I was mad at him). Granted, it was easy to forget that the blooming relationship between Alex and Elisa was only a week or so long, so doubts and fears are acceptable....

Next is the story of Brandon and Sophie. I. Cannot. WAIT. for these two to finally realize what they have is more than just childhood friendship.

No comments:

Post a Comment