Really good book but I had to give it a 4 because the whole blackmail issue. Josh did not handle that situation in the best way at all. How he could trust someone like that to have his back out in the field was beyond me. I would not trust someone, who is supposed to be a damn SEAL, to watch my back, definately not my lovers back or my teams back. If he could so easily forget all his traning to blackmail his own team, who are supposed to be like family, he should have never been allowed on that mission. Just cause his saved Flint's life does not undo what he did either... Semper Fi, enough said !! Something went wrong with this for me, and I was internally grumbling about it pretty much from the get-go. The grumbling improved during the action in North Korea, but then started back up again, albeit more quietly. I didn’t FEEL it between Walker and Flint. Anything, really. First of, I didn’t feel exactly what caused Flint to think Walker was so great, when the entire time we’re shown the two at the start Walker flops around, being entirely not his best. Ah, yes. This is a "show, don’t tell" problem — Flint tells us Walker is top-notch SEAL material, but we don’t see it; instead we see the exact opposite. Then, they have instant hots for each other. I know this happens, but I am not feeling it here. Not sure why not; in some books this works for me — hot alpha males, rippling muscles, sweat, testosterone spraying everywhere; that should be enough. Yet here it isn’t. Maybe I’ll go back later and reread it to tease out what’s not communicating the right stuff to me.Then the two proceed to be enormously stupid because the hormones just won’t let up. Seriously, I cannot fathom this sort of brain short-out due to overwhelming attraction. Why in the world can these two not make it to an apartment or a motel room, for heavens’ sakes? They keep going on how dangerous this is for their careers and yet with every single choice they make, they virtually ensure that somebody catches them. These are supposed to be highly competent people, and yet they act completely incompetent because they have a hard-on for each other. I’m all onboard with going against regulations, but please, people, don’t be idiots about it. Before the DADT appeal it WAS damn risky, and to this day fraternization is still damn risky, even if you’re discreet. These two are anything but.Years pass, and they run into each other again — and they have not gotten any smarter! But somehow, magically, without any contact, not only has the attraction remained, but they’ve carried a torch for each other. And move right back into risky sexcapades after a little hot-cold-push-me-pull-me dithering,Ergo that somebody would notice was pretty much a given. But when it happens, Walker caves so quickly, I just couldn’t believe it. I read the paragraphs several times over, but Benton actually never shows any proof that he has anything on them. Once again Walker comes across as incompetent and weak — yes, he and Flint are in the wrong, but you know what? Benton is more in the wrong because blackmailing your superior officer? Rather a lot worse than fraternization in my book. I have no beef with Walker keeping the info to himself per se, but frankly, I don’t know that if I were a SEAL I’d want to go into a combat situation with a blackmailer at my back. But ok, he decides not to tell Flint for the sake of team cohesion (never mind that that is already shot because Benton is insubordinate to both of them). But when Flint gets an inkling, Walker doesn’t come clean. I am doubting his vaunted leadership abilities.Then we have a short section where people don’t act stupid, and Walker actually seems like a decent leader. I breathed a little easier, but it was not meant to last.Benton doesn’t make any sense either; he too is incompetent — he blurts out the very thing that could assure his promotion over an issue that is, to my mind, not even a real issue. Walker’s decision about who would go with whom made 100% perfect sense. Oh, speaking of incompetent: Flint hides the extent of his injury with the result that he loses a lot of blood. Seriously? I wouldn’t want to work with either of those people on a mission that could cost my life.The whole team is basically just a prop. Do I care which of them will side with Walker? No, because I don’t even know any of them. I found myself skimming most everything but Walker and Flint’s conversations in hospital.The whole book feels like paint-by-number and the paint isn’t particularly saturated, but muddy and dull. The writing isn’t bad, but it never excites me. The characters are indistinct, and that goes unfortunately as much for the main characters as for the whole team. And in an action/adventure, lack of excitement is a death knell.It doesn’t deserve the low rating of a single star in comparison with, say, some of the 30 book series werewolf shite out there from Siren Publishing, but I still didn’t like it enough to give it two, because if I am grumbling about a book all the way through, it clearly never drew me into the story at all.This is the second book by LA Witt in a row that i have disliked. Darn. I hope that's not becoming a trend.
What do You think about The Only One Who Knows (2014)?
An enjoyable steamy military romance between two alpha males.
—dinosawrninja
I enjoyed the hell out of this! Good read!
—SadieL
