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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Brockmann once again bravely goes where so few dare, even in romance. Not only does she brilliantly incorporate #metoo, sexism, harassment, and racial and gender profiling into this action romance, but also the intense emotional burden experienced by someone in a physical profession -like a Navy SEAL - feels on aging out or forced retirement from physical impairment.
Fits 2018 ATY #34. suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call - book (fiction or nonfiction) about a subject that made headlines (#metoo, sexual harassment).
Fits 2018 ATY #34. suggestion from the AtY 2018 polls, that didn't win but was polarizing or a close-call - book (fiction or nonfiction) about a subject that made headlines (#metoo, sexual harassment).
Four and a half stars. I deducted half a star because it was too damn short!
Ashley DeWitt is a lawyer who specialises in helping women and children in need, often to get away from abusive partners. However, no matter how fierce in the courtroom she's a pussy when it comes to confrontation, preferring to avoid rather than challenge. For example, her slimy ex-fiancee Brad comes to her apartment and she hides behind a dumpster rather than tell him to get lost. That incident was the final straw, so she enrols herself in SEAL World, a week long course run by SEALs really for SEAL wannabees but hey, it might help her with her assertiveness, right?
First problem? Her controlling father has 'gifted' her little brother Clark and his college roommate Kenneth places on the same course, ostensibly as a birthday gift for Clark but really so that Clark can give him updates on Ashley. Second problem? Women don't really go on these courses (SEAL wannabees) and the SEALs had no idea that A. DeWitt was a female. Third problem? Two sexist pigs called Todd and Bull who are out to humiliate and belittle her at every turn. Fourth problem? One extremely sexy SEAL called Lieutenant Jim 'Spaceman' Slade who calls her the sexy au-pair when he first sees her.
Jim Slade is in a bad place. With two bum knees he knows his days in the Teams are numbered - he just hasn't figured out what could possibly take their place. One of the younger SEALs asks if he could sub in at short notice as an instructor at SEAL World and he agrees. Little does he realise that his most eager trainee will also be the one he can't keep his hands off.
It's been FIVE years since I least read one of Suzanne's Tall, Dark and Dangerous series (what can I say, I came to them late) and yet this one was just as sexy, just as emotional and just as fun as I remember them. Jim Slade is a typical SEAL, Teams through and through, with little thought about anything but the navy. The knowledge that his knees will force him to retire has hit him like a truck and he is wallowing in self-pity. Then he meets this gorgeous pixie, she's beautiful, smart, funny, everything a man could want in a woman. But what could she ever see in him right? Watch these two spark and spar and help each other out and fall in love with Jim Slade.
At a time when I have DNFd so many contemporary romances this was a breath of fresh air - all I needed was a SEAL with a sense of humour, who knew?
Ashley DeWitt is a lawyer who specialises in helping women and children in need, often to get away from abusive partners. However, no matter how fierce in the courtroom she's a pussy when it comes to confrontation, preferring to avoid rather than challenge. For example, her slimy ex-fiancee Brad comes to her apartment and she hides behind a dumpster rather than tell him to get lost. That incident was the final straw, so she enrols herself in SEAL World, a week long course run by SEALs really for SEAL wannabees but hey, it might help her with her assertiveness, right?
First problem? Her controlling father has 'gifted' her little brother Clark and his college roommate Kenneth places on the same course, ostensibly as a birthday gift for Clark but really so that Clark can give him updates on Ashley. Second problem? Women don't really go on these courses (SEAL wannabees) and the SEALs had no idea that A. DeWitt was a female. Third problem? Two sexist pigs called Todd and Bull who are out to humiliate and belittle her at every turn. Fourth problem? One extremely sexy SEAL called Lieutenant Jim 'Spaceman' Slade who calls her the sexy au-pair when he first sees her.
Jim Slade is in a bad place. With two bum knees he knows his days in the Teams are numbered - he just hasn't figured out what could possibly take their place. One of the younger SEALs asks if he could sub in at short notice as an instructor at SEAL World and he agrees. Little does he realise that his most eager trainee will also be the one he can't keep his hands off.
It's been FIVE years since I least read one of Suzanne's Tall, Dark and Dangerous series (what can I say, I came to them late) and yet this one was just as sexy, just as emotional and just as fun as I remember them. Jim Slade is a typical SEAL, Teams through and through, with little thought about anything but the navy. The knowledge that his knees will force him to retire has hit him like a truck and he is wallowing in self-pity. Then he meets this gorgeous pixie, she's beautiful, smart, funny, everything a man could want in a woman. But what could she ever see in him right? Watch these two spark and spar and help each other out and fall in love with Jim Slade.
At a time when I have DNFd so many contemporary romances this was a breath of fresh air - all I needed was a SEAL with a sense of humour, who knew?
Tired of timidly avoiding confrontation, Ashley DeWitt signs up with SEAL World, a camp run by retired SEAL "Dunk" Dunkin. The camp is popular with corporate types looking for team building and wannabe SEALs. All the instructors are either retired SEALs or those on vacation or medical leave.
Lieutenant Jim "Spaceman" Slade is supposed to be on medical leave, waiting to hear whether his bad knees can be repaired enough to remain in the field. He agrees to help Dunk when one of the instructors has an emergency. He hopes it will take his mind off of his probable retirement from the SEALs, but never expects to meet a woman who needs some serious confidence building.
It was great to see that Brockmann is finally revisiting this series. I imagine it involved negotiations with Harlequin before she could, but we not only get to revisit SEAL Team Ten again, but she is promising future stories in the series. Yay!!
I approved of how the author decided to ignore the time difference to have modern technology, yet still have the whole gang present and still active duty. It has been approximately 15 years since TDD #11 was published and so much has changed in those years, particularly with cellphones, wifi, and GPS.
The hostage scene seemed really familiar. Like really, really familiar. Anyone else have the same feeling? Anyway, this was a nice late addition to the TDD series with some incredibly authentic emotions on the part of Jim who is watching his world crash and burn around him. It realistically shakes him up, throwing his emotional balance badly off and complicating his interactions with Colleen. Colleen bothered me at first. I found her to be too passive in regards to standing up for herself, although she wasn't shy about standing up for others. Her explanation made a lot of sense. I can definitely understand not wanting to incite or escalate an already dicey situation. Overall this was a delightful return to a much enjoyed series. I look forward to more. 4.5 out of 5
Lieutenant Jim "Spaceman" Slade is supposed to be on medical leave, waiting to hear whether his bad knees can be repaired enough to remain in the field. He agrees to help Dunk when one of the instructors has an emergency. He hopes it will take his mind off of his probable retirement from the SEALs, but never expects to meet a woman who needs some serious confidence building.
It was great to see that Brockmann is finally revisiting this series. I imagine it involved negotiations with Harlequin before she could, but we not only get to revisit SEAL Team Ten again, but she is promising future stories in the series. Yay!!
I approved of how the author decided to ignore the time difference to have modern technology, yet still have the whole gang present and still active duty. It has been approximately 15 years since TDD #11 was published and so much has changed in those years, particularly with cellphones, wifi, and GPS.
The hostage scene seemed really familiar. Like really, really familiar. Anyone else have the same feeling? Anyway, this was a nice late addition to the TDD series with some incredibly authentic emotions on the part of Jim who is watching his world crash and burn around him. It realistically shakes him up, throwing his emotional balance badly off and complicating his interactions with Colleen. Colleen bothered me at first. I found her to be too passive in regards to standing up for herself, although she wasn't shy about standing up for others. Her explanation made a lot of sense. I can definitely understand not wanting to incite or escalate an already dicey situation. Overall this was a delightful return to a much enjoyed series. I look forward to more. 4.5 out of 5
SEAL Camp is about lawyer, Ashley DeWitt and Navy SEAL Jim Slade. Jim knows he is facing the final days of his career as a SEAL due to his failing knees, so he takes a job with one of his SEAL friends who runs a camp for people who want to challenge themselves by participating in SEAL type training. Ashley decides to participate in the camp because she wants to become more self-confident and deal with confrontation. Jim becomes her instructor and quickly recognizes her needs and her strengths, making her team leader. It isn't long before Ashley and Jim begin to fight an attraction that is completely inappropriate due to their positions in the camp and the real life problems they are both facing.
This story is classic Suzanne Brockmann. Even though it is short, her skill at writing about Navy SEALs shines through. There isn't anybody writing military romance that does it any better than she does. I enjoyed this story and found it interesting that it actually predates some of her more recent stories, putting it in the middle of her Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series timeline. The main characters were relatable; however, some of the supporting characters were a bit stereotypical, probably due to the length of the book. Overall, another very good story by Brockmann who remains right at the top of my must-read list.
This story is classic Suzanne Brockmann. Even though it is short, her skill at writing about Navy SEALs shines through. There isn't anybody writing military romance that does it any better than she does. I enjoyed this story and found it interesting that it actually predates some of her more recent stories, putting it in the middle of her Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series timeline. The main characters were relatable; however, some of the supporting characters were a bit stereotypical, probably due to the length of the book. Overall, another very good story by Brockmann who remains right at the top of my must-read list.
Pretty good book although I feel they were really hitting you over the head with the troubles women deal with living in a patriarchy. Also, the scene where she asked him after the fact if she mistook his actions for consent of their sexual encounter, a bit much. I like that Jim eventually spoke about his feelings and even shed a tear or two over Ashley. Over all I enjoyed the book although Ashley's silence in the face of people's bs drove me crazy, but I can't talk myself since it takes anger for me to face confrontations.
Well this was miserable. And it got me riled up enough to stop me going back to sleep.
Chapter 75, 498 in why I don’t read m/f much any more.
So in this one, SB goes into misogyny, rape culture, and toxic masculinity, to quote a fellow one starring reviewer. She does so effectively.
Here’s the problem: she is writing an m/f romance, which means a female audience.
So the book is told mostly from the man’s POV. So he sees this woman being treated like shit. He treats her like shit. She deals. As she does all the time every day, as we all (you know, women, ) do. Men keep treating her like garbage. She deals.
She goes on a SEAL training camp. She’s treated badly by many men. Some of the men are seeing what is going on, and just let it go on. It gets so bad she leaves. Men go on their merry way.
More men treat her badly. Story goes on. Men treat her badly the way most of us have been treated over our lives. This is not news to women readers.
Parallel, the man, (not calling him the Hero) who is a SEAL, is off work due to knee injuries, & knee surgery. He’s on medical leave. Yet somehow he decides to go off to be an instructor on this seal training camp, and is constant pain injury because of knees, so woman is always caring about it and arranging ice for his knees. WTAF is this bullshit? The man has extremely poor judgement. And he’s an officer? Not reassuring.
I’m skimming at this point. I don’t think he’s a good fit for her. I am uninterested in his mental/emotional journey.
We see lots of the characters from books I read 15 - 20 years ago. Don’t care. Crapping on about their kids n’shit. Or whatever. Someone is having a baby. Joy.
At some point in there she explains to him why she doesn’t get angry and aggressive when alone in an alley with a couple of large threatening men trying to assault her. Revelation! Women put considerable care into not being assaulted, raped and murdered by men! Who knew!?
....so this book was a waste of my time. Maybe if you want a book that illustrates patriarchy and toxic masculinity it might do.
It does not, in my mind, succeed as a romance, as this excellent clever woman ending up with this unfortunate specimen is not a good result. Ehem. Why I rarely read m/f romance now.
Chapter 75, 498 in why I don’t read m/f much any more.
So in this one, SB goes into misogyny, rape culture, and toxic masculinity, to quote a fellow one starring reviewer. She does so effectively.
Here’s the problem: she is writing an m/f romance, which means a female audience.
So the book is told mostly from the man’s POV. So he sees this woman being treated like shit. He treats her like shit. She deals. As she does all the time every day, as we all (you know, women, ) do. Men keep treating her like garbage. She deals.
She goes on a SEAL training camp. She’s treated badly by many men. Some of the men are seeing what is going on, and just let it go on. It gets so bad she leaves. Men go on their merry way.
More men treat her badly. Story goes on. Men treat her badly the way most of us have been treated over our lives. This is not news to women readers.
Parallel, the man, (not calling him the Hero) who is a SEAL, is off work due to knee injuries, & knee surgery. He’s on medical leave. Yet somehow he decides to go off to be an instructor on this seal training camp, and is constant pain injury because of knees, so woman is always caring about it and arranging ice for his knees. WTAF is this bullshit? The man has extremely poor judgement. And he’s an officer? Not reassuring.
I’m skimming at this point. I don’t think he’s a good fit for her. I am uninterested in his mental/emotional journey.
We see lots of the characters from books I read 15 - 20 years ago. Don’t care. Crapping on about their kids n’shit. Or whatever. Someone is having a baby. Joy.
At some point in there she explains to him why she doesn’t get angry and aggressive when alone in an alley with a couple of large threatening men trying to assault her. Revelation! Women put considerable care into not being assaulted, raped and murdered by men! Who knew!?
....so this book was a waste of my time. Maybe if you want a book that illustrates patriarchy and toxic masculinity it might do.
It does not, in my mind, succeed as a romance, as this excellent clever woman ending up with this unfortunate specimen is not a good result. Ehem. Why I rarely read m/f romance now.
The Tall, Dark, and Dangerous series is back! Woot!
If you've read the other series books--or just looked them up--you might have noticed that it's been 15 years (2003) since the previous book in the series came out ([b:Night Watch|57989|Night Watch (Tall, Dark & Dangerous, #11)|Suzanne Brockmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1381076411l/57989._SY75_.jpg|56484]). The intro to this book warns series readers to "embrace the time warp!" because SEAL World is set in today's world, though for the series characters only about a year and a half has passed. Fortunately, they've adjusted well, and not a single one of them is carrying a flip phone or trying to IM anyone. Well, not that I noticed, anyway... ;)
I really liked both Jim and Ashley. Both together and separately they gave me quite a few LOL moments as I read, and together they were a great couple...eventually. There was a lot of work needed to get them to the point where they could truly come together as equals, and unfortunately they definitely weren't there by the end of their too-short mutual stay at "camp". They both made some choices during the book that were downright maddening or cringe-worthy (or both, occasionally), some of which I absolutely disagreed with at first but which did make sense--for their characters--ultimately. And of course they both eventually got their heads out of their you-know-whats and met each other halfway by the end of the book, so there is that ;)
The book did feel a bit preachy at times, as Jim couldn't manage to see Ashley's point about why she chose to react to two of her SEAL Camp teammates' innuendos in the way that she did without practically being hit on the head with her reasoning. Given today's real-world climate, though, it was refreshing to see people having grown-up conversations about things like consent, harassment, and respect and then go on to have a HEA you can believe in at the end. (That said, though--if you didn't cheer for Suz's recent RWA speech, then this probably isn't the book for you.)
It's been a while since I'd read the other series books (a summer of 2011 binge read, thanks to my library's e-audiobook collection), so I was more than a little fuzzy on the details. No worries, though--Seal Camp should work just fine as a standalone, or as an intro to the series. If you have read the other books, many (most? maybe even all, I'd have to double-check to be sure) of the past characters make at least token appearances, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them. The next book's ([b:King's Ransom|41068249|King's Ransom (Tall, Dark & Dangerous, #13)|Suzanne Brockmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533688313l/41068249._SX50_.jpg|64147472]) plot is hinted at, and dare we hope for a future book with Dave (new to the SEAL team as of this book and the first openly gay man to be admitted to BUDS after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was lifted)? Fingers crossed!
Oh, and Ashley's brother. He's gotta get a book too! ;)
Full disclosure: I beta-read this book for the author last spring as a backer reward for the Kickstarter campaign she ran to get backing for a movie she was producing. I loved it then, but wanted to wait until I'd read the final version to give a review. Since I've read so many of her books (read: almost all of them) on audio, waiting for the audio version to come out seemed like a perfect idea. It didn't disappoint! The audiobook is narrated by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank, who narrate most of the Troubleshooters series, and they do a great job (as always!) bringing Jim and Ash to life.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
If you've read the other series books--or just looked them up--you might have noticed that it's been 15 years (2003) since the previous book in the series came out ([b:Night Watch|57989|Night Watch (Tall, Dark & Dangerous, #11)|Suzanne Brockmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1381076411l/57989._SY75_.jpg|56484]). The intro to this book warns series readers to "embrace the time warp!" because SEAL World is set in today's world, though for the series characters only about a year and a half has passed. Fortunately, they've adjusted well, and not a single one of them is carrying a flip phone or trying to IM anyone. Well, not that I noticed, anyway... ;)
I really liked both Jim and Ashley. Both together and separately they gave me quite a few LOL moments as I read, and together they were a great couple...eventually. There was a lot of work needed to get them to the point where they could truly come together as equals, and unfortunately they definitely weren't there by the end of their too-short mutual stay at "camp". They both made some choices during the book that were downright maddening or cringe-worthy (or both, occasionally), some of which I absolutely disagreed with at first but which did make sense--for their characters--ultimately. And of course they both eventually got their heads out of their you-know-whats and met each other halfway by the end of the book, so there is that ;)
The book did feel a bit preachy at times, as Jim couldn't manage to see Ashley's point about why she chose to react to two of her SEAL Camp teammates' innuendos in the way that she did without practically being hit on the head with her reasoning. Given today's real-world climate, though, it was refreshing to see people having grown-up conversations about things like consent, harassment, and respect and then go on to have a HEA you can believe in at the end. (That said, though--if you didn't cheer for Suz's recent RWA speech, then this probably isn't the book for you.)
It's been a while since I'd read the other series books (a summer of 2011 binge read, thanks to my library's e-audiobook collection), so I was more than a little fuzzy on the details. No worries, though--Seal Camp should work just fine as a standalone, or as an intro to the series. If you have read the other books, many (most? maybe even all, I'd have to double-check to be sure) of the past characters make at least token appearances, and it was a lot of fun to catch up with them. The next book's ([b:King's Ransom|41068249|King's Ransom (Tall, Dark & Dangerous, #13)|Suzanne Brockmann|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1533688313l/41068249._SX50_.jpg|64147472]) plot is hinted at, and dare we hope for a future book with Dave (new to the SEAL team as of this book and the first openly gay man to be admitted to BUDS after "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was lifted)? Fingers crossed!
Oh, and Ashley's brother. He's gotta get a book too! ;)
Full disclosure: I beta-read this book for the author last spring as a backer reward for the Kickstarter campaign she ran to get backing for a movie she was producing. I loved it then, but wanted to wait until I'd read the final version to give a review. Since I've read so many of her books (read: almost all of them) on audio, waiting for the audio version to come out seemed like a perfect idea. It didn't disappoint! The audiobook is narrated by Patrick Lawlor and Melanie Ewbank, who narrate most of the Troubleshooters series, and they do a great job (as always!) bringing Jim and Ash to life.
Rating: 4 stars / A-
Brockmann had a little something to get off her chest.....she incorporates a lot of her thoughts on disrespectful behavior towards women into this continuation of her Tall, Dark and Dangerous series. I read the others many years ago and enjoyed them and enjoyed this one also even though it can be a little heavy handed in the "how you should treat people" themes. Although, at this moment and time, it would appear we need a lesson or two. I enjoyed becoming reacquainted with the characters from prior novels and meeting a few new ones.
Scene: SEAL CAMP goes on sale. Adele gets notification.
Adele: Checks reviews, the first of few bewail “liberal agenda” and basically how dare Brockmann respect people who aren’t straight or white or abled?
Adele: One-clicks.
Adele: Reads
Adele: Four-stars. A fast, fun read and I love the fact that she fast-forwarded the TD&D world into the age of smartphones and ubiquitous wi-fi.
Adele: Checks reviews, the first of few bewail “liberal agenda” and basically how dare Brockmann respect people who aren’t straight or white or abled?
Adele: One-clicks.
Adele: Reads
Adele: Four-stars. A fast, fun read and I love the fact that she fast-forwarded the TD&D world into the age of smartphones and ubiquitous wi-fi.