A SEAL’S SALVATION by Tawny Weber

Publisher:  Harlequin
Published:   February 1, 2014
ISBN:  978-0373797875
Genre:   Contemporary Romance
Book format:  Ebook
Obtained via:  Publisher  - Netgalley
Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

Three -1/2 hearts

 

She may only be in high school but Genna Reilly knows what she likes and that would be one Brody Lane.  He’s tall, dark and totally hot and aside from being her brother’s best friend he’s everything she’s sure she wants.  Problem is, he’s the town bad boy and he doesn’t want her.  Hmm, well, that would be two problems.  But does he really not want her?  One hot summer night Genna loses more than her heart and he dad who happens to be the Sheriff in those parts wants Brody out of town.  Given the choice of jail or the Navy, Brody ships out.  Focused for the first time in his life he becomes a SEAL and all that brooding badness of his youth finds its proper place.

Several years later Genna has grown, went to college and started on her own path but she never forgot the boy who stole her heart.  When her older brother Joe is killed she writes the one person Joe ever looked up to—Brody.  Rather than answer her letter or reveal any sense of loss about Joe, Brody sends her a note that asks a rather strange yet very hot and flirty question.  To her own surprise Genna answers. 

And then one day a mission goes wrong and Brody finds himself back in town.  Despite his best intentions to hide away and nurse his wounds the town isn’t quite having it.  The mayor is determined to give him a hero’s welcome and Genna is sent to deliver the message.  The moment she sees him she knows those long ago feels from high school haven’t changed with time. 

When Genna’s dad tells Brody to stay away from her he just can’t help himself—maybe he took his orders in the Navy, but not from Sheriff Reilly and certainly not about the girl he never forgot. 

A thought about whether or not I wanted to read Tawny Weber’s latest book, A SEAL’s SALVATION for a few days.  There are dozens of books out about SEALs and the women they love and who love them.  The formula seems to be they are wounded and only the girl they left back home can reach into those dark places and bring them back to the world of the living.  That is not Ms. Weber’s story.  Instead she gives readers an entirely different kind of story.  More than just a passionate and abiding romance with some very steamy love scenes, she takes you into the everyday lives of her characters.  They aren’t rich or famous or dramatic characters—they could be your neighbours and friends.  They are everyday people who have the same hopes, dreams and struggles we all have. 

Brody’s wounds aren’t from being injured in a war or a fight.  While those things might add to it, he is a multi-dimensional character who was already hurting before he joined the Navy.  He was a bad boy who would probably not have lived to be a bad man if he hadn’t made that one mistake where Genna was concerned.  If he hadn’t pissed off her dad he wouldn’t have lived long enough to have regrets.  When he’s injured on a mission it brings home just where he came from and where he wants to go and deep down it’s straight to Genna’s heart. 

Genna is described an exotic in looks but she’s also in so many ways the girl next door.  You want to be her friend.  She’s a great character with a clear direction for her life. She knows what…and who she wants. 

I liked this story.  It’s a wonderful combination of a passionate love story and a glimpse into a life that could be your own.

This is an objective review and not an endorsement of this book.