Scan barcode
gillianw's review
3.0
While I think this story lacked the deep emotional punch of Garrett Leigh's previous efforts, particularly Slide and Misfits, I still enjoyed this story about a career soldier, recovering from the loss of his best friend and a journalist that has been embedded with an SAS unit. While I'm not sure I entirely bought their relationship, when you get near the end of the book, you can understand why they fell for each other in the first place. No spoilers - you'll have to read it for yourself to find out! 3.5 stars
mxsallybend's review against another edition
3.0
This one just fell flat for me, both in terms of characters and plot. Fascinating idea, but the storytelling never grabbed me, and the romance element just didn't work. I actually found the background characters to be better developed, which is never a good sign.
lalauren04's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book so much that I already want to read it again - I stayed up until 1am to finish it and then all I felt was pure sadness because it was over! This may be my new favourite Garrett Leigh book... I’ve read pretty much all her work at this point and every read is usually a well deserved 5 stars. But this one... there are not enough stars in the world to express how much I loved it.
bookish_notes's review against another edition
3.0
Ehhh I don’t know, you guys. I’m not the biggest fan of military romances that happens in a war zone, and this story takes places almost solely in Iraq (and the time it takes to get there). It just feels icky to read when the war is a very real thing and the book does paint the Iraqi people, and other Middle Eastern people, in a bad light.
This is a story with a British journalist and British soldiers so there are digs at the Americans too, which makes sense.
I thought the audiobook narration is very good, even if I sometimes did have trouble understanding the heavier British accents at times. I do love Nat and Connor, and I do love the audiobook, which is why I’ve decided to rate this three stars instead of something lower because the backdrop of the story just didn’t work for me.
This is a story with a British journalist and British soldiers so there are digs at the Americans too, which makes sense.
I thought the audiobook narration is very good, even if I sometimes did have trouble understanding the heavier British accents at times. I do love Nat and Connor, and I do love the audiobook, which is why I’ve decided to rate this three stars instead of something lower because the backdrop of the story just didn’t work for me.
missawn's review against another edition
3.0
I have been waiting to read this book for a really long time. It is well written and highly descriptive. The setting reminded me a little of [b:Special Forces - Soldiers|7842653|Special Forces - Soldiers (Special Forces, #1)|Aleksandr Voinov|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1268851627s/7842653.jpg|10939227] and that was definitely a bonus. However, for me there was a distinct lack of chemistry between the MCs. I could not help feeling a little detached from the ensuing drama that followed as a result. I did not really understand what connected them and because of that parts of the relationship felt bland, slightly inappropriate and perhaps even a little disturbing? However, I did thoroughly enjoy the setting. The author is exceptionally talented when it comes to describing the fascinating and interesting places in which this book takes place. I just wished I felt the connection between the MCs more ...
PS. Be prepared for quite a bit of British-English slang which for some readers might be a little difficult to understand?
PS. Be prepared for quite a bit of British-English slang which for some readers might be a little difficult to understand?
plz2daysatan's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.75
folly1972's review against another edition
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
nickysbooks78's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
3.0
enayqueerbooklover's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Wow, this book is incredible. The kind of story & characters that will stay in your memory forever. It absolutely deserved to win the Epic award for contemporary romance in 2017.
Swoon /5 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Swoon /5 🥰🥰🥰🥰
Angst /5 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Steam /5 ♨️♨️♨️♨️
Plot /5 🧐🧐🧐🧐🧐
LOLs /5 🤭🤭
I’ve been bingeing military romance lately, and for some crazy reason this had been on my TBR for years. It was again recommended to me by a booksta friend, & I’m so damn glad they did. Like “Whisper” by Tal Bauer, this book is so epic it’s changed me. It’s the story of Connor, a journalist who’s older soldier brother died in Iraq in 2003 in the War on Terror post 9/11. Through his grief & search for answers, he decides to change from a pop-culture reporter to become a war correspondent. Placed in Iraq in 2006 to shadow a British Special Forces team, he meets Nat, the team leader. Initially seen as a “hack” & barely tolerated by Nat & the team, Connor soon proves himself through his multilingual skills & his insightful observations, as well as being trustworthy with the columns he’s writing for public consumption. Soon, Connor & Nat seek each other out more, enjoying the other’s company & leaning on each other during the ever-present trauma from a war zone. They decompress with s3x during stolen, hidden moments, both refusing to acknowledge when feelings get involved. But when Connor goes missing and it becomes a life-or-death retrieval mission for Nat’s team, they both wonder if they have lost their chance at real love.
The connection between Connor & Nat is raw & real & intense. Heard from both of their perspectives, we hear the sweet need & love developing via their internal monologues , while externally they only express themselves in hyper masculine s3xual ways (as would be expected at that time in the military). The reality of being in a war zone is faithfully represented, with death & destruction explained in such detail that I was often in tears. And the last 70 pages are gut wrenching, nail-biting angst that had me sobbing in parts. My only wish is that there was a longer happy ending, because I wholeheartedly loved these guys by the end. Nat’s team also has some vivid characters that are featured in other books from Garrett, so I can’t wait to dive into these next, and look forward to sneak peeks of Nat & Connor together because I don’t want to let them go
Check out my reviews and MM content on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Goodreads & Bookbub, all under the same name!
I’ve been bingeing military romance lately, and for some crazy reason this had been on my TBR for years. It was again recommended to me by a booksta friend, & I’m so damn glad they did. Like “Whisper” by Tal Bauer, this book is so epic it’s changed me. It’s the story of Connor, a journalist who’s older soldier brother died in Iraq in 2003 in the War on Terror post 9/11. Through his grief & search for answers, he decides to change from a pop-culture reporter to become a war correspondent. Placed in Iraq in 2006 to shadow a British Special Forces team, he meets Nat, the team leader. Initially seen as a “hack” & barely tolerated by Nat & the team, Connor soon proves himself through his multilingual skills & his insightful observations, as well as being trustworthy with the columns he’s writing for public consumption. Soon, Connor & Nat seek each other out more, enjoying the other’s company & leaning on each other during the ever-present trauma from a war zone. They decompress with s3x during stolen, hidden moments, both refusing to acknowledge when feelings get involved. But when Connor goes missing and it becomes a life-or-death retrieval mission for Nat’s team, they both wonder if they have lost their chance at real love.
The connection between Connor & Nat is raw & real & intense. Heard from both of their perspectives, we hear the sweet need & love developing via their internal monologues , while externally they only express themselves in hyper masculine s3xual ways (as would be expected at that time in the military). The reality of being in a war zone is faithfully represented, with death & destruction explained in such detail that I was often in tears. And the last 70 pages are gut wrenching, nail-biting angst that had me sobbing in parts. My only wish is that there was a longer happy ending, because I wholeheartedly loved these guys by the end. Nat’s team also has some vivid characters that are featured in other books from Garrett, so I can’t wait to dive into these next, and look forward to sneak peeks of Nat & Connor together because I don’t want to let them go
Check out my reviews and MM content on Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Goodreads & Bookbub, all under the same name!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, War, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Murder, Violence, Blood, Grief, Gun violence, and Torture