Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Heart of a Seal Review Tour

Blurb:
They’re brothers in arms, Navy SEALS risking their lives for their country . . . and the women they love.

This is Luke Harding’s story.

Six months in a desert hellhole taught Navy SEAL Luke Harding things he never wanted to learn about life and death. Only tender memories of the beautiful brunette he met a few weeks before his deployment helped get him through the torturous days and nights. Back in the States after a perilous rescue, physically and emotionally damaged, Luke’s about to plunge into a new kind of war. In a seemingly bucolic Idaho town, Sally Duncan faces real—and unpredictable—danger.

All Sally ever wanted was a safe place to raise her nine-year-old daughter. Her identity hidden behind a façade of secrets and lies, can she trust Luke—a man she barely knows—with the truth? Even as they give in to long-denied passion, a killer with a personal vendetta is setting an ambush that will leave them praying for a miracle and fighting for the future they may not live to see.



Excerpt:
Screaming wasn’t really Sally’s style. The best she could do at the moment was crawl out of the reach of the enraged lunatic and hope he came to his senses.

“Go ahead. Touch her again and see what happens.” The suggestion, coming from the darkness behind Emmett’s vehicle and delivered with steel-edged composure, took her completely by surprise.

Sally swung toward the new player, forgetting Emmett for the moment. The voice was all too familiar, stirring unwelcome memories. Eyes watering from Emmett’s blow, she squinted to see the man standing in the darkness just beyond her yard.

“Luke?” Sally staggered to her feet, clenching her teeth against the sick feeling that swirled in her stomach.

It couldn’t be him. Not the man she’d fallen hard for before he deployed with his SEAL unit over a year ago. Not the man who’d refused to see her when she hurried to the hospital in Bethesda after hearing he’d been rescued from a terrorist prison. Rushing to his side because she’d thought they meant something to each other, she’d quickly learned the truth of the matter. His disregard had let her know, in no uncertain terms, that the feelings had been one-sided. That man had no reason—or right—to show up at her door.

Sally searched the shadows near the street, where the voice had originated. When she finally made out his silhouette, her breath caught in her throat.

Luke didn’t spare her a glance.

“Who the hell are you?” Emmett turned to face him.

“Does it matter?” Luke’s words contained a dangerous warning that Sally had never heard before.

As he stepped from the shadow of the SUV, his military fatigues and the duffel he carried reminded her of the homeless people who’d camped on Elk Creek last fall. A knife in a leather sheath hung at his side. His face was etched with lines of exhaustion, and he might have carried himself stiffly, but otherwise he was the same man she remembered. Light brown hair, longer and a bit more disheveled than the last time she’d seen him, always tempted her to run her fingers through it…even now.



My Review:
3 stars

I want to start by saying this worked more as a suspense novel than a romance to me. With that in mind, I liked this book. It was okay. I enjoyed the twists throughout the book, particularly regarding Sally’s secret. However, I was underwhelmed with how quickly the ending wrapped up, especially after all the twists introduced throughout the book.

In addition, there was too much going on at times, leading to some scenes feeling rushed, while other situations just went too far past my suspension-of-disbelief meter. I can only take so many TSTL or bad horror movie decisions before I start skimming. I felt that if some of these scenes had been cut or toned down, the plot would have been much smoother and believable.

The characters were okay as well. I thought Luke and Sally’s chemistry was okay, if a bit dry. However, I loved the relationship between Luke and Jen (Sally’s daughter), as it was both heartwarming and fun. Overall, I thought this story showed potential, so if you like to take a gamble every now and then on your romantic suspenses, then give Heart of a Seal a try.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*



a Rafflecopter giveaway
Don’t forget to visit the other stops on the tour.



Author Bio and Links:
Dixie Lee Brown lives and writes in Central Oregon, inspired by gorgeous scenery and at least three hundred sunny days a year. Having moved from South Dakota as a child to Washington, Montana and then to Oregon, she feels at home in the west. She resides with two dogs and a cat, who are currently all the responsibility she can handle. Dixie works fulltime as a bookkeeper. When she's not writing or working, she loves to read, enjoys movies, and if it were possible, she’d spend all of her time at the beach. She is also the author of the Trust No One romantic suspense series, published by Avon Impulse.

Please visit her website: www.dixiebrown.com
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/Dixie-Lee-Brown-311618418919108/
Twitter: @DixieLeeBrown
Or join her street team: https://www.facebook.com/groups/309603219231692/

Order today at:
Amazon - http://amzn.to/2n6Wzt1
Barnes & Noble - http://bit.ly/2EpY38y
iTunes - https://apple.co/2GblJ2l
Google Play - http://bit.ly/2n5CpPT
Kobo - http://bit.ly/2DCARY2

12 comments:

  1. Enjoyed the excerpt. Thx for the chance!!

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  2. Thanks for hosting the tour today!

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  3. I enjoyed getting to know your book; congrats on the tour, I hope it is a fun one for you, and thanks for the chance to win :)

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  4. I’ve really enjoyed following the tour for Heart of a Seal and I am looking forward to reading it. Thanks for sharing 🙂

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    1. I'm glad you found the book description interesting, Victoria. I appreciate you stopping at so many of the sites and commenting at each. Feels like we're old friends!

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  5. Thanks for the giveaway; I like the review. :)

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  6. Thanks for the giveaway. I hope that I win. Bernie Wallace BWallace1980(at)hotmail(d0t)com

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  7. Congrats on the tour and I appreciate the excerpt, review and the great giveaway as well. Love the tours, I get to find books and share with my sisters and now my twin daughters who all love to read. We have found some amazing books for everyone. So, thank you!

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