RITA Reader Challenge Review

Target Engaged by M.L. Buchman

A

Genre: Romantic Suspense, Romance

Theme: Workplace

Archetype: Military

This RITA® Reader Challenge 2016 review was written by Bookpusher. This story was nominated for the RITA® in the Romantic Suspense category.

The summary:

Delta Force: The most dangerous elite counter-terrorism force on the planet
• The deadliest shooters •
• The most out-of-the-box thinkers in any military •
• Will die to get the mission done •

Sergeant Kyle Reeves: The premier soldier of the new recruits

Sergeant Carla Anderson: The first woman of Delta Force

If the training doesn’t kill them, their passion may-but Kyle Reeves and Carla Anderson blast right in. Show no fear. Have no fear. Then they get the call. The most powerful drug-smuggling ring in Venezuela needs a takedown, and Delta’s newest team leaps into the deep jungle to deliver. Giving their all? Not a problem. Giving their hearts? That takes a new level of courage.

Here is Bookpusher's review:

Staff Sergeant First Class Carla Anderson is the first woman to receive orders of selection for “The Unit,” more commonly known as Delta Force. Being the only woman in a previously all-male bastion is only one of the challenges ahead. She is determined to excel and her biggest competition is Sergeant First Class Kyle Reeves.

Mutual respect becomes mutual attraction as they make their way through the assessment phase. There’s no time for romance during assessment, but passing is celebrated with the start of a scorching hot sexual relationship. Immediately after passing their Operator Training, they and their three surviving classmates are sent on their first mission: take down a Venezuelan general who also runs a major drug cartel. Events during the takedown lead to the exposure of some of Carla’s ghosts, which threaten their relationship. The group is sent back to Venezuela to follow up on some intelligence recovered during the takedown. As the mission unfolds, Carla and Kyle are forced to face their differences and decide if their relationship can become more than just work and play.

This book is the first book of a new series. Even though characters and events from the Nightstalker series briefly pass through this story, it’s still a standalone novel. The crossovers serve the needs of the story line. You don’t need to keep notes or wade through unnecessary info dumping.

The characters are well written people that hook your interest. Buchman manages to include the gender and sexuality issues in the story without allowing them to overwhelm either the romance or the story as a whole. It’s pretty clear that the instructors are aware of the developing attraction and have no intention of ignoring the issue. Since the relationship involves equal ranks and no chain of command issues, you get the idea that Delta wants to see how it works out in real time, under mission situations and as part of a team. The presence of a woman and the relationship between Carla and Kyle create mission options that would have been impossible with an all-male team. It’s also clear that throwing a woman into the mix complicates cover stories.

Show Spoiler
When the team rents a boat in Aruba, it’s clear the rental agent isn’t buying the guys’ story of taking their sister sailing. After they get underway, Carla points out that they’re going to have people thinking they’re off for an orgy. When one of the characters asks why they might think that, Carla points out their collectively obvious ethnic diversity means “Mama led a very wide ranging sex life.”

There are two minor warnings that I have to make. The first is that it’s easy to get hooked on these characters. Before you know it, you’ll be looking for both the Nightstalker and Firehawk books as well as the Delta series. The second warning is that there are a number of novellas and short stories that connect to these various series that Buchman self-published. Some are more connected to the novels than others. So, if you really don’t want to get hooked on a new author, pass this one. On the other hand, if you want enjoy some really kick ass women in some well told stories, this might be just what you didn’t know you wanted to read or re-read. Since I still really like the book after re-reading it four times and intend future re-reads, I have to give it a solid A.

I have to admit, I got hooked by the Nightstalker books and these three series are must-buys for me. If you like this story, the next full length novel in the series, Heart Strike, is scheduled for August.

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Target Engaged by M.L. Buchman

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Add Your Comment →

  1. bnbsrose says:

    Well I’m intrigued, and I’ll take your warning under advisement. Thanks for the review Bookpusher. You’ve lived up to your name.

  2. SusanReads says:

    I loved this one, too, and it’s a steal at the sale price now! Have read all of Buchman’s Night Stalkers/Fire Hawks and now this story, and they are all so well done.

  3. chacha1 says:

    At that price, definitely a 1-click for me. And I will probably play “G.I. Jane” while reading it. 🙂

  4. Pamala says:

    This sounds intriguing and the sample was good, so with that price I’ve already one-clicked too :). Thanks for the review.

  5. Jamie says:

    I…have so many issues with this just from the review. Is the author forgetting the huge, giant rule the military has in regards to “no sex during active duty?”

    I know the review doesn’t say, but I’m assuming they do bone, or this is even worse than I thought.

    I cannot believe Delta would be like “Yes, let’s see how this romance goes, ignoring the fact that if the breakup is messy, it could destroy a working team, one we need.” Is this even addressed as a valid point?

    I’m also highly skeptical the author knows anything about SF in general or Delta in particular. Did she do any research, because the summary is making this sound like someone who’s watched a bunch of Archer and Mission Impossible and thinks they’ve got an idea of how the military works.

    I wouldn’t read this; I have the feeling I’d throw the book across the room.

  6. Moxie says:

    I’d say the author has an above-average grasp of the military and had researched Delta Force (to the extent one can, I suppose). A good bit of time is spent on Selection and there were definitely strong parallels to the account in Eric Haney’s “Inside Delta Force.” Unless I’m misremembering, (spoiler?) they’re almost all business during missions and keep the sex-having for off hours.

    That being said, I found myself pretty put off by Kyle’s prolonged focus on Carla’s physical attributes. She’s a “babe on a bike” with perfect hair, skin, muscles, gun-shooting-ability, etc., and she started to come across a bit like someone’s wet dream. Aside from her emotional issues, Carla spent most of the story being a little too perfect to be relatable. I tend not to like that in books anyway, so others may find this less of a problem.

    I started in on the first Nightstalker book (“The Night is Mine,” I think) since it was free on Kindle Unlimited and I was very pleasantly surprised to find it completely different. I found the heroine much more relatable and her, ahem, assets are clearly secondary to her awesomeness as a person (and pilot) in the eyes of the hero. The issue of fraternization is dealt with throughout the book as he’s her commanding officer, but he gets good guy points for how he wrestles with it and the implications it could have for her future. The guy-all-twisted-up-about-a-girl-he-shouldn’t-want followed by guy-in-full-pursuit was definitely my cup of catnip tea.

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