Review - SEALed Forever

Title: SEALed Forever
Author: Mary Margaret Daughtridge
Publishing Date: May 2011
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: B+
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I purchased an ebook for my Nook.

Garth Vale, after suffering very serious injuries as a SEAL in Afghanistan, has been placed on duty at a covert airport in North Carolina. Planes that fly under the public’s radar sometimes use the airport Garth is stationed. Garth discovers an infant in a box on one such plane. Garth doesn't want to take the baby to the authorities because he fears for the child's life. Instead he takes the baby to the local doctor, Bronwyn Whitescarver. Garth and Bronwyn are drawn together as they decide what is best for the infant.

I really love Daughtridge's writing. She just sings to me. I love that her characters are so REAL. Out of all the SEAL books that I have read - and believe me, I have read a lot - hers just seem to feel so REAL to me. This is another great book by Ms. Daughtridge. Garth is quite a yummy hero. He is one of those guys who knows what he wants and goes after it. He takes one look at Bronwyn and decides she is the woman for him. LOL! Bronwyn isn't anywhere near ready to have Mr. Vale and a battle of wills ensues. Garth's interest in Bronwyn could have come across as stalkerish, but because of his earnestness and honesty it works for me.

Garth has these certain expectations built up in his mind about Bronwyn and the type of wife she ought to be for him. As the story progresses, Garth realizes that these expectations might not be right for him or Bronwyn. He really does a lot of growing throughout the story. One thing I would have liked to see would be Bronwyn working through her issues with her family. It is a big conflict in the story, but not once does she actually confront her family, although she does come to her own terms with these issues. Also there is a small paranormal plot that was interesting, but not overpowering.

Sweet and Bittersweet

Check out the top right hand corner of SEALed with a Ring. Do you see the quote up there? Look at who was quoted!!

ME!!!!

I can't believe that one of my reviews was quoted on the cover of a book. I am just tickled pink, as if you couldn't tell. I didn't discover that I was quoted on the book until I went to the RWA signing and met Mary Margaret Daughtridge, the author of the book's cover on which I was quoted.

She gave me a bookmark that had a picture of all her books and news about an upcoming release. I was using the bookmark at home for the latest book I was reading and I stopped to look at the bookmark. I caught a glimpse of the quote and read it. It didn't even register at first that it was me who was quoted. I felt my heart start pounding and then read it again to make sure I read it correctly.

The ironic part of the whole thing is that when I met Mary Margaret Daughtridge I didn't tell her that I was Romance Rookie. I figured she wouldn't know who I was and now looking back I realize I was quoted on her book cover. I completely regret that I didn't introduce myself and tell her I reviewed all three of her books. Who knows if or when I might ever have the chance to meet her again.

*sigh*

Funny thing. I went back to that review to see if I really did write "A fun, clever and emotionally gripping story" and sure enough I did, word for word.

Review - SEALed with a Ring

Title: SEALed with a Ring
Author: Mary Margaret Daughtridge
Publishing Date: March 2010
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: A
Sensuality: Hot
Book Disclosure: I received an ARC from the publisher.

After JJ learns some very bad news from her lawyer, at a wedding no less and she runs into a handsome SEAL who is bound and determined to cheer her up. JJ impulsively accepts his offer of a night of passion. Even though it's the best sex of her life, she regrets her one night stand. A year passes and wouldn't you know it she runs into Davy at another wedding. Only Davy doesn't seem to remember the night they shared. The problem is JJ needs a husband if she is to keep her family's car business. Thinking that Davy will be headed back to duty in the military she proposes modern day marriage of convenience. Only things are much more complicated than JJ could have foreseen.

I'll just tell you right now, Mary Margaret Daughtridge has yet to write a book I didn't love. With her third book, again she has delivered and with one of my favorite themes - marriage of convenience. I love how Daughtridge is able to bring to life what makes a man a SEAL. Her characters, most notably her male leads, come across as real men and not fictional superheroes. It's like she somehow gets into the mind of the male psyche and is giving away their secrets.

Daughtridge takes these extraordinary characters and puts them in ordinary situations that every reader can relate too. I love how she is able to make everyday life seem interesting and special. The pieces of JJ and David’s story slowly unfold, revealing a truly lovely and priceless romance. These two are by no means perfect, but neither is willing to give up on the on the other. If you haven't ever read Mary Margaret Daughtridge, I highly recommend you do.

Here is what others had to say:

Love Romance Passion
Randi Romance Reader
Long and Short Romance Reviews
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This book can be purchased in print or kindle format by Amazon.

Review - SEALed with a Promise

Title: SEALed with a Promise
Author: Mary Margret Daughtridge
Publishing Date: April 2009
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: A-
Sensuality: Warm

Mary Margret Daughtridge has done it again with her second novel SEALed with a Promise. I read her debut novel SEALed with a Kiss last year after I won it from Book Binge and I fell in love with Jax and Pickett. Jax and Pickett are now getting married and Caleb "Do Lord" Delaude and Emmie Caddington are their best man and maid of honor respectively. After Caleb observes Jax and Pickett's happiness with each other, he can't help but feel a little jealousy he never thought to expect. He finds himself interested in Emmie even though she is a mousy, plain little thing. But after he aids her in a wedding cake switcheroo he discovers there are unique interesting layers to Emmie that captivate him.

There are so many things that I love about Ms. Daughtridge's writing. First and foremost are her strong characters. The are fully fleshed out with lots of layers and depth. The reader is fully immersed in their heads. She completely walks you through their thought processes and learning how a SEAL thinks is absolutely fascinating. Caleb and Emmie are very smart and tend to think outside the box. For most of their lives they have felt like outliers in society. Emmie hasn't had many relationships with men and is more logical when it comes to relationships. When she starts to feel attracted to Caleb she doesn't even realize that is the emotion she is feeling. It is really great to read about her discovering this attraction and dealing with it.

I also love the sense of connection I get when I read the scenes with Emmie and her family or Caleb and his SEAL brothers. Daughtrigde is able to capture a family dinner perfectly. I can sense the chaos of so many different personalities together and the baggage that comes with being around family, the people who think they know you and yet sometimes don't. You can sense the loyalty and love among these people too. The dialogue is fabulous. The characters actually TALK about their issues and it moves the story beautifully.

I did think the delivery with the ending was a little clunky compared to the rest of the story. The pacing and the passion all flowed so smoothly. Then when the big reveal happens at the end the book stumbled a bit. But this is just a tiny little detail in the big scheme of things. I really enjoyed reading SEALed with a Promise. It is a fun, clever and emotionally gripping story. Mary Margret Daughtridge is an author to keep on your radar.

Here is what others had to say:

Romance Love Passion
Long and Short Reviews
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The Book Girl

This book can be purchased in print from Amazon.

Review - SEALed with a Kiss

I won this book in a contest over at The Book Binge and I am so glad I did because it is a wonderful story.

Title: SEALed with a Kiss
Author: Mary Margret Daughtridge
Publishing Date: April 2008
Genre: Contemporary
Rating: A
Sensuality: Hot

Jax Graham is a Navy SEAL whose ex-wife has recently passed away. They had a four year old son from the marriage whom the wife had custody of. Because Jax is out of the country on missions a lot, he isn’t sure what the best thing for his son would be. So he takes 30 days of leave to figure it out. He heads down to North Carolina to spend time with his son. A hurricane hits the coast and Jax has to evacuate the beach house where they were staying. They run out of options and eventually stay with Pickett, who Jax met briefly one afternoon on the beach. Pickett is a therapist at the local naval base and also has a private practice on the side. While together during the storm, they realize they have a mutual attraction to each other.

I loved SEALed with a Kiss for so many reasons. First of all, even though it is a story about a Navy SEAL, no one is shot at, no one is running for their lives and there is not one dead body in the whole book. The main focus of this story is the emotional development of Pickett and Jax’s relationship. It is about the emotional processes that people go through when confronted with change. This book provided so much insight into the human mind and how men, women and children process emotions and information differently. I found it quite fascinating.

Both Jax and Pickett have baggage. They both have issues that they have dealt with all their life since childhood. It is so great to see them work through it and overcome these issues with – get this - conversation. Neither one makes assumptions that usually lead to misunderstandings. They actually TALK about their problems.

I loved Jax. He has to be inducted into the hero hall of fame. Jax is great because of how wonderful he treats Pickett. He thinks about things he can do for Pickett to help her or he likes to buy little things for her just to be nice. He listens to her and is always aware of her presence in a room. He loves all her feminine curves and her expressive face. He loves her and wouldn’t ever think of changing her, even when she goes into “Queen Pickett” mode. I love how he makes sure his son is always very careful around Pickett so that he doesn’t accidentally hurt her. There are just so many little things that add up to make a big impact.

Pickett was a heroine that I could relate too. Who hasn’t had feelings of inadequacy when it comes to family? Jax is there to support Pickett and encourage her to confront her family when they treat her with anything less than respect. Pickett has courage, honesty and is much tougher than she gives herself credit for. This story is about two normal people, with normal problems, that are fortunate enough to have found an extraordinary love for each other. I am just tickled pink with this book and I am so glad I read it.

Here is what others had to say:

The Book Binge