REVIEW: Honor Among SEALS by Dixie Lee Brown

In Honor Among SEALS (Hearts of Valor #2) by Dixie Lee Brown, being backed into a corner is something Kellie Greyson never thought would happen to her, especially while she’s searching for answers as to what happened to her missing sister. But when she finds herself blackmailed into marrying a dangerous man, she knows she needs to find a way out. Luckily, she finds someone to help her, which leads her to Matt ‘MacGyver’ Iverson. However, her fiancé isn’t about to let her go so easily. Will Matt be able to keep Kellie safe or will they lose their shot at happy ever after?

”Wipe your face. We need to get out of here before your friends come to see what’s taking you so long.”
Even buried in paper towels, the unladylike snort she issued was clearly audible. “We? I’m not leaving here with you.” She waved one hand at him dismissively. “If you’re planning to kill me, you’ll have to do it here. Believe me – you’d be doing me a favor.”
Smart a**. Anger tensed his jaw. “If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead.”

I’m a huge fan of romantic suspense and this second book of Ms. Brown’s Hearts of Valor series is absolutely gripping, fast-paced and a story I couldn’t get enough of because of what the heroine is going through. Really, the way this story started had me hooked and made this story a total page turner, as I wanted to know how Kellie would get herself out of the dire situation she’s found herself in. Will she be able to escape her fate, especially after what she learns that proves how much her life is in danger? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine come face-to-face for the first time where this story really takes off, as the heroine isn’t big on trust and the only way the hero is going to get her to go with him is to do something drastic.

As for the dialogue, it was intense due to the main characters back stories and everything this couple go through on their journey to happy ever after, as the hero and heroine aren’t looking for a relationship because the hero’s ex wronged him and he doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to trust another woman while all the heroine cares about is finding her sister. However, the dialogue wasn’t all intense. There were certainly some moments that had me smiling, especially between Kellie and the secondary characters. Moreover, both the main characters were fantastic and I loved how much of a challenge Kellie was for Matt. Certainly, she isn’t about to let Matt and his friends put themselves in danger without her.

”I hate to burst your bubble, MacGyver, but last time I was there, they had zero motels. There’s a nice bed and breakfast not too far from the airport, but if you’re thinking of separate rooms for four, I can pretty much squash that plan.” Blake glanced over his shoulder. “Course, I don’t mind doubling up. How about you and me, Kellie?”
She’d worked with guys for too long to let a little sexual harassment get to her, but Blake’s comment was somehow different – almost malicious. “Sorry, Blake. I don’t take on charity cases.”
“Burn!” Travis whirled toward her and help up his hand for a high five. Even Blake laughed good-naturedly, but a muscle along the hard line of MacGyver’s jaw worked in obvious anger.

With the heroine, she has quite an interesting and heartfelt story that links to one of the hero’s friends and it’s hard not to be affected by the tension between the pair, especially in the moment they meet. Will they be able to sort out their differences? Will Kellie put her trust in the hero’s friends, even though there’s every chance one of them could hand her over to the enemy, especially if Blake still blames the heroine for everything that happened in the past? Furthermore, the heroine is a fighter, resilient, courageous, feisty, stubborn, will do anything for family and I liked how determined she was to fight for her freedom from the man that tried to blackmail her into marrying him. While the hero, he’s confident in his skills when it comes to helping the heroine, charming when he wants to be and I liked how determined he was to protect the heroine and help her discover what’s happened to her sister. I also liked the tight friendships he shares with Blake and Travis and how far they’re willing to go to help him when it comes to Kellie’s situation, even though it’s palpable there’s tension between Kellie and Blake. Will he get to the bottom of how they know each other? Will Blake turn out to be not as trustworthy as Matt thought?

She laughed through a sob. “I’ve done a lot of forgiving in the past twenty-four hours.”
“You didn’t happen to include me, did you?”
Kellie tilted her head, the move giving her a look of confusion. “If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. What is it you think you need forgiveness for?”
“I can be an a** sometimes. I told you I wasn’t interested in a long-term relationship. That used to be true but not anymore. Not since you flashed those gorgeous eyes at me and then threw up on my shoes.” Actually, she’d missed his shoes, but he was making a point.

Overall, Ms. Brown has delivered a wonderful and engrossing read in this book where the chemistry between this couple was intense; the romance was nicely-detailed and full of heat and passion; and the ending had me worried for the main characters, but had me liking how the heroine gets closure from her past and how these two find their way back to each other with a little help from their friends. I would recommend Honor Among SEALS by Dixie Lee Brown, if you enjoy romantic suspense, the sexy protector trope or books by authors Laura Griffin, Kaylea Cross, Katie Reus and Lynn Raye Harris.
 

Book Info:

Publication: October 9th, 2018 | Lyrical Liaison | Hearts of Valor #2

Navy SEALS are trained to take on all enemies in extreme situations—but there’s nothing more dangerous than matters of the heart . . .

This is Matt Iverson’s story.
Working for a security company with his brothers-in-arms has given former SEAL Matt “MacGyver” Iverson a reason to get up every morning. But keeping a runaway bride from harm isn’t in his job description . . .

Former Marine Kellie Greyson is in over her head. A cold-hearted ultimatum leaves her no choice but to wed mob boss Tony Palazzi. But when she overhears his deadly plans for her after she says ‘I do,’ Kellie flees his casino, only to wind up in a seedy Vegas bar. The next thing she knows, she’s waking up beside a protective powerhouse of a man . . .

Though Kellie’s body kickstarts his into high gear, MacGyver is all business trying to convince her that they need each other. Both are looking for missing people—and all roads lead to Palazzi. MacGyver will have to lay all his cards on the table to get Kellie to trust him in a game they might not survive . . .