Thursday, September 14, 2017

Night Maneuvers - Tawny Weber (HQN - Dec 2016)

Series: Team Poseidon/SEAL Brotherhood (Book .5)

Within the elite brotherhood of Navy SEALs, the Poseidon team are the very best—and the most secretive. Convincing a naive journalist not to write a tell-all PR feature should be a piece of cake for Chief Petty Officer Aaron Ward. Especially once he glimpses Bryanna Radisson's soft, lush curves. His tactic: seduce and destroy…

Bryanna is no pushover. Aaron's hard-muscled body makes her crave much more than a story, and she'll get what she came for. Desire is her weapon of choice, but when this one wild night is over, will Aaron sabotage her plans…or lose his heart in collateral damage?

Good introduction to the men of Team Poseidon. They are all sitting around letting off steam when their commander arrives with some disturbing news. The new Public Affairs Specialist is planning a celebration for the 55th anniversary of the SEALs, and she plans to make Team Poseidon the focus. Worse, she has the backing of the admiral, so they have to cooperate. None of the team members are happy. Their code is to serve their country, preserve anonymity, and avoid recognition. Aaron is selected to be the one to talk to her. His mission is to try to talk her out of it, and if he can't do that, minimize the damage.

Bryanna has her plan, and she isn't going to let anything get in her way. She has done her research on the team and is more than impressed with what she has learned. But that is nothing to her reaction when she meets Aaron. She wasn't expecting someone so irresistibly sexy.

I loved their first meeting. Aaron is charming, flirtatious, and fun. Bryanna is determined to get her questions answered, but no matter what she asks, he manages to dodge the question and change the subject. She gets more and more frustrated but doesn't let it show. What neither can deny is the attraction that is burning between them. What they each get is an encounter that is far beyond what either expected. There is also a rather heated discussion when their motives are revealed, leaving them feeling both betrayed and guilty. In that discussion some rather blunt truths are spoken, giving each of them something to think about after they part ways.

I enjoyed Aaron's return to his quarters, where he encountered his teammates, all of whom had opinions to give. Aaron feels guilty and worried, because he may have revealed more than he intended to. He also learned a bit of information that he hadn't had going into the meeting - that Bryanna is the admiral's niece, which means she has all the backing she needs. Bryanna has her own trouble to face during a meeting with her uncle, who won't let her back out of the project. The question becomes, is there a way to make both sides of the issue happy? I loved what Bryanna's solution.

Beneath all the brouhaha of the article are the feelings that slammed both Aaron and Bryanna. Though the story takes place over only about twenty-four hours, Bryanna and Aaron realize that they want much more from each other. The question is, can the man whose life requires anonymity have a future with a woman whose life is all about publicity? I loved the honesty of their talk with each other in the admiral's office, and that their viewpoints are much closer than either suspected. It's sweet and romantic to see just how deep they are already.

No comments:

Post a Comment