Sunday, June 2, 2013

Shattered Valor by Elaine Levine














Eden Miller and Ty Bladen's book



Shattered Valor (Red Team Book 2)

By Elaine Levine


Book Blurb:Every step leads her deeper into danger...
Eden Miller has her life arranged exactly as she wants it--until a reunion with her high school BFFs places her in the middle of a turf war with a ruthless prison gang, their terrorist allies, and the hunters tracking them. Her every move draws her deeper into the danger surrounding Ty Bladen and his team of terror fighters, but his seductive charm and engaging smile make her believe his promises of protection.
A secret is a dangerous thing...
When the terrorists Ty Bladen is tracking infiltrate his remote ranch in Wyoming, he learns the past he buried cannot be so easily escaped. Though he's recovering from a bullet wound he received in Afghanistan and is hunted by an unseen enemy, he knows he can't leave Eden alone to face the danger swirling around her, danger he and his team have brought to her--even if the has to risk letting her near his frozen heart. But when she learns his terrible secret, will she stay or will she run?



Book 1, The Edge of Courage was excellent but this book, Shattered Valor was super excellent! I am completely hooked on this series. I want book 3 now! Unfortunately I need to wait until the end of June. Well not too long of a wait I guess. 

Once again I am scratching my head about the cover's relation to the story. Ty is not a cowboy nor has he ever been. It makes me think I am missing something. He left home and joined the armed forces as soon as he was old enough and he hasn't been back to his house since. 

There is a deep-seated reason why Ty has not been back to his childhood home. That house (which is more like a mansion) haunts his memories and he'd just as soon as forget that nightmarish past. It is heart wrenching and the entire story is skillfully explained to the readers at a perfect pace when needed. 

The readers really start to know the fabulous secondary characters of the Red Team in Shattered Valor. The first book The Edge of Courage provided brief introductions but each of the men's personalities blaze through in book 2. I can't wait for each of guy's stories and books. When is that book 3 out again? Oh yeah, end of June. 

I laughed and smiled a lot more in Shattered Valor than I did in book 1. There were some genuine giggle worthy moments in Shattered Valor. Those cheerful breaks provided a great offset to the intensity of Ty's background and the deadly threat of the terrorists. 

At first I thought I wouldn't care very much for Eden. She seems so defensive even with the smallest interactions. I started to appreciate Eden more as the story rolled out. She was not a "girly girl" and basically focused her energy on her career; training her dog to sniff out drugs and weapons. That career choice certainly came in handy as the men converted Ty's house over to a temporary headquarters. I loved that Ty didn't really try to coddle Eden or "protect" her. He understood she had a job to do and she needed to do it. 

The intimate scenes between Ty and Eden were smoking hot and highly sensual. I loved how each of the scenes enhanced the story and the story wasn't necessarily enhanced just because two protagonists had sex.

The terrorism plot certainly thickened in Shattered Valor and I would recommend reading The Edge of Courage first. 

Teasers: hidden underground bunker, heart breaking teenage memories, undergarment shopping adventure, sensual strawberry dessert




1 comment:

Anna (herding cats-burning soup) said...

LOL and I was going ooOooo cowboys! Well ooOoooo special forces. Those are good too. Wonder what they were thinking on the cover.

The book does sound great. I love when they can take a serious book/subject and add humor into it as well so that it's not too heavy. Always a plus.

~Anna