military hero
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Unwrap a military hero this holiday season
When it comes to the holidays, I can’t get enough. I love the music, the lights, the food, the scent of evergreen and cinnamon. Combine all of that with a military hero, and I have the makings of a cozy reading weekend.
Here are five holiday heroes to unwrap right now.
A Marine’s Christmas Wedding is book 5 in the Grayce Walters contemporary romantic suspense series set in Seattle by USA Today bestselling author Jacki Delecki. Each book is a standalone, steamy, fast-paced romance with a guaranteed happily ever after!
Their pretend marriage—cover for a top-secret military assignment—turned into something real.
Maddy and Hunter have completed their assignment, but neither wants their roles as husband and wife to end. They’re ready to exchange vows, but their plans for a quickie ceremony at the courthouse unravel when Grayce Walters and company decide the two Marines deserve a real wedding.
Overwhelmed by the generous attention of her new circle of family and friends, loner Maddy realizes falling in love with Hunter comes with big changes. Worried that the next assignment might separate him from the woman he can’t live without, Hunter struggles not to ruin his fiancée’s pleasure at getting her dream wedding.
But it’s Christmas—the season of miracles. Tough-as-nails Major Hunter Hines and fiercely independent Second Lieutenant Maddy Jeffers will soon discover Christmas wishes can come true.
Gabe Griffin, the best man to his multimillionaire scientist brother Gavin, would rather return to the field as an elite Delta Force soldier than think about marriage—especially between his brother and some self-absorbed, status-seeking woman like Tiffany. But the task of delivering the dress and the designer has fallen into his hands.
Fashion designer, Lauren Harrison, dreads nothing more than yet another wedding—particularly that she has “agreed” to design the dress for her half-sister during the Christmas season.
Alongside Lauren’s bridezilla sister, the country wedding only gets worse when she is forced to interact with Gabe, her secret crush, as he transports the dress and her to the venue, due to the raging blizzard. Sparks fly, but will the close proximity change their minds about love? Or will Gabe’s mission to prevent his brother’s wedding with her help thwart Lauren’s high school fantasies?
Enjoy this contemporary romance of holiday fun, set against the backdrop of the remote Eastern Washington countryside!
It’s Christmas in Charleston.
Luke and Emily Hutchinson are hosting the entire crew at their home in Charleston’s historic district for an early Christmas celebration. It’s the first time they’ve all been together since Em was captured and Luke almost died taking down his nemesis in Beirut a year ago, and everyone is looking forward to sharing some Christmas magic together. Except one of them has unknowingly brought a deadly threat to their doorstep.
But evil doesn’t take holidays.
When a shocking threat suddenly shatters the calm, Luke and his team must risk everything to save two of their own. And when the rescue attempt goes wrong, the consequences are more costly than they ever could have imagined.
He’s the world’s most alpha Marine and the last man I should be letting jingle my bells this holiday season.
So why does Clint O’Dell keep running through my thoughts wearing nothing but a Santa hat? And why do I stupidly agree that we should be Christmas friends with benefits?
Someone must have spiked my eggnog.
I don’t do Marines.
Or Santas.
I learned my lesson about both the hard way.
But when Clint steps in to rescue me—from a murderous goose, a rogue reindeer, and the ghost of Christmas Right Now causing trouble in my bakery—I can’t help but wonder if we’re meant to be more than friends.
If maybe Clint is the holiday miracle I’ve been praying for…or if all the magic will disappear with the season.
He knows how dark the world can be
Jack Prescott’s past is full of cruelty and darkness—until his wife Caroline wiped away the pain of the past, giving him light and love. Jack loves her passionately and all he asks is that she takes his training in self-defense seriously. He needs to know she will be safe from the darkness of the world.
On Christmas Eve, danger strikes
Caroline is reading a Christmas story to little children in her bookstore when a vicious criminal breaks in. Jack is rushing to her side, but right now she has to save herself, the kids in her bookstore, and the child growing inside her. She and Jack have everything to live for and only Jack’s relentless training can save her now.
Happy holiday reading!
Hearing Loss and Military Heroes
The road to happy ever after is never easy, especially in romance novels. The harder the struggle, the more significant the conflict, the wider the gap between the hero and heroine, the sweeter the moment they come together.
When I was plotting the story for MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET, I knew the heroine would be a professional musician but what–aside from her life being in danger–would create barriers between her and the hero?
How about a man who can’t appreciate music because he can no longer hear it? To torment my hero even more, I created a story in which the hearing loss has cost Special-Ops Marine Nick Jenkins his military career.
Hearing loss may not be as dramatic as losing a limb, but experts estimate that more than 50 percent of combat soldiers suffer moderately severe (or worse) hearing loss. It’s an injury that impacts more military personnel than any other type of injury. Sometimes the hearing loss is just an inconvenience; sometimes it robs soldiers of their hearing completely.
Our military personnel sacrifice time, health, and so much more. Writing about these real-life heroes is my way of honoring them.
Here’s a short excerpt from MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE TO FORGET, coming February 2020.
“Let me take you out for a drink. We both need it after this funeral.” Ben leaned closer, his thigh pressing against hers and squeezed her hand. Ben Massine, the successful and charismatic tenor with the voice that had the world at his feet, was seated next to Emily.
Her eyes darted to his. The compassion in his dark eyes and expressive voice would be her undoing. All she could do was nod since the grief was lodged somewhere between her chest and her throat.
Emily pulled her hand into her lap, now unsure if Ben was making his usual moves or was as upset as she was. Emily never trusted Ben’s motives in pursuing her. Was she just another notch on his bedpost? He could have any woman. He did have any and every woman if People magazine was correct.
His Sicilian roots with olive skin, black hair, and Grecian profile made him irresistible. Unlike his hordes of fans, it wasn’t his dramatic looks and powerful presence that made Emily susceptible. It was the bright warm timbre of his voice, his soulful passion for the music, his ability to transcend the music. He was a gifted artist, and Ben should be the perfect match for her.
But the heart was a contrary organ that didn’t listen to reason. It was time to wipe the memory of the dark-haired, over-loaded-testosterone male, the hardened Spec Forces Marine Nick Jenkins, who didn’t have the voice like a choir of angels but a rough bass steel drum.
Coming February 2020
Available for preorder on Apple Books | Kobo | Nook | Google Play
Professional cellist Emily Hewitt loves nothing more than creating music. Sharing her gift with the world is all she lives for. Until her life is threatened. Caught up in a treacherous conspiracy, Emily becomes the pawn in an international play for power and must be assigned a bodyguard.
Former Special-Ops Marine Nick Jenkins is out of a job and out of patience. Discharged from the Corp because of hearing loss, the last thing he wants to do is babysit someone who’s surrounded by the haunting sounds of music he can no longer appreciate. When danger turns deadly, will Nick be able to save Emily?
5 Reasons Readers Love Navy SEALs
Romance readers love Navy SEALs. Just search Amazon and you’ll see how many books feature military heroes, many of whom are SEALs.
What makes these dedicated men worthy of a leading role in romantic fiction? Here are my top five reasons.
Navy SEALs are selfless. These dedicated warriors pledge their service and loyalty to team members and their country. Every woman dreams of falling in love with a man who pledges his loyalty and dedication.
Navy SEALs are prime male specimens. SEAL candidates must pass a strict physical fitness exam that includes swimming, pushups (50 in two minutes), situps, pullups and running. They must then remain in top physical condition. The washboard abs and rock-hard muscles are a bonus that fuel readers’ vivid imaginations.
Navy SEALs are special. No, really. Candidates are among the top 1% of service members. There are about 2,500 active duty SEALs and less than 250 pass the training each year.
Navy SEALs never quit. Those who make it through BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demotion/SEAL) training, a grueling regimen which only about 20% complete, prove they have grit, perseverance, focus and commitment.
Navy SEALs are selective. It takes a special woman to penetrate the tough-guy shell most Navy SEALs wear. Who else but a strong, sexy, intelligent woman is worthy of a hero?
Top 5 Military-themed Shows to Binge-watch
It’s the weekend – yeah! With inclement weather continuing throughout the country, it might be a good weekend to binge-watch something on Netflix or Hulu or Amazon Prime or any of the other on-demand streaming services.
The proliferation of military-themed shows has made it easy for me to binge-watch my favorite type of hero: The Warrior. It’s the complex mix of characteristics that make these heroes so compelling: disciplined yet daring, stoic yet passionate, strong yet vulnerable.
Here is my list of top 5 military-themed shows to binge-watch — all in the name of research for my contemporary romantic suspense books, of course!
SEAL Team – The lives of the elite Navy S.E.A.L.s as they train, plan and execute the most dangerous, high-stakes missions our country can ask.
The Brave – The complex world of our bravest military heroes who make personal sacrifices while executing the most challenging and dangerous missions behind enemy lines.
Valor – The boundaries between military discipline and human desire are tested on a U.S. Army base that houses an elite unit of helicopter pilots trained to perform clandestine international and domestic missions. The drama unfolds in the present as well as in flashbacks to a failed mission involving one of the first female pilots in the unit, ultimately uncovering layers of personal and government/military secrets and leading to a season-long plan to rescue a group of MIA soldiers.
The Last Ship – After a global viral pandemic wipes out over 80% of the world’s population, the crew (consisting of 218 people) of a lone unaffected U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer, the fictional USS Nathan James (DDG-151), must try to find a cure, stop the virus, and save humanity.
Six – Navy SEAL Team Six attempt to eliminate a Taliban leader in Afghanistan when they discover an American citizen working with the enemy.
What’s your favorite military-themed show to binge watch?
Release Day - Marriage Under Fire
Now available! MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, Book 4 in the Grayce Walters Mystery Series
Marine veteran Maddy Jeffers never expected her most demanding and daunting mission would come off the battlefield. Ordered to infiltrate a Seattle terrorist cell, Maddy must pose as a loving wife to Major Hunter Hines. The undercover role begins to feel all too real when Maddy falls hard for the rugged, macho Marine.
Duty and discipline are Hunter Hines’s credo, guiding every decision and every action. But constant proximity with the fierce and enticing Maddy is veering his mission wildly off course. Although their role as man and wife is only pretend, there is nothing false about his out-of-control desire for his partner.
When Maddy’s life is threatened by an ISIS cell, protecting her becomes the only mission that matters, and Hunter is willing to break all the rules to save her. As the danger heats up around these two veteran heroes, Maddy and Hunter must walk a narrow path between passion and survival.
Available at online retailers: Amazon | iBooks | Kobo | Google | BN
