Title: Between Ghosts
Series: N/A
Author: Garrett Leigh
Genre: Military/Contemporary
Length: Novel (226 pages)
Publisher: Riptide Publishing (March 14th 2016)
Heat Level: Moderate
Heart Rating: ♥♥♥♥ 4 Hearts
Blurb: In 2003, journalist Connor Regan marched through London to add his voice to a million others, decrying the imminent invasion of Iraq. Eight months later, his brother, James, was killed in action in Mosul.
Three years on, Connor finds himself bound for Iraq to embed with an elite SAS team. He sets his boots on the ground looking for closure and solace—anything to ease the pain of his brother’s death. Instead he finds Sergeant Nathan Thompson.
Nat Thompson is a veteran commander, hardened by years of combat and haunted by the loss of his best friend. Being lumbered with a civilian is a hassle Nat doesn’t need, and he vows to do nothing more than keep the hapless hack from harm’s way.
But Connor proves far from hapless, and too compelling to ignore for long. He walks straight through the steel wall Nat’s built around his heart, and when their mission puts him in mortal danger, Nat must lay old ghosts to rest and fight to the death for the only man he’s ever truly loved.
ISBN: 9781626493520
Product Link: http://riptidepublishing.com/titles/between-ghosts
Reviewer: Aerin
Review: It’s been a long time since I’ve read any military MM books, especially ones that are set in a war zone. I knew this wasn’t going to be a traditional romance because that wouldn’t be very believable given the circumstances. But I love Garrett Leigh and so I HAD to read this! I’m so happy I did, because this was a very lovely book, realistic, and a definite eye-opener when it comes to our troops and their experiences while deployed.
Connor is a journalist who lost his brother, James, 3 years prior to the events taking place, while his brother was deployed with the British Army. There’s a lot of confusion surrounding the exact circumstances of his brother’s death, and Connor feels compelled to go give voice to those brave soldiers who sacrifice themselves for their county’s safety. Connor is still brokenhearted, and he hopes this experience will also bring him some closure and ease the pain the loss of his brother brought.
Nat Thompson is a veteran commander, the person in charge of his elite SAS team, a much respected person and a wonderful friend. Nat lost his best friend (Pogo) and team member 3 years ago, and he still hasn’t recovered from the loss and the guilt and responsibility he feels over Pogo’s death.
Taking a civilian journalist under his wing and keeping him safe at all cost is the last thing he wants to do and a hassle his team doesn’t need, but Connor is not the wallflower Nat expects him to be. There’s this chemistry and sexual tension between Connor and Nat at all times from the first second they met, which I absolutely loved.
Nat’s bisexuality was well-known among his close friends and teammates, but it was something Nat was keeping quiet about outside hit close-knit group. Connor is everything Nat likes in a man, and he can’t get him out of his hear, no matter how hard he tries to do just that.
This book isn’t full of romantic dates and slow love-making, because this wasn’t the time or the place for something like that. Instead, Nat and Connor have a lot of stolen moments, and fast and furious sex, and the need for secrecy makes it all so much more intense. It was exactly what I expected and it fit with the story setting.
When dealing with extremist forces, things don’t always go as planned, which I suspected ahead of time, but I honestly didn’t think Connor was going to have such a big part in solving the mystery. When it all went to shit and Connor was in mortal danger, things got a little weird for me and certainly very confusing.
I hope I’m not giving away any spoilers here, but when the time to save Connor and extract him from the enemy hands came, there were over 20 soldiers against 4 or 5 enemies. And somehow, they all mysteriously vanished or something, because the showdown happened between Connor, Nat and the #1 enemy.
Of course, they almost died, yada-yada and all that drama, and the whole time I couldn’t stop wondering where the rest of the extraction team went. I was a little disappointed with how that whole scene played out. It was the deciding factor in my rating of this book.
There were plenty of things to love, like the banter and friendship between teammates and comrades, the behind-the-scenes glimpses in the everyday lives of our heroes (which sometimes are funny and heart-warming, while other times they are completely heartbreaking), the relationship between Connor and Nat, and definitely that beautiful HEA.
Great book!
* I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review through http://mmgoodbookreviews.wordpress.com *