It should have been simple, but life has a way of getting complicated.
When correspondent Tate McKenna broke her own rules and took navy pilot Lieutenant Commander Evan Kane home from an embassy dinner in Bahrain, she knew all the reasons why it wouldn’t work. Long, unpredictable work hours. Extended absences. The dangers inherent in their jobs. Yet after being with Evan once, it was inconceivable she wouldn’t be with her again.
When they finally have a chance to get things right, danger follows them home from Afghanistan. Now, Tate and Evan must stand together in a show of force or risk losing everything—including their lives.
AJ Quinn’s first novel, Hostage Moon, was a 2012 Lambda Literary Award finalist and a 2012 Alice B. Lavender Certificate winner. A transplant from Cuba to Toronto, she juggles the demands of a busy consulting practice with those of her first true love—storytelling—finding time to write mostly late at night or in the wee hours of the morning. An avid cyclist, scuba diver, and photographer, AJ’s always willing to travel at a moment’s notice.
4 1/2 Stars. Wow, this was good. Not what I was expecting, but much more and better. It was one of those cases where I didn't quite read the cover blurb correctly. It's a bad habit, I kind of gloss over blurbs as to not spoiler the story too much. Anyway, I was not quite prepared for the wild ride of emotions I was about to partake in. This is not a light read. Parts turned my stomach and broke my heart. Yes, this is the kind of story that will make you feel something, and that's what makes it so good. The romance was excellent, while the character fell for each other quickly, there was no absurdly quick "I love you's". They grow closer and closer and depend on each other to heal. The thriller part of the story was also very well done. The danger felt real and keeps you as a reader, on your toes. As I mentioned earlier this is not a light read. One of the character deals with PTSD/nightmares/flashbacks, while it's not a subject I'm an expert on, it seemed very well done. Heartbreaking, but so well written. And because the characters are also well written, it breaks you heart even more. I will be searching out more A. J. Quin books to read in the future. If her other books are even half as good as this, they will be worth the read. I would easily recommend this to any drama/thriller/romance fans who are looking for a non-fluff book, to take you on an emotional journey.
This book is a cut above the usual romance/thriller genre lesfic being put out by BSB, etc. All the requisite elements are here: hot & sexy leads, sizzling chemistry, dangerous missions, thrilling finish--what we normally expect from this genre. What surprised me was the depth of emotion the author imbues the characters with. From their very first scene together to the very last page, I could feel their passion for each other and for their work. From the pinnacles of ecstasy to the depths of sorrow/despair and everything else in between, this book takes our characters (and me) on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I don't want to go into more detail as the ride is best enjoyed without knowing where the author will take the plot. There was one point when I worried a bit about the turn of events and I had to remind myself this is genre lesfic. :)
Overall, most of the plot was believable and realistic. No superheroes or superspies here (we have the Elite Ops for that). And some chapters were a bit slow (and somewhat painful to read) because the author chose not to gloss over the emotional aftermath of the characters experiences. But they make the characters richer, their journey more compelling, their love more affirming and the whole book more rewarding than just a quick and forgettable afternoon read.
This was an excellent book. Lot's of action, adventure and thrills. It was well written with two very appealing leads. If you like thrillers, you will like this one. I am not a huge thriller fan, which hurt my enjoyment of this book. But all the other aspects were so well done I will not complain.
A few reasons why I read this book 1. A hotshot female fighter pilot 2. A hotshot female fighter pilot 3. Top Gun and the soundtrack 4. Lex and Jem rated this higher than 4 stars.
Another talented author. I hope that, should one fine day Ms.Quinn decides to open up a sub shop, I will be her #1 customer. She's not skimpy with details and well executed ideas in this book, just imagine what she can do to subs..
This book throws me off the headboard, make me reread the blurbs and reviews a few times. Ms.Quinn is like a magician, pulling out many surprises from the black hat.
If you're worried about the instant attractions, you shouldn't. The hs' first meeting and everything that follows are cleverly crafted. The only issue I have regarding their relationship is, their love scenes are non descriptive. These ladies are clearly head over heels crazy over each other but to have their love scenes equivalent to blowing the candles out but never eating the cake is just sad (throwing in a sad smiley to highlight my sadness) :(
Since both hs are in the war field, I couldn't help myself from thinking okay something bad is going to happen as Kenny Loggins and the Jaws theme song play simultaneously in my head. And.. Boom! Boom! Boom! If you're a fan of doubles - tennis doubles, double cheeseburger then you'll probably enjoy Ms. Quinns' double surprise.
My other issue with this story is one unworthy character is given too much attention. The spawn of satan does not deserve the attention / page time and IMO Ms.Quinn should have just let them deal with the ptsd issue and none extra toppings.
I would like to apologize in advance for my crazier than usual review - 1. My appetite is still on strike 2. School session starts tomorrow after a 5 weeks break.
Hey, beautiful lady..... you’ll read this tagline often enough in the book 😊
1st book from AJ Quinn that I read. Didn’t really know what to expect but as it turned out, it was a pleasant surprise. SOF is well-written and a definite page turner for me. Plenty of action, thrills and suspense that keep me at the edge of my seat. A teary moment or two....can’t help it when the tear fell just for that few seconds.
This was a definite insta love/lust but it didn’t bother me one bit....surprisingly. Liked the banter/chemistry between Evan and Tate. If you are expecting hot sexy scene - don’t. Given the chemistry between Evan and Tate, I thought the sexy scene will be hot but it kinda fade into the background and was mostly non descriptive (bummer) but which was fine cos I just wanted to know what’s gonna happened next. Supporting character were wonderful though Evan’s parents kind of just fade away.
I love AJ Quinn. I wanted to love this book, but it's just okay. The romance is good, but the villain and all the buildup between him and Evan just didn't pay off. The ending seemed rushed and was a downer. I did the audio version and the narrator was not great. She wasn't terrible. Just okay. For some reason throughout most of the story she seemed panicked and on the verge of a breakdown.
Show of Force is a tour de force multiple times over, not only for the author AJ Quinn but for the publisher Bold Strokes Books, the folks behind the Elite Operative Series. For two days this book has haunted and possessed my soul, penetrating my dreams, and completely winning my heart. I do have a very large soft spot for military folks even more so when they can survive the unthinkable, love so fearlessly, and yet be sexy, savvy and spectacular.
Lieutenant Commander Evan Kane is a naval aviator par excellence. Immensely talented, extremely well educated, charming and amusing, she is also stunningly hot. Her story after she is shot down in Afghanistan on her final mission on her final tour of duty is nothing short of extraordinary. I am so humbled by this woman’s story my eyes are filled with tears, love, and heaps of appreciation.
Tate McKenna is an active, accomplished correspondent for the Middle East News Bureau. A beautiful, above and beyond compassionate woman, she is a fascinatingly talented and an adept counterpoint to Commander Kane. Their love story is so gripping yet resplendent and oh so comforting throughout the hellish circumstances surrounding these two. She and Evan share some over the top breathtaking moments that were often welcome oases within this thrilling story both in and out of bed.
It is my extreme pleasure and sometimes-difficult burden to get so engrossed and immersed in a book that my own world comes close to a screeching halt. However, that is why Show of Force is simply a must read if even a small piece of the action is in some way appealing. Watch out. It brought me to my knees, but I wouldn’t have missed it for the world!
In fact, I wish the book could have go on and on and on.
Honest disclosure: I bailed at like 60%. For me it seemed the good stuff--the flying of the jets, the military stuff--was over. If she ends up flying again in the end, well then I guess I missed out, but the middle of this book became so bogged down in relationship sappiness I just got tired of it.
And here's the odd part. This couple doesn't even know each other when they first do the horizontal mambo. Matter of fact, they don't even know each other's names when they see each other across a crowded room, meet 5 min later outside, and are tearing each other's clothes off (4% into the story). By 6%, they've "done it". The next day, they are talking about having a relationship. WAY too abrupt and that is where some relationship-building was needed. NOT after all the excitement of a plane being shot down, terrorist abduction, and a rescue. (By the way, I thought we never negotiated with terrorists???)
Instead, after all that incredible excitement, the book takes a drastic decline. The hospital, recovery, endless "I love yous" and "I'm here for yous" and frankly, except for lust of each other's bods, I didn't get the love thing. But then, readers were never privy to the their "getting to know each other" periods. The book itself points out that their deep discussions have always been on the phone and when they see each other in person, it's all an "I want your bod! tearing-clothes-off session."
I think this story had great potential. I would have just rearranged it a bit. It felt as though the most exciting part was in the beginning...and then it was over. And that made the rest of the story seem really dull. It could not hold my interest.
Have to admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for strong military types. Lieutenant Commander Evan Kane is a naval aviator who is simply extraordinary. Charismatic, well educated, charming and witty, she is also stunningly attractive and knew how to TANGO. OK, so the author had me at the dancing scene. She did a great job of making an strong impression/visual of Cmdr Kane. Tate McKenna is the love interest and correspondent for the Middle East News Bureau. The story after Cmdr Kane is shot down in Afghanistan on her final mission on her final tour is nothing short of unbelievable but oh so entertaining.
Concerning the chemistry, I'm a bit of a broken record in my reviews and once again I understood the attraction, but not the substance of the relationship. Call me picky but I wish to understand both. That being said, the story had me. Very fast pacing, momentum, and continuity. Well worth crowding out other aspects of my life to continue reading. Really good!
Excellent story. I like this author's debut novel, "Hostage Moon," then I loved it as an audiobook. So my expectations were high when I got my copy of "Show of Force" and I was not disappointed. What I really liked was that when the tension built to the point that you knew the bad guy was going to make his move, I found myself trying to guess how it would unfold. None of my imagined scenarios were correct. I really liked, too, that all of the plot twists are completely believable ... no "oh, I forgot about the handcuff key I keep in a hidden compartment of my boot" kind of thing. I will say that if a movie was ever made of this story, the director would probably change the ending to make it more fantastical and epic. But I edit crime news for a living and thought the conclusion was exactly what would happen in real life. Good job, AJ Quinn.
Well, this went on a very unexpected path. I was getting bored pretty quickly with this story, probably because I had an overdose of heroic, extraordinary women and was in need of some more mundane ones :P
But then, we have after-Afghanistan Evan and everything changed. The way in which trauma was portrayed, how it affected every aspect of Evan's life, and how more damaging felt for her by contrasting in her mind her old self with this new, post-trauma self is fantastic. It's really heartbreaking, which tells you that it was done well. There is no magical healing, nor glossing over consequences, so it's hard to read, but, again, very good.
The bad guy in this story is a full-fledged psychopath who... hates lesbians in the military? Now, I'd have just let it as a classical women-hater, no need to be so specific, but oh, well, it worked *laughs*
What did not work was the narration, at least for me. Stella Bloom's style is... I think soap opera is the best descriptor. Exaggerated, with an unnecessary emphasis in particular words, totally over the top.
I still managed to finish it, though, so... it can't be so terrible *laughs*
I had such high hopes for this book because the beginning was great. I have to say that I experienced this book as an audiobook. I travel every month so audiobooks are such a wonderful thing for me to utilize while driving or else I would go crazy on the road. The beginning was so great, exciting, sexy, intriguing.. However the rest of the book was completely repetitive, unrealistic to an excruciating point, and to be honest it felt as though it was insulting my intelligence as a reader. Everything was completely spelled out with explained reason that was unnecessary. The book was completely weighed down by irrelevant detail. The strong, intriguing characters from the first two chapters turned into corny, overly emotional characters that made the most inane choices due to a plot that hardly made sense and carried zero credibility. I have to admit that the overly emotional delivery was due to awful narration. Even the most simple line was delivered with heightened breathy emotion which left me feeling very uncomfortable most of the time. The reason I gave two stars instead of one is because I appreciate the amount of work one must go through to complete a novel which gains the extra star. I really dislike leaving bad reviews however I was shocked to see how many five star reviews there were of this book. I know that we are limited when it comes to lesbian fiction in comparison to mainstream fiction but we really need to raise our standards.
I liked this book over all. I am in love with Evan Kane. I really liked the heat between Evan and Tate. I did not want to put this book down, I wanted to see what happened next, how their relationship was going to progress. It was a bit much at times for me, in that I hated seeing what Evan went through, but I did like how it turned out, and I wasn't disappointed overall. Not a waste of my time, and I will probably re read it over time.
God save me from overdramatic narrators!!! I am not going to say any more about this except that I literally spent a week looking for the book rather than have to listen to the rest of this audiobook.
As for the story itself - it pretty much follows the formula of all the other A.J. Quinn books I've listened to in the last while. A blue eyed, dark haired bad girl with a heart of gold and a tragic past gets the shit beaten out of her pretty regularly.
Again with the $10 words when 50c words would have done just as well. And that's pretty much it. Once again some interesting facts, this time about PTSD and war heroes as well as journalism in a war zone. And other characters who would be perfect for a series.
This is one of those "wow" reads. As a combat veteran I always approached stories involving the military and war with pessimism until I discovered lesbian authors, the respect and compassion shown to women in uniform has been refreshing and uplifting.
A.J. Quinn has done an incredible job with a really tough subject and weaving a beautiful love story into the mix. This is the first of her books I have read, but I now own all of them... I think that says it all.
I do caution combat vets that suffer from battle fatigue or flashbacks that this could trigger some stuff. But it worth the read.
Woof, okay, the main couple here gets together way too fast and the author doesn't spend enough time developing their relationship. As a result, I didn't feel much attachment to the couple. Some of the drama felt overblown too. Still, I appreciate the author tackling issues like ptsd, etc. 1/3 stars for romance rating - eh.
Goodness gracious Evan is remarkable. She goes through so much! Wow. This book is intense and engaging. Action packed thriller. Well written. There's romance, devastation, heartbreak and not giving up. I'm giving it 4.75 stars. Only reason is the ending had a great build up and then felt a little rushed. But all in all, amazing.
Another great book by AJ Quinn. This author takes the time to build her characters, give them depth, make the shine and then. She digs into a fascinating story. An emotional ride with twist and turns. A truly engrossing read. I have really enjoyed this book.
2.5 Out of all the books this one is my least favourite and if I hear any more of the name of the main baddy in this I am gonna scream!I do appreciate the PTSD representation and how hard it is but for the love of god the person needed a therapist
A serial psychopath who is associated with the CIA and terrorists in the Middle East has a thing for a female navy pilot that has everything to do with torture and cruelty while he holds her captive and later as he tries to recapture her.
Though those scenes of her time in captivity and her recovery after are intense, the love story between her and a female war correspondent is beautifully sexy and weaves a bond of connection and love that holds her together and helps her heal.
Show of Force was unexpectedly filled with amazing depth in characterization and the storyline. It was an emotional and satisfying read well worth your time.
4.5 stars. Excellent, fast paced thriller. Tons of chemistry between the leads. Only criticism is that I was jarred by the antagonist all the sudden getting POV sections more than halfway through the book. Honestly I think it would have been stronger to not include that and leave the readers guessing about what was true as much as Evan. Despite this, I really enjoyed the novel and am excited to read more from this author.
The plot is okay but it doesn't go deeper as well as the characters and their relationship. Everything is very superficial. The main characters were likable but the sexual tension between them starts to develop and then ... it's suddenly the next day and they had a wonderful time. The story would be great, you can feel the danger but something is always missing.