Damaged in Service

Damaged #1

by Barrett, Barrett Magill

Zeke Cabot is smart, tough, and one of the best Special Agents in the FBI’s Chicago Field Office. She’s also recovering from a traumatic head injury and months of being undercover on the mean streets of the Windy City. She takes an extended vacation in New Mexico to help her recover from her physical and emotional duress.

She meets Anne Reynolds, a home health nurse, who is recovering from a failed sham marriage. Surrounded by the breathtaking New Mexico landscape, they are pulled into the horror of a serial murder case that Zeke thought was closed. Zeke’s PTSD runs dark and deep and threatens to overwhelm their fledgling relationship. But every once in a while, two opposing energies can merge to create a stronger alloy—but the laws of physics, like love, can be fickle.

Genres: Lesbian, Crime, Lesbian Fiction, Mystery, LGBT

227 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2011

Reviews

[Lex Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 Stars. With my Amazon Prime membership I get one free Kindle Unlimited book a month. For April I decided to go with this book by Barrett. I have wanted to read this book for ages. While this is a new release for Sapphire, this was originally published 7 years ago. Unfortunately, I did not read the original book so I’m not sure if there were any changes besides the covers. If you want to look-up the original reviews just type in “Barrett” and leave off the last name of Magill and the original book will pop up on here.

I had competing feelings when it came to this book. Parts of it I enjoyed, other parts not so much. For one, the main character Zeke is an FBI agent dealing with PTSD from a previous assignment. We don’t see what happened but something about a serial killer that turned into terrorism. I must admit I got confused. It could totally be on me, but her last case seemed so convoluted that I just didn’t get it. I really wish the book had started at least partially in the past so it would be better explained. Plus, what I did understand sounded kind of exciting which I think the book could have used.

Another issue I had was Zeke’s PTSD. I felt it was a little too much telling what she was feeling, instead of showing me what she was going through. It left me feeling a little disconnected where I thought it could have been a pretty powerful way of connecting and making me feel for the character. I actually think this book would have worked better for me in first person to really dive into Zeke’s feelings.

When it came to the romance I thought it was decent. I did feel that the mains developed feelings for each other pretty quickly, but I was glad the actual relationship took a slower pace. I was worried it would be insta-love, but it wasn’t, just insta-like I guess.

I think my final sort of issue was the pace of the book felt a little slow. With the way the book was building I thought we were going to have some good excitement, but that wasn’t really the case. And the one scene with a little action was not what I was hoping for. I do have to mention a trigger warning that I wasn’t happy about but it takes a little explaining so I’m putting it under a spoiler. There is either a rape or an attempted rape. The way the scene is written you don’t really know what happened. It was really an odd author’s choice in my opinion and I didn’t really get it. And even with that small action scene, I did feel the story dragged at times because of the slower pace.

The story doesn’t have an ending. The new version of book 2 is already out with the book 3 coming out in a few weeks. So here is where I’m conflicted. As you can tell I had issues with this book but I still want to know what it going to happen. I wonder if I might enjoy the next books more. Was this book a little slow to set things up and the next book might be more up my alley? Currently book 2 is not on Kindle Unlimited but it is available for a reasonable price so I’m considering if I should continue or not. If you had this book on your to read list, and you have Kindle Unlimited, now is a good time to check this out to see if it appeals to you.

[Diane Wallace · Rating 3 out of 5]

An ok read! plot was good but the characters were too one dimensional..not an earth-shattering storyline to get into hmm

[Jae Jae]

39-year-old Special Agent Zeke Cabot has a lot going on. She just wrapped up an undercover assignment, investigating the murders of homeless people in Chicago. While she managed to catch the killer, she was injured and is now experiencing symptoms of PTSD. On top of that, she's also worrying about her mother who shows early signs of Alzheimer's.

She retreats to New Mexico for a vacation, but bad luck seems to follow her when she gets hurt in a hiking accident.

Anne Reynolds, a local nurse, finds Zeke and takes care of her injuries. Even though Anne is straight and has been hurt by her ex-husband, she starts falling in love with Zeke.

What I like about "Damaged in Service" is that falling in love doesn't instantly solve all problems. Both Zeke and Anne have insecurities and issues that threaten to keep them apart, but both are willing to work on being together.

I also enjoyed the beautiful descriptions of New Mexico.

At times, there almost seemed too much going on (Zeke working undercover, a good friend and colleague being killed, the sting operation in Paris, terrorist connections, the hiking accident, an attack), but I appreciated the author taking the time to develop the relationship between the two women.

I noticed several editing issues in the book, including incorrect punctuation of dialogue.

This book, number one in a series, doesn't have a resolution, so I'll reserve final judgment until I've read the next book and see how the author wraps up the different storylines.

[D. Leigh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Three stars really doesn't indicate how much I did like this story. At times, it seemed a bit too much like a travel log, but I probably was overly sensitive to that since I worried that the last book I wrote suffered from the same. That aside, I loved the well-developed characters and the story. My mediocre rating is simply because I hate cliff hangers. I tolerate them when they are appropriate, but I just didn't feel like this story warranted the lack of resolution at the end. Still, worth the read and I'm sure I'll try this author again because I like her writing style.

[XR · Rating 2 out of 5]

It got a little cheesy for me and I wish the author would have looked into PTSD more, 'cause it's so much more than just nightmares. The incident with the two men was really unsettling and felt like it was written just to add another layer of drama that wasn't really needed. Oh well.

I'm hoping the next book isn't as disjointed and flows more 'cause as cheesy as the main characters spoke, I did like reading about them. Fingers crossed the Damaged series gets better.

[Ulla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novel is beautifully written and the characters are very likable . . . but nothing really interesting happens during the whole story. I'd like to go travelling around New Mexico with one of the ladies. The sceneries are really powerful and I'd love to see all of them.
But, I didn't want to read a travel guide, really!

[Dide · Rating 4 out of 5]

Arrg! I can't believe the cliffhanger of this book....just when I started to cozy up to the characters and the plot☺️. Anyways cool suspense even though I have many questions concerning who the true heroine is since Zeke is obviously underperfoming. Look forward to getting my eyes on the next book in this series.

[Amy Robertson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping first novel by Barrett. A combination of romance and suspense with the romance getting top billing, Damaged in Service will keep the reader turning the pages as Zene and Anne wend their way toward one another.

The writing and psychological complexity in this novel is superior and though several threads were not resolved it might be best to think of this as the first installment of a lengthy multi-part novel. I'll be looking forward to book 2.

[Kennedy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the story of Anne and Zeke. I thought the slow growth of their feelings toward each other was warm, endearing and realistic. The backdrop of the unsolved serial killer case was a suspenseful bonus.I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

[Peggy Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story spent a lot of time going over the travels of the each of them. In the end though it picked up quite a bit and now I can't wait to see what happens next.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this book Hard to believe thid is Ms Barrett'sfirst book Will say the last page was a real bummer "to be Continued" I HATE that. other than that a good book in deed

[Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

This review is from: Damaged in Service (Paperback)
I began reading this book in the middle of some crazy drama going on at work. Every day I left work I picked up this book and escaped into a story that had me at the Prologue...From there I wanted to know about Zeke and what troubled her, propelled her, made her who she was....Having visited the southwest made me read more, want more, and eventually desire more..Great character development.....I will leave it at that....I highly recommend this book...I anxiously await the sequel...and the next...and the next in the series...

-Amber Stewart

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"…at its heart, it's a wonderful story of survival ...and a gutsy story of love." C.

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A NEW review from: The RainbowReader.blogspot.com
Aug. 9, 2011

Damaged in Service by Barrett
Book: Damaged in Service
Author: Barrett
Publisher: Affinity E-Book Press



PTSD is a tawdry, insidious, undiscerning little bitch.


She doesn’t care who you are or how finely tuned your sense of logic or emotional balance is. It doesn’t matter to her if you’ve survived a war zone, walked away from a car crash, been physically or sexually assaulted, faced a devastating illness, said goodbye to a lover, friend, child, or parent, or even if you tried like Hell to keep someone else’s business from going up in flames.


She’s a trickster for sure. She knows how to find your secret backdoor, piggybacks her way into your internal control room, then resets all your psychological, rational, and coping dipswitches until up is down, right is wrong, and haywire is your new steady state.


You can’t sleep, but you’re exhausted. You’re angry about things that have never bothered you before. Your heart races, your head throbs, your hands shake, and your left eye twitches wildly with any sudden noise. Parts of your body suddenly start hurting, and nothing makes it feel better. You isolate yourself from family and friends, and it takes all day to screw up the courage to dial a phone or write an email. Maybe even, you’re afraid to drive over a patched pothole on your street, or you order your groceries over the Internet because the dairy section is too much commitment for any given Sunday. Some days are definitely better than others. Then again, some days are worse, much worse.


Yeah, she’s a sadistic bitch – the stronger you are, the harder you fall. Just the way she likes it.


Damaged in Service by Barrett takes us on the journey of FBI Special Agent Zeke Cabot, who’s recovering from both a head injury and months undercover as a homeless woman on the mean streets of Chicago. The sadistic serial killer has been caught and placed into custody, but not before he managed to brutally kill one of her closest friends. The FBI knows she faked her way through the psychological assessment, but they hope as much as Zeke does that an extended vacation will give her the time to recover physically as well as mentally. Zeke heads off to the Land of Enchantment, but first stops to visit her biracial parents in Mississippi. She’s always felt some disconnect with her dad, but adores her mom. However, as much as she wants to ignore it, it appears that mom is slipping into some form of dementia or Alzheimer’s, and dad is in complete and utter denial.


Almost immediately upon touching down in New Mexico, Zeke is bowled over, quite literally, by the beautiful nurse, Anne Reynolds. Anne is navigating the waters of a failed sham of a marriage, and not feeling any desire to get back into the game any time soon. The Fates conspire to bring Zeke and Anne together time and again, until Anne rescues Zeke from a hiking mishap, and takes her home like a stray puppy to make sure the lonely visitor has proper medical care. Both women sense something happening between them, but struggle mightily to brush it off, understand it, and then embrace it. However, the Fates are cruel, and the women are unexpectedly pulled back into the collateral horror of Zeke’s serial murder case. Anne is good for Zeke, very good, but the damage from Zeke’s PTSD runs deep and wide. Besides, Anne is still healing from her own emotional traumas, and new love is fragile and easily shattered by assumptions, miscommunications, and fear.


Initial impressions can be frightfully deceptive, yet I’ve always been a firm believer that the first page of any book is the strongest argument to continue reading. And, it’s true, I squeed like a piglet on a red-eye gravy drip after finishing the first page of Damaged in Service. Barrett is masterful in grabbing the reader, and invoking an immediate flight or fight response through raw visuals and sentences that fly off the page at a heart-pounding pace. She hooks you, and before “the ominous scene fades to black . . .” you’re invested in Zeke Cabot and more than willing to follow her anywhere she goes.


Best. First. Page. All. Year.


But, the story continues on with near perfect pacing. As readers, we’re given a chance to meet Zeke and Anne, to learn their stories, and figure out the basis of their characters before the romance picks up speed and hits the highway of love. I don’t mean to knock love at first sight, but Barrett’s approach adds a healthy level of believability and credibility. We see both women feel the initial tug of attraction, argue with themselves over the pros and cons of the pursuit, and finally screw their courage to the sticking-place.


With all due credit to Gary Larson, as the alpha says to the wolf pack surveying a barn lot full of pigs, “I say we do it! And trichinosis be damned!"


The pacing extends beyond the simple romance into the deeper issues both women are grappling over. Anne has always been straight, but she’s attracted to a woman who happens to live in Chicago, and is an FBI agent that pursues serial killers. That’s not an ‘oh, by the way’ set of problems to reconcile, and we experience her ongoing point/counterpoint. Likewise, Zeke is physically and emotionally traumatized, worn out, and coming to terms with the mortality of one of her parents. Still, we see her reach highs and lows, good days and bad days, and times when she’s social as well as times when she retreats deep inside. Again, the author’s patience and pacing allows the reader to develop a familiarity with the characters, which in turn leads to a richer, more sustainable relationship between the characters and the reader.


And we all wanna love the one we’re with . . .


The mystery and intrigue associated with the men pursuing Zeke took a backseat to the developing romance. At first, this struck me as a bit strange. Of course, I realized at some point that Damaged in Service is the first book in an ongoing series, and the reader is teased into knowing the mystery and intrigue will evolve into something even more sinister and damaging than what we see in this first book.


If that doesn’t up the ante (and pressure to deliver), nothing will.


As a reader, my complaints are few and mostly minor. However, I notice that even Zeke refers to Anne Reynolds as “Mrs. Reynolds”. While it can be considered correct to refer to a divorced woman as Mrs., the reference feels a bit dated, especially given the animosity of the divorce.


Silly, I know, but it bugged me - I probably would have slugged Zeke the first time she said it.


And lastly, the ending of the book was more of a cliffhanger than a first part conclusion that sets up the second book in the series. To me, it’s a bit of a tomato/tomahto argument. However, I can easily imagine any number of readers anxiously flipping the page and muttering, “Oh no you didn't just do that to me!"


Oh yes she did!


Damaged in Service is a fantastic debut for Barrett. The main characters are well conceived and written, the romance is honest and believable, the bad guys manage to shock the reader, and the scenery is as beautiful and lyrical in print as it is in real life. The pacing flies when it needs to, surges when it’s called for, and soothes when the time is right.


There are so many delightful things about this book, and Barrett has my anticipation locked and loaded for the rest of the series. It’s one of those books that just hit me right between they eyes, and I loved it. I’m giving this solid debut a 5.0 out of 6 on the Rainbow Scale.
--Salem West, Reviewer




***

Review by: Terry Baker
Damaged in Service by Barrett

FBI Special Agent Zeke Cabot is suffering from PTSD. She had just finished a gruelling undercover job, had a car accident causing a head injury and was at the end of her rope. Enough really was enough and she set off for a much earned extended vacation to New Mexico. Unfortunately, Zeke isn’t going to get the rest and relaxation she so badly needs.
When Zeke arrived in New Mexico she bumped into an intriguing blonde nurse, Anne Reynolds, not once but twice. As fate would have it, there was a third time when Zeke and Anne met. This time while Anne was out riding her horse, she came across Zeke after she had been involved in a hiking accident and she found herself looking down the barrel of Zeke’s gun.
After Anne gets over the shock she arranges to take Zeke to the hospital and then home with her to look after her. The two women begin to get to know one another. Anne finds herself struggling with her feelings towards Zeke. She has not long been through a nasty divorce with a man and has never been attracted to a woman before, until now. What can be happening to her? Zeke is also struggling with her feelings towards Anne. Anne is straight and therefore unavailable, isn’t she?
Meanwhile, on Zeke’s job front, all is not well. There are questions unanswered from her previous assignment. Enquiries are being made about Zeke’s whereabouts by persons unknown. She is called into the local FBI office, but can’t shed any light as to who is trying to locate her or why she is being sought out.
Anne and Zeke continue to get to know each other better and to begin to pursue the possibilities of having a relationship. They go away for a romantic weekend in Taos and are attacked by two men and Zeke is assaulted. Fortunately the FBI find them and think the two men are connected to Zeke’s previous case. The experience has set Zeke back though and all her insecurities return. What will happen now? Will Anne and Zeke continue their fledgling relationship? Will Anne be able to help Zeke get over her PTSD? Will their attackers be caught?
I have to say I was totally hooked on this story from the very beginning of the book. The opening sentences are just a tiny taste of the excitement to come. This is Barrett’s first book in a series. It is a fast paced story with lovely scenic descriptions. I not only lost myself in the story, but the scenery as well. There is a nice cast of supporting characters. T.J, Zeke’s friend pops up from time to time, it is obvious they are long term best friends. It would be nice to see more of her in the sequels. The various FBI agents are just as I would imagine them to be. So are the baddies.
I only have one gripe about this excellent book, it did not conclude and I don’t do waiting for sequels very well. But yes, I will have to wait. I want the next book though, sooner rather than later. A brilliant debut book.

[Katia M. Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I usually like this kind of story, but this one was poorly executed. The dialogue is often stilted and feels forced. It just didn't flow for me, especially when it is a series of tricialities like , "Hello," "How are you today?", "What did you do today?" "Good morning, would you like eggs?" These kinds of things don't really move the stroy forward and bog the reader down in my opinion.

We are also told a lot about how the characters feel but the way it is presented distances the reader rather than drawing them in to the characters emotions. It is boring to be told so-and-so felt dirty, or afraid, or was unable to focus. There is also quite a bit of repetition when a different character needs to be brought up to speed on something that has happened, so the reader ends up hearing the same thing three times. That gets boring because the reader already knows the information.

I found the sex scenes rather cliched and mechanical with the usual 'are you sures', 'I don't know what to dos', 'I don't want to hurt yous', and 'orgasmic screams'. I didn't connect emotionally with it at all. The cliche wasn't limited to the bedroom either, with such things as the character feeling something was 'the happiest day of her life', or her face 'lit up like a Christmas tree'.

This might be a pet peeve, but I was put off by the continual detailed descriptions of food. Every time the characters ate we got a run down of what was on the menu. Does it matter that someone had sausage, pancakes and syrup for breakfast? Does that move the story forward and add to the plot? Not really, unless the the sausages were poisoned, which they weren't. I found myself skipping over these parts.

By the end of the book I felt less invested in the characters than I did when I first started reading. This was a shame, because it could have been a really good story had it just been polished a little more. I probably won't read any more in this series, even if the first book essentially ended in a cliff hanger, because I simply don't care what happens to the two main characters enough to bother.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really mixed feelings about this book. I found myself enjoying some parts and flipping through other parts. I wish I had read reviews before reading. I would have discovered a certain scene and could of been prepared. I don’t know what I expected with this book. I felt the book was slow in some parts. The book did not resolve and will continue in book 2. I want to read book 2 just to see if it is more fast paced and what happens with the main characters. As you can tell from my review, I am all over the place with this book.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible story

The characters in this book come to life as you read this book. Zeke is far from perfect and Anne is woman so has captured her heart. You Wil smile and cry as you watch these women on a road to self-discovery and healing.

[Margaret L. Hedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great.

I really enjoyed Damaged in Service. Just enough law enforcement drama to keep you wondering. Romance is in the air.

[Frances Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really good book

It had all my favorite things mystery intrigue and a love story. Loved the characters can't wait to read the next book

[Meredith Burgess · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a sufferer of PTSD, I initially gave this book a wide berth as I did not want to trigger any of my own issues. I am glad I took the recommendation of a friend and gave this book the attention it deserves. This is a well written story that deals with PTSD with delicacy and accuracy. The characters are well developed and loveable, I particularly liked Zeke. Although the story does not conclude with this book, I was itching to read the follow up story Defying Gravity in the hope that the story comes to some conclusion with part 2. Luckily for me Defying Gravity has already been released. I don't know what I will do if Part 3 isn't released real soon. This is a debut book that shows the author is a natural writer, there are very few grammatical errors and these do not detract from the story in any way. Highly recommended.

[Nka300]

21/12/2015

Started reading it and unfortunately put it down after two pages. Sorry didn't grab my interest and a beginning like that was confusing and gives a "wrong"? first impression. Hopefully i did get a wrong first impression about how the story will develop.

.... will make a second attempt later

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

1st book

I tried to pace myself while reading this book, tried as I might just couldn't do it. I ended up buying the next two books just so I will have it on hand. I love Zeke and Anne.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

Zeke is on medical leave after receiving injuries on her last case. She meets Anne and the two feel an instant connection.

It was a good book. There is room for improvement but I enjoyed the characters.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!