Hurst takes a bit of a risk by opening this book at a point of conflict before we’re given a chance to emotionally connect with any of the characters, but it pays off in the long run. As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that the present-day events are the flash point for two men struggling under the weight of a powerful relationship. How Adam and Brock get to this moment is told through flashbacks, and the breadth of their history makes this narrative choice more appropriate than something more sequential, which would have then involved too many unnecessary time jumps.
Definitely read the glossary at the beginning of this book unless you’re already fairly comfortable reading fiction with significant military action. Hurst allows her characters’ narratives to flow in the language that comes naturally to military special operatives, which is only a small part of this book’s strong realism. Pretty much all of the present-day action is on the darker side (heed the content warnings), but I appreciated the unfortunate accuracy of how the situation is handled, even when it added to the stress and angst of both heroes. Of course, this is fiction, so I also wasn’t mad when realism gets subverted by what readers love best about spec ops adventure fiction, leading to a dramatic and satisfying resolution on all fronts.
The backstory of Adam and Brock’s complete romance arc is told via flashback from both men to various points in their history, from their version of a meet-cute to how their strong friendship shifts to something more. The jumps in time are occasionally messy, causing me a bit of minor confusion about what happens when in both the past and present storylines, but this doesn’t impact the story’s excellent pacing. The nonlinear narrative breaks up what would otherwise be unbearable tension for the military-style “hurry up and wait” portion of the present-day action and conversely allows for a more traditional story arc while highlighting that real life is often much less straightforward.
One of the external conflicts to this romance relates to when the book is explicitly set (via years established in chapter headings), while the American military was still restricted by the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. This certainly added to the angst during my read, but I also couldn’t help but feel like this almost dated the book to a degree. However, writing this review the next morning, I now appreciate that acknowledging the struggles of that time period and the progress we’ve made is also necessary. I’ll confirm that the book has a happy ending despite the time period, and it definitely allows Hurst to feature Adam and Brock as supportive cast in plenty more potential stories that I look forward to reading.
Disclaimer: I received a digital review copy of this book from the author.