One Marine, HeroRating: 3.5 stars
Buy Link:
Amazon | All Romance | Amazon UK
Length: Novel


Captain Jake Woodley is a hero to everyone but himself. Awarded the Medal of Honor for his last mission, he struggles with the guilt of knowing that not all his men came home. Rewarded for his bravery with a cushy job as a helicopter pilot for Marine One, Jake wavers between his love of flying and his remorse over having such an opportunity when his teammates are lying in a grave. It has him reaching for a bottle to ease the pain he feels on a daily basis.

Matthew “Beau” Beaumont works as a fashion columnist for a local D.C. newspaper after his last job as a hard-news reporter was eliminated when the paper downsized. When a misdirected invitation has him heading to the White House for a dinner, Beau hopes this means that his career may get the boost that it needs.

Beau never expected that offering the hot Marine an after-dinner blowjob would be accepted. What was supposed to be a one-night stand turns into an extended booty call. As the two start spending more time with one another, they realize that they both want something more than just sex and a relationship blossoms.

As the two begin their new relationship, Beau stumbles upon some defense department anomalies. As his investigation heats up, he begins to realize that he is on to something when a series of events suggest the investigator may be being investigated. Where there’s smoke, there’s usually fire, and Beau and Jake are in danger of getting burned…unless a hero makes a daring move and risks everything to uncover the truth.

This book is a romantic suspense with a heavy emphasis on the suspense/mystery. As a mystery, this one was fairly interesting. A reporter accidentally sees something he shouldn’t have seen. A helicopter pilot is making clandestine trips in the middle of the night. If you love a good politically themed mystery, this book will have you sitting on the edge of your seat from beginning to end.

As for the romance side of the story, despite Beau’s fabulous pickup line, I wasn’t feeling the relationship between Jake and Beau. The two definitely had sexual chemistry together, but I wasn’t buying the relationship. Beau was a total slut prior to meeting Jake. He’s fun and full of energy. Jake, on the other hand, is a dark soul who seems to have a death wish except he can’t bring himself to do it and leave behind his three-legged dog. While I get the whole hurt/comfort appeal for Beau to “save” the hero from himself, the fact that Jake has some anger issues was a complete turn-off. I will admit that the Jake at the beginning of the book was a lot different than the Jake at the end of the book – and yes, that probably is due to having Beau in his life –  but I didn’t get why Beau was willing to stick it out when I wasn’t seeing the connection other than being a booty call.

I applaud the author for the details that her research into the workings of Marine One, the political climate of Washington, and even Camp David. These details help bring the story alive. Unfortunately, sometimes it felt as if there was too much of a focus on the details. Instead of letting the characters show us these details, it felt as if at times as if the details were told to us.

I was also a bit disappointed with the sex scenes between these two characters. If this were a movie, it would rate PG-13, which considering Beau was blowing Jake at the White House, one would have expected there to be a bit more spicy in the bedroom.

Overall, this was an interesting mystery with a romantic theme to it. If you like a good mystery, this book does deliver on that portion. As for the romance, it didn’t work as well for me.

A review copy of this book was provided by Dreamspinner Press.

Wendy sig