His Soldier

Title: His Soldier

Author: Anna Lee

Publisher: Totally Bound Books

Publishers URL: https://www.totallybound.com

ISBN/BIN: 9781784304379

Genre: {M/M}, Contemporary, Men in Uniform          

Rating: 4.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymph Reviewer: Critter Nymph

Dean has never loved another person as much as he did his brother.  When his brother, who is in the military, dies Dean has a hard time adjusting.  To honor his brother, Dean decides to become the pen pal of another soldier overseas, never realizing that he has changed his life once again.

His Soldier by Anna Lee is a very good story that had me in tears almost from the beginning.  Dean is a teacher at the local school.  His life has been hard; the only thing that made it bearable was the love of his foster brother Dax and Dax’s mother Beth.   I had a hard time not crying, as I read about Dean’s home life and later Dax’s death.  Both these things play an important role in the story, be forewarned they really pull at the heart strings.

Ryder is in the Army.  He takes his job and the protection of his men seriously.  When the opportunity of pen pals is presented, he puts his name in the hat to help motivate his men.  It is easy to like Ryder and the way he and Dean interact through their letters is fun to see.  Because of the book’s blurb on the publisher’s site, readers know to expect tragedy to befall Ryder.  Once it does, the young soldier acts realistically by pushing Dean away due to fears of no longer being a ‘whole man’.   While Dean’s demands to be with Ryder are to be expected, I would have liked to have seen Ryder resist a little more.

There are some unexpected road obstacles in the men’s relationship, which are easy to see coming.  I actually could not believe the extent to which one of the secondary characters went to but liked the way Dean handled everything.  

His Soldier is a perfect read for a lazy day.  I will also be keeping my eyes open for more by this author.  

Bind

Title:  Bind

Author:  Katie Porter

Publisher:  Samhain Publishing

Publisher URL:  www.samhainpublishing.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1619218802

Genre:  {M/F}, BDSM, Men in Uniform, Suspense, Series

Rating: 5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

Astrid knows her last chance is with Command Force Alpha (CFA) since she became a whistleblower at her last job.  Nicky is bound and determined to take out the organization that shot him and put other agents in danger.  When Astrid asks him to help her do one thing that will let her get close to someone in the organization, Nicky is unprepared for the emotional rollercoaster.

The third book in the Command Force Alpha series, Bind, showcases the commander of CFA and his taste for using rope.  Astrid finds she loves being tied up by Nicky.  What both are unprepared for, especially being boss and employee, is the emotions that come out between them.

Nicky thinks Astrid is too young for him, though, and balks at taking her on an undercover assignment.  Not only do they both work through some emotional issues that they have buried, but they work well together.  The chemistry between them is intense.

There were a few light hearted moments between a few of the agents who end up being Nicky’s and Astrid’s guards.  Based on one situation at the end, it is obvious that either Nicky or Astrid was targeted, though as it progresses, it becomes obvious who it is.  

Bind is my favorite story in this series so far as the author does a great job about the different techniques of using rope.  She obviously did a lot of research.  In addition, I learned a lot about Nicky, because he had been such a commanding figure in the previous stories and Bind showed a different side to him.

Readers do need to read this series in order, and I am looking forward to the next one about CFA. 

Warning: This book contains very intricate rope work that should not be attempted without proper training. 

Snap

Title:  Snap

Author:  Katie Porter

Publisher:  Samhain Publishing

Publisher URL:  www.samhainpublishing.com

ISBN/BIN:  9781619218819

Genre:  {M/F}, BDSM, Men in Uniform, Suspense, Series

Rating:  5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

Lawrence (Laurie) Madigan is rescued by his team from Command Force Alpha, but feels like he is still in prison while they try to evaluate him. Gemma is the team’s resident shrink, but feels like he is blocking her regardless of their past relationship. What happens when Laurie escapes, taking Gemma hostage?

The second book in the Command Force Alpha series, Snap, deals with a man that has undergone extensive torture, both physical and mental.  He is out for revenge, since he identified who sold him out to a new terrorist organization that was under the Command Force Alpha’s radar and who identified him as a British SAS member.

Gemma and Laurie have always been attracted to each other since they first met, but never acted on it as Gemma was engaged at the time.  Even after that ended, they maintained a best friend type of friendship, though both secretly wanted more.  Once Laurie returns from his captivity, things change between them, but trust is a hard thing to give once betrayed.  The chemistry between them is intense, but both have to come to terms with the people they are now.

A few characters from Own show up to help Laurie find the person he’s looking for, but a situation with his tormentor changes Laurie’s priorities.  I loved how strong Gemma really is, and how both she and Laurie find a solution to break through that last barrier he has so he comes fully back to the team. 

The Command Force Alpha series is an extremely intense suspense series that will keep your interest throughout.  The author has done a good job keeping the covert ops situations realistic, and some of the descriptions of the torture in Snap may be disturbing.  I am looking forward to reading the rest of this series and I will be reading the stories again.

Own

Title:   Own

Author:  Katie Porter

Publisher:  Samhain Publishing

Publisher URL:  www.samhainpublishing.com

ISBN/BIN:  978-1619218826

Genre:  {M/F}, BDSM, Men in Uniform, Contemporary, Series

Rating:  4.5 Nymphs

Literary Nymphs Reviewer:  Amazon Nymph

Katsu, Colonel Stafford’s daughter, ends up staying with the man that broke her heart when he went to work for her father.  Now that she has to be protected, Evan knows things are going to get complicated.

Own is the first book in the Command Force Alpha series.  Command Force Alpha is a Black Ops group with members of elite forces from around the world fighting terrorists and criminal organizations.  The author also showcases the journey of two people finding their way together after a lot of baggage and learning what they need from each other.

Evan and Katsu have some intense chemistry as well as history.  For those that like BDSM stories, this is more about the mindset of a relationship than about bondage itself.  Though Katsu is independent in her own right, she craves the order of not having to choose in certain situations. 

Evan knows Katsu needs order in her life, yet she has let it become chaotic.  One thing that I liked was that the author showed that a BDSM relationship is what the people involved want it to be.  I liked that Katsu was willing to state exactly what she wanted and needed, such as the remark that she doesn’t like pain, but was willing to be spanked because that made Evan happy, but that was as far as it was going to go regarding pain.  Evan knew what he liked, but had never really thought of it in terms of domination and submission.  I loved his solution to help Katsu cope when he had to be gone on missions. 

As the story progresses, several surprises wait for the team with regards to their last mission and what it entails for the future.  One thing that is inferred about Katsu’s father is that he had the same type of relationship with her mother, even though remarks he makes seem to go over Katsu’s head regarding it. The relationships between the various team members are great, but also volatile at times.  I think this is because they are at the top of their game in covert ops and it is a way to relieve the stress.  The men and woman of Command Force Alpha contributed in their own way to the story and I am looking forward to their stories in the future.