Sometimes the only hope for the walking wounded is in each other’s arms. Devon Lowe is a survivor. A survivor of war. Of combat. And of a betrayal by men she considered her brothers-in-arms. But her trailblazing work as a Cultural Support Team member working alongside the navy SEALs is too important for her to back down now. Fresh off a painful breakup, air force pararescueman Rhys Halloran … pararescueman Rhys Halloran recognizes Devon’s trauma for what it is–something that’s left her isolated but far from irreparably damaged.
With Devon’s trust still lying shattered back in Afghanistan, putting her faith in a man who’s nursing a broken heart isn’t easy. But she’s tired of people making her feel weak, and Rhys makes her feel anything but, sparking a heated attraction that was never part of the plan.
With all eyes on Devon to prove herself in a brutal man’s world, having it all will mean putting her heart on the line like never before. But when it comes to Rhys, it’s an uphill battle she’s ready to fight.
Publisher’s Note: Keeping a Warrior deals with topics some readers may find difficult, including past sexual assault.
This book is approximately 92,000 words
One-click with confidence. This title is part of the Carina Press Romance Promise: all the romance you’re looking for with an HEA/HFN. It’s a promise!
more
Second in a new series focused on a group of Navy Seals, it depicts the lives and loves of these soldiers, and focuses on far more than romance. With a diverse group of characters and realistic relationships and situations, this promises to be a very good series, well worth reading.
Keeping a Warrior is the second book in Melanie Hansen’s Loving a Warrior series, but it’s the first book in the series that I’ve read, and also the first book I’ve read by this author, and if this novel is an example of her writing, I’ll be reading a lot more of her in the future. It gets 4.5 stars from this reader.
I love books about Navy SEALs, and didn’t fully read the Netgalley blurb when I requested an advance reader copy of this novel, but I’m so glad I did request it. I’ve wondered for years, and suggested to some of my favorite authors in this sub-genre that I felt it was time someone addressed the rapidly growing issue of women in the military being raped, either by the men in their units, or the officers who had power over them, their careers and their future. Thank you, Ms. Hansen for being brave enough to tackle this issue, among others in this novel, and in a way that was both tasteful, emotionally moving, and spot on.
Devon Lowe, is a CST, a cultural support attache among a combined unit of Marines, Special Ops, and mostly Navy SEALs. She’s just been sent to Kandahar, Afghanistan and is desperately trying to fit in and prove her abilities and fitness for the job to the men in her unit. Sadly, her previous deployment with a team of Marines ended badly when she was gang-raped by some of the men in her unit, men she trusted, and when she reported it, as I’ve learned that most women in her situation seldom do, she wasn’t believed by anyone, including her superior who was the man she was sleeping with at the time, but that man, Jon, watched her being raped, and said and did nothing when she was called a slut, and “a walking mattress” who was “asking for it” when she went out drinking one night with her teammates, men she trusted, who took advantage of her when she was too drunk to consent.
As usually happens, instead of punishing the men who raped her, she was transferred out of that unit, and is now wary of every man in her new assignment, always carries a concealed knife, but senses kindness and decency from one man, Rhys Halloran, an air force corpsman and medic, a decent guy who’s trying to end his stateside, relationship with his lifelong friend and former fiance, Lani, back home. They met briefly on a previous deployment but never had the chance to get close, since Rhys was faithful to Lani. What he offers Devon now is his friendship and support as she encounters new challenges in her role as a CST, new physical challenges, as she must keep up with her Navy SEAL teammates, all while fearing that what happened to her once might very well happen again, and all while dealing with the horrors of war and the desperate lives of the women and children in poor Afghan villages. In Devon, Ms. Hansen created a fully-rounded, complex and tough as nails heroine, with grit, determination, and depth. And in Rhys, Ms. Hansen created a handsome, kind, thoughtful and caring hero who was impossible not to fall a little in love with as the novel and their relationship progressed. I loved that Ms. Hansen gave us a slow-moving, slowly-developing friendship between Devon and Rhys, and took the time to let them get to know one another and for that relationship to grow into more.
Of course, there’s other drama in this novel involving two gay team members, Shane and Matt, one man out of the closet and one still in the closet, and the stress that put on their relationship as well. I’ve learned that their relationship was introduced in the first novel in this series, and because Ms, Hansen treated their M/M relationship with so much emotion, depth, and understanding, I’m looking forward to backtracking to read their story too, and plan to follow this series in the future.
Be advised that this is a story that takes place in large part in a war zone, and there are triggers aplenty in this novel, war-related violence, sex-related steamy scenes, as well as rape flashbacks, betrayals, fear, sexism, bullying and the brutality and senselessness of war–but all are handled so well, so honestly, and so believably, that I couldn’t find fault with any of it. My only issue with this novel, and the reason I gave it 4.5 rather than 5 stars is that a glossary of military acronyms would have made understanding some of those acronyms and military techno-speak easier to follow and understand.
Aside from the one minor flaw I mentioned, this novel was an excellent read, worked just fine as a standalone for this reader, and handled the touchy subject matter with such delicacy, honesty, and a depth of understanding that I think it’s one of the best military romance novels I’ve read in years, and if the aforementioned triggers don’t prevent it, I highly recommend that you get a copy and read it–it’s that good.
I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions stated are my own.
Independent reviewer for Archaeolibrarian, I was gifted my copy of this book.
This is book 2 in the Loving a Warrior series, but you don’t NEED to have read book one, Loving a Warrior, for this to make sense. But personally, I would recommend you do. Cos I loved that book, and Matt and Shane play a huge part here.
Devon is trailing a path through a man’s world, a path she will not be veered from. But meeting Rhys, and how she connects with him on a very primal level, scares her a bit. When Devon’s full history comes clear, and Rhys’ too, their relationship takes the next step. Temporary, but NOT casual, right?
I loved this book, but equally I struggled with it. I shall attempt to voice why!
At times, I wanted to slap Rhys, I really did! He KNEW he was stringing his ex along, deep down he knew it, but he did nothing to stop it. He answered her calls, her messages, her crying down the phone, and pulled the string along a bit more. He KNEW he had to let her go. But then Devon comes into his life again. They met some 4 years before during an op. And here they are, working together again. And he doesn’t shut Lani down IMMEDIATELY! And I wanted to slap him some more.
He DOES care for Devon, right from the start though, and that makes him really question what he had been doing.
Devon’s trauma doesn’t come clear immediately, it kinda creeps out along the way. And it’s shocking, the level of betrayal she suffered, and it appears MANY women in the armed forces suffer. And I think this is what I found most difficult to deal with. How high up the food chain the covering up goes.
Oh, no, this bit, THIS is what I struggled with the most! Matt and Shane play a HUGE part here. Granted, they spend most of the book either fighting or ignoring each other, trying to find what they really feel for each other but failing miserably. Matt, apparently, said something to Shane. WHAT was said was never explained, and I’ve been trying to recall if this happened in their book, but short of going back to reread (I don’t, nor do I have the time!) I will never know, and I wanted to!
I loved the way Hanssen melds Loving a Warrior into Keeping a Warrior, not just because of Shane and Matt’s part here, but because of that other thing, the thing that I did NOT see coming! Had I read the two books back to back, I might have picked it up way WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY right back at the beginning of the book, but I didn’t, and I was blown away by that little revelation!
Both Devon and Rhys have a say, in the third person. I did not see any spelling or editing to spoil my reading, and I read this book in one sitting, not an easy or short read, but I could NOT put it down!
Who is next? I dunno. Are there more in this series? I hope so! Oh please tell me there will be! It would be great if Matt, Shane, Devon and Rhys all take part too!
Ms Hansen has 9 books (according to Goodreads) and now I’ve read 3. 3 very different, but still amazing books. I want to read the rest of them. I want to start at the beginning and work my way through. I want to follow the path of this author, cos she is on my hit list now!!
5 stars
**same worded review will appear elsewhere**
Keeping a Warrior is the second installment from Melanie Hansen’s series, Loving a Warrior. It is, also, the first book I have read by this author. I thought it was a good read. I enjoyed the perfect chemistry between the two main characters, Rhys and Devon. I, especially, felt a connection to Devon. I could not imagine what she had endured in her past life.
I am giving Keeping a Warrior three and a half stars.
I received this book from the publisher. This review is 100% my own honest opinion.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
4.5 stars
M/F Military Romance
Triggers: Rape, Murder
This is the second book in the series, but I don’t believe that it’s necessary to read book one in order to understand what’s going on in book two.
Devon is one tough lady. I absolutely loved her character. She’s complex and tough, but also has a tender side and wants to feel confident in showing it. But in the military, she knows that she’s odd man out. I love that she can keep up with the SEALs and really enjoyed watching her put other men in their place. When she comes up against a trauma that she knows she has to work through, she puts on her brave face and does what she can to overcome the tragedy.
Rhys is a great soldier, but he is also one who needed a break from it. When he first meets Devon, not only is he impressed, he never forgets her. When they meet again, Rhys can tell that she’s been through something bad, but doesn’t want to pry. Instead, he does everything he can think of to earn her trust. What ends up happening is that they form an unbreakable friendship.
These two burn up the sheets, but both aren’t sure if they will ever want a full-on relationship. Since they both understand their jobs, both know that to live in the moment is the best for them. But when the future is fast approaching, can they both leave their romance on the battlefield?
I really enjoyed this book and loved Devon’s character. I do wish more had been done with her trauma, as it felt unresolved. However, I understand that sometimes, that’s what happens – things remain unresolved. I can’t wait to see who gets their story next.
Mary Jo –
Triggers: sexual assault
This book is one of the best books I’ve read all year. It explores all elements of the trauma that both men and women face daily, including those that serve our country.
Devon’s strength in continuing her military career in spite of the trauma she’s been through is a huge testament to her character. Rhys’ patience and understanding makes this friends-to-lovers story that much more remarkable.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
Check out our Keeping a Warrior post on Wicked Reads at http://bit.ly/WRKeepingAWarrior
Not going to lie, I signed up to review this title without reading the blurb for two reasons- I grab everything the author releases and I assumed it was the continuing story of Matt and Shane from the first book of the series. When I realized Keeping a Warrior featured a new couple, I’ll admit I wasn’t initially as enticed…but then it’s this author and I had no doubt she’d deliver a great story. In the end, I got the best of both- new characters and a story that addressed an important topic in today’s military while delivering a good romance, as well as significant updates about Matt and Shane over the course of the book.
I loved the pairing of Rhys and Devon, and liked how many of the “typical” relationship norms didn’t apply for these two. I also loved how much quiet strength they lent each other. Keeping a Warrior was definitely a love story vs a lust story and I appreciated the slow build of friendship and trust between Devon and Rhys. Though this wasn’t a romance that left me swooning, it was impossible to miss the deep connection the couple shared, not to mention their chemistry in the bedroom.
Per usual with Miss Hansen, it was the characters’ stories in Keeping a Warrior that won me over. One thing I love about this author is her accurate portrayal of life and life’s hardships- especially within the military. That honesty meant Devon’s story was as heartbreaking to read as it was uplifting when she battled back and wrote herself a new story. Though not quite as in depth as the BUD/S training chronicled in Loving a Warrior, there are a lot of military specific scenarios depicted in Keeping a Warrior which lend insight and authenticity. In other words, if you want a fantastical, sugar-coated military romance, this may not fit the bill. However, if you like seeing strong, tenacious heroines who rise above adversity and are their own champions, then I’d definitely recommend Keeping a Warrior.
*Reviewed for Alpha Book Club*