LOVING A WARRIOR by Melanie Hansen is an interesting story with the focus on seal training (BUD/S). The mindset was fascinating, as was the training. I loved the brotherhood and teamwork. The relationship between Shane and Matt was very real. The way they worked together, to help each other when they needed it was inspiring. I enjoyed the story, finished it at 2am!

3 Stars - The second half was better than the first! The first half was overshadowed by the SEAL stuff and that got me bored! I know it’s a slow burn story but still I needed to see more romance! But it was just "get wet and sandy"! I didn’t need that much wet and sandy but a bit more romance! Told in dual POV, 3rd person. overall, it was an okay read for me and hope you like it!
Thanks to Melanie Hansen, Netgalley and HARLEQUIN-Carina Press for the advanced digital copy in exchange an honest review.

This one is full of all the things I love. Angst, secret love and a whole lot of heat.
I couldn't get enough of these characters! I fell for them from the start and couldn't help but hope for them to find their HEA.. I mean you just can't go wrong with some sexy Seals! You definitely want to pick this one up!

Sexy Marines going through BUD/S. Shane and Matt need to concentrate to get through six months of hellish training. Do they want to be SEAL's or be together? Can they do both? Great story and hot characters. Can't wait for book teo in this series.

I'm a fan of military themes. Throw in some super hot alpha SEALS and I dive in. (they're good at rescuing people right? ;-)

Matt & Shane give us a delicious slow burn romance during their BUD/S training.

Since I've (obviously) never been to BUD/S training, I can't tell you if what I just read is realistic or not. What I CAN tell you is that it felt completely realistic.

This is no "mushy little love story." These men are tough.
These men are strong.
These men are committed.
These men are gorgeous inside and out - or they would be if they weren't "wet and sandy" all the time. ;-)

I loved how Melanie Hansen portrayed the men in this novel. They are solidly alpha males. That doesn't mean they don't have big hearts with a capacity to care and caretake. It means that this is a M/M romance novel between two very male leads. ---and I just ate it up. They play sports, they roughhouse, they get loud and rowdy, and they work to the limits of their physical and mental abilities to become Navy SEALs.

It's an action filled slow-burn with loads of UST. These men, at 23 and 27 years old, are just beginning their lives and careers. I loved reading the start of their journey.

I want more stories like this one. :-)

3.5 STARS I did enjoy this book, the slow burn is one of my things- I want that connection with the M/C's. Matt & Shane's relationship felt honest and real with a getting to know you understanding, that part I did enjoy. As much as I enjoy a good Military story this one felt too technical for me, way too much terminology talk, too repetitive of the wet & sandy, grueling challenges. I would not have minded 2 times but it was almost the whole book and I found myself skimming. Additionally IMO the M/C's personalities flip/flopped from the beginning of the book right in the middle - I felt like they completely changed who they were-relationship wise. Don't get me wrong I did enjoy the book, but I could have left out 1/3 .

**** I received this ARC for NETGALLEY***

**I received a copy of Loving a Warrior from HARLEQUIN - Carina Press and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Loving a Warrior by Melanie Hansen is my first book that I have read by the author and I wasn't disappointed. In fact I loved it and can't wait for the next one in the series that was hinted at the end. The research that she did on BUD/S was fantastic (Either she knows someone who has gone through the training or knows a former SEAL. Thank you Ms. Hansen for taking the time to give us a look inside BUD/S.

Matt has always had a goal in life to be accepted into BUD/S and earn his Trident just like his Uncle Rick who fought during Mogadishu. So when he bumps into Shane while training on the beach there is an instant attraction felt but knowing that as classmates they can't act on those feelings will be hard. Both men will have their own weakness points but when Shane has to drop when a family emergency happens Matt will realize how much he cares for him.

Shane who was a Marine has decided to go thru one of the hardest trainings there is BUD/S because his best friend Jon had been one when an IED explodes taking his life. He knows that it will be harder than boot camp but when he runs into Matt he'll have to put whatever feelings that he has to the side to get through the training. There is angst with both men however when it all comes down to how they feel about each other it will be there friendship that will get them through to the end.

Finding love in the middle of SEAL training was nowhere near Matt's plan. His head has to be in the game if he's going to secure a spot on any of the elite team's and follow his uncle's footsteps. What he didn't expect was Shane.

Shane's reasons for entering the program are all together different than Matt's, but no less personal. If he's going to survive it, if they're both going to survive it, they'll need each other. They'll need to balance on that fine line between fellow soldier, teammate and undeniable attraction.

I've read a fair share of M/M romance and I can say this one had a different feel from most. Why? Because Hansen let the friendship and romance develop at a much more organic pace. Much of the story focuses on their training and the struggles that brings. Which allowed the reader to get to know the characters but also allowed time for the characters to learn each other. While there was plenty of sexy attraction moments, they didn't overpower the overall story.

Which is two gay men trying to navigate a growing love in the middle of the hardest training of their lives. In the middle of figuring out what makes them and breaks them, of overcoming old fears and facing down new ones.

My only real issue, and it's such a small thing but distracted me all too much, is that sometimes these guys were all too male. I can't count how many times they belched. (<--see, small thing) It just took me out of all my little sexy happy feelings. Silly, I know, but hey - we all have our issues, I guess this is one of mine.

I took me a few weeks to get through Loving a Warrior. It then took me another couple of weeks to sit down and write the review. I never got interested in this book. Matt nor Shane grasped my interest. I can't really put my finger on any specific reasons for why they didn't win me over but they didn't. I hate that too. This is the third book I've read by Melanie Hansen. I LOVED the other two. I can still name the men from those two couples.

Matt and Shane meet due to BUD/S. They both have a dream of one day becoming a Navy SEAL. The desire to do this stems from different things for both men, the end result is still the same. The attraction is there for both men from the beginning. They also have the drive to get through BUD/S and they both know that any distraction will cost them their chance at this.

That is essentially what I got from Loving a Warrior. This is a military romance. I feel that Hansen did an excellent job in painting the picture of what Matt and Shane went through in regards to BUD/S. I never grew to like Matt or Shane. I never connected to them in any way. The lack of connection to them left me not caring whether they got a happily ever after or not.

In the end I was left feeling like I got a happy for now. I'm okay with those. The career choices that Matt and Shane have made make the happy for now seem more plausible. I'm thinking that Keeping a Warrior the next book in this series will be a continuation for Matt and Shane's relationship. I had many how are they going to make this relationship work questions. I'm curious to see if that's how the next book is going to go. I am not curious enough about their relationship to read it though.

Lately I can't get enough of military m/m romances and Hansen's Loving a Warrior filled that craving! A solid plot, well-developed characters, and realistic action, make this a good read. Definitely adding this author to my "must read" list.

Rating: 5 stars out of 5

BUD/S: six months of the most intense training there is. It’s survival of the toughest, and Matt Knytych is determined to come out the other side a navy SEAL.

Distraction is life or death. And just the sight of former marine Shane Hovland is enough to shake Matt’s concentration.

Shane came to BUD/S training ready to prove himself—again. Semper Fi is forever, but he needs a new start. Not this dangerous heat with a man he barely knows.

Everything they’ve ever wanted is riding on a thin, punishing line. And they’ll have to fight for more than just each other if they want to make it through intact.

After all, the only easy day was yesterday.



I started in with Melanie Hanson on her strong military story, Point of Contact.  Reviewed by both Barb, our Zany Old Lady and myself, each of us found it to be a moving, beautifully written 5 star novel. And each for very different reasons.  Now comes Loving a Warrior, the second in what feels like a series of SEALS themed novels and I'm just as caught up in her characters and storytelling as I was in the first.

Unlike the first novel where the men were out, well, one was at the start.  The men here are on a totally different journey.  Several of them in fact.  Both are first of all on that most intensive and exclusive of all paths...the one that might lead to getting their Trident and being a member of the SEALS.  That's BUD/S training.  Hansen brings us directly into probably something the majority of us will never experience and can never imagine, what those men and now some women go through in their attempts to become SEALS. Only a tiny few make it.  As Shane and Matt are run through the hellish rigors of BUD/S, we are right there, sweating,  straining, even bleeding and almost breaking along with them.  It's vivid, and so realistic that it makes you think about all the real soldiers going through training at this moment, doing everything they can to reach that almost unreachable goal.  Your heart is with them all.  Those that make it as well as those that don't.

Along with the unrelenting stress, mental, emotional, and physical of BUD/S, there's Matt and Shane trying to figure out their magnetic attraction to each other, one that threatens to become more and derail their  focus on their SEAL training which they can't afford.

Matt and Shane are complex characters, Matt especially so because he's got a hard veneer and laser focus on his goal to become a SEAL.  So for Shane to start to get under some of the barriers that Matt has erected takes time.  He seeks to understand   Matt and as he does, we do as well.  It works  both ways. Shane also has a background that makes his appear all too shallow when he's anything but.  Matt makes certain assumptions about Shane that he also needs to overcome and a narrow view of the  future for himself that needs enlarging if they are to have a future.

This is not a HEA, but a realistic HFN as it should be for two soldiers.  I would love to see Melanie Hanson revisit them down the line in a sequel, perhaps as they both go off on assignments.

Loving A Warrior by Melanie Hansen is a beautifully written novel that is full of complex characters and a gripping plot that kept me connected from beginning to end. It is also a wonderful  complement to the first story Point of Contact.  I absolutely recommend this story as well as Point of Contact.  Both are just amazing and I can't wait for another in this military series to be released.

Cover art is strong and has the characters well defined.  I like it although not as much as the first one.

Another fabulous military romance from Melanie Hansen, Loving A Warrior carries the same exacting attention to detail as her other works, and has a wonderful couple at the heart of the narrative.

I know other reviewers have mentioned the amount of background work which focuses on the training the SEALs go through in BUD/s but, for me anyway, it was a vitally important part of the story.

Without that deep seated intensity and the high failure attrition rate, the impact of Matt and Shane falling for each other would have been seriously subdued.

These guys are more than just teammates, in any Special Forces unit, no matter which branch of the Military it is, the bond is forged in hardship and suffering and I felt everything they were going through vicariously.

Melanie's characters are always so beautifully crafted, the intimacy and trust the two men develop, while knowing their careers will get in the way, was so well done.

I adored prickly Matt and wanted to wrap Shane up to protect his sometimes too open heart. I was also glad a certain cast member is pre-deceased as I wanted to cause them serious harm

Two moments stood out for me, the "I'm Spartacus" incident outside the club, and in the Epilogue, when Shane finds the two by four.

For me, they summed up everything :)

Can't wait for book two, which I'm hoping is going to be turning the exceptionally strong HFN into the HEA it really is.

4.5 stars.

I'm shook. This was a really good read!

Also is there a second book with the same couple? The way it ended it felt like there is. Almost like a HFN.

When I picked up "Loving A Warrior" I was not quite sure what to expect since the cover is a bit porn-y and in the first few pages Matt jogs along and ogles at each male butt. Suddenly Shane crashes into him. The awkwardness from horny Matt soon levels out and you are present with a Matt who is desperately trying to ignore this crush he has on a seemingly straight bloke.

As the story goes on, Matt and Shane learn from each other and get to know one another. It is such a pleasant progress to read about because as the reader you just know that both are into each other and you start to root for them. At the same time you just can't help but be a bit frustrated at how dumb they are when they are unable to see the mutual attraction!

When they finally kissed - and then did more than kissing - it was one of the happiest moments for me. This is so because the chemistry between Matt and Shane is simply irresistible. It consists of light - sometimes not so light - adorable banter, and support. Over the course of the book they start to genuinely care for each other and you can tell that they would go through hell and beyond for one another.

On top of this, Hansen could have easy chosen to make this oddly porn-y or a cheap romance. However, "Loving A Warrior" empathizes on more than just sex. Matt and Shane discuss their priorities, putting SEAL training on top, followed by their friendship and sex as last. Even though, they do make jokes about wanting to shag each other in this very moment, nobody is ever pressured or "seduced" into such a situation.

As the story continues, their relationship starts to change as well. It begins with flirty banter, then they're at a weird stage when they're not really sure if they are dating and in the end it turns into deep love. This development does not feel rushed but due to a comfortable pace it felt natural.

In addition, I enjoyed how the LGBT aspect had been handled. While "Loving A Warrior" is LGBT fiction, it does not use the age-old coming of age trope. Matt and Shane are already comfortable with their sexualities and it is debated as much as being straight would be in a novel. This makes it into a love story in which the two protagonists are, well, two clowns who are in love and happen to be gay.

"Loving A Warrior" has positively surprised me in every way. It is a heartfelt, light and funny story that goes deeper than a conventional romance novel would. Furthermore, the chemistry between Matt and Shane is irresistible and I felt for them during every single page.

ARC Review: Loving a Warrior by Melanie Hanson

Matt Knytych and Shane Hovland are facing the toughest training of their lives: BUD/S. Getting through this physical and mental hell means achieving their dreams of becoming Navy SEALs. The last thing they need is any kind of distraction. Unfortunately, their heads, their hearts, and body parts farther south are not listening to the No Distractions policy. As they begin to fall for one another, their struggles become harder and accomplishing their career goals could mean denying what their hearts need.

I enjoyed Loving a Warrior because I thought the author did a good job of portraying two very different men who are both total alpha males in an environment that demands complete physical and mental toughness. Their dialogue was believable, and the relationship between them started slowly and bloomed into something that was realistic with the difficulties and challenges they faced. I would have liked to have known more about Shawn’s prior deployments and the things he saw that affected him so much, but not knowing didn’t take away from the overall plot. That’s just my own selfish little wish.

I found the training and military aspects of the plot to be realistic and to coincide with many of the SEAL biographies I have read, which was so important to this book, and set this story apart from many other military M/M books that never really delve into the details of military life.

I was honestly hesitant to read this because I read Point of Contact (see review here: boysonlybookclub.wordpress.com), and while I thought that story was beautiful, I also felt that it went on way too long and that Hanson lost sight of who the characters were for a while, which kind of ruined the story for me. I am happy to say that Loving a Warrior ends just when it should, and Shawn and Matt remain true to who they are.

All the books I've read by this author so far rocked my world, so of course I had to get my greedy little hands on this one as well ;)

I can happily say, that I was not disappointed !!

Matt and Shane meet in BUD/S training. I am gonna be honest here, I had to look some of that shit up :P For instance... BUD/S stands for Basic Underwater Demolition/Seal. I didn't know this and I also didn't know it is a 6-month SEAL training course which is held at the Naval Special Warfare Training Center. It is a very extreme training and the first part is the hardest.... Gotta love Google :P

All this googling made me a very happy camper, because I love books about militairy trained men !! Marines, Seals, Rangers... I love em all, and Matt and Shane are no exception.

I absolutely loved reading about how hard their training was... I was holding my breath right along with them...not quite as long as them though :P

Now even though I really loved this story, it wasn't very romantic. Their relationship is a very slow build one. Sure Matt and Shane are very attracted to one another, right from the start, but it takes them a really long time to actually get together. And once they do...both of them have the same rule : training comes first and no is to know.

Matt is especially driven to finish at the top.

Now even though I loved reading every single page of this book, it felt unfinished to me. For me, this end more on an HFN than a HEA. At the end of the book it states that this book is the first in a series, and that there will be a second one "Keeping a Warrior". I myself figured it would be about the same couple, but I got some responses on my review by people stating that the next book will be about a different couple.... So my guess is as good as yours so far.

Wether this couple will get a second book or not, does effect my rating a bit. Because I do feel that things are left a bit....unfinished... It's still some time away until the release-date though, so I will keep my rating at 4-4,5 stars, rounded down for now ;)

An ARC was kindly provided to me via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Loving the Warrior is the first book I have read by Melanie Hansen. I enjoyed this book, the interaction between the characters and the storyline is quite enjoyable and look forward to finding more to read by this author.

This book surprised me! I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve never read anything by this author before. Now, I can honestly say that I can’t wait to dive into her other books!

I really, really enjoyed this book! Shane and Matt’s journey to become the coveted Navy Seal was such a good read! This author takes us all along their journey in BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL) training. Through all their wet and sandy exercises and so much more. These instructors mentally and physically break you down. And build you back up little by little. To get them ready for all the missions they are about to embark on.

We see different sides of both Shane and Matt throughout this book. Both of them needing each other for different reasons. So much of life getting in their way while in training. Both of them fighting and proving why they want to become a Seal.

What I really loved about this book was that it wasn’t all about the sex. We get a lot of built up. A lot of sexual talk and promises. It just made it so much better to to when they finally did do something. Little things here and there. They both build a relationship with the little time they had with each other. They never let their bad moods or all the obstacles that they thought were in the way get in the way with them.

I can’t wait for the next book coming out next year! Keeping a Warrior. It will be interesting to see how Shane and Matt hold up in their new relationship. And what life throws their way!

This book had a lot to live up to coming after the superb Point of Contact. We were thrown right in from the off watching two men train to be navy SEALs and the detail and research here was amazing. I felt every bit of the sweat, the sand and the gut-wrenching and relentless tasks these men were given during their training.

Shane and Matt both came with baggage, and the circumstances that brought them to this moment weren’t easy. They meet just before the pain and torture that’s known as hell week― BUD/S training to become a US navy SEAL― all the while trying to fight their growing attraction. How they cope with trying to ignore their feelings for each as well as cope with what’s probably the most amount of physical and mental stress any man could go through, is a feat in itself.

The past that each man carries rears its head and what we have is a very beautiful and simple tale of two men falling in love despite their pasts and the journey they’re each carving out for their future and we feel every bit of their indecision, their heartache over past experiences and how they handle their growing respect and attraction for each other. Can they learn to trust each other and follow their hearts? This is a lovely read, and one that is almost a snapshot of two men falling in love and proves that being at peace with your past is a hell of a tough journey, but the rewards are limitless.

Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMG Reads.

Avec ce roman, Melanie Hansen nous entraîne en immersion complète dans le monde des SEALs, et plus particulièrement dans la période cruciale du BUD/S, période au cours de laquelle les candidats repoussent leurs limites à l'extrême, dans l'espoir de franchir toutes les étapes, et de terminer ces six mois avec le Trident épinglé au revers de leur veste.

On suit plus particulièrement le parcours de Matt et Shane, deux recrues ultra motivées, qui vont se rapprocher, devenir amis, et puis .... un peu plus que cela, évidemment.
Alors, autant le dire tout de suite, côté romance, c'est sobre, nos deux gaillards ont des préoccupations plus importantes et un emploi du temps tellement prenant, qu'il y a peu de place pour une histoire d'amour en bonne et due forme. Je suis restée sur ma faim à ce niveau-là, même si ça colle évidemment très bien avec la situation des personnages.

En fait, ce roman est surtout centré sur ces six mois de BUD/S, avec des descriptions hallucinantes de toutes ces épreuves physiques et mentales auxquels sont confrontés les aspirants SEALs. On comprend aisément pourquoi cette unité est l'élite de l'armée américaine. C'est un monde ultra masculin, saturé de testostérone, où la moindre faiblesse est synonyme d'échec (ou presque). Comme dans les autres romans que j'ai lu d'elle, Melanie Hansen donne l'impression de maîtriser son sujet à fond, le vocabulaire est très détaillé, et le jargon militaire ultra-présent, ce qui accentue la vraisemblance du récit. C'est un peu comme regarder un bon film d'action, avec quelques longueurs toutefois.

Beaucoup d'action donc, une jolie camaraderie et un esprit d'entraide, ainsi qu'une romance assez pudique, voilà donc ce que réserve le prochain roman de Melanie Hansen, qui m'a nettement moins emballée que les autres romans que j'ai lu d'elle. Néanmoins, je lirai la suite, car la romance ne m'a pas rassasiée, j'en veux plus, beaucoup plus, et je pense (enfin j'espère !) que ce sera le cas dans le prochain tome !