As I said, having read the previous series of books, I had a little background and connection with the characters in this story, but even from an outsiders perspective, I can see this working wonderfully as a standalone read. The history makes their personal connections that much stronger and emotional (yes, I said emotional...just because they are guys and SEALS at that doesn't mean they don't have feelings), but the story itself is self contained. If you've been following my site for any about of time, you'll note that this is not a corner of the Fiction genre I delve into very much. For me, it's not the violence, combat, or link with reality that's the stake through my heart, but the political nature of the story. It sounds heartless, but for the sake of my reading enjoyment, I couldn't care less. It's like with Indiana Jones movies (hopefully you've seen at least one). There is all the Nazi (etcetera) takeovers, war advances, and so on, but it blends so well with the adventure story we've come to love, it's a background piece that doesn't interfere...just like here.




Now don't get me wrong, there are certainly higher political powers at work and aspirations of countries outdoing other countries, but you get so caught up in the more focused story that you can choose to acknowledge its existence without it taking over the entire read. Passages detailing which country was enraged by this country regarding the planned Natural Gas access, or even those that tell down to the scope type about the firearms being used, all boiled down to a check mark in my mind's file and a gloss over to see where our heroes were now...and I'm none the worse for wear. We've got a killer story filled with action, espionage, and mayhem hat will keep you on the edge of your seat. The finite details will enchant some, but for me, the characters are where it's at!

Chris (code name Reverend), Hannah (Infidel), and Sonny (Mr. Sunshine) are a lethal trio. Whatever they put their minds to, consider it done....and I mean REALLY done. There's no escaping when they've set their sites on you. Even if they have to go to the ends of the earth, sneak aboard a cruise ship, jump overboard in the dead of night to chase a shadow through the streets of Russia...you are going down. *Hoo Rah* Despite all of that, they aren't just kill and capture machines. Chris is actually a Reverend in his "other life", something that brings him great inner peace and joy. True, he'd love for that world to encompass Hannah a bit more on the regular but he'll take what he can get until her path ties into his (*fingers crossed*). Being our "leading man", we get inside his head much more than those of his teammates but that doesn't mean they are a complete mystery.




Hannah is rather deadly herself. If you don't get knocked out my her looks (according to the reactions of most men surrounding her), she'll easily pick you off with a well placed shot and erase all traces of it occurring with a call to one of her many contacts. Never mistake her for an unassuming woman; she just might have to MMA your butt to the ground. (*high five*) That brings us to Sonny. He's certainly the most crass and loves nothing more than the heat of the mission (well, except his food and women) but we actually see a small crack in that bada** veneer this time around. I won't exploit it (though I should), but it once again brings him back out of the realm of married to his work and everyday dude.

So, are you convinced? Is this a must read on your wish list now? Admittedly, it won't be for everyone, but for those that venture between the pages, you may be surprised just how high it rates on your reading list. Recommended for adult readers due to the story itself and violent content...otherwise, we're clean like the take downs they aim for. Don't forget to check out the first book in this series, Trident's Gleam. Now for the creme de resistance! When the review request for this title came through, I also had the opportunity to interview the author. (Score!) Seeing as I've now bent your ear for some time, I'll let him do the talking about the book and some UBER FABULOUS news you'll want to note. Ladies and gents, please join me in welcoming author Stephen Templin!