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Prior Engagement (2013)

by Karina Bliss(Favorite Author)

3.8 of 5 Votes: 5

languge

English

genre

Romance

publisher

Harlequin

series

Special Forces

review 1: More, Karina, please let there be more in this series! My thoughts as I neared the closing pages of A Prior Engagement, the fourth in the Special Forces series. One doesn’t need to read the other books in this series to understand this one, but it’s enjoyable revisiting the characters without feeling like the story has been retread. The series revolves around a group of special forces soldiers from New Zealand who served together in Afghanistan. Five friends went there together, but three returned after an IED blew up their condo. Everyone thought Lee was dead, including Juliet. His buddies find a diamond he’d meant to give her among his things and returns it shortly after his “death” announced. Given the grief faced by all, Juliet can’t bear to tell Lee�... more��s family or friends that she’d rejected his proposal before he left, which causes confusion and some feelings of betrayal when Lee returns. He’d not been killed, but had been held captive by the Taliban for almost two years, enduring significant physical and emotional strain. The story traces his recovery from his time abroad and the consequences of his rash proposal and Juliet’s early misstatements. There’s plenty of action, but ultimately the story is about overcoming emotional obstacles and seeing beyond one’s hurt. I really enjoyed the book, but felt it went on a bit too long. With that many characters, I know some readers want to read about the wedding in the back drop because it tied together characters from a previous romance, etc. but I thought the final chapter was unnecessary to resolution to the story in this book and a bit tedious. Otherwise I really enjoyed the book.
review 2: When I picked this one up (from Netgalley) I had no idea it was a book about New Zealand special forces, or that it was the end of a series. I was in a mood for military reads (having just attended one of my family members' Navy Induction) and this one sounded fantastic! (And I was right!) So we have Jules, who has spent the last two years mourning the death of her almost-fiance, Lee. After he'd been killed his buddies gave her the ring. What they didn't know, is that she'd already rejected it. But that didn't make his loss hurt any less. And now? He's back from the dead! He was found, by U.S. Special Forces in a Taliban Camp. As they adjust to life back together, a big part of the story is Jules' prior rejection and Lee's hurt over that. (Two years as a POW haven't dulled that pain.) And let's just be honest - Lee is a jerk for most of the story. But it's forgivable, because none of us can really understand (nor do we want to) what he's been through. This is story is everything you expect from a good HQN book, it's short and sweet. Karina Bliss tells a fantastic story in such a short space, and you find yourself cheering for Jules and Lee and the rest of their friends! Despite knowing the dramatic ending to this story, I know I'll be picking up the rest of the saga in the near future! less

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