REVIEW - Dagger - Sam J.D & Thomas Hunt

TITLE - Dagger

AUTHORS - Sam J.D & Thomas Hunt

Synopsis:

Dagger Drake is a fast-mover, living his life in afterburner. As one of the best of the best, a fighter pilot with the famous Deadly Rattlers, he pilots his Viper jet with the same ferocity that he chases women with. One magical night at the Officers’ Club changes him forever when a curvy Southerner crosses his path. Lauren Carter is like no one he’s ever met—her classic beauty, her sharp wit, and the depth of her haunting soul captivates him. When they collide, the chemistry explodes with more intensity than the massive satellite guided bombs Dagger drops from his F-16. When a horrific crash dredges up an unthinkable loss from Lauren’s past, can their love triumph? 

Dagger is the first full length standalone novel of the read-in-any order series American Fighter Pilot, following the lives and loves of the 491st Deadly Rattlers, an F-16 squadron training the next generation of aviation warriors at the historic and fast-paced Home of the Fighter Pilot, Nellis Air Force base in glittering Las Vegas, Nevada. Strap yourself in for a ride on this jet-fueled steamy contemporary romance, written with a unique authenticity that gives the reader a realistic behind the scenes glimpse into the fascinating world of the American Fighter Pilot. 

Recommended for those 18 and over due to strong language, sexual situations, and some mild war-related violence. 

Aviation fiction, military romance, soldier romance, fighter pilot romance, fighter pilot fiction, inside the real world of the Air Force F-16 Viper pilot 

My Review:

I won't lie and tell you I wasn’t a little nervous to read this book. Sometimes when you have a book that is written by two authors you worry about the flow. Can you or will you be able to tell which person wrote this part. I can now say that this couple managed to write side by side flawlessly. 

When I signed up to review this book I assumed it would be Iraq or Afghanistan the Hero would be fighting against. But within the first few pages there was mentions of ISIS, Syria, and Russia. I was caught completely off guard. These are groups/places with issues going on right now. It was surprise, but a pleasant one. 

I have gotten into the sync of reading books that were either written from the heroine's perspective or from both the heroine and hero. This one though is just from the hero's. It was a nice change of pace for a romance book. I didn't feel as if it went too deep into the romance though, compared to typical romance books. But it did give a realistic view of fighter pilots and how they operate. It kind of balanced out. 

Lauren is a waitress and student. She moved away from her past in the South to go to school. She has a background with pilots and has decided to never go there again. Lauren experienced what no loved one should ever have to experience. That was before she knew Jack. Lauren tries to fight her feelings for him but it's a lost cause. He is her other half. But what will happen when Jack finds out about her past? Will he be able to handle the fact that she kept a huge secret from him? 

Jack aka Dagger doesn't do relationships with women. He's been burned in the past causing him to take the one night stand approach with women. Until he sees Lauren one night in one of the fighter pilot watering holes. He will do whatever it takes to get and keep Lauren. But she's put off by what he does. When it comes time for deployment will she be able to handle it or will their already fragile relationship crumble under the pressure? Or worst case scenario will he even make it home in one piece. 

With all that said I did enjoy Dagger. It wasn't your typical military romance book. I was thankful for a realistic book as well on this front. You can tell that Mr. Hunt knew what he was talking about. 

Here are a couple pieces of the book that stuck out to me for one reason or another: 

“In the icebox…is the food from 1940?” 

“All that extra leave I’ll get after I return from combat duty… Tahiti for sure” 

“she shook her head to straighten out her wind-blown hair. Dagger thought she looked gorgeous there on the wing of his airplane… his two favorite things in the world at this moment.” 

STAR RATINGS:

Plot- 3/5 

Character- 3/5 

Heat- 2.5/5 

Writing style- 3/5 

Overall- 3/5 

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