Audiobook review: Extreme Honor by Piper J. Drake
February TBR optional theme: Furry Friends
As someone who doesn’t read Romantic Suspense often (never), I found Extreme Honor an enjoyable story, and I’m glad I finally read it. This month’s optional TBR Challenge theme is Furry Friends, but I also needed to read a RomSup for my Bingo Romance Reading Challenge, so this book fit perfectly!
At first, I was worried I wasn’t going to enjoy the story because the book opens with a confrontation between our two main characters, and meanwhile, the person speaking, in this case, the male hero David, is objectifying Lyn’s body. Luckily, this didn’t continue past the opening scene, and both characters give appropriate weight to the seriousness of each situation.
David, our ex-military hero, helps run Hope’s Crossing, a kennel for special dogs and trainers. His latest rescue, Atlas, suffers from PTSD after his handler (and David’s good friend) died under suspicious circumstances in an overseas mission. Lyn was hired by some “unnamed” Pentagon power to oversee Atlas’s reintegration into military service.
At first, David thinks Lyn may be up to no good, but right from the get go, someone is after Lyn. It takes a couple of situations until David puts together that the attacks on Lyn are related to the death of his friend and Atlas’s condition. He realizes she’s a good person and she’s the only human Atlas will respond to. The pair work together to help Atlas, growing closer and finding a strong attraction.
The pacing of the story is a bit up and down. Sometimes the dialogue and storyline is a little slow, but overall I was engaged and interested. I liked that Lyn knows her mind and stands up for herself. I didn’t love that she conveniently forgets to mention her handler and why she’s there, but I liked that it doesn’t cause problems between the couple. I appreciate that Atlas is a character in the book and not a prop. His recovery is an important part of the romance and storyline. There is a good twist at the end, and I wonder if it will continue on in the next book, or if a new threat will pop up and this one gets resolved off page.
Narration: The story is shared via the alternating third person POVs of David (May) and Lyn (Kalbli). Overall, both turn in solid performances. May is a bit stiff or robotic when performing as the narrator, but he is more genuine sounding with dialogue. Kalbli adds a bit more emotion to her performance. Both narrators alter dialogue for gender and other factors such as background. Neither uses strong accents but employs different inflections and alters cadence.
In the end, I enjoyed listening to Extreme Honor and plan to pick up the second book someday.
My Ratings
Story: B
Narration: B
Jen
About the Book:
HONOR, LOYALTY, LOVE
David Cruz is good at two things: war and training dogs. The ex-soldier’s toughest case is Atlas, a Belgian Malinois whose handler died in combat. Nobody at Hope’s Crossing Kennel can break through the animal’s grief. That is, until dog whisperer Evelyn Jones walks into the facility . . . and into Atlas’s heart. David hates to admit that the curvy blonde’s mesmerizing effect isn’t limited to canines. But when Lyn’s work with Atlas puts her in danger, David will do anything to protect her.
Lyn realizes that David’s own battle scars make him uniquely qualified for his job as a trainer. Tough as nails yet gentle when it counts, he’s gotten closer to Atlas than anyone else-and he’s willing to put his hard-wired suspicion aside to let her do the same. But someone desperate enough to kill doesn’t want Lyn working with Atlas. Now only teamwork, trust, and courage can save two troubled hearts and the dog who loves them both . . .
Author: Piper J. Drake
Narrators: Daniel Thomas May, Kristin Kalbli
Series: True Heroes #1
Genre: Romantic Suspence, Military Romance
Audiobook Release Date: February 16, 2016
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Length: 8 hrs and 17 mins
Source: purchased
Audio Speed: 1.35x-1.5x
Purchase info:
Audible/Amazon (affilate link)