Heroine – Current military or veteran
Region Two, Book #2
Heat Factor: There’s some sex at the beginning, and then a really long dry spell
Character Chemistry: Their relationship is going through a lot, so their chemistry comes and goes
Plot: Uh. Let’s destroy the HEA from Book 1.
Overall: The first half of this book went some seriously unexpected places, which made for a very unusual romance reading experience.
Survival Instincts, Book #2
Review of Survival Instincts, Book #1
Heat Factor: → The best way to get warm in the woods is to climb into a sleeping bag naked with another naked person already inside it.
Character Chemistry: I’m kind of stuck on: they’re on a chemical high from running for their lives for days on end. But sure, forever love, absolutely.
Plot: Baddies are still after the mysterious virus. This time Leo, pilot, and Elias, mysterious recluse, are running for their lives (and to save the world?)
Overall: The show-stealer is Amka, the Alaskan wilderness octogenarian lesbian badass.
Region Two Series, Book #1
Heat Factor: She does pull-ups during sex, because she is that bad-ass (it’s sexier than it sounds)
Character Chemistry: Bruce is an arrogant asshole, but Vee seems to like that about him
Plot: He is attacked by a giant lizard monster, and she protects him
Overall: A really fun reading experience
Military romance is a whole subgenre of romance, featuring strong alpha males (Navy SEALs, Marines, Special Forces, etc etc). In general terms, what distinguishes a military romance in our minds is that the protagonist’s military service becomes central to the plot. Perhaps the hero and heroine have to work out what being in love between deployments looks like, or the hero draws on his Special Forces Skillz to defeat the bad guy.
However, military heroes and heroines show up in all sorts of different subgenres of romance, and therefore also come in different molds beyond the super-alpha super man.
Here are some of our favorites.
Heat Factor: It’s more angsty than hot
Character Chemistry: I’m not sure I bought the resolution of past wrongs
Plot: Wife fakes death to escape marriage, runs into husband at Yorktown
Overall: It was interesting and well composed, but I did not buy the rekindled relationship
The Smut Report 