BOOK REVIEW ~ SEAL OF HONOR (HORNET, BOOK ONE) BY TONYA BURROWS

Title: SEAL of Honor (Hornet, Book One)

Author: Tonya Burrows

Release Date: May 28, 2013

ARC provided by NetGalley

It’s a good thing Gabe Bristow lives and breathes the Navy SEAL credo, “the only easy day was yesterday,” because today, his life is unrecognizable. When his prestigious career comes to a crashing halt, he’s left with a bum leg and few prospects for employment that don’t include a desk.

That is, until he’s offered the chance to command a private hostage rescue team and free a wealthy American businessman from Colombian paramilitary rebels. It seems like a good deal—until he meets his new team: a drunk Cajun linguist, a boy-genius CIA threat analyst, an FBI negotiator with mob ties, a cowboy medic, and an EOD expert as volatile as the bombs he defuses. Oh, and who could forget the sexy, frustratingly impulsive Audrey Van Amee? She’s determined to help rescue her brother—or drive Gabe crazy. Whichever comes first.

As the death toll rises, Gabe’s team of delinquents must figure out how to work together long enough to save the day. Or, at least, not get themselves killed. Because Gabe’s finally found something worth living for, and God help him if he can’t bring her brother back alive.

Book Review 

The debut book, SEAL of Honor, by Tonya Burrows promises to be an addictive series. 

I am a huge fan of romantic suspense, and when you throw a Navy SEAL into the mix, I am there with bells on. I love a military hero. 
They are fiercely loyal, strong, determined, and very alpha--a perfect recipe for a great hero. 

Gabe Bristow has been injured in a car accident, leaving him with limited mobility and using a cane with a ton of metal in his leg. He's lucky to be walking under his own steam. But he can no longer preform his duties as a Navy SEAL and has been forced to retire. 

Travis Quinn, his best friend and former teammate, has been hounding him to start up a Hostage Rescue and Negotiation Team (HORNET), with Gabe leading the team. And their first mission is to find and rescue Bryson Van Amee, a billionaire who has been kidnapped by a mysterious group demanding a huge ransom. 

Each man on the team offers their own skills to make them a valuable asset: Jean-Luc Cavalier (Ragin' Cajun), Eric Physick (Harvard), Ian Reinhardt, Jesse Warrick,  and Marcus Deangelo. 
I can already tell that I am going to love reading about each of these men, as they have already peaked my curiosity. Burrows does an excellent job giving these men distinctive personalities with a hint of mystery. I want to know more.

The newly formed team head out to Columbia where Bryson was last seen. While on recon, they discover Bryson's sister, Audrey, in his apartment. Not sure what she knows or if she is even in on the kidnapping, they take Audrey to their safe house. 

Audrey Van Amee was the last person to have any contact with her brother before he was kidnapped. She was talking to him on her phone when he was drugged by a mysterious man and now she is determined to find him. She leaves Costa Rica and heads for Columbia in search of her brother. At Bryson's apartment, she fights for her life when a dark and mysterious man tackles her, unaware that he is one of the good guys. 

Now Audrey is working alongside the men of HORNET and her connections make her a valuable asset in helping the men find her brother. A fact which Gabe is very unhappy about. 

But Audrey is one tough cookie and her tenacity has Gabe rethinking a lot of things. And feeling something he hasn't felt in a very long time. 

Burrows takes the reader through the jungles of Columbia, facing off dangerous and disturbed men, racing against the clock to rescue Bryson before the kidnappers kill him. And just when you think everything is over...Burrows throws in a twist that you didn't expect. 

SEAL of Honor is a gripping story with vivid descriptions that place the reader in the eye of the hurricane, so to speak. I will definitely be looking out for more from this talented author.