Collateral Damage By Lynette Eason

Collateral Damage
by Lynette Eason
Publisher: Revell Books
ISBN: 9780800729349

Thanks to Revell Books for the copy of Collateral Damage that I received for review. Excited to get started on the Danger Never Sleeps series!

Summary:

They thought they left the fight behind on the battlefield.
But their greatest struggles are just beginning.
Honorably discharged from the Army after an explosion nearly killed her, former military psychiatrist Brooke Adams has set up shop to help others, but her days of helping military personnel are over. She's got her own battles to fight from her time overseas, and she's not equipped to take on more. 

Former Army Special Ops Sergeant First Class Asher James could handle anything that war sent his way. The only thing that scares him now is sleep. As the shadows close in, the nightmares begin.

Finally convinced that he needs help, Asher makes an appointment with a counselor. When he arrives at her office, she isn't there--but a dead body is. When it becomes clear that Brooke was the real target of the attack--and that her secrets go even deeper than his own--Asher vows to protect her no matter what. 

My Review:

Talk about a story starting off with a bang! I have to admit, after having recently read several suspense/thriller/military novels, I wasn't sure if I had it in me to get through another one. hahahaha Oh, my, I have no idea what I was thinking as I'm pretty sure this is the fastest I've read through a novel in a LONG time!

Collateral Damage is a non-stop action story that nearly has the reader ducking for cover! Initially I wasn't exactly sure what was going on and it took me until chapters 2 & 3 to really decide I was in it for the long haul. There's just a lot going on in chapter 1 and it's all over the place. When you look back after you're into the story, you're able to make sense of the chaos.

Stories like this often make me realize how little I know what's going on around me, and I'm surrounded by military simply because of where I live. It also gives me a new appreciation for how much our military men and women need our support while they're active and after. We all realize on some level that PTSD can be debilitating to our military, but reading it through these characters certainly brings it to life with fresh words.

Like I said, this story is fast, and keeps the reader on their toes. I was more than ready to lose sleep over the book last night just to keep reading, that's how invested I was. I really liked Brooke. She's a strong, yet vulnerable character. She has military training, and thankfully that helps keep her alive AFTER she comes home and has retired from serving. Asher is a pretty complex fella. He comes from money and being in the military is scene as a scourge to several of his family members.

The twists and turns in the story really surprised me as it will anyone who reads it. The answers are unexpected, and as always I didn't start connecting the dots until nearly the end. Pretty typical for me, but I did peg one person sooner than I normally do, which I had to hi-5 myself for. HA!

I can't wait for the rest of this series, especially if it was as riveting and intense as this one was. Bring it on Lynette Eason. I'm ready for you!

About the Author:

Lynette Eason is the bestselling author of Protecting Tanner Hollow, as well as the Blue Justice, Women of Justice, Deadly Reunions, Hidden Identity, and Elite Guardians series. She is the winner of three ACFW Carol Awards, the Selah Award, and the Inspirational Reader's Choice Award, among others. She is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and has a master's degree in education from Converse College. Eason lives in South Carolina with her husband and two children. Learn more at www.lynetteeason.com.