Overview: Special Operator Declan Smith was a dedicated U.S. Navy SEAL, a known player, and daredevil who loved pushing the limits. But on his last mission, an IED leaves him injured and angry as hell—and it changes everything.
When a loud crash disturbs his neighbor, Maura Maxwell, she assumes the sailor next door is up to his usual bad behavior. But the man she finds covered in glass is far from the cocky ladies' man she'd grown to tolerate. Lying before her is a man fighting to rediscover his place in the world—and he can't do it alone.
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Publishing Date: December 1, 2015
Stars: 4
My Review: 4 you can take the man out of the ocean but not the ocean out of the man stars. The novel is an overall descriptive, emotional, and driving read. It allows you to understand Declan and Maura as the people they perceive themselves to be and as the people the other perceives them to be. Anne Elizabeth ensures you become emotionally attached to not only Declan, but also Maura.
Declan's been a SEAL for years and it is the only thing he can picture himself. He loves the ocean, the training, his brothers, and serving his country. He lives a good life with his condo on the beach and a revolving door of women to satisfy his needs. He's not a bad guy but views serious relationships as not an option given his occupation. He's steady, in control, charming, understanding, sweet, and protective. It's really easy to like and be swept up in all that is Declan.
Maura's aware that her neighbor is a gorgeous SEAL and avoids him like the plague. He unsettles her and she doesn't know how they can ever have common ground when she's just herself and he's this larger than life man. When they start to become closer she realizes there's more to him than she ever thought. She's shy, free-spirited, smart, personable, and really down-to-earth.
Declan and Maura have an interesting relationship, by interesting I mean nonexistent, when the novel first starts but it changes the moment Declan saves her life during a storm while she's in the ocean. From that point on, the two spend time together, learn each other, and test out the thing people call boyfriend and girlfriend. When Declan goes away on a mission things change between the two. He comes back out of sorts with his life, his purposes, and himself. Maura has to show him that change doesn't mean your life is over and she becomes his solid rock. While Declan originally saved Maura, Maura definitely saves Declan in the end.
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