Review: The Edge of Courage by Elaine Levine

Title: The Edge of Courage
Series: Red Team Book 1
Author: Elaine Levine
Published: April 2012
Tour: No
Format: Ebook provided for review

Step into Elaine Levine's exciting new series of alpha warriors--products of the government's secret corps of assassins called the Red Team....

Haunted by memories he cannot reach, stalked by an enemy bent on revenge . . .

Rocco Silas has come home to Wyoming after long years as a Red Team operative in Afghanistan. It isn't easy returning to civilian life, especially burdened as he is with a staggering case of PTSD or hunted as he is by an enemy determined to seek an eye-for-eye--neither of which can he battle until he confronts the truth of what happened one fateful day in the high mountain ranges of the Hindu Kush.

. . . She alone holds the key to his sanity.

Mandy Fielding's dream of opening a therapeutic riding center on her family's ranch is almost within her grasp--until she hires Rocco Silas, a dangerous ex-Spec Ops friend of her brother's. His haunted eyes and passionate touch promise a love she never dared believe possible. Can they confront the truth of his past and build a future together or will the enemy stalking him destroy them both?

I love it when a book can catch me by surprise – and The Edge of Courage certainly did that, in spades!  This book tells the story of a military man, Rocco, and this is his journey to find out who he is, come to terms with who he has been, and realize the man he can be.  I laughed, I cried, I squirmed, and I cried in joy.  The Edge of Courage is book one in the Red Team series, and it is definitely one hell of a start.

Rocco suffers from PTSD pretty bad after returning home from Afghanistan.  He has nightmares, depression, guilt… he’s not in a great place.  In fact, horrible would be an upgrade from the hell he is living in.  Right away you know he is a real man, even though he is a bit down.  He’s a fighter, he fights for what is right.  He protects his own.  He was deep undercover overseas for the better part of a decade.  When the shit hit the fan, no one came for him.  Well, that is, except Kit and Blade.  Bros. The government didn’t really help him as well as they should have when he got home.  But when the government fails him, that’s when his friends step in.  So he owes them one.  One day Kit says his sister needs help on her horse ranch, and Rocco is off to meet her.  

“She smiled slowly, still trying to figure him.  He wished her luck.” 

Mandy is Kit’s sister, and she is trying to start up an equestrian ranch to help rehabilitate the disabled.  She is a breath of fresh air, as far as leading women go.  I really loved her.  She has a good heart, and she can read people.  When she meets Rocco the tension – all the good kind of tension – was thick between them.  Her persistence works well for her, and I often found myself cheering her on.

I really loved the way the author built this world and the characters in it.  You can practically feel the dewy grass between your toes in the early morning as you walk the ranch with Mandy and Rocco.  You can see the farm house, and the ornery horse that needs healing just as much as everyone else.  The characters are so well fleshed out; it was a pleasure to learn about them.  Even when the secondary characters are introduced later, you find yourself falling for them each in turn.  Personally, I am crossing my fingers a man named Kelan gets a book soon and I can’t wait to learn about the girl who is able to steal Val’s heart.  And Ty’s book is coming up next, and trust me – after meeting him in The Edge of Courage I am eagerly waiting to read it!

There are some steamy scenes in this book too!  Hooray!!  And trust me, they are excruciatingly hot.  I love them.  Rocco and Mandy are such a perfect pair.  As they fell in love, I fell in love with them.   They heal each other.  Rocco grows by leaps and bounds.  Your heart will break for this man as he struggles to overcome his past. 

There is definitely some action in this book, and not all of it is the between-the-sheets kind.  Remember, these guys are from an elite military team.  And just like a businessman, sometimes your work doesn’t end when the workday does. 

I can’t recommend this story enough.  Elaine is a fabulous writer, and this world will suck you in quickly.   So check out this book right away, and then check out Shattered Valor, which is Ty’s book.  It’s just been released at Amazon and B&N. Happy Reading!

SHATTERED VALOR, Red Team - Book 2, Available Now!
THE EDGE OF COURAGE, Red Team - Book 1, Available Now!
AGNES AND THE RENEGADE, Men of Defiance - Book 5, Coming 2013

Find Elaine Online...

www.elainelevine.com

Twitter: @elainelevine

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