One Lucky Hero: The Men in Uniform Series
Publication Date: June 7, 2016
Contemporary Romance/Military
Avon Impulse

Reviewed by Kini

Blurb
She was looking for a little fun…
Violet Douglas wants one night where she can be normal. Where she can do something for herself and not be just her sibling’s guardian. So when she spies a tall, dark and sexy stranger, she’s ready to let her wild side roar. The last thing she expects is to see her one night stand one week later, when she drags her delinquent kid brother to the Alpha Dog Training Program.

He wasn’t looking for a commitment…
Sgt. Dean Sparks is used to keeping women at a distance, and yet he can’t resist Violet’s snapping wit or smile. So when he suggests a friends-with-benefits arrangement, it seems like the perfect solution to their undeniable attraction. No emotional entanglement, just mind-blowing sex.
But with their lives becoming more and more entwined, Dean realizes that casual isn’t enough for him anymore. And as Violet finds herself leaning on Dean in a way she never has, will her fears put more distance between them? Or can she let go of the past, and take a chance on happily ever after?

The blurb and cover on this book are slightly misleading. The premise is exactly as stated, but there is a lot more than the lovely couple walking on the beach surrounded by a swirly, pretty font might suggest. Maybe you are like me and think with a cover like this, the book looks like it will be light and airy and sweet. Not so much. Events and themes relating to suicide, PTSD, abuse, neglect, and sexual assault are all things that either happen or happened to someone in this book. If any of the above aren’t things you can handle, you should not read this book.

Violet and Dean meet at a summer concert. She’s 24, works full time, is a student, volunteers, and takes care of her two younger siblings. Dean is curt and taciturn and on leave from active duty in the military due to PTSD. He is the director of a program that matches troubled youth with dogs so the kids can train them and learn to be better people. I was invested at this point because I LOVE a damaged hero who can’t be bothered with the heroine because he’s all broody and has real things to do.

Violet hardly ever gets a break from being big sister/parent to her sister and brother. She likes what she sees in Dean and is hopeful that they can hook up for the night. After some back and forth in the park where is he pretty rude to her, but eventually stops being a dick, they end up going to his place together. Smex happens. Dean feels surprisingly at ease with Violet, which is so weird for him because he’s a loner and can’t put down roots as it will interfere with his going back to active duty.

Violet has to rush out of his place because he younger brother Casey was arrested and she has to go bail him out. She has no intention of ever seeing Dean again. She has far too much to handle and now her brother is a complete mess that must be fixed. Casey ends up being sentenced to participate in the program that Dean runs. Over the time that Casey spends at the youth program, Violet and Dean spend more and more time together. He has a hero complex and feels compelled to take care of her. Violet has never had someone to rely on, so it takes her a while to warm up to the being taken care of business. They also try to keep up with the pretense that they are just friends. We all know how that ends up.

Favorite Quote:
Dean’s hand cupped her cheek as his dark gaze held hers. “I might have been wrong.”
“About what?” She held her breath, waiting for him to say what she hoped he would.
“That casual is all I could give you. That we could be just friends who occasionally kiss and make out.”
“Oh yeah? What could we be then?”
Forever
His lips stole across hers as he whispered, “Everything.”

Overall this was an okay read. I had some things that bugged me. Violet kind of annoyed me. She kept talking about attending college, but no on page time was spent on her classes. Perhaps because it was summer. She talked about it enough for me to feel like I wanted to see her in school. Dean was kind of douchy. He gave his best friend a black eye because Dean didn’t like the way he was looking at Violet. I was bugged by Violet’s siblings Daisy and Casey. Although they were featured heavily in the story, I wasn’t convinced of Violet’s relationship with them. I just didn’t connect with them. For all the heavy things that were happening, abuse, etc, it felt like they were dangled out there to feel heavy and emotional and then the issue was quickly and easily resolved. Why get all worked up about CPS coming to visit if she social worker visits and then says no issue here. Everything got tied up nice and neat, perhaps that is why it got the pretty cover with the lovely font. If you are going to tease the gritty topics out there, make the story be gritty.

Grade: C-

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