Trinity

Author: Ronie Kendig 

Preview: A year ago in Afghanistan, Green Beret Heath Daniel’s career was destroyed. Along with his faith. Now he and his military war dog, Trinity train other dogs and their handlers through the A Breed Apart organization. The job works. But his passion is to be back in the field. The medical discharge says it can’t happen due to the traumatic brain injury that forced Heath to the sidelines.

Until. . .

Military intelligence officer Darci Kintz is captured and the geological survey team she’s covertly embedded with is slaughtered while secretly tracking the Taliban. It’s clear only one dog can handle the extreme conditions to save her. Trinity. Only one man can handle Trinity. And time is running out on the greatest— and most dangerous— mission of their lives.

Thoughts: I want to be careful writing this review. I want it to be clear that I don't think it's a bad book. I think it's very well written for its genre, and the author has a talented for weaving multiple, complex, action packed stories together. However, it was just so not my thing.

The only reason I read this was because I (without knowing what I was getting into) won a copy of the sequel, with a promise to the author to feature it on my blog. I have a thing against reading/watching anything out of order, so of course I had to borrow this one from the library. Well. It took me about a month to get halfway through, and it was rough! After that, I skipped to the last few chapters to get the ending. It was okay, but I have no desire to read the second book. I will eventually, because I said I would, but I don't wanna. 

I took notes on my phone while I was reading this, and here's what I have: 

- Hard to get into at first. (Little did I know, it wouldn't improve). Not my kind of thing, and I don't like having to check the acronym list constantly.
- I do like the feisty banter between everyone at the beginning.
- I don't like all the names/nicknames/fake names. It's confusing. The names in general are very romance novel-y. I like Heath okay, but that's about it. Timbrell Hogan is awful. 
- I do like that it starts with their stories being told separately, setting up and preparing the characters for when they'll need each other. (I ended up NOT liking this though, because they were supposedly "in love" while never being around each other for more than a day or two.)
- So many women! I wish Heath would get with Aspen or even Hogan, but I guess I'll decide later if I like his interaction with Darci. 
- Heath can be harsh, but I like that he's respectful enough to apologize to his friends.
- He's a well written character. He's rude and grumpy, but not irritatingly so. It's easy to feel compassion for him. I'm more irritated with the people who treat him as inferior or with kid gloves. 
- Borderline cursing - I don't know if I like the added "realism" or if I think it's risky. (I think I decided it was no big deal, but not entirely necessary.)
- For some reason, Heath and Darci's first meeting made me like her as a character more. Definite chemistry there too, so I guess he can be with her instead. (I take this back now. I never really warmed up to her, and I didn't understand what Heath saw in her. I think Aspen or Hogan would've been a better match. He had much more chemistry with them.)
- I wish I liked the plot more, because I like the people and the real way they're portrayed. (Heath, anyway.)
- I actually like that he's a ladies man and a flirt. That's surprising for me, but I find it oddly charming because he's classy about it.
- I like that they're upfront about the attraction right away. That's different. They are both equally interested and apprehensive. 
- Her (Kendig) fragment sentences are almost like an action version of Karen. I can't complain though. because I've picked up her style by now.

There were pros, but there were a lot of cons. I was so happy to get back to Tidewater Inn after this, because it felt good to WANT to read a book again. 

But please remember my disclaimer at the beginning of this post: the author is obviously talented. If action and war are your area of interest, give it a try! I just couldn't follow, and I don't like reading when it's a chore. I respect her greatly for tackling such a meaningful subject, and I especially respect the people and dogs it was inspired by. I wish I could get into it more, but I'll leave that to others who can truly appreciate it.