The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann | Holiday Mashup
Romance at a Glance is a podcast where hosts Bridget and Shani review romance novels and interview some of romance’s biggest authors diving into candid conversations about life, relationships, and sexual desires. Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor. Leave us a rating and review on iTunes.
Full transcript available below.
Book Review at a Glance
Worth the Read?
Ann: ⭐⭐⭐.
Bridget: ⭐⭐⭐
Heroine Rating: Kelly
Ann: 🍑🍑🍑
Bridget: 🍑🍑🍑
Hero Rating: Tom
Ann: 🍆🍆🍆
Bridget: 🍆🍆🍆
McDreamy to Mc Steamy:
Ann: McDreamy
Bridget: McDreamy
Classy to Nasty:
Vanilla for the most part. Bit kinky with location/semi-public sex situations
Romance at a Glance Reviews The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann
Bridget’s sister Ann reprises her role as co-host!
In Bridget's defense, she read the series a long time ago and probably should have just picked one of her favorites, but she thought it was important to start from the beginning of the troubleshooter... but probably should have picked book 2 or 3 to start!
Ann (Bridget's sister) reprises her role as guest host and to be honest, this was recorded the week of the election and so we were a bit all over the place reviewing this book. We had a great time reminiscing about our favorite books in the series (Bridget naturally needs her mind jiggered by the sex scenes) and all in all it is a fun hour!
We hope this brings you some laughter as always and makes you wanna get it on with some Navy Seals.
If you missed our interview with Suz in the previous episode make sure you check it out!
This book actually was the least suspenseful of the series
We absolutely loved the subplot with David and Mallory (who is Tom's niece)
The WW2 subplot got a bit tiresome! Bridget wanted her to be alive and show up at the end.
Kelly and Tom re-learning about the other as adults
How Suzanne allows her characters to grow throughout the books
Sexy times in a closet where they almost get caught
The old men getting so excited about being in on the action
Mallory and David - he was so endearing and I love that her character was allowed to grow
Not a huge fan of the WWII backstory. Suzanne Brockman does this in a lot of her books and it’s really hit and miss for me. In fact, the multiple side-love stories are all hit and miss for me. AND I love that certain characters you’re allowed to see so much character building about that you
2000 - so much of the conversation around communication would be really different now vs 2000
Side note - these characters are my (Ann’s) age and I remember the first time reading this thinking they were so old… so Yay aging! And also gives me hope that I’ll meet my person soon.
Like how right from the start Kelly and Tom don’t beat around the bush about Charles's cancer/diagnosis or his alcoholism. Helps move the plot forward - and all of their bluntness is refreshing especially when I feel like a lot of people dance around it. Plus lots of healing gets to happen because of it.
The Unsung Hero
Quick Guide Review of the Book and Notes
Book Title: The Unsung Hero
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Part of a Series: Yes, Book #1 of the Troubleshooters Series
Genre: Romantic Suspense
Cover Art: Down for it. Definitely a little dated, but I kind of love that it seems like a real body instead of one that seems like you’d never actually be allowed to touch it
Synopsis: After a near-fatal head injury, navy SEAL lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a terrifying glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls for help, the navy dismisses the danger as injury-induced imaginings. In a desperate, last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counterterrorist team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly war veterans, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton-the sweet "girl next door" who has grown into a remarkable woman. The town's infamous bad boy, Tom has always longed for Kelly. Now he has one final chance for happiness, one last chance to win her heart, and one desperate chance to save the day . . .
Heroine Rating: Kelly
Ann: 🍑🍑🍑
Bridget: 🍑🍑🍑
Hero Rating: Tom
Ann: 🍆🍆🍆
Bridget: 🍆🍆🍆
McDreamy to Mc Steamy:
Ann: McDreamy
Bridget: McDreamy
Classy to Nasty:
Vanilla for the most part. Bit kinky with location/semi-public sex situations
Favorite Lines in the Book:
Ann:
“Lemonade. His mainstay fantasy had always started with Kelly inviting hi in for a glass of lemonade.” - Tom thinking about his fantasies about girl next door Kelly
Bridget:
"His smile says to me, 'I love myself so much, I'd suck my own dick if only I could read it with my mouth."
Favorite Review:
Ann’s from Goodreads:
Alisa : This was pretty good but a little slow. I also didn't buy the past history. She was just a kid when they knew each other before so this was insta-love for me. BUT.....and this is a big but......I was SO happy to see a good heroine. This is the kind of woman I want to read about in my books. In her 30's, has a career, NOT a virgin, communicates like an adult, asks for what she wants, treats people nicely...doesn't have to act like a b*tch to prove how "bad assed" she is, doesn't run off doing TSTL things. I will totally read the next in the series at some point just because I feel like I'm in a desert, starving for water when it comes to finding decent heroines in romance novels.
(Even the teenage girl who was having a first love/relationship was better than most heroines in current CR. Such a nice change.)
Bridget’s from Goodreads:
Dino-Jess ✮ The Book Eating Dinosaur ✮ rated it liked it 3 stars
…..
The secondary romance story of David and Mallory, though. YAS. I was all about their romance. Their love story is what kept me coming back to this book. YOUNG LOVE! It's so adorable and sweet and fluffy and DELICIOUS. I wish they were the focus couple instead of stupid Kelly and Tom.
I didn't find this book particularly suspenseful, but I did keep coming back to read more about David and Mallory. So this wasn't a total bust.
Worth the Read?
Ann: ⭐⭐⭐ Yes - AND not as good as I remember it being originally. AND not as good as some of the other books - just reread Out of Control (wildcard); Into the Night (Muldoon) and liked them both a lot more. Much more suspenseful as well.
Bridget: ⭐⭐⭐ - I’m 50/50 - I liked it. But also you could skip to book 2 or 3 in the series just fine and start from there. I read Hot Target (book 8) recently and it was great.
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Full Podcast Transcript
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Welcome to Romance at a Glance, a podcast that uses romance novels to dive into candid conversations about life, relationship dynamics, and sexual desires.
As hosts Bridget and Shani review books and interview some of romance’s biggest authors, they explore the breadth of the genre, openly embracing the sex, diverse couplings, and taboo in order to create a safe space for listeners to be exposed to different lifestyles, fantasies, and to pique their naughty curiosity.
Expect 100% honest reviews, spontaneous singing, life lessons, indecent anecdotes, and bawdy humor.
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