Scars inside and out, from more than just his time as a SEAL, Gavin Savitt has a lot to face before he can make a life for himself in Fairhope.
*****
Navy SEAL’s Match
Fairhope, Alabama series
by Amber Williams
Publisher: Harlequin
Pages: 384
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Blurb:
He believes he can’t be saved—she’ll prove him wrong!
Former SEAL Gavin Savitt always knew who he was—until his last deployment ended tragically. Now he’s home, his mind hijacked by trauma and the shadow of his once-perfect sight. Yet in this new hazy, unclear world, one person stands out—Mavis Bracken.
There are a million reasons why Gavin shouldn’t be with Mavis, including that she’s his best friend’s little sister. Yet he longs for her touch, her freckles and her special way with wild, skittish beasts like him. He just needs the courage to take his life back. And Mavis won’t let him give up without a fight.
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*****
Excerpt:
“I know it’d be better for you if I left.”
“You let me be the judge of that,” she advised.
“The moment you’re burdened by me,” he said, slowly, “I’m out of here.”
She didn’t agree. No. Instead, she raised herself onto her toes.
Gavin’s eyes closed and his breath hitched as her kiss washed breathily over his lips and blew him away. Answers cropped up inside him, bright like candles. His hand moved to the back of her head, no more able to snuff them out than he was to convince her to walk away.
*****
Review:
This is the first in this series I’ve read and unfortunately I feel like I missed some undercurrents because of it. Williams does her best to explain why Gavin doesn’t feel like he belongs (thanks to his witch of a mother), but I’m not sure exactly what he did as a kid to give him such a bad rep. Also, apparently there is some history between him and Kyle, Mavis’s brother, that goes beyond the fact that Kyle is now in a relationship with Gavin’s sister. They used to be friends … or at least close, but maybe with some complex feelings involved? I don’t know and that’s part of the problem. I felt just a little lost with some of the dynamics between the secondary characters.
But I didn’t have a problem grasping the connection between him & Mavis. She’s one of those walks to her own drummer kind of people and is really good at observing. And she observes a lot about Gavin, doing her best to help steer him so he can find his way. She doesn’t push too hard but she’s there as a guide. Both of them understand that this is something he has to do but she can help with some of the tricks to keep him together.
Gavin’s got a lot of baggage that he needs to address. Not just his blindness and guilt over things that happened while he was overseas, but his mother is a real beast who did quite a number on him. It’s caused him to put up some barrier between him and those who want to get close to him, but luckily for him Mavis is made of pretty stern stuff.
While I enjoyed the pacing of the story, the characters, and how everything gets resolved, I did have just a little trouble with some of the writing. Mavis is in to some woo-woo stuff (paranormal activity & such), which is fine and works with her as a character. But some of the writing, especially early on, threw me a bit. Williams shows Mavis’s ability to see things about Gavin that others don’t with descriptions that are a little … flowery, I guess, is the only way I know how to say it. It’s kinda poetic but was awkward for me because I’m more of a straightforward person. It was pretty to read but also hard to understand and not something I’m used to in this type of romance. I got used to it though worked with it until the story moved on.
Overall, Navy SEAL’s Match was a thoroughly enjoyable read, with moments of humor, heat, and heart. I really liked the special connection between Gavin & Mavis and the way they went about deepening it into something lasting was a treat to read.
*****
Author Info:
Amber Leigh Williams is a romance writer who lives on the US Gulf Coast. She lives for beach days, the smell of real books and spending time with her husband and their two young children. When she’s not keeping up with rambunctious little ones (and two large dogs), she can usually be found reading a good book or indulging her inner foodie. Amber is represented by the D4EO Literary Agency.
Amber’s latest book is the contemporary romance, Navy SEAL’S Match.
*****
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