Review: Mine to Save

Mine to Save by Diana Gardin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Betraying a man whilst he is in a war zoning fighting for our country is pretty low. This is exactly what Bennett's wife, Valarie does to him. She also acts as if it is no big deal; as if he was the one who is wrong. Taking a person off a war zone does not mean their fighting tendencies are immediate turned off. For Bennett, one heated moment causes a regret that can not be easily overcome. Like most ex-cons, it is difficult to get a job after he's done his time. Luckily for Bennett, he is taken under another's wing and runs a bar. When an old friend asks him to help save his fiance, Bennett does what he did best... blow shit up.

Bennett considered that a one time favour. Now, his buddy's company is looking to hire him. Accepting a job in the Rescue Ops team at Night Eagle Security would fill a missing piece for Bennett. He isn't made for inaction. But how can he trust them just as how can they trust a felon? This part of the story really bugged me. As a felon, Bennett can not be carrying a gun. In this story it made it sound like it was no big deal. This is a fallacy. In the States, especially those who have done time like Bennett, felons can not own a fire arm and he shouldn't really be caught with carrying one. Especially as his crime is most likely classified as domestic violence, even if it technically wasn't. This is where it was fuzzy. This little bit of wtf-ery pulled me out of the story and I had to keep reminding myself to get over it. I digress.

This tale is about Bennett's redemption by protecting and saving Sayward. Sayward is a Colombian immigrant who is hiding from the drug cartel. She's also autistic and a hacker. I liked Sayward. She is quirky and I also happen to know people with autism. For me, Sayward is pretty mildly impacted and it is nice to see her perspective. Her interaction with Bennett is plausible and kind of cute. Their romance is stilted and awkward which is a bit of a stereotyping of autistic people, but it worked. I found Sayward's hiding and fleeing the sexy alpha predator Bennett to be quite amusing.

The plot device in this story was a bit weak for me. The second it was explained how and why Sayward came to the States, her father's death is suspect. And more suspect is her brother's journey to bring her to her father's funeral. This is a train wreck spotted miles away. And no one is clued in but the reader. Said reader may be yelling at the characters to watch out. All advice is unheeded as the characters can not hear the reader and the reader may experience extreme frustration. To say I knew how this would all turn out within 25% into the book would be an understatement. Still, I girded my loins and stuck to it. I really wanted to scream "I told ya so" but really, who would I be saying it to? I did feel like smacking these Rescue Ops guys across the head a few times because for a private security company, they were pretty darn clueless. My guess is when it is one of their own, they are completely blindsided.

Nevertheless, I did enjoyed the suspense and gulped this story down in one sitting. This romantic suspense is recommended to readers who enjoy quirky females who need the protection of a dinged up alpha male.

*provided by NetGalley



View all my reviews