The Honest Warrior

by Daniel Banner

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Baron Luzader, former Navy SEAL, never liked to talk … until he was forced to do it as part of his post-service therapy. Now, he finds his free tongue gets him in trouble more often than not, especially when he’s assigned to work a surveillance mission with a brilliant, beautiful woman. Eight years in Special Ops didn’t prepare him for Nessa.

Nessa Dimmick finally has a chance to prove herself in her field of Information Management. The biggest perk of the new job turns out to be her hunky partner, a former Navy SEAL with a great smile and no filter on what he says. Baron is different than anyone she’s ever worked with and his constant stream-of-consciousness compliments keep her blushing. She’s new to this whole partner thing, however, and they both have to figure out that trust goes both ways.

When their surveillance takes them across the Mexico border, Nessa wants to prove herself in the unfamiliar environment and gets in over her head. If she can’t learn to trust Baron, her actions could put the two of them and their relationship in danger.

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Book Details

Genre

Contemporary Romance

Subgenre

Action/Adventure, Beach, Christian, College / Academy, Crime Syndicate / Mafia, Detective / Law Enforcement, Destination / Vacation, Faith Journey, Inspirational, Medical, Military, Office / Workplace, Sports, Spy / Espionage

Series

Navy SEALs Romances

Audience

Adult

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

1 None

Violence

2 Mild

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

2 Mild

Publication Date

September 10, 2018

Language Versions

English

Fiction Form

Novella

Sensitive Themes

Grief or loss of a loved one, Human trafficking, Kidnapping or abduction, Power-imbalance relationships (e.g., teacher/student, boss/employee), PTSD or trauma recovery, Stalking or harassment, Torture or cruelty (non-graphic)

Representation

Depictions of prayer, worship, or scripture, Explicitly faith-based content, Veteran/military service representation

Great until the end

I loved the characters and the banter (which is why I enjoy Banner), but I thought the ending was rushed and unsatisfactory. First of all, the reasons for Nessa doing stupid, non-analytical things seemed rather out of character without much to support her thought processes. Yes, I hated her decisions, but mostly because, for such a smart woman who thinks everything through, she was an idiot. Yes, she didn't have much experience thinking through her emotional responses, but her reasoning always seemed a little forced. The worst part of the book was the end. They were at a certain point in the case, then suddenly it was four months later and we eventually get a paragraph of what happened with the case. It definitely needed a better transition scene to link the parts because it was hard to follow. Even a couple pages of what they did before/after they left Mexico and who they handed things over to would have helped immensely. It seemed like the author just ran out of time or space to flesh things out.

Fantastic

A little on the short side but a good story. It would have been nice to have Nessa do more than run away in Mexico for the storyline, but it was a good fast read.

Good addition to Navy Seals series

Cute story even with suspense and danger. Great chemistry, good characters, clean romance, nice to have the continuity in the series but not a favorite.

Trust and Espionage

Sutton Smith's group to right wrongs keeps growing. Nessa is brought in to help Baron uncover a drug smuggling ring. Baron's therapy has made him talk too much and Nessa wants to be taken seriously. Together they make the perfect team. Can they make the perfect couple also?

Laugh and cry at this grrs

This is an especially fun read, especially because my maiden name is Luzader, which is a pretty uncommin name. After finishing the book, I turned to family search and found a real Barron Luzader. Now to do some research. All of Daniel Banner's books are fun to read. I especially enjoy his sense of humor and laughed so hard at some of this book it took a while to stop.