I Need a Hero
Men in Uniform #0.5
By: Codi Gary
Releasing October 20, 2015
Avon Impulse
Sergeant Oliver Martinez joined the military
to serve his country—not plan parties. But after a run-in with his commanding
officer, Oliver is suddenly responsible for the Alpha Dogs Training Program’s
upcoming charity event. Worse, he’s got to work with the bossiest, sexiest
woman he’s ever met—who just happens to be the general’s daughter.
When it comes to military men, Evelyn
Reynolds is not interested. And with the opportunity to launch her new PR firm
at the charity event, she doesn’t have time for some sexy, arrogant jerk with a
hero complex. Evelyn is determined to keep things professional—if only she can
ignore how Oliver’s muscles fill out a t-shirt and the infuriating way he makes
her heart pound.
But when tempers flare and a scorching kiss
turns into so much more, Oliver and Evelyn will have to decide if this
attraction is forever…or just for now.
My Thoughts:
My Thoughts:
First thing first, when I look at the title I think of Bonnie Tyler's I Need a Hero. Yep, totally rocking out to 1980s music. Moving on. This a great little novella. I Love OLIVER. He's just a yummy hero in a uniform. Anyway, he gets into a little trouble with his commanding officer and he gets sent down to Alpha Dog Training. In the story, he's kind of bummed by his punishment, but then he starts find his groove along with a girl. However, this girl happens to be general's daughter. Crap! This can't bode well for the guy.
We meet Evelyn, who can't stand military guys. Even though she has grown up around them her whole life. There are two types of women when it comes to this situation: 1) They love the military life so much they decided they want to marry someone like their dad. 2) They want to steer clear of any military man. Of course Evie falls into 2, that whole overbearing father thing. When she meets Oliver, she automatically places him in don't touch, don't even think about category. She's extremely rude to Oliver. I almost didn't like her, because of her preconceived notions about military guys. Yes, there is more to why she can't stand them. Fortunately, Oliver calls her out it, and start to form a nice friendship.
I Need a Hero was quick and fun read. We also got to know the guys who run the program of Alpha Dog, which I can't wait for more.
Side Note: I wasn't sure if the guys were Air Force or Army. Here's why: The military instillation was called a base, but when I read Oliver is in the Army. Those who are in the Army don't call the military instillation a base, they call it a post. Now if they were station at an Air Force base for a reason like veterinary (by the way AF doesn' have that, but Army does) then I can understand. I feel better.
Copy provided by Avon via Edelweiss
Excerpt from I Need A Hero:
We meet Evelyn, who can't stand military guys. Even though she has grown up around them her whole life. There are two types of women when it comes to this situation: 1) They love the military life so much they decided they want to marry someone like their dad. 2) They want to steer clear of any military man. Of course Evie falls into 2, that whole overbearing father thing. When she meets Oliver, she automatically places him in don't touch, don't even think about category. She's extremely rude to Oliver. I almost didn't like her, because of her preconceived notions about military guys. Yes, there is more to why she can't stand them. Fortunately, Oliver calls her out it, and start to form a nice friendship.
I Need a Hero was quick and fun read. We also got to know the guys who run the program of Alpha Dog, which I can't wait for more.
Side Note: I wasn't sure if the guys were Air Force or Army. Here's why: The military instillation was called a base, but when I read Oliver is in the Army. Those who are in the Army don't call the military instillation a base, they call it a post. Now if they were station at an Air Force base for a reason like veterinary (by the way AF doesn' have that, but Army does) then I can understand. I feel better.
Copy provided by Avon via Edelweiss
Excerpt from I Need A Hero:
Oliver Martinez sat stiffly in the wobbly
office chair, the room stifling despite the hum of the air conditioner above
his head. He wasn’t usually the nervous type, being that military police didn’t
allow time for panic, but facing off against General Reynolds, the man who pretty
much held his career in the palm of his hand . . .
Well, he figured he
had a right to sweat with the way the older man was staring him down.
“What do you have to
say for yourself, Sergeant?” General Reynolds asked.
A thousand excuses ran
through his mind, but none of them would appease the general, Oliver knew that.
He hadn’t become an MP to be liked; even his family knew he wasn’t a people
person. He was hardworking, sharp as a tack, and a mean son of a bitch when you
got on his bad side—qualities that made him an excellent MP. And military
police was exactly where Oliver belonged. He got to bust heads and keep order;
it was structured, and there were rules. He was the good guy.
But this time, he had
stepped in a big old pile of shit trying to play the hero.
“I did what I thought
was right, sir,” Oliver said.
“You instigated a
confrontation with a civilian that turned into an all-out bar brawl,” General
Reynolds said. Although his tone and outward expression seemed calm, Oliver
hadn’t missed the eye twitch on the left side of the general’s face. The man
was beyond furious, and nothing Oliver did or said was going to make things
better for him.
Why had he decided to
go out with the guys on Friday? His buddies from group therapy, Dean Sparks and
Tyler Best, had convinced him that he needed to get out and blow off some
steam. He hadn’t expected to take down some rowdy kid or have the cops called
on them. The civilian police had been cool, though, once he explained the
situation, and as they hauled the kid off for drunk and disorderly, he’d
thought that was the end of it.
Until he’d shown up
for work this morning only to have Tate tell him he wasn’t on rotation and that
the general wanted to see him. Oliver hadn’t had any idea what the meeting was
about, but he’d never expected to get his ass chewed over something that wasn’t
even his fault.
“It wasn’t a brawl,
sir. I contained and subdued him too fast for that.”
Oliver regretted his
words the moment they left his mouth. They sounded arrogant, and that wasn’t
going to score him any points.
Especially since the
civilian in question was the general’s son.
Despite knowing this,
Oliver tried again to explain his side. “I just mean, and with all due respect,
sir, that the civilian was drunk and harassing several women, and when I
politely asked him to leave them alone, he threw the first punch.”
General Reynolds’s
salt and pepper mustache twitched, and Oliver wondered for half a second if the
general was messing with him and if he was secretly amused that his son had been
taught a lesson in respect.
“I don’t care if he
threw a hundred punches. You should not have engaged. You did not have to break
his nose or sprain his wrist while you were restraining him.”
Okay, so he wasn’t
amused. But no matter how angry the general might be, Oliver wasn’t going to
apologize for roughing up the little punk. The kid had thrown a sucker punch
that had lit fire to Oliver’s jaw, and it was still sore. And if the kid hadn’t
fought him so damn hard, he wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place.
Would he have handled
things differently if he’d known who the kid’s dad was? Maybe. But there was
nothing Oliver could do about it now except take whatever punishment was meted
out to him.
“It seems to me you
could use a little time out of the field to learn how to channel your
aggression . . . in other ways,” General Reynolds said.
Now the general was
smiling, and unease swept over Oliver.
“Have you heard of the
Alpha Dog Training Program?” General Reynolds asked.
“Yeah, I know a few of
the guys running things,” Oliver said.
And neither Best nor
Sparks had been happy about it at first. The Alpha Dog Training Program was the
brainchild of some PR expert hoping to create a good public image for the
military by training shelter dogs for specialty jobs like military, fire,
police, search and rescue, and therapy. And if the
animals-getting-a-second-chance angle didn’t just make you weepy, the dogs were
being trained by troubled kids under the supervision of MPs.
It was meant as an
alternative punishment for nonviolent juvenile offenders. Instead of being
locked up in a detention center with months of community service tacked on top,
they were sent to Alpha Dog. They shoveled shit, fed and cared for the dogs,
and learned how to teach them basic obedience. The place was set up with
barracks for up to twenty-five kids at a time. The goal was to give them a
skill and refocus their energies. The program even helped them with job
placement at several Sacramento veterinary hospitals and rescue organizations.
It was a better deal than most kids in the system got.
“Well, I’m glad you’re
familiar with it, because you’re going to help organize and promote their
upcoming charity event,” General Reynolds said.
Oliver choked in
surprise. “I don’t know anything about fundraising!”
The general’s eyes
narrowed and glittered. “Well, this will give you a chance to develop a new
skill.”
Oliver just sat there,
weighing his options. If he pitched a fit and accused the general of abusing
his power because Oliver had hurt his son’s delicate feelings, he’d be
committing career suicide.
“How long will I be
out of the field, sir?” he asked.
“Until I think you’re
ready,” General Reynolds said.
Oliver nodded grimly.
The only option open to him was to bite the bullet and do the job.
“You’ll report to the
Alpha Dog Training Program today. The event coordinator will be there at eleven
to give you instructions on what you’ll be doing. I do hope you take this time
to learn some discipline, Sergeant Martinez.”
Fuck you.
Taking a deep breath,
Oliver stood up and saluted the general. As soon as he barked, “Dismissed,”
Oliver was out the door, wishing he was headed home to beat the hell out of his
punching bag. This whole morning had sucked donkey nuts, and the last thing
Oliver wanted to do was be around a bunch of teenagers or his friends.
Not that Best and
Sparks weren’t good people, but he knew that the minute they found out about
his little time-out, they were going to laugh it up.
Especially Best.
Goodreads Series Link: https://www.goodreads.com/series/161236-men-in-uniform
Buy
Links:
Amazon | B & N | GooglePlay | iTunes | Kobo
Author
Info
Author Links:
Rafflecopter Giveaway
(Three Digital
Download Copies of I NEED A HERO)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Link to Follow Tour:
No comments:
Post a Comment