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New Release and Review: Falling for the Marine by Samanthe Beck (Book two in the McCade Brothers series)

Title: Falling for the Marine
Author: Samanthe Beck
Series: McCade Brothers
Genre: Contemporary romance
Published: 2013
Pages: 250
Format read: ebook
Rating: A

I read and enjoyed the first book in Samanthe Beck’s McCade Brothers series last year, Lover Undercover. Even though the heroine of that one, Kylie Roberts, sometimes got on my nerves, I loved the hero, Trevor McCade. A hot and sexy yet thoughtful and caring alpha-male undercover cop–what more could a girl want?

Now I know. Obviously a girl wants his younger brother, Marine Major Michael McCade, helicopter pilot and all-around fantastic guy. I loved, loved, LOVED this hero.

Our heroine, masseuse Chloe Kincaid, wasn’t too bad either. 😉

Mickey McCade wants nothing so much as to get himself back in the pilot’s seat. He’s been grounded for far too long with a herniated disc, and he’s determined to get back into the air if it kills him. Dean, his former college roommate and now his orthopedic surgeon, recommends therapeutic massage.  Michael’d rather do handstands all the way up to his second floor apartment than go for such an out-there form of therapy, but he needs to get airborne again and agrees to go…all before he realizes that the therapist assigned to him is his new neighbor, the traffic-stopping Chloe Kincaid.

Chloe’s not looking for anything permanent. Ever. Traveling from one temp masseuse job to another every few weeks is exactly what she needs to do with her life right now. She’s tried the marriage thing–been there, done that. Not going to happen again. Even if it did, her dream guy would definitely not be a military man. Watching from the sidelines as her parents’ marriage imploded taught her that life as a military spouse is a definite no way. But somehow she just can’t seem to stay away from Major Hottie McCade. Good thing she’s only in town a few weeks…right?

Chloe and Mickey don’t have a “meet cute” scene–they have a “meet smexy” one–and oh my goodness, is it memorable! I can only imagine the fun Ms. Beck had dreaming that one up. It’s easily become one of my favorite boy-meets-girl moments…and the novel just takes off running from there. I had a hard time putting it down once I’d started!

Long story short, Micheal and Chloe get caught in the middle of a huge NSFW moment (during which my brain was screaming, “Gah! You’re at work! What are you thinking?!?” Fortunately, they weren’t paying a bit of attention to me, because job loss at that moment was crucial for plot development) which naturally leads to a fake engagement. How could it not? 😉 Sad but true–fake engagements can feel forced if not done right–but this one absolutely worked. Right from the beginning, they both had issues with lying to those around them–as of course they should–and the lies quickly got out of hand–in ways that you know are going to be sooooo much fun to read. Falling for the Marine does not disappoint.

The drinking game they play to facilitate the getting-to-know-you phase before going to dinner at Micheal’s CO’s house? Priceless. And when Chloe decides to fung-shui Micheal’s apartment? Oh my goodness. Each scene in this book somehow manages to be even better than the one before it.

Ms. Beck wrote some fantastic dialogue here that really highlighted all the fantastic relationships in this book. Michael and Chloe were, of course, and excellent example of this, but the other characters’ relationships managed to feel just as solid. I especially enjoyed reading the interactions between Micheal and Dane, Micheal and Trevor, and Chloe and her recruiter Lynne.

The time frame for the story is really fairly short, but the pacing of the novel and their romance felt spot-on. I loved seeing the relationship from both characters’ point of view; it really helped to make their behavior in a situation that naturally is going to seem like a bit much feel absolutely realistic. So many times I just wanted to reach into the book and give them a hug. And then a stern talking to. Followed by another hug.

Not only did I love her characters and the torture she put them through, but Samanthe Beck’s writing really struck a chord with me. There were so many scenes and phrases in this book that just tickled me that I was highlighting my copy like a mad thing. Here’s a few of my favorites:

Chloe, falling for Michael against her will:

Her heart slipped out of its life jacket and paddled toward the deep end of stupid, where the water was way over its head.

Chloe again, in the middle of an unexpected meal with both Michael’s parents and boss, during which many a creative and desperate lie was told:

Just when it seemed like breakfast was never going to end, Michael said something about Chloe having to work that afternoon–which, for a nice change of pace, just happened to be true….

Michael, mentally comparing his post-Chloe apartment with the Chloe-filled version:

The bathroom counter gleamed. The guest room looked like an Ikea ad rather than a Barbie baggage claim.

And finally, Michael again, anxious to get to his destination (where Chloe may or may not be–not going to give anything away here!):

An old guy in a pickup truck pulled in from another access ramp, cut him off, and then proceeded to go so slow he made the fourteen-mile-per-hour on-base speed maximum speed limit look like the Autobahn.

I was definitely LOL-ing on that one; I remember that slower than slow speed limit oh so well! I was definitely feeling his pain.

Even though of course I was anxious for Michael and Chloe to get to their happily-ever-after, I was sorry to see the book end. I was consoled, though, when I remembered that there’s another McCade brother left–Logan, the workaholic mountain climber. (I know, it sounds like an oxymoron. I just know that Ms. Beck will make it work, though.)

Can I hear a nice and loud ooh-rah for that fact? 😉

In a nutshell: A solid A rating for this fun-to-read romance with a delicious military hero and his skittish new-age-y heroine.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Falling for the Marine was released on October 28 and is available at your favorite e-tailer now. Logan’s book, sadly, we have to wait for.

Amazon buy link          Barnes & Noble buy link

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