Reviewed by Vicki
TITLE: Austin & Troy
SERIES: Storming Love: One Storm, Twelve Men #4
AUTHOR: Kendall McKenna
PUBLISHER: MLR Press
LENGTH: 32,000 words
BLURB:
Hurricane Lauris tore through North Carolina, leaving devastation in her wake. When the Marines of Camp Lejeune respond with help and resources, Staff Sergeant Troy Matson immediately volunteers. His mission is to assist Sheriff’s Deputy Austin Delaney and his K9 partner, Decker, search for trapped survivors. Their mutual attraction is instant and intense, but all of the destruction leaves Troy conflicted. Austin proves to be a surprising source of comfort and understanding in Troy’s search for redemption, but returning to their daily lives might end what has only just started.
REVIEW:
This is the first of the Storming Love stories I have read and it was quite enjoyable. I like the concept, how one storm affects, or creates multiple couples. I don’t know if any of the other stories feature established couples… But with this one, it brings Troy and Austin together. And Decker too!
Troy Matson has just been sent to North Carolina for his next posting. He’s been in the Marines for some time, having been deployed three times (I think!), and he’s needing a break. He gets to Jackson early, planning on finding a house and getting settled. Which he does pretty quickly, but his settling in is interrupted by hurricane Lauris. He rides out the storm comfortably, but receives a phone call asking if he’s willing to help with the rescue and recovery in a nearby community. He checks in to Camp Lejune and out a group goes. He ends up partnering with Austin Delaney, a Sheriff’s Deputy with a search and rescue dog. Troy, Austin, and Decker the dog spend the next several days assisting in the recovery of injured people.
Troy has some issues, as is expected of a service member who has seen some bad shit in a war zone. Troy has had to make some tough decisions as a Marine and a Staff Sergeant, and has been affected by this. He has some problems working the recovery mission, not really flashbacks but some memories come to mind that cause him some trouble. On the other hand, he’s not causing the destruction, and is helping to rescue people. This gives him some comfort. Austin and Decker are a good influence too, Austin understanding his issues, Decker just being a goofy boy. So they work together, some feelings come up, a bond is formed, and we have the potential for a really good love story between Troy and Austin. But that’s not really what this is about, it’s less a romance and more an education on the recovery that takes place after a natural disaster. I don’t mean that in a bad way by any means, but it’s not about flowers and dinners out.
Kendall McKenna is known for her careful military detail, and you get that with this story. She loves her Marines and you can see she knows her stuff. She’s got the jargon down, the acronyms and language, and has obviously put a lot of effort researching the Marine Corps way of life. Lots of Marine details with the book, but also the whole search and rescue post hurricane is well done too. I assume it’s realistic, I’ve never been through a hurricane, nor directly seen the recovery, but it sure feels like this is what would happen. She gives us a look at the destruction it has caused and how it affects not only the victims themselves, but the rescuers as well. I loved Decker and his relationship with Austin, the commands Austin uses, and how they interact all seem authentic to me.
This story is less classic romance and more about the storm, which is fine, but if you are wanting a story with lots of sex this may not be the one for you. It is more about building the bond in the early days of a potential relationship between two strong men, one with some serious issues. It really is the beginning of the story between Troy and Austin, and I’d love to see them down the road. There is a lovely sex scene at the end of the book, Kendall does those well, especially between two big alpha men. It was hot, but sweet too. So it’s a great story, very interesting as far as the search and rescue goes, and I enjoyed seeing the bond between them build. Lots of Marine Corps details, K-9 handling details, post hurricane details, and some great sex at the end. It has a happy ending in the sense that they are together, but it’s just the beginning of their story so who knows!
Kendall’s writing and attention to detail are spot on, her characters are well developed with some good history, and the plot was good. Limited in that it takes place over a couple of days and is just about the recovery after the storm, so no big drama between them as a couple and it’s not long, but it was well done. Now I need to read the others in the series!
RATING: 
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