Woohoo! This story was just what I needed. It’s the story of Matt Knytych, aka Alphabet Soup, aka Soup, and Shane Hovland, aka Hov, aka Clown, two guys just starting six months of intense BUDs training. Surviving BUDs and becoming SEALS has been their sole focus and something they’ve been working for for a very long time. So, to say that their immediate intense attraction comes at a bad time would be a gross understatement.

I absolutely loved these guys. They are snarky and fun, intense and sexy and just what you’d expect from BUDs candidates. They had amazing chemistry and I loved watching them fight it as they tried to keep each other focused on getting through each part of their training. I so badly wanted them to both succeed so they could move on and find a way to be together, something that doesn’t seem likely given their future paths possibly taking them in different directions.

This felt like a very realistic glimpse at the grueling intense training these men go through, broken down almost completely physically and mentally, only the strongest surviving and being granted the coveted title. This was a fabulous slow burn story with a good dose of angst that had me engaged from beginning to end. It is a solid HFN, and I’m hoping the sequel will be just as fulfilling. It is due out in January, so the wait isn’t too long. If you enjoy military stories that really portray the brotherhood and comradeship that goes along with it, I highly recommend you give this a try.