May I just say how much I love this cover? Because in my opinion, it's awesome! The best part to me is that the guy on it is military. I love that Barbour was able to do that with each of the Quiet Professionals books. (deep breath) Okay, I'm good now. :)
Description:
Raptor's communications expert, Staff Sergeant Brian "Hawk" Bledsoe is struggling with his inner demons, leaving him on the verge of an "other than honorable" discharge. Plagued with corrupted intel, Raptor team continues to track down the terrorist playing chess with their lives. Afghan pilot Fekiria Haidary is devastated when a systems glitch on her aircraft forces a weapons launch on a safe target. And when the deadly bombing separates Brian from the team, he must make an impossible choice: save his brothers-in-arms, or save the woman and children depending on him to survive a brutal snowstorm.
About the Author:
Ronie Kendig is an award-winning, bestselling author who grew up an Army brat. After twenty-plus years of marriage, she and her hunky hero husband have a full life with their four children, a Maltese Menace, and a retired military working dog in Northern Virginia. Author and speaker, Ronie loves engaging readers through her Rapid-Fire Fiction. Ronie can be found at www.roniekendig.com, on Facebook (www.facebook.com/rapidfirefiction), Twitter (@roniekendig), and Goodreads (www.goodreads.com/RonieK).
(Description, about the author, and cover photo all copied from Christian Book. No infringement intended.)
My Review: 4.5 stars
What happens next?!
Hawk is the second book in Ronie Kendig’s The Quiet Professionals series. I was very excited to read this one after finishing Raptor 6 and am happy to say that it was great!
As always, Ronie does an excellent job with descriptions and details. I love how her books pull me into the story and keep me on the edge of my seat. Her writing is so bold and unapologetic in its honesty. She doesn’t pull many punches and gives what I believe is a fairly accurate look into the life of our soldiers. She does, of course, take certain liberties for the sake of the story and to protect the same people she writes about, but it is still very eye-opening to read one of her books.
While the story started out a little slow for me, with a lot of details and back story to catch up on, Ronie quickly captivated me. Her talents really shine in this series There are several different view points that build this incredibly complex storyline. I have to confess that one of my favorite ones to read is one of the villains’. The “voice,” which is very dry and sarcastic, is written so that it sounds as though he is talking to the reader. He has his own narration going on and I could picture him perfectly.
This book picks up shortly after the first one left off, which was interesting. I actually wish I had waited to read them all at once, because they tie so closely together. I think this may be the most interconnected series Ronie has written to date. Some of her books I would say could stand alone, but this series doesn’t contain one. Reading them in order is highly recommended if you want to be able to keep up with everything that is going on. I also find it interesting how she manages to bring in characters from her previous books and tie them so smoothly. I love that her books are almost a continuous series where the characters step into and out of each one.
Fekiria Haidary is one of the main characters and I have to admit that I didn’t like her very much at first. She seemed very self-centered and didn’t appear to care for anyone but herself. But, as I got to know her, I realized how much of that was to keep from being hurt again. She has fought her entire life to prove her worth and strength, and she has so many questions. We met Fekiria in the first book, but she was very much a background character. I loved getting to know her beyond the hard wall she has built. She became very real to me as I learned more about her and began to understand what motivated her and made her who she is. I also loved watching her grow throughout the story and begin to lose some of the weight she had been carrying around.
Brian “Hawk” Bledsoe is the lose cannon of the Raptor team. He has a temper and doesn’t follow orders well. At least, not when he believes he knows better. We got to know him a bit in Raptor 6, but there were still so many things to discover about him. I loved the layers in his character. He is so much more than the labels people had tried to place on him. He is a man of honor, even though his team doesn’t seem to always see it. He is also strong, kind, very sarcastic and blunt. He doesn’t hold anything back, whether fighting to protect his team, or giving his opinion. He is passionate about the things he believes in. He claims the title of Christian, even though for a while his life didn’t show that. He has so many questions, almost as many as Fekiria, and only begins to grasp some of their answers at the end of this book. I’m looking forward to seeing him continue to grow in Falcon.
I also really enjoyed Brian and Fekiria’s relationship. They start out as just short of enemies, what with Fekiria’s disdain and borderline hatred for Americans. They also both have such strong personalities that an explosion or two is to be expected. I liked following them as they figured out how to work together and slowly become friends, then maybe something more. I appreciated how they challenge each other and push one another to do their best.
I always love the spiritual side of Ronie’s stories. She does a wonderful job of incorporating Biblical views and values into the storyline, without overwhelming the reader or having it seem unrealistic. Fekiria and Brian both have questions and neither is entirely sure what they believe. How do you trust in Someone you can’t see? Who seems so removed from the here and now? These are honest, real questions that people ask every day. Ronie does answer them to some degree, but she never deviates from the plot to “preach” to the reader. I also enjoyed the bits of wisdom throughout. There were several times when I would stop and just think about a sentence or two that struck my heart.
I have to confess, I was pretty irritated with Ronie when I reached the last page - I didn’t want it to end! Also, she leaves us with a pretty major cliffhanger, which made me wish I could grab Falcon now and find out what happens next! Waiting is definitely not my strong suit when it comes to any of Ronie’s books!
I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys military fiction, suspense, or just a great book with realistic characters and a great storyline.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for my honest review, which I have given. I was not required to write a positive review and have not been compensated for it in anyway. All opinions expressed are my own.
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my review! I hope you enjoyed it!
If you're interested in looking into the book further, or perhaps purchasing a copy, here are a few links to help you out.
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Christian Book
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