Review: The Unsung Hero by Suzanne Brockmann

Title: The Unsung Hero
Author: Suzanne Brockmann
Genre: contemporary romance
Grade: A

Synopsis: After a near-fatal head injury, navy SEAL lieutenant Tom Paoletti catches a terrifying
glimpse of an international terrorist in his New England hometown. When he calls
for help, the navy dismisses the danger as injury-induced imaginings. In a desperate,
last-ditch effort to prevent disaster, Tom creates his own makeshift counterterrorist
team, assembling his most loyal officers, two elderly war veterans, a couple of misfit
teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton-the sweet “girl next door” who has grown into a remarkable
woman. The town’s infamous bad boy, Tom has always longed for Kelly. Now he has one
final chance for happiness, one last chance to win her heart, and one desperate chance
to save the day . . .
The Good: I’d heard a lot about Suzanne Brockmann’s books about navy S.E.A.L.s, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like the idea of military romance, but I was pleasantly surprised. Brockmann’s characterization is wonderful, and she weaves multiple plot threads seamlessly. What I especially liked was that the characters here felt like real people, not just romance novel caricatures. I could relate to them, and I got the sense that Tom and Kelly both had lives and interests and people that they cared about other than each other. They also talked like normal people do, having the same mistakes and miscommunications that we all face in relationships. Nothing here was blown out of proportion, and I felt convinced by the ending. Also, the secondary romances were well-done, and in the case of Tom’s niece Mallory and David, a geeky artist who wants her to pose for a graphic novel he’s drawing, were even a little more compelling than the primary storyline.

The Bad: I didn’t really have all that many quibbles. I thought the end was a tad rushed, and I never really got a sense of urgency from the suspence thread. But that’s a minor quibble and a personal preference, mostly. Also, there was a scene in which David tries to get a romance-reading Mallory to try Heinlein, which pulled me out of the story because I was trying to imagine what Heinlein book he would have recced to her. I never did come up with an answer to that which satisfied me.

Final Thoughts: I really enjoyed this and will be reading future Brockmann books.