REVIEW & GIVEAWAY: Lest Old Marines Be Forgot by Heather Long

Always a Marine

Lest Old Marines Be Forgot

by HEATHER LONG

She never stopped grieving…

It’s New Year’s Eve, and thirty years since Brenda Connors buried the only man she ever loved. Every year on the anniversary of his death, she finds herself in the hospital, suffering from chest pains. No matter how expected, it always takes her breath away. This year…this year she wants it to be different and takes the advice of her best friend and would be sister-in-law to sign up for a one-night stand. It seems ridiculous, just a year shy of her fiftieth birthday to try and seek happiness she long since gave up on. She never imagined a stern faced Marine with talent for making her laugh…

He doesn’t know what the future holds…

Married to his career and facing forced retirement, Major Tom Baxter doesn’t see much of a future for himself in civilian life. A poker game with the son of an old friend earns him some unwanted advice, but it’s advice he can’t get out of his head. He signs up for a one-night stand, to discover what life on the outside might have to offer. The last thing he expected was an elegant soul with a streak of mischief…

Ringing in a new beginning…

Can Tom and Brenda make every second of their countdown to midnight count, lest old Marines be forgot?

Lest Old Marines Be Forgot

Always a Marine

Release Date: December 2, 2013 – All Links Pending Release

All Romance eBooks | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookstrand | Decadent Publishing

About the Author:

National bestselling author, Heather Long, likes long walks in the park, science fiction, superheroes, Marines, and men who aren’t douche bags. Her books are filled with heroes and heroines tangled in romance as hot as Texas summertime. From paranormal historical westerns to contemporary military romance, Heather might switch genres, but one thing is true in all of her stories—her characters drive the books. When she’s not wrangling her menagerie of animals, she devotes her time to family and friends she considers family. She believes if you like your heroes so real you could lick the grit off their chest, and your heroines so likable, you’re sure you’ve been friends with women just like them, you’ll enjoy her worlds as much as she does.


Contact Details:
Website: http://www.heatherlong.net
Email: heather@heatherlong.net

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/HeatherLongAuthor

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/HVLong

Enjoy the following excerpt for Lest Old Marines Be Forgot:

Their table sat in an alcove that also doubled as a private balcony and overlooked a lit garden. According to his hostess, he and his date would also be able to see the fireworks over Dallas later should they still be at their table at midnight. If not, then their reserved suite also had a balcony and a good vantage point. A marble-floored hallway led to their dining table and though the alcove was simply one of several such isolated settings, theirs possessed heavy cream curtains that could be closed to afford them further privacy.

Overall, it was an excellent choice on Luke’s part. Fortunately, years of not doing much with his salary meant Tom could also afford the evening comfortably. He finished the cup of coffee and checked his watch. Fifteen minutes to operation launch and he heard heels tapping on the marble floor caught his attention. Glancing sideways, he spotted a pair of elegant, long legs. Trailing his attention upward, he studied the woman approaching.

The body-hugging sheathe of a dress molded her curves, and what a shape she had…. Dark hair brushed her shoulders, the silvery streaks amidst the deep brown seemed almost artistic. Straightening, he frowned when she hesitated and checked her phone. The curl of anticipation in his gut flattened out.

It didn’t matter if the elegant woman searched for another date; he couldn’t take his attention off her. She all but glared at her phone. A heartbeat later, she rewarded his captivation when her exasperation transformed into sparkling laughter.

Squaring her shoulders, she lifted her chin and their gazes collided. Her smile faltered for a heartbeat, then warmed. At her look, he rose to his feet and enjoyed her long walk down the hall.

“Ms. Connors.” He extended his hand automatically, her smooth palm gliding against his.

A hint of shyness softened her expression, but she didn’t look away. “Mr. Baxter. Can I just say that you chose the loveliest spot for dinner?”

Boosted by the compliment and her lovely manner, he inclined his head. “Only if you’ll allow me to say that you outshine the location—and then some.” He’d never really been that good with flowery compliments, but a hint of color bloomed over her cheeks and he let out a breath. “Here….” To pull out her seat meant he had to let go of her hand.

She had slender fingers, beautiful and tapered, and they’d been silky-soft with the barest hint of callouses on her index fingers and thumbs. Callouses that meant she used tools, but probably didn’t build or work with anything. His brain’s need to catalog details had proven a godsend in the field, but he didn’t need to pick apart his date.

“Thank you,” Brenda murmured and slipped around him to take the chair he held out and he scooted it in just as she sat. From his vantage point, he had a direct view of her cleavage and the teasing hint of a dark mole on the curve of her right breast.

Clearing his throat, he moved back to his seat. “Of course.”

GIVEAWAY:  One person who comments will be gifted a copy of this book.  

Sarah's Review:

Thanks to Heather Long and Decadent Publishing for ensuring that I am able to read and review such wonderful stories.  You both continue to feed me reading addiction and for that I will always be thankful that I was led to this series!  It was a nice surprise to wake up to the day after Thanksgiving and I read it very quickly!  In fact, I read it twice before I even attempted to write this review. 

What I loved the most about this story was that Tom and Brenda are "older" than the usual romance characters that I normally read.  I love reading stories about mature couples that have experienced life and know how to handle it without all the drama that the younger generations do.  As much as I love the younger generations, there is something about the "older" couples that I can relate to more in some cases.

I have to say that this is the sweetest 1NS story I have ever read.  I have read several of them, but this is the sweetest most romantic one I have read.  Tom has a way with making Brenda so comfortable while Brenda had a way of making Tom want to be something other than the Marine that he is.   

I love that we were able to see some of our old friends in the very beginning of this story.  I loved Tom's back story as well.  
A side note for Heather, you did it!  You finally bumped my favorite couple (Brody & Shannon).  Okay, well, it is a tight race between Brody & Shannon and Tom  & Brenda. 

Adri's Review: 

As I sat to write this review I had to take a moment to think hard how I was going to write this without giving too much away as well as do it the justice it deserves. Somehow Heather Long keeps finding a way to making each and every story better and better.  

Tom is one of those characters you wonder at the beginning how he is going handle his one night with Brenda. As a lifelong Marine who is on the brink of retirement he doesn’t really know what he is going to do with the rest of his life. For someone who is used to structure and direction, it’s understandable why this change in his life is so difficult. But never did he think that a one night stand and a nervous, sensitive woman could change him so quickly.

Now Brenda, what can I say… I’ve never had a favorite female character per say, I’ve always loved Jazz, but I always see her as part of a trio not her own person… I’m weird that way, but back to the point, Brenda has become my favorite female character. Her love and dedication to the man who she lost thirty years before is so beautiful, I do find it a bit sad that over the years her grief finds a way to manifest itself in a physical manner. I will repeat though that, Brenda is my favorite female character.

I will say this when I first read the blurb on this story I didn’t think I would enjoy an older couple, but boy was I wrong. It was actually very refreshing to read, for some reason it felt more intimate and romantic. Whether it was the characters themselves or their maturity I don’t know, but I would speculate to be the fact that they’ve seen and lived through more than most of the other couples we are used to reading.

Well I hope you enjoy the last one of Heather Long’s Holiday Always A Marine stories as much as we have. Happy Reading… Adri