Customer Reviews

The Unsung Hero (Troubleshooters, Book 1)

5 star:		(52)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

I admit that I'm a big fan of Suzanne Brockmann's books, so I may have been predisposed to like The Unsung Hero. However, I can objectively say that the book surpassed even my high expectations with its attention-grabbing mix of action/adventure, long-simmering romance, young love and an important secondary story told in flashback.

Intricate? You bet, but Suzanne does an incredible job weaving it all together in a way that kept me spellbound.

Everything in this novel works for me. The plot of injured Navy SEAL Tom Paoletti returning to his small-town Massachutsetts home to recover from a possible-career-ending head injury and spotting someone who could be a deadly terrorist is a great set-up.

The conflict between hometown doctor Kelly Ashton and her terminally-ill father Charles touches the heart.

Even though there's a lot going on, the primary romance between Tom Paoletti and Kelly Ashton is dynamite. I love having two people who have known and been attracted to each other for years finally meet up again.

Some readers don't like the addition of the WWII backstory involving Charles Ashton and Tom's great-uncle Joe Paoletti. I disagree. I think the flashback segments are extremely well done and make for compelling reading. I HAD to find out the whole story.

So, count this a rave for The Unsung Hero because it is definitely at the top of list of my favorite books of the year.

Being a fan of Suzanne Brockmann's series on Navy SEALs for Silhouette Intimate Moments, I felt I knew what to expect when buying this book -- scrumptious Navy SEALs, a strong heroine, and a great action plot.

UNSUNG HERO provides all of those things and more. The mainstream qualities of this book impressed me, and I hope to see more of her Navy SEALs' books take this direction.

The plot was dual-leveled: the action plot ran alongside and deftly interwove with a plot of unrequited love and a subplot of new-found love. The secondary characters, David and Mallory, in this book were skillfully drawn and realistic. Their story of two social misfits overcoming societal stereotypes and finding love was wonderful. Tears come to my eyes just thinking about it.

Tom's and Kelly's, the main characters, attempts at renewing and understanding the attraction between them was believable. Overcoming misunderstandings and preconceived notions, their relationship is brought to an equally satisfying conclusion.

As for the action plot about a terrorist attack on United States' soil, it was fast-paced and all too realistic.

You can't go wrong with this book.

In the book that started it all, Navy SEAL Team Sixteen Commander, Tom Paoletti is at his childhood home recuperating from a head injury when he thinks he has seen a ghost of sorts - this one in the form of a dangerous terrorist thought to have been killed several years earlier. His superiors don't believe him, and when he sees him again at Home Depot purchasing items that could be used to make a homemade bomb, he feels compelled to contact some of his SEAL cohorts just to check things out.

We get to meet XO Jazz, bad boy Sam, excellent marksman Alyssa (the couple that will torture each other for most of the series), as well as the good girl that he almost slept with in his younger days, Kelly Ashton. Kelly, now a divorced Boston pediatrician, is commuting from her father's home as he is succumbing to cancer. This is the first time that she and Tom have seen each other in over a decade, and the old sparks are still there. When they start an affair, Kelly assumes it is just for a couple weeks of no strings se, and tries to play along, with disastrous consequences.

A secondary romance between Tom's grown niece Mallory and a nerdy comic book illustrator is very cute and romantic, and gives a sense of puppy love.

A lot of foreign dignitaries will be in town to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the end of WW2, and the heroes of Baldwin Bridge, Massachusetts. Tom puts 2 & 2 together and comes up with a good reason for a terrorist to set off a bomb. With the government not listening to him, it is up to Tom, his three Navy friends, two elderly former soldiers and two teens to thwart the plot.

"Unsung Hero" does a good job of setting up the series, that will reach it's pinnacle with "Over the Edge," arguably the best of the series so far.

I thought that this was a great book. The characters were very human and realistic. What made this alittle different from some other books was that the author let us into the heads of the characters and the inner dialogue was what alot of people say to themselves. Made it easy to relate to the characters. I started reading before I went to sleep and ended up staying up all night!

Suzanne Brockmann's books have become automatic buys for me and her winning streak continues with Unsung Heroes. It's got her trademark action and wit along with realistic emotions and dialogue. Also, while she does a great job (as always) with her two main characters this time Ms. Brockmann also gives us two great secondary storylines as well, one about a romantic triangle set in WWII and one about Tom's (the hero's) rebellious (but sweet under all than hostility) teenage niece. Thanks Ms. Brokkmann!

This book will take you through all ranges of emotions, from laughter to tears. The added bonus of WWII history, just adds to it.

The women in this book are gutsy, strong, brave, not afraid to speak their mind. I think this is great.

I am happy to know that she has many sequels planned for this book. I hope the editors have printed many copies of this book.

Navy SEAL Lieutenant Tom Paolitti is injured during a rescue mission, which leads to a hospital stay. When Tom learns that Rear Admiral Turner plans to eliminate his troubleshooting team, he loudly complains. The doctors claim that his outrageous behavior is a normal reaction to the head injury he suffered. Thus, he is sent home for 30-days of convalescent leave.

At Logan Airport, Tom spots a person with the mannerisms of international terrorist The Merchant. He calls it in even as the brass wonders if he is being paranoid due to the recent trauma. Tom stays with his Uncle Joe while next door is Dr. Kelly Ashton who is temporarily residing with her dying father. For fifteen years, Tom has carried the torch for Kelly. As they reacquaint themselves, Tom and Kelly fall in love. However, can a Navy SEAL find lasting happiness with a pediatrician especially when he keeps seeing a terrorist who, if it is him, apparently is targeting the VIPs at the upcoming WW II anniversary celebration.

THE UNSUNG HERO is an entertaining romantic suspense novel that centers on various relationships. The story line is enjoyable because the different types of relationships ring genuine even that between Tom and The Merchant. The intrigue elements provide additional excitement, but Suzanne Brockmann's tale works because of the interplay between several members of the cast.

Harriet Klausner

I have been a big fan of Suzanne Brockmann's since reading her Navy Seal novels. I've gone back to purchase the older ones and now have the complete set. I always wished that they wouldn't end so quickly. My wish finally came true! This is her best work yet in my opinion. The characters come off the page with life. The plot and sub-plots keep you involved in the storyline until the bitter end. Tom and Kelly are childhood friends who never pursue a relationship due to their age difference. When Tom comes home to visit his uncle and to recuperate from an accident during a Seal mission, he doesn't expect to see Kelly. She's home to care for her father who is terminally ill. To complicate matters, Kelly's father and Tom's uncle who have been best friends for over 60 years are fighting and they don't know why. Throw in Tom's teenage niece who has typical teenage problems and this makes for a very poignant story. Everything was believable and the characters interacted well with one another. The romance scenes were great also. I didn't want this book to end either, which is a testament to good writing. I hope Ms. Brockmann continues to write more mainstream novels, particularly those involving Navy Seals. Those men in uniform will get you every time. I can safely say that this one is a keeper.

I really don't know why this is the first (The Unsung Hero) Suzanne Brockmann I have read. It was nothing short of marvelous!!! I have many favorite romance writers (Nora Roberts, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Catherine Coulter, Susan Anderson, to name a few.), and now I can also add Suzanne Brockmann to that list! The Unsung Hero has such a variety of characters that you just had to identify with one of them. The plot is set in a town in Boston when the hero Tom Paoletti, a Navy SEAL lieutenant is sent home from duty due to a head injury he incurred while on a mission. While at home he sees a blast from his past. A terrorist he was once tracking, and also believed dead walking around town. He thinks he is seeing things, even thinks he's losing it, due to his head injury, this sends him into a tail spin. As if this is not enough, when he notifies his superiors they don't believe him. What a way to start a vacation right? he also gets the chance to visit with a love cut short from his adolescent past Kelly, now a respected pediatrician who most definitely still has the hots for Tom and she does what ever she can to get under his skin. He is determined to ignore her advances believing that his job makes him one of the worst candidates for Kelly, the sweet girl next door. Kelly doesn't care. And she also shows him just how sweet she is not! At the same time there are few flashbacks about Kelly's father Charles(and to be quite honest I usually do not like a series of flashbacks in a book, but believe me the way they are woven into the story is truly a work of art)Charles was once a military man himself, but now he is ill, and mad at the world, and so hell bent to keep everyone who cares for him shut out of his world, including his best friend Joe, who has stuck by his side every since the war. There is also Tom's niece Mallory, who was labeled as the town jezebel, but is actually far from it. Along with David the computer geek, complete with taped glasses, and a bad haircut, make one of the most sensual, and at the same time sweetest couples in the book (My fav anyway! :-)) and although there are three story lines (all of which I must say were impressive) going on at once in the beginning, they all come together at the end, and so very well at that, you feel the pages getting thinner, and you hate for it all to end. This one I had a hard time putting down, but at the same time I wanted it to keep going. If you have never read Suzanne Brockmann before you must try this one. As for me, I am off to print out a list of her books and get everyone of them. :-)

This one made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me cheer for all the lovers in the book.

The "main" story is Tom and Kelly's romance. Kelly has had a crush on Tom since she was a teenager. Tom has always felt the same, but he was too old for her. They have a second chance, only Kelly is only interested in a summer fling. Tom has marriage on his mind.

Tom is distraught by Kelly's opinion that he's only good for a summer fling. He's at a turning point in his life. His career may be over because of his bump on the head, he's seeing an international terrorist in his home town (and subsequently feels he's going insane), and the woman he has loved more than half his life, doesn't want him. Oh, and did I mention he's going bald?

The "back" story is set against WWII. Tom's uncle and Kelly's father met in the war and both fell in love with the same woman - a Frenchwoman - who was part of the Resistance.

Their's is a tragic love triangle that had me crying by the end of the book.

There is the third romance in this book. That of Tom's niece, Mallory. She's a tough little cookie and at 18, has pretty much been the adult in her family since she was 8. She's street wise but vulnerable.

She meets up with David. A young man stricken with that horrid disease of "niceness". He's a nice young man with goals and a future. Mallory is so defensive, she almost misses this wonderful man. But David is more persistant than Mallory is defensive.

Their young love and youthful idealogy teaches Tom and Kelly that love is powerful.

The WWII triangle teaches them that love shouldn't be wasted.

But can they find love admidst the upheaval of an international terrorist attack on Massachusettes?