Valkyrie [.exe] [Paperback]

Lindsay McKenna (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2000

WOMEN IN GROUND COMBAT?

Will it work? Are women capable of being soldiers on the ground next to their male counterparts? Can they take the danger? The pressure? The threat of death?

Congress, in 2003, has approved a one year test to find out. The U.S. Marine Corps is forced into allowing the Women's Liberation Forces (WLF) to work with them in a Southeast Asia crisis. In the middle of this intense, emotional storm stands Corporal Cathy Fremont. She becomes a political liability and lynch pin. Both sides want to see her destroyed in this hot-button issue. What she knows, what she saw and experienced, makes her an enemy to all concerned. Her only ally, Captain Jim Boland, U.S. Marine Corps, is trapped between lies, deceit, betrayals and his growing, powerful love for Cathy. Can he protect her against overwhelming political intrigue and danger. Will he be able to save her life?

Don't miss this intense, page-turning love story that will keep you on the edge of your seat!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Lindsay McKenna explodes on the e-pub scene with an edge-of-the-seat romantic suspense." Pamela Cohen -- Romantic Times Magazine

VALKYRIE is a powerful tale that displays how talented Ms. McKenna truly is."" Harriet Klausner, reviewer -- Painted Rock Reviews

From the Author

Author comments :

I hope all Lindsay McKenna readers consider this book; for it is me, the author, with no restraints or taboos placed upon me that I'm able to write to my full breadth and depth for the first time. This is a powerful love story; not a tame romance. If you love romance, suspense and action, then you will enjoy VALKYRIE.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 356 pages
• Publisher: Hard Shell Word Factory; 1 edition (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0759900051
• ISBN-13: 978-0759900059
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,758,219 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

That Gemini energy got the best of me in this life time! The best place to introduce the multi-facets of my varied life is through my blog: www.talesfromechocanyon.blogspot.com. There, you will me me, the author as I pen writing journal info for aspiring writers, the gardener who loves roses, Iris, Day lilies and anything else that blooms, the medical astrologer, the person who came from Eastern Cherokee metis background via my father, the horse lover, the Earth lover and the mystic.

I was raised in a metaphysical household. The strange was normal. My father, being the metaphysician he was, would often talk of ghosts coming through the house, who they were, what they said, and so on. I know this probably sounds pretty out of this world--but that was my world growing up. My father's Cherokee blood runs strong in me in many ways. He used to tell us stories all the time and I'm sure this rubbed off on me and fueled my desire to write, which started at age 13. My mother used to read us stories when he didn't tell us a story. I believe that reading being prominent in our household all conspired to help me be a storyteller when I grew up!

I went into the US Navy when I was eighteen years old. I became a meteorologist because I loved Father Sky and the cloud beings. Before I went into the military, I got my student pilot's license. I soloed at age sixteen in twelve hours time. I earned my money picking night crawlers every night in our orchard and selling them by the hundreds of dozens to local sporting goods stores in the area. By the time I went into the Navy at eighteen, I had forty hours of flight time logged. And because of my military background, I created the sub-genre of Military Romance in the romance publishing Industry in 1983 with Captive of Fate (Silhouette Special Edition). I write what I know and I honor and respect all men and women who either served or are serving our country. They are all heroes and heroines in my eyes.

I was a fencer (I met my husband, David, in fencing--we crossed swords and it was love at first parry...) for many years. Being part of the East Coast fencing salles, I was one of the few women to take on epee and saber--and fight the guys on the copper strip--and win. The women who refused to just use a foil to fence with, opened up a whole new era for women after us to fence all three weapons. Men said the epee and saber were 'too heavy' for us girls--but we showed them differently! Now, in the Olympics, women are allowed to fence in more than just foil. That makes me proud of our burgeoning efforts so long ago. Women can do anything!

I was one of the first women firefighters in Ohio back in 1983. I routinely rolled on 400 of the 600 fire calls a year we had, and knew how to drive the pumper, the tanker and do any job a volunteer firefighter has to do. I also took training in hazardous materials down at the Reynoldsburg Fire Academy in Columbus, Ohio.

My life has been one of breaking through stereotypes, breaking down doors closed to women and showing that women are smart, strong, and capable. As a Native American raised woman, I came from a matriarchal background--not a patriarchal one as most women come from. And because of that, my books show strong, smart women who are equal to any man. I like showing the world that women are equals. We don't need to say one gender is better than the other. Rather, we need to realize, honor and use everyone's best skills and talents to make this world a better place to live. I feel like I've lived about five lives packed into one and all of this adventure and experience is reflected in the books I write.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A COMBAT CONVERT, December 4, 2000

By 

RICHARD R BLYTHE (WINDSOR, NY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valkyrie (Paperback)

Lindsey McKenna has produced a fine work focusing on the role of women in combat and the related political situation. It is a good read! McKenna pointedly steers the reader to the tough political question of women in the military and their equal roles in almost all areas.

The reader is forced to deal with real and rhetorical political questions and is easily drawn into the military world of Corporal Cathy Fremont and Captain Jim Boland.

This is not your mother's romance novel, however a powerful romantic situation is key to the story. Guys from the Korea and Vietnam era can relate to the military situation. Actual combat is referenced and while combat grit might have strengthend the substance, it would have gotten in the way of a powerful story.

McKenna has captured the intrigue of Washington, DC and the military chain of command. Neither is left unscathed and that is another strength of the book.

VALKYRIE continues the the author's efforts of giving traditional romance readers something more to think about and brings male readers into a line of books usually left for the female reader of traditional romance books.

Action - the military at war - sex - romance - political intrigue - this book has it all. It is a good read with a satisfying end, that we can hope is but a beginning.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Would make a great movie!, March 25, 2001

By 

A. J Greig (Vienna AUSTRIA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Valkyrie (Paperback)

I just finished Lindsay McKenna's Valkyrie and was very impressed by her sustained tension and suspense. You don't know how it's going to work out until right at the end. Cat, (Corporal Cathy Fremont,) is a talented woman soldier, who isn't really cut out emotionally for the job. In the course of the book, she transforms from being a victim of the military hierarchy into a person who can stand up publicly for justice (although she was always ready to protect her team.) Valkyrie crosses genres, and contains elements of a political thriller, a romance and a war story. Very graphically written and action filled, it would translate well into a movie.

I like the way McKenna shows how women can hold their own in combat situations, but also doesn't shy away from showing the emotional impact of soldiering in a war zone.

While Cat is a complex character, the villian, Major Louise Lane, is pure elegant venom - I hope she returns to fight another day.

This is the first book that I've ordered from Hard Shell Word Factory (via Amazon.com) and I was impressed by the fast delivery. It's a nice, solid edition - longer than McKenna's usual books, such as Morgan's Mercenaries, but this gives her the chance to develop the characters in depth and she keeps up the pace right to the end. A very good read!

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One you MUST to read!, December 7, 2000

By 

"celtwoman" (Somerset, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Valkyrie (Paperback)

I've been reading Lindsay McKenna since 1985, when a friend of mine gave me a copy of CAPTIVE OF FATE. I've loved every novel that has come since from her, as have so many of her legion of fans. But if you think you've seen all that Ms. McKenna has to offer, then you have another think coming. That means you haven't read VALKYRIE yet. With VALKYRIE, we meet Ms. McKenna at her unbridled best. In the new e-book/print on demand format, she leaps all previous barriers and gives us a novel that is complex, gritty, earthy, and strong, yet touched with the starlight of love and passion. There are no easy paths in this novel, no actions that do not have consequences, no choices made that do not affect everyone involved. This makes this novel the most true to life, gripping, can't-put-it-down book that Ms. McKenna has written yet in her long career. Both the primary and secondary characters are completely fleshed out, their emotions real and honest (and not always tidy). The weight of their choices, their loves, and their battle for truth reach deep into a reader's heart. I loved the main hero and heroine, Cat Fremont and Jim Boland. Their story moved me deeply. In this longer format, Ms. McKenna builds a rich, deep love story within a story of war, suffering and loss that made me believe in their love, and made it all the sweeter when they overcame their obstacles. If you've loved Morgan's Mercenaries and her military romances, then you must read VALKYRIE. It's a book that you will remember and reflect on, long after you've finished reading it. FIVE STARS