The Unsung Hero by Suzanne BrockmannRe-Read and Joint-Read

Suzanne Brockmann
Military Contemporary Romance
Pub. Date: June 2000
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Format: Paperback, 416pp
Series: Troubleshooters Series, #1
ISBN-13: 9780804119528
ISBN: 080411952X
Edition Description: 1st Edition



Synopsis from Suz's website
After a near-fatal head injury, U.S. 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 veterans of the Second World War, a couple of misfit teenagers, and Dr. Kelly Ashton -- the sweet "girl next door" who has grown into a remarkable woman. Once known as 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....

This is a re-read for me. It is part of an on going Troubleshooter series, and I've re-read the series three times (or it could be my fourth read now *shrug*). This is also my joint-reading with my friend Alice from Hello, My Name Is Alice blog, with this book. (Thanks so much Alice for reading this with me). If you would like to read her review on this book, please go to her blog and read it here

Since this is re-read/joint-reading, I've decided to use my original review that I did on The Unsung Hero when I posted it here on my blog almost 4 years ago. But I need to do a lot of editing on this joint-read post. It was a scramble of mess from the original post. And everything as I remember, my feeling during my many read in the past remind the same. And this is also one of the pending reviews I've been delay posting as well. I read it on Feb 2010, edited it few times and just now posting it today :)

Tom Paoletti, Lt. of the Navy SEALs, is on a medical leave after a near-fatal head injury during one of his recent mission. He return home to his uncle Joe, where he was raised. And it's where his sister and his niece live too. But he wasn't expecting to see Dr. Kelly Ashton to come home. The woman who he had almost slept with years ago. Seeing her again bring back old memory, and he wasn't sure he want to pick up where they left off after he went away to join the Navy SEALs. His feeling for her still remain. And he want to avoid touching her again. But he never thought that coming home to New England, Massachusetts, that he would catch a terrifying glimpse of the merchant who was the subject of international manhunt for many years. The merchant had causes a American Embassy in Paris car bombing in 1996. When he try to alert a warning to Adm. Chip Crowley, he ignored Tom. He think that Tom's head injury is causing him to see things that wasn't really there. So now, Tom think he can catch the merchant on his own and prove to Adm. Chip Crowley that he isn't crazy.

Dr. Kelly Ashton, a divorced Boston pediatrician, have come home to help her father Charles Ashton after she discover he have cancer. But Charles is making it hard for Kelly to help him and she got more worry. When she learn that Tom is staying in Massachusetts for 30 days, she is relief. She was hoping to get help from Tom. But asking him for help mean to see him again. Memory of their last encounter was hot but brief and didn't end well. She have now realized that the spark are still there, and assuming it only be a couple a week with no string attached, she decided to have a fling with him. Only to find herself disastrous in consequences.

Joe Paoletti and Charlies Ashton have been best friend since the WWII. They're two elder veterans who past is repeatedly told in flashback about their confession love for the same French resistance woman during the WWII. In the present day, they've been fighting about over Joe participant in celebrating of the Fifty-fifth Anniversary of the "end of the WWII war" and to honor the heroes of Baldwin Bridge, Massachusetts.

The secondary romance couple is a story of two teenager sweetheart, Mallory and David. He is an nerdy comic book illustrator who want to use Mallory for his next comic book. And she is the lonely young gal who always had to take care of her mom and herself with the help from her uncle too. When the two teenager meet, it wasn't easy at first. But once they get to know each other, they soon learn about themselves and fallen in love.

You will see first glimpse of the bad boy Navy SEALs, Sam Starrett (one of my favorite guy *grin*), the excellent sharp shooter cop Alyssa and the Troubleshooter team XO Jazz. These three people you will see more of in most of the later books as the series go on. You will also see glimpse of other Troubleshooter team in later books as well.

I admit the fighting and bickering between Charlies and Joe drove me nuts. Sometime I just want to reach into the pages and grab them and knock their head together. I can understand their frustration and upset too, so I can't just fault them nor can I dislike them. I love them anyway. Their backstory from flashback was interesting and it kept me turning the pages, wanting to know more. I love the romance between Tom and Kelly. Plus the romance between the two teenager sweetheart, Mallory and David. Have I mention I love sweetheart stories? *grin*. Some scenes in the book were funny and some were romantic with plenty sizzling the pages. some were also very emotionally intense with good action in between. I personally love how Suzanne Brockmann weave in all three stories together, and made it revolved around each other. And they connect somehow. It the perfect blend of romance with suspense imo. I love the book!

The Unsung Hero is the first book to Troubleshooter series. I think that there are about 15 installments book all together. I highly recommend you to read these awesome series! You won't regret it :)

I'm looking forward to my joint-read the 2nd book, The Defiant Hero, with my friend Alice on Monday - absofreakinglutely Hooyah! ;)

Grade: 5 stars

Read on: Feb 2010
draft on: 3-11-10, 3-27-10, 3-28-10