Breaking Dawn
by Elle James
My review:
“Breaking Dawn” is book 8 in the ‘Delta Force Strong’ series by Elle James. Each book is written as a standalone. They are linked by characters who appear repeatedly as teammates, and by common locations such as favorite hangouts.
Lance is a member of Delta Force. He’s “on loan” to the Israeli military. He was specifically selected to join the current mission because he previously worked successfully alongside a group of Kurdish female militia to fight ISIS terrorists. Mika Blue, a female soldier in the Israeli elite special forces, Sayeret Matka, requested a partner in the mission who had previously worked alongside women.
“I didn’t want someone who felt like he had to protect me, when, in fact, I might be the one who had to protect him. We have a mission to perform, a life to save. We cannot afford distractions based on gender.”
Lance and Mika are both dedicated career soldiers with no plans to ever marry. On the mission, Mika and Lance are part of a small team working to rescue the Israeli deputy defense minister who is being held hostage. They are attracted to one another but never think they will see one another again after the mission swiftly ends. I don’t want to give away the plot by writing about exactly how it happens, but Lance saves Mika from an attack on the home she shares with her father. A notorious terrorist is on a rampage, killing the families of the team members who went after the deputy defense minister. While searching for him with a larger joint operation of special forces, Lance and Mika become separated from the rest of the bigger team. The circumstances make it imperative for them to rely solely on each other to achieve their objective and complete the mission. They also find time to explore their attraction to one another because, after all, this is a romance novel.
Along with the high-stakes action, I really appreciated the exploration of how even at the highest levels of military achievement, there is still gender discrimination. Mika’s father was a particularly interesting secondary character. I also thought the ending was handled quite well. This was one of those stories that you just keep reading straight through the end because you need to see what happens next.