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THE SOUL OF A SEAL  by Anne  Elizabeth

THE SOUL OF A SEAL

by Anne Elizabeth

Pub Date: Dec. 6th, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4926-2224-6
Publisher: Sourcebooks Casablanca

When a Navy SEAL is sent undercover to find out who’s sabotaging a top-secret project, he hopes the mission will fulfill a lifelong ambition to get to space but is surprised to discover it may lead him to the woman of his dreams as well.

Capt. Bennett Sheraton is the best of the best, especially respected for thinking on his feet and solving problems on the go. So when a supersecret space shuttle program is being sabotaged by an insider, Sheraton is sent in as a possible pilot for the flight but is also asked to quietly find out who’s behind the treachery. Sheraton isn’t prepared for his attraction to the lead scientist on the project, engineer Dr. Kimberly Warren, or his protectiveness toward her when he realizes how complicated the situation is and the danger she’s in physically and professionally. Also, since the project is an international collaboration, it’s hard to ascertain whether the menace is a personal vendetta or something more global. As Sheraton and Warren close in on the culprit, their personal relationship causes more problems for Warren’s leadership status and may threaten Sheraton’s selection to pilot the shuttle. Every corner leads to another threat, to them and to the project, so the stakes are high on every level. Author Elizabeth introduces us to a fascinating historical aspect of the SEAL team's work on the space program, and the first third of the book sets up the framework of the mystery and the worldbuilding in a compelling way, with obvious fireworks between Sheraton and Warren and an intriguing Star Trek–like computer system that helps the couple overcome their adversaries and solve the mystery. Unfortunately, too many plot details require a suspension of disbelief, and the twists and turns are often either too abruptly explained or so poorly motivated that by the end, the reader feels disappointed by the promising start.

An interesting idea that doesn’t fulfill its possibilities.