Review: Cover Me – Catherine Mann

Cover Me by Catherine Mann
Series:  Elite Force #1
Release Date:  July 1, 2011
Publisher:  Sourcebooks
Page Count:  384
Source:  Amazon, via my own wallet
Buy the book at: Amazon 

The 300 pararescue jumpers (PJs) in the world are the most elite force in the U.S. military, trained in high-risk rescue, and have never been featured in a romantic suspense series.
PJ Wade Rocha is fast roping from a helicopter into a blizzard to rescue stranded climbers when he meets beautiful Sunny Foster, who insists she can take care of herself just fine. As the snowstorm kicks into overdrive, she and Wade must take to the frozen wilderness in a race against time…and their own explosive passions.

I’ll admit, the cover totally sucked me into buying this book.  C’mon…the man is HAWT!  I read the back of the book and thought, what the heck, but it was still the cover that made me buy it.

After reading it, I’ll stick with the cover made me buy it defense.

I wanted to love the story, because what’s not to love about military men who want to jump into perilous situations to rescue a stranded woman.  Wade Rocha had the hero complex, needed to rescue anyone that needed rescuing, which fit perfect with the storyline of him trying to save a woman that didn’t really need to be saved.   My problem was with Sunny.

Since the age of twelve, she has been raised in the remote Aluesian Islands community by parents that wanted to hide “of the grid” rather than having to turn in a son who went AWOL in the Army (said AWOL son went with them to this remote community).  Now twenty-five and a trained survival guide, she helps lead community members back to civilization when they decided to leave their hidden lives.

It’s during one of these treks that she meets Wade.  Sunny starts with the first of many lies and half truths that she tells Wade.  Even after spending the night sheltered from a storm, she bolts from Wade the first chance that she gets.  Despite her innocence in any wrongdoings that may have gone on at her community, Sunny’s constant need to run and lie to those who have risked their lives to help her is irritating and makes her look guilty as hell.  

Wade isn’t perfect, but he always seems to put Sunny’s safety and well-being ahead of his own.  No matter if he’s pissed at her or turned on, he has this ingrained sense of protecting the woman despite what’s going on.

I did love the story line.  It was one of those “things that make you go hmmm…” moments because I have a feeling things that like could really happen (SCARY).  Someone smuggling Russian spies through a remote Alaskan town so they could practice their American accents?  People naive and trusting to allow this to happen?  Yep, I could totally see this happening.

Overall, this was a story that kept my interest, despite the fact that I didn’t really like the female lead.  And yes, I already have the next book in the series, Hot Zone, waiting for me to read.  I’m hoping for better things from Franco’s story.