Going Dark by Monica McCarty Pages: 352
Series: The Lost Platoon #1
Genres: Romantic Suspense
Source: ARC, NetGalley
Also in this series: Off the Grid
Also by this author: Off the Grid
Goodreads
The members of a top secret SEAL Team can't keep their passion under wraps in this thrilling contemporary romantic suspense series from New York Times bestselling author Monica McCarty.
Like Rome's Lost Legion, a SEAL platoon goes on a mission and vanishes without a trace.
After walking into a trap on a covert op in Russia, the men from top secret SEAL Team Nine are presumed dead. Not knowing whom they can trust, and with war hanging in the balance, the survivors must go dark and scatter around the globe.
Marine ecologist Annie Henderson joins her new boyfriend on a trip to the Western Isles of Scotland to protest a hazardous offshore drilling venture. When she realizes that she may be swept up in something far more dangerous than she'd intended, there is only one man she can turn to. . . .
She and the mysterious but sexy dive boat captain haven't exactly gotten off to the best start, but something about his quiet confidence makes her think that he's the kind of man she can depend on. Because he's gruff and guarded, she can tell Dan Warren has secrets. But she could never imagine how high the stakes are for him to keep his cover, even as he risks everything to protect her. . . .
Monica McCarty isn’t a new author but she is a new-to-me author! Going Dark is her first foray into romantic suspense so I was thrilled to snag this and check out her writing!
The story starts by introducing us to SEAL team 9, who will become ‘the lost platoon’. McCarty dives right in to introducing us to the team, which was interesting to me, but I think might be a bit overwhelming for some readers. Its a lot of characters, and they all have nicknames, and then they all have their specialized SEAL jobs. So the first few pages are PACKED with info. However, I loved the humor that McCarty wove in. It wasn’t over the top funny, but subtle and seems believable when you have a group of men who spend way too much time together!
After the prologue intro to the team, you meet Annie, a marine ecologist who has traveled to Scotland with her boyfriend (who is kind of a French douche…not sure what she ever saw in him). Things go south quickly and the boat captain who has been working with the team all week comes to her rescue. Annie is one of those characters that I think some people will hate. She is so smart (she got a doctorate in ecology), but so narrow minded and occasionally a bit naive. She struck me as one of those people who spends all their time READING about things but never actual going out and experiencing things. I had no problem believing in insta-lust between these two. I wasn’t quite sold on how their relationship would last long term though.
Annie and Dean are opposites in so many ways. He is very conservative and she is so liberal. They have such divergent political views that it made things interesting for sure! The plot keeps you on your toes and is very engaging. There were parts I felt the book got a little slow and sometimes I was confused (Like, did we meet Dean in the prologue? I can’t remember. And is his name Dean or Dan? Because the synopsis says Dan but the book says Dean. Did I miss that this was a deliberate name change for secrecy? I’m so confused!).
Danger, ecoterrorism, and romance flash through the pages of Going Dark and introduce you to a world of espionage and back stabbing that you won’t be able to walk away from!
- POV: 3rd
- Tears: no
- Trope: military, terrorism
- Triggers: none
- Series/Standalone: series (while it appears each book will center around a different couple, the overall story ARC continues)
- Cliffhanger: View Spoiler »
- HEA: View Spoiler »
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Books about military teams like Call to Honor by Tawny Weber, The Legend by Donna Grant, Aim by LP Dover…then you will probably like Going Dark!
Going Dark
I’m glad you enjoyed this one! I really liked it a lot and it kept me hooked throughout. He went by Dan because of secrecy but his real name was Dean! 🙂 It’s mentioned in the beginning!
See, I knew I had to miss it somewhere!!
I had mixed feelings about Annie at first, but I loved Dan/Dean. I agree about the boyfriend. What did she ever see in him?! I have read Monica McCarty’s books before–a Highlander trilogy and enjoyed it. I enjoyed this one as well, although, like you, I wonder at this couple’s staying together power.