“Our deepest wounds surround our greatest gifts.” ― Ken Page
I’ve read Sylvia Violet before and always enjoyed her stories so I was really excited to read this story for review.
Jackson is a former Navy Seal who recently had to leave service because of extensive damage to his leg during a routine mission gone horribly wrong. So wrong in fact, it was a deliberate act by someone really close to his inner circle. Of course, no one believes Jackson when he tells his story about what happened, so he’s on his own. Now that person wants him dead, sending threatening letters that forces Jackson to run for his life.
I really liked Jackson and felt so bad for him. Likely a result of PTSD, Jackson suffers from nightmares, confusion and even contemplated suicide. He feels all alone. He’s hiding out in this beach house hoping enemy number one doesn’t find him, biding his time until he decides what to do. What happens next is unexpected. Seeing someone in distress in the water, Jackson fell back on his Navy Seal training and rushed to get this person to safety. While looking at the wound on the unconscious man, Jackson knows it was caused by a bullet. Another thing he noticed was the similarities between their features. The man could easily be mistaken for Jackson and he knows he’s been found; the bullet was meant for him.
Addie, the injured man Jackson rescued, wakes up to a stranger looming over him, telling him his life is now in danger from some lunatic. And let’s not forget, he was shot at because he resembled someone he never met until now. All of this would have been funny to me if they both weren’t in such dire straits. My heart went out to poor Addie. Here he was, minding his own business until someone takes a shot at him and left for dead. Not how he planned his day, at all.
Jackson is trying to convince Addie about the real danger they face, hoping he doesn’t think Jackson’s crazy like everyone else does. Meanwhile, Jackson is feeling his attraction to Addie grow. They’ve bonded while telling each other about themselves, and you can sense that Addie feels the same way just by his words and actions. At one point he reaches for Jackson’s hand and just holds it; very sweet. I didn’t think it was weird or strange that these two men would find an interest in each other. Of course the way they met is unusual, but we can never choose where or when we’ll meet that special someone who’ll change our life forever. It is especially true in Jackson and Addie’s case. So while they’re resting, healing, and getting to know one another, Jackson has put a call out to someone he can trust to help them. The question is, who will get here there first, their salvation or death?
What happens next is very scary and incredibly intense. I loved how the author wrote out this nail biting action scene. It was very descriptive, I felt as though I was in the room as it all went down. It was ‘edge of my seat’ reading for sure. I’m not going to let any spoilers out of the bag, but let me say this, I had some “holy s**t” moments while reading this particular scene.
Overall, I believe this story was about being rescued in more ways than one. As the title proclaims, Unexpected Rescue, it was just that. These two men are rescued by each other in ways they would never have imagined.
Highly recommend.
You can buy Unexpected Rescue here:
