One Marine, Hero by EM Lynley: #Review #GuestPost #Giveaway @emlynley

One Marine, Hero

by EM Lynley

Length: 280 pages

Genres: Gay (M/M) Contemporary, Military, Romance

He’s a hero to everyone but himself.

Marine helicopter pilot Captain Jake Woodley struggles after receiving the Medal of Honor for a mission where he didn’t bring every man back alive. Being called a hero and having his photo plastered across the news makes him hate himself more. He despises his cushy job flying with the Marine One squadron, carrying the president and other officials, when he’d rather risk something, even death. He gets his wish when he’s ordered to fly a series of classified trips.

Matt “Beau” Beaumont has been relegated to covering the fashion beat after getting downsized from a hard-news position. But an unexpected invitation to a White House dinner might be the boost his career needs. Offering a hot marine an after-dinner blowjob wasn’t on Beau’s agenda, but when Jake takes him up on the proposition, some phenomenal casual sex soon blossoms into a relationship both of them crave.

When Beau’s extracurricular research uncovers defense department funding anomalies, he soon discovers the trouble goes higher than he imagined. Just as events start to make sense, the investigation puts Beau and Jake in deadly danger. It takes a daring play by Jake—risking everything he loves—to uncover the truth.

If you enjoy military men, danger, sizzling romance and a peek behind the scenes at the White House, don't miss this one!

This is a story I really enjoyed writing! As some of you know, I used to work as a White House economic adviser. Some of my behind-the-scenes experiences with Marine One on the White House lawn are included here.

For research I even took helicopter flying lessons. You're really in for a treat this time around. Here’s more about those flying lessons:

I Flew a Helicopter!

Last October was Fleet Week in San Francisco. While touring one of the Navy ships, I met several Marine helicopter pilots whose aircraft were on display. The helicopters were set up on the flight deck so we could climb into several of them. I had a great time talking to these guys and hearing about their helicopters that I decided the next book I wrote would star a Marine helo pilot.

So I did.

But you also know how much I love hands-on research.

So, to make sure I had a real feel for my pilot’s job, I took a few helicopter flying lessons!

It was incredible! For an intro flight, you actually get to fly the helicopter for about 30 minutes. But first the instructor told me a little about how helicopters fly and how they are controlled, and what makes rotary wing aircraft different from fixed-wing (airplanes).

He also went over some specific practices, such as how to hand the controls between pilot and copilot. You must say “You have the controls” and wait for the other to respond “I have the controls” before you stop controlling the helo.

Then we discussed what to do if something went wrong, such as the engine stopping. When he asked me what to do, I said, “You have the controls.” He laughed pretty hard.

So out on the tarmac, he showed me all the parts of the helo, then we got inside and went through a lengthy preflight check of controls, gauges, etc. Then Wayne lifted off and we flew about three minutes before he said “You have the controls”

I was freaking out for about the first ten seconds, and then when I realized the thing wasn’t going to fall out of the sky, it started to be fun.

I had complete control! He told me what route to take (follow that road toward the hills) and I got to practice banking/turns and changing altitude. I can’t even explain how cool it was using a few levers to move a helicopter around.

I was pretty focused on keeping the correct attitude (making sure we’re going straight and not descending until I wanted to), that I almost didn’t get to enjoy the gorgeous scenery of the SF Bay below us.

But it was a glorious sunny day with little to no wind and just perfect for flying.

As the halfway point of the flight arrive and it was time to turn back to the airport I was really disappointed. I didn’t want the flight to end, just as I was kind of getting a feel for things.

The view of SF was just beautiful, off in the distance across the bay, and I handed the controls over long enough to get a few photos.

I certainly got more than just some real hands-on experience piloting a helo, but I kind of got hooked on how it feels to fly and if I can afford it, I’ll try to take a few more lessons.

Helicopter lessons are about 3 times the price of fixed wing flying lessons, which means I probably won’t be earning a helicopter pilot license!

Read the first 4 chapters now!

5 of 5 stars

Wracked with survivor’s guilt after returning from Afghanistan, Jake Woodley’s life is slowly spiraling downward. Consumed by loss, he is unable to appreciate the value in his life is or recognize the opportunities for positive change his current posting contains.

Matt is a fashion commentator who yearns to prove himself as an investigative reporter. A case of mistaken identity catapults him out of the rut his professional life has become and into the center of a political storm the size of which he never dreamed to discover.

Brought together by chance, Jake and Matt are helpless to deny the powerful chemistry they share. It doesn't take them long to realize that they are each holding a dangerous piece of a puzzle that threatens to unravel the fragile connection they're just starting to maintain.

Lynley pens a story of life, love, loss, and second chances. Suspenseful and emotionally charged, this is a dramatic example of what can happen when people are pushed to the brink of desperation. The complexity of One Marine, Hero's plot left me breathless as it carried me away. 

EM Lynley writes gay erotic romance. She loves books where the hero gets the guy and the loving is 11 on a scale of 10. A Rainbow Award winner and EPIC finalist, EM has worked in high finance, high tech, and in the wine industry, though she'd rather be writing hot, romantic man-on-man action. She spent 10 years as an economist and financial analyst, including a year as a White House Staff Economist, but only because all the intern positions were filled. Tired of boring herself and others with dry business reports and articles, her creative muse is back and naughtier than ever. She has lived and worked in London, Tokyo and Washington, D.C., but the San Francisco Bay Area is home for now.

She is the author of Sex, Lies & Wedding Bells, the Precious Gems series from Dreamspinner Press (Indiana Jones meets Romancing the Stone), and the Rewriting History series starring a sexy jewel thief, among others.

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