The Angel and the SEAL by Petie McCarty - Book Tour - Book Review - Giveaway - Enter Daily!

Hello, lovelies!  It gives me great pleasure today to host Petie McCarty and her new book, “The Angel and the SEAL”!  For other stops on her Goddess Fish Promotions Book Tour, please click on the banner above or any of the images in this post.

Be sure to make it to the end of this post to enter to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes and Noble Gift Card!!  See below for more details.  Also, come back daily to interact with Petie and to increase your chances of winning!

Thanks for stopping by!  Wishing you lots of luck in this fabulous giveaway!

The Angel and the SEAL

by Petie McCarty

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GENRE: Romantic Suspense

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BLURB:

The Angel and the SEAL . . . a cozy mystery with romantic suspense from the Mystery Angel Romances series. An angel hidden in every book waiting for you to figure out who . . .

Navy SEAL Sean MacKay's teammate is murdered after stealing a deadly nerve-gas formula from Syrian terrorists. Naval Intelligence believes MacKay's teammate was a traitor and shipped the stolen formula to his sister in the states for safekeeping. MacKay is given orders to find the sister before the terrorists do and to retrieve the stolen formula at all costs.

Foreclosure looms for Cory Rigatero as she fights to keep her rustic resort near Mt. St. Helens afloat after her brother deserted her to join the SEAL Teams. Cory's whole world dives into a tailspin when Sean MacKay shows up at her resort with the news of her brother's death and the wild suspicion her brother may have sent her traitorous classified documents. No way will Cory trust MacKay -- the man who once seduced her and then vanished into the night without a trace.

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EXCERPT TWO:

A scream ripped through the air.

Mac jerked his head up in time to see the end of the dock collapse—with Cory in the middle of it—and Vern streaking for the water. The black Lab galloped out of the rear garden, barking his fool head off.

Mac vaulted from the tractor and had his feet under him before he grabbed his next breath. Panic put wings to his feet. Cory hadn’t bobbed up by the time Vern reached the collapsed end of the dock. The old man disappeared beneath the surface, and Garth perched at the end of the sagging dock, barking his complaints.

Dear God, not Cory. Don’t let anything happen to my Cory.

Mac’s feet left the lakeshore on a dead run, and he sliced into the water, stroking before he completely submerged. A handful of power strokes and he reached the spot where Vern had gone down. Mac dove under to find the old man red-faced and struggling to hold his breath while he heaved on a dock piling that had toppled over and pinned Cory’s legs to the lake bottom. In the crystal-clear water, Vern’s eyes had gone wide with fright. Cory monitored his approach but lay limp and had ceased to struggle.

Smart girl. Conserve your air.

Two dock boards remained pinned to the collapsed piling and framed her lithe body like the sides of a coffin. He stroked to her side, put his shoulder under the closest dock board, and prayed it would hold tight to the piling as Mac pressed upward with all his might. Thank God, Vern saw what he intended, and though short on air himself, the old caretaker scooted around and tugged Cory free from beneath the piling.

Mac waited until they were well and clear before he dropped the mass to the lake bottom. His heart jolted hard when he saw Vern go limp. He had nothing left.

Mac wrapped one arm around the caretaker and the other around Cory and pushed hard for the surface, thankfully but a few feet up. Mac managed to hold both their heads above water and kicked hard for shore. Garth howled and whined as he paced the length of what remained of the collapsed dock. Mac dragged both bodies up and out of the water the minute his feet found purchase on the lake bottom, then he laid them both out on the sandy shore. Vern rolled to his knees and began to cough and hack.

Mac crouched over Cory lying limply on her side, her eyes closed. He detected a weak heartbeat when he laid two fingers to her throat and leaned his cheek close to check for breathing. Hearing only his own labored breathing, he tugged her chin down with a thumb and stuck a finger into her mouth, intent on clearing an air passage.

Teeth clamped hard on his finger.

“Yeow!” He managed to yank the entire digit free.

“Well, get our finger out of my mouth,” Cory huffed and struggled to sit up. “What are you doing?”

Mac stared open-mouthed. “Trying to resuscitate you.”

“I was just spent, not dead. I used up everything I had struggling to get free of the piling.”

Before she could lodge another complaint, Mac dragged her to his chest and held her as though he’d never let her go.

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MY BOOK REVIEW:

This book is my favorite in the series – and one of my top favs from Petie McCarty!!!

This is the third book I’ve read from the impressive writer, Petie McCarty.  A few months ago I had the privilege of reading her book, “No Cowboys No Angels,” which is part of the Mystery Angels Romances Book Series and I totally loved it, so I was very excited to read her latest work, “The Angel and the SEAL,” which also falls into the same book series.

Petie’s writing only continues to improve, grow, and expand with each book!  I know she will be an author I will continue to read over the years!

This book focuses on Navy SEAL Sean McKay, also known as, “Mac,” and his most recent assignment.  Mac’s best friend and teammate, Brian, is murdered and branded a traitor after he stole a deadly nerve-gas formula from Syrian terrorists.  Upon investigation it is determined that Brian shipped the deadly nerve gas to the U.S., to his sister’s, Cory Rigatero’s house.  Mac is tasked with finding Cory before the terrorists do, keeping her safe, and retrieving the stolen gas no matter what it takes.  There’s just one tiny, little problem, Mac broke Cory’s heart six years ago and she wants nothing to do with him.  Will Mac be able to find a way back into Cory’s life?  Will Cory forgive Mac?  Will Mac be able to find the stolen gas before the terrorists?

This book focuses on Cory Rigatero, and the beautiful rustic resort, “Bel Tesoro,” she owns near Mt. St. Helens in the town of Clark.  Unfortunately, someone recently begins to secretly sabotaging her resort and trying to scare her off into selling her property to Percy Standish, Sr., also known as, “Senior,” and his son, Percy Standish, Jr., also known as, “Junior,” who mostly own the town or its people are indebted to them.  Weirdly though, this vandalism doesn’t start happening until Mac shows up and he is the prime suspect.  Is Mac doing this to get back at Cory or to get her attention?  Can Mac even be trusted this time?  Who is ultimately destroying her resort?  And this book contains a secret guardian angel – who is it?  No spoilers here!!  But you definitely will want to read this book and find out what happens!!

I really enjoyed the small-town setting of Clark and how the town itself is almost like a character and an underlying theme as well throughout the book.

I also enjoyed the Mt. St. Helens reference – as the real Mt. St. Helens resort town is just a short drive away.  It’s exciting when our small towns are featured in a popular book!

I really liked the main characters, Cory and Mac.  They were likable, realistic, and genuine.  I loved that Cory was a strong, smart, stubborn, bold, sassy, driven female-lead – those are my favorite type of characters and role-models.  I loved that Mac was tough, charming, caring, sexy, persistent, and relentless.  There is so much chemistry between these two and it was entertaining watching them try to fight it.  Not to mention all the hilarious witty banter that went back and forth between Cory and Mac!!  There were many LOL moments in this book and usually at the expense of these two!!  I loved how they pushed each other’s buttons and at times drove each other crazy lol!!  Also, I loved Garth, Cory’s adopted guard dog!!  He was so sweet, adorable, and protective!!

I absolutely loved the characters and the small-town vibe!!  I was completely wrapped up with the character's story lines!!

I think the author did a fantastic job on her character development as these characters were so real and personal on many levels!

It is clear Mrs. McCarty does not know how to write a boring, cookie-cutter character.  She writes her characters with depth, that have emotional baggage, are dealing with real-life struggles, and are working on over-coming personal obstacles.  She writes real-life characters that face real-world problems.  Which is one of the reasons I love her books, because I know when I read it, I will be able to easily connect with the characters and possibly even grow with the characters in the story.

There is so much going on in this book there literally is no time to catch your breath as we go from scene to scene and plot point to plot point!  This book completely grabs hold of you and it is impossible to walk away until you’ve turned the last page!!

Overall, I loved everything – especially the ending!!!  The only negative comment I have is that I felt the takedowns were both a bit rushed and hurried over.  There had been so much build up to discovering the culprits and the truth and then it was almost an afterthought as it was quickly resolved and brushed away.  I just felt more emphasis and time would have added to the story and smoothed out the transition better.

This book has a creative story line, fantastic writing style with meticulous and vivid scenes, well-developed characters, is fast paced, and keeps you completely entertained through the last page.

The author’s writing is strong and eloquently detailed.  She really provided so much detail in her writing that it was easy to picture!  There were a few times I found myself totally caught up in the story!

This book genre is marketed as contemporary romance and yet the author found a way to throw in mystery, intrigue, suspense, and adventure elements into the book.  It definitely added a fascinating twist to the story!

There are some predictable scenes.  However, there are still a few unexpected twists and turns that you won’t see coming!  Bet you’ll be shocked to find out who Cory’s mystery angel is!!!  I know I was!!!

This book is book three in the Mystery Angels Romances Book Series.  I have read book one, but not book two in this book series.  I can say without hesitation, that this book can absolutely be read as a standalone.  I was not lost or confused while reading this book and having previous knowledge of book one was not necessary to enjoy this book.  However, since I liked this book, I would suggest getting in from the beginning and starting with book one, so you don’t miss anything – but truly you can read them in any order, just make sure you read all three!!!

For me, this book absolutely worked!!!  It hit everything I look for and need when I am reading and reviewing a book!!!

All in all, I really enjoyed reading this book and would absolutely recommend not only this book, but this author as well!  I was truly impressed with the quality of writing, intriguing story line, and excellent character development!  I will definitely be continuing to follow this author and check out her upcoming books!  I think all contemporary romance readers will like this book too – and this book series!  So, be sure to add it to your TBR List and get to reading - you won't be disappointed!

**Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book and have voluntarily provided an honest, and unbiased review in accordance with FTC regulations.**

Did you find this review helpful?

If so, please, please, please mark it as helpful on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/review/RMO67IV29B2KJ

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AUTHOR BIO:

Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—"The  Most Magical Place on Earth"—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her "day" job to write her stories full-time. These days Petie spends her time writing sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and her cozy-mystery-with-romantic-suspense series, the Mystery Angel Romances.

Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who made a cameo appearance in No Angels for Christmas.

Visit Petie's web site online at http://www.petiemccarty.com or her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty.

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CONNECT WITH PETIE:

Website:

http://www.petiemccarty.com

Email:

petiemccarty@gmail.com

Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/petie.mccarty

Twitter:

https://twitter.com/authorpetie

Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/petiemccarty

LinkedIn:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanie-mccarty-30851412

BookBub Author Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/authors/petie-mccarty

BookBub Book Page:

https://www.bookbub.com/books/the-angel-and-the-seal-the-mystery-angel-romances-book-3-by-petie-mccarty

Goodreads Author Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6094579.Petie_McCarty

Goodreads Book Page:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/46001642-the-angel-and-the-seal

Amazon Author Page:

https://amzn.to/2MGWtDd

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BOOK BUY LINKS:

Amazon Kindle eBook:

https://amzn.to/2YBPzVG

Barnes and Noble Paperback:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-angel-and-the-seal-petie-mccarty/1132209584

The Book Depository Paperback:

https://www.bookdepository.com/Angel-SEAL-Petie-McCarty/9781682919293

BAM! Books-A-Million Paperback:

https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Angel-SEAL/Petie-McCarty/9781682919293

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GIVEAWAY INFO:

Petie will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to one winner randomly drawn via Rafflecopter during the tour.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

**This post contains affiliate links and if clicked and a purchase is made, I may receive a small commission to help support this blog.  This does not cost you anything, it just helps pay for all those awesome giveaways on here.**

This contest is sponsored by a third party. Fabulous and Brunette is a registered host of Goddess Fish Promotions.  Prizes are given away by the sponsors and not Fabulous and Brunette. The featured author and Goddess Fish Promotions are solely responsible for the giveaway prize.