Forged in Ash

A Red-Hot SEALs Novel, Book 2

By: Trish McCallan

Narrated by: Luke Daniels

Length: 11 hrs and 57 mins

Publisher's summary

Kait Winchester inherited a special gift from her Arapaho ancestors: She can heal with her touch. And there is no one she would like to get her hands on more than the super-sexy SEAL who seems determined to ignore their off-the-charts chemistry. When the wounded warrior finally seeks her help, she’s ready to nurse him back to health…and into her bed.

Navy SEAL Lieutenant Marcus "Cosky" Simcosky is no stranger to hot water, but recent events have boiled over into one hell of a mess. His team is under investigation for a hostage rescue gone wrong, a crazy female stalker is on his trail, and the last few bullets he took just may sideline him for the rest of his career. The kicker? The one woman who can help him get back on his feet - and has haunted his fantasies for years - is his teammate’s sister. He’s looked but never touched. When his stalker targets Kait, though, Cosky will have no choice but to do whatever is necessary to keep her safe.

©2014 Trish McCallan (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved

Good Story - too much internal dialog!

3.25 Stars for me!

My rating range of this story... 2 - 3.75
If significant, why?
1. The narrator is very good until he does the exaggerated OTT voices or the whining voices. I can tell that he is matching what the author intends but it is hard on the brain.

Main Character Ratings...
H = 4/10
h = 6/10

Narrator Rating(s)
M = 6/10
F = n/a
If below 5/10,why?

Was cheating involved? No
Any major triggers to be aware of? Rape, abduction and killing of kids

If Comedy... Type? n/a
Genuinely Funny
Cringe Inducing
Just No!

Angst Level? Please Stop
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop

Internal Monolog? Oh my freaking goodness, please Stop!!
Light, Moderate, Heavy or Please Stop

Scenes with heat... Yes
What point does it start? 70%
How much of the story? 10%
Anything beyond M/F? No
If yes, explained

Heat Rating... 6/10
Clean or Fade to Black - 1 or 2
Normal to Descriptive 3-5
Detailed Descriptive Sex - 6-7
Um, Wow, Beyond Descriptive Sex - 8 or above

Was there so much sex or unrealistic sex that you rolled your eyes and/or skipped forward? No

The back story... Continuation from book 1

The Romance... Nearly impossible to see as the H worked hard to be a jerk and push the h away.

The drama explosion... Recovery of the new h for book 3.
Did it feel Real, OK or contrived? Ok
Was it OTT? Yes
Separation involved? No
Was it resolved properly or rushed? Properly

Final Notes... I really do like the story but the constant head babble and OTT voices have me cringing and skipping forward.

HEA or HFN? HFN

Second Book Better Than First!

I've been looking forward to this book for months, ever since first discovering Forged by Fire. The publishing date was delayed several times, but finally we get to enjoy more Navy Seal action. And action, there certainly is!

This book follows "Cosky" and Kait, but we also get some glimpses at Beth and Zane's relationship (from book one), as well as other secondary couples together with a hint of the relationship that could be in book three. The romance is secondary to the plot, however, and I was happy for it. Ms McCallan writes wonderful action scenes which kept me on the edge of my seat.

Luke Daniels is a brilliant narrator for this. As much as I enjoyed Angela Dawe's reading of the first book, Luke Daniel is even better. Worth a credit? A big 'yes, indeedy!' from me. Don't dither! Go, buy now!

Really good addition to the series :D

4-4.5 stars

This was a really good story. I really liked both Kait and Marcus. The romance part of the story ends in a happy ending but the action plot is still ongoing and it looks like it wont be concluded until the end of the series. I will say that it's been 9+ months since I read the first book and I barely remembered it...this book does good at reminding the readers of what happened previously For people that haven't read book #1 I think there could be some confusion but it wouldn't be too bad.

Kait is half Arrapaho and is the sister and daughter of special forces men. She grew up with one brother (Aidan) and recently discovered a half-brother (Wolf). Kait has also discovered a healing power in her. It only works part of the time but she was able to use to to heal Aidan when he was seriously injured and looking at the possibility of no longer walking.

Marcus is special forces and lives for his job. His teammates are his brothers and he'd do anything for them. He' swore off anything serious with women because he can't see any woman wanting to deal with the risk and worry that comes with being involved with someone in special forces. Marcus met Kait 5 years ago (when Aidan was in the hospital) and knew from the first instant that the strong attraction between them was his kryptonite...because of this he's made a noticeable effort to stay far away from Kait.

Marcus was hurt in book #1, Forged in Fire and the gunshot wound to his knee isn't healing well at all. The doctors aren't happy about it and think he will need more surgeries and even then won't be fit enough to rejoin his team. Aidan approaches Marcus and tells him about how Kait has a healing power that was what healed his horrible damaged spine years before. Marcus isn't sure if he believes Aidan but ends up being desperate enough to call Kait to see if her healing can work. While this is going on, Marcus and his team are being questioned about the events in Forged in Fire but since much of what happened has been covered up and seems to be the stuff of conspiracy theorists wet dreams, things aren't going too well for them.

Marcus goes to Kait's place for the healing but the major attraction between them causes some issues and things go too far. Marcus freaks and therefore has a big bout of relationship dumbassedness, hurting Kait in the process. Unknown to him, Marcus had a tail when he went to Kait's place and it ends up bringing Kait into their issues....putting her in the line of sight of a crazy woman and the men trying to keep the conspiracy quiet. Things between Kait and Marcus get worked out along the way and there's a lot of action to keep things interesting. The story actually began focusing on the romance but as the action started, the plot seemed to focus more on the action than the romance. Not in a bad way though...there was still attention to the romance, it just was done in a way that worked with the action (and not in a way that makes you wonder how the couple found time to have sex in the middle of a firefight or some crap like that). Things work out so that Marcus and Kait are happily together at the end (and I Liked how Marcus connected with her powers).

This was a really enjoyable story. I really liked Kait and Marcus. Thier story was very good and I liked the characters and the way things played out. The romance did get concluded by the end but the action plot looks like it'll continue through the whole series. That's cool though because I'm planning to read more of the series. Overall, this was a really good story and I'd recommend it (after book #1). :)

This story was a reach.

I was disappointed in the readers' different voices.
I enjoy stories the are conceivable an this deviated too much from reality.
And for me, too much sexual detail made it difficult for me to concentrate on driving.

The performance blew this for me

What did you love best about Forged in Ash?

I liked the story. ( I think) it was VERY hard to listen to. i loved the first book, but this one was not half as good. but i think it was performance

What was one of the most memorable moments of Forged in Ash?

getting to know some of the seals better better. and little tiny updates of beth and Zane. but i wish there was more of them and their story too.

What didn’t you like about Luke Daniels’s performance?

I like to listen to books while i relax and fall asleep. but there was so much yell and cussing in it. and I usually don't mind cussing, but it seemed like it was used way to much. it was hard to fall asleep, and it seemed every time he would talk as the main character, he would yell his lines... not easy to relax to. I had to force myself to listen to this story, because i liked the story line. But i almost gave up a ton of times.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

not sure.

Any additional comments?

i REALLY hope that the next book is NOT done by the same guy who read this book. like I stated it was very hard to listen to. I really hope it was just the reader, and not the book its self. I may download the book and read it just to make sure.

good story

Would you listen to Forged in Ash again? Why?

yes, but I didn't like the narrator.

What did you like best about this story?

storyline was good, liked the healing.

What didn’t you like about Luke Daniels’s performance?

He was very stereotypical in his voices for the characters. That Mac sounds way over gruff and Wolf sounds like a real stereotyped Indian -really awful!

Any additional comments?

Find a different narrator for the next book please.

Nice Change!

I love the Elite Ops - Navy Seals Series' ! They are sexy and exciting with lots of action. This series went really slow reveling the love interest of the main character and slowly getting them together but it was worth the wait - ironically, I wasn't bored waiting as the story went in interesting turns and introduced even more characters, leading me to think we will see them I future books by this author. Can't wait- great narration with many voices and personalities. I felt that many people were reading.

Finally

Thrilled that this series is on audible! This little hidden gem is long over due. The narrator have life to the main characters voices.

Forged In Ash (Red Hot Seals Book 2)Trish McCallan

Forged In Ash is the 2nd book in the Red Hot Seals series and it is an excellent follow up book. You have to read the 1st book to know what is happening. This is Marcus Simcosky's story. Kait Winchester is of Arapaho descent with the gift of healing. Marcus is finally able to talk himself into going to Kait to see if she could heal him. Luke Daniels is the narrator of this audio book and does a good job with it. This is 5 stars.

Cosky and Kait's Story within the story

Loved this second book in the Red-Hot SEALS series. The fact that some of the characters have special "gifts" is one of the defining components of the stories. It winds a love interest in with a mystery involving men with special ops credentials to make for a very attention holding story. Anxiously awaiting the next one in the series.