Saving Him

SEAL Team, Book 1

De: Sara Hurst

Narrado por: Eric Corbyn, Lance Isley

When the one you love — but shouldn’t — is taken......you fight like hell to get them back.

Adam DuBois is a true hero—a Navy SEAL dedicated to his team and country. You can see it in everything he does.

That’s what I tell people when they ask me about him.

But he’s so much more than a hero.

We’ve been through hell and back since we were two eighteen-year-old guys trying to survive boot camp. Fast forward eight years, and we’re still friends — albeit with benefits, at least on Adam’s part. I fell in love along the way, while Adam discovered a love for my…uh…finer assets—not that the world knows that.

It’s forbidden.

So, we hid—my feelings for him, and his unquenchable thirst for what’s in my pants.

All because we love the Navy, love being SEALs, and DADT said we had to.

But everything changed when Adam was captured. Now, all I care about is bringing him home.

Alive.

And I don’t care who finds out about us.

Saving Him is an MM Military Romance set at the end of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. It's a coming out story of finding love under extreme pressure with a person you're forbidden to be with and finding acceptance where you least expect it.

©2023 Sara Hurst (P)2025 Pink Flamingo Productions

Ok

"Saving Him" by Sara Hurst has a promising beginning but, unfortunately, by the end it just sort of limps across the finish line. So much has been written, rightly so, about the way that male authors write female characters, but for some reason people don't talk about the reverse as much. Sara Hurst tries very hard--harder than most--to write convincing alpha male characters but something about it just seems a bit off, especially in the latter half of the novel. The two narrators do their best, and their best is really good, but I don't really see a Navy SEAL acting the way either Adam or (especially) Brock act throughout the book.

It's sort of frustrating that Brock is the sexually passive partner and so Hurst has written him to be more like "the woman" in the relationship. This is a common issue I see with male/male romance novels. He's overemotional, and refers to himself at one point as "queer," an offensive, politically-charged term that is NOT a word that a masculine gay man would use to define himself, especially in 2009. In fact the whole book has a sensitivity that belies the setting. The squadmates are TOO accepting, and frequently talk in therapy-speak.

A woman comes with them on a mission and the team leader says "I don't give a **** what a person's gender or sexual orientation is! As long as they can do the job!" OK, dude, dial it back please, this is a mission not an HR presentation. Literally every female character introduction spurs whichever narrator is speaking to go on a five minute tangent about how beautiful, wonderful, and competent she is. We are given about ten times the information about the wives of the squad members than we are about the squad members themselves, most of whom have about two lines of dialogue and I can't remember a single one of their names. The women are CONSTANTLY giving the male characters glares or sassy comments, to which the dumb men have no retort, of course, and just sit there cowed, put in their place.

Anyway the book wasn't awful, but it wasn't great either. I was really happy with the first half of the novel; I liked the characters, the narrators, and the plot was initially exciting. But the last hour and a half were an absolute slog, and that really should have been the best and most exciting part. The way in which Adam's captivity was resolved was unsatisfying for a reason I can't really get into without spoilers, and the order of events in the last third of the book is confusing. They're getting ready to go on a mission and suddenly they're at a garden party or something. I didn't care enough at that point to rewind and figure out what the heck was happening. Also, US intelligence is on top of things enough that they not only know where Adam is but what, specifically, he's doing, and yet they're just sitting on it because they're waiting for more proof? That seems unlikely.

Saving Him

Saving Him is the first book in the Seal Team series. This book is about Adam and Brock and is told from both of their points of view. Adam and Brock are both in the Navy Seals, and are on the same team.

They form a friendship with everything that they have been through, and their friendship turns to more, but they have to keep it on the down low so they don't get kicked out of the Seals.

When Adam is taken as hostage, Brock will do anything to get him back, which could include outing their relationship. Can Adam get through everything that is thrown at him? Can Brock rescue Adam before it's too late? Will Adam and Brock get their happy ending.

This was a quick listen for me, and I enjoyed it. I would continue on in the series.

Lots of action, fun!

A workplace M/M, friends-to-lovers, military romance under the rule of ‘don’t ask / don’t tell’, building up to an intense rescue mission. As you can imagine it’s packed with angst and has a bit of action—of multiple types.

Written in 1st person POV, alternating.

Military romance.
Vi0lence.
Best friends to lovers.
Group scene.
Rescue mission.
M/M.
T0rture / POW.
Second chances.
Rescue mission.

Overall:
My first read by this author, not my last. It was quick, hot, fun, and of course, since PFP produced it, sounded great.

🎧 Audio:
Flawless. 5 stars. 🦩

Great Story & Narration🎧Captivating & Emotional!

This is a great friends-to-lovers military romance between two Navy SEALs set in the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” era. Brock and Adam served together, became best of friends, and what started out as an innocent threesome turned into an awakening, one Adam did not see coming. While on a mission with their team, all goes bad and their enemies take Adam and as a POW they try to get him to talk, using various methods of torture. The story is told in alternate timelines, alternating back-and-forth from the present, with Adam trying to survive the torture and what Brock is going through while intel is trying to locate Adam, to the past, showing the growth of his and Brock’s relationship. It was gut-wrenching to see what Adam endured, and all I wanted was for him to be freed of it, hoping the team would get to him quickly. I was rooting for that and for Brock and Adam’s relationship, their love, the entire time. There is never a dull moment in this book, and the writing and plot are fantastic, and the story has a perfect balance of drama, angst, thrilling and suspenseful moments, heartfelt emotions, and steamy romance. Sara Hurst, thank you for this terrific story and emotional rollercoaster ride.

🎧📚🎧 Eric Corbyn and Lance Isley did a fantastic job bringing these characters to life, giving each a voice that was fitting, accents included, and were believable in every role. Corbyn and Isley delivered a perfect portrayal and nailed it as the two lead characters, while grasping every aspect of their personality and demeanor. They set the right tone for the story, conveyed all the character’s emotions and had you feeling them all. These two made a great team, with voices and talent that complemented each other and a captivating performance that was entertaining and a pleasure to listen to.

Kept me intrigued

This was such a good read. The way Brock and Adam became best friends first and then more. Then, not being able to be together but still not able to stay away was so sad. Definitely check TW. I love the way they got their HEA

I did the audio, which was so good. I'm definitely adding to my list of narrators I like.

Short, but packed full

This is the first book I've read/listened to written by Sara Hurst. It was really well written. I was invested from the beginning and liked all the characters. We learn about Adam and Brock through flashbacks. I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see how Adam would be rescued. In my opinion, it's hard to write a good short romance that's believable. I rarely get so invested in the outcome, but Sara managed to succeed in making that happen.

The narrators were excellent! They had this rolling like a movie in my head with an emotional performance! Loved their voices. It was perfection!

#TheFlockonTour #PinkFlamingoProductions

Stayed with me

I really enjoyed this book, and the narration was done extremely well. I was invested from start to finish. I cared about the characters, felt the tension and emotion, and didn't want it to end.