The Admiral's Bride

Another good one by Brockmann. I liked this one a bunch--still in the highly consummable in the aftenroon sort of genre. I really enjoyed watching their relationship develop and some of the realness about a widower coming to terms with the fact that he's still living, the love of his life is dead but does that mean he has to stop loving. The action/adventure part wrapped around this nicely.

There was a lot of repitition of his hang ups and her hang ups etc in the book, which tend to annoy me, but the story is so delightful that I get past it. I'm also starting to really really dislike that every book ends in a tidy pretty bow marriage. Sigh. That's actually not the end all be all goal of romance. Extra sigh. That said, I still love this show more couple and would highly recommend the series. show less

I don't particularly like older man/younger woman stories especially if the age difference is more than 18+ years. My first thought is that the hero is old enough to be the heroine's father and that's just icky. In TAB the age difference is 20+ years and was probably the worst aspect of the book for me. But Admiral Jake Robinson was a terrific hero. The first chapter was a flashback to one of his many heroic deeds from the Vietnam War and was a grippingly realistic account and a great way for the reader to get to know and love the hero. Now 52, Jake is a widower whose wife died from cancer three year before. He leads a SEAL team in covert operations and is a fully fit hunk (think Harrison Ford). Zoe Lange is a scientist who specializes show more in biological weapons and also works in covert operations. Jake's repeated angst because of his concern over the age difference was rather tiring. There was a fake wedding between Jake and Zoe that was arranged in order to get her into the compound (and so they can have hot sex of course) where he is working undercover. It was a rather trite plot device that you find frequently in series romance (and which I secretly love). The suspense was pretty good with most of the action taking place at the end. All in all a readable book. I think I would have liked it better if the age gap had been much smaller. (Grade: B-) show less

I don’t love all of the books in Suzanne Brockmann’s earlier Navy SEALs series, but this one is great. The relationship and the suspense plot develop because of each other, and everything unfolds at the same time, the relationship moving the suspense forward, and the suspense moving the relationship forward. It was just so good.

This is an unconventional romance to say the least. Jake, the hero, is fifty-three, while Zoe, the heroine, is twenty-nine. Jake is an admiral in the navy - a former SEAL - and a Vietnam War hero. He saved Zoe’s father all those years ago, back before Zoe was even born. Brockmann does unconventional romance very well, and this was a wonderful story, and certainly not focused solely on the age difference. show more Zoe is brought into the SEAL team when canisters of a dangerous substance are stolen and being held by a cult leader. Zoe is one intelligent lady, and she’s needed to help the navy guys locate and destroy the substance before it is used to attack Americans. In order to get into the cult Jake and Zoe must stage a relationship and then a marriage. Of course they are already attracted to each other so not a lot of acting is needed.

Not all of the books in the Tall Dark and Dangerous series work, because the suspense is not always at the forefront of the story. This book deals with the question of how much you are willing to do - how far you are willing to go - in order to stop terrorists. Is it okay to sleep with someone you hate in exchange for information to help others? How far should Jake let Zoe go to get the job done? The decisions of both lead characters tell a lot about their feelings for each other.

I did have a problem with one aspect of the story, but that’s because the book was written in the Nineties, and also because of a personal reason. The hero, Jake, fought in the Vietnam War, and this is mentioned quite often. My father fought in Vietnam in the late Sixties, putting him over there the same time as Jake. It was extremely difficult for me to picture the hero as anything other than one of my father’s aged war friends! I had to keep reminding myself the book took place more than a decade ago, and also not to picture any of the men I know!

Everything worked so well in The Admiral’s Bride. I loved the plot, the characters, and how heroes of other books in the series were there because they were necessary to the story. I didn’t expect to like the relationship, but I really, really loved it. The suspense aspect had the potential to be hokey, but turned out to be very well done. A definite five star read for me. show less

This is the first book that I have read of this series, even though its number 7 LOL, well I don't always read books in the order of the series. Sometimes I just grab a book because it sounds like something I would enjoy reading. I just grabbed this book off of the library shelf, because I love reading from Suzanne Brockmann, and the Synopsis sounded intriguing to me.
You have a Navy Seal Admiral, who has been in the Navy for 30 years or so. In his 50's he is a strong, virile man who has lost his beloved wife three years previous. Then comes along Dr. Zoe Lange who is much younger than he is. However, sparks of attraction fly between them that surprise the both of them. Even though they have a mission and a job to do! There are six show more canisters of a dangerous agent missing, and if they are released to the public many lives will be at risk. So knowing who stole them, they must infiltrate the compound and take back or destroy the chemical agent. So Jake infiltrates the compound, trying to gain the leader's trust. The plan is to make it seem as if he and Zoe fall madly in love and get married, so that she can properly manage the chemical agent. However despite their playacting, they both know that real emotions are involved. Even though Jake knows that Zoe is way too young for him, sometimes matters of the heart don't take into consideration the matter of age. As stakes grow higher and higher, so does their love and the passionate embraces.

I definitely enjoyed reading "The Admira'l's Bride", it was a thrilling and exciting adventure, filled with heated embraces, tender moments, and a thrilling plot and I kept thinking to myself "Oh no, something bad is going to happen, something that isn't part of the original plan," I loved how Brockmann, had the complexity in the relationship of the age difference. That age sometimes doesn't matter when your in love. I found that Zoe and Jake had much in common, for they both have had to go on missions that were top secret, and both have strong independent personalities, but are able to work as a team to get the job done. Despite their feelings for one another, it doesn't endanger their mission, almost anyway. It was such a poignant story, to see how both Zoe and Jake draw closer together despite the danger that is circling around them. It was a well written and genuine plot that captivated my attention from the first page. And who can resist an stud super SEAL, I know I couldn't. I have to say that this is a page turner 100% and I couldn't put it down, another 5 for Suzanne Brockmann!! show less

This is a really good story that I had actually read before (I just didn't recognize it from the blurb).

Admiral Jake Robinson has always been the SEAL who lived by the motto of "leave no man behind." As far back as the Vietnam War, there have been "Jake's Boys" -- soldiers rescued because of the personal efforts of Jake Robinson. Now, he's been assigned to infiltrate a religious cult and recover six canisters of a devastatingly lethal nerve gas.

His partner undercover is Dr. Zoe Lange, who just so happens to be the daughter of one of "Jake's Boys" from back in Vietnam. She's also a lot younger than the Admiral. This doesn't stop them from going undercover as husband and wife -- or from experiencing the very real feelings of passion and show more desire.

But Jake is still mourning the passing of his wife, and Zoe isn't sure that the age difference (or this assignment) is something that can be overcome. Will these two be able to survive their undercover job -- and find a real love worth fighting for?

This is truly another great read in Ms. Brockmann's SEAL series! show less

Just reread this for about the 4th time. I like this book. And between readings I always forget how much. There is a large age difference between the characters which can be iffy but it works well here. I think since the heroine is a 30 years old professional woman and I don't feel like the hero is robbing the cradle. There is good sexual tension betwen the two main characters. You get to see plenty of most of the other members of the team but only a small bit from other POVs than the main couple. I think the way his feelings about his first wife are treated are very realistic. Brockmann does not do as many authors do in this situation where suddenly it comes out that the hero/heroine didn't really love the first wife/husband.

The show more suspense part of the story is well done and the ending is very touching. One of the best of the Tall Dark and Dangerous series. show less

This one I liked a lot. Admiral Jake Robinson, now widowed is given a second chance at love. Dr. Zoe Lange has a case of hero worship the size of Mount Everest. The May-December romance is well done, believable. Zoe is a strong, capable, professional character. Yes, she's a strong woman but not an over the top heroine that can do no wrong either. The seduction dance between Jake and Zoe is definitely worth it. The plot is somewhat average involving domestic survivalists terrorists, some very nasty chemical weapons. The seal team (Harvard, Lucky, Crash) is somewhat window dressing in this story. The heart of the story is Jake and Zoe.