A SEAL's Oath: a second chance romance

A SEAL’s Oath by Cora Seton is the first book in the SEALs of Chance Creek. Navy SEAL Boone Rudman and his friends are creating a sustainable community with the hopes that, if successful, can be replicated anywhere in the world. When Martin Fulsom offers them land in Chance Creek, they take it. However, Fulsom is expecting families in the new town. Boone and his friends are as single as they come. Now Boone needs to find a wife or lose his chance at his dream. When he arrives at Westfield, he finds that it is already occupied by Riley Eaton, the woman who got away and has occupied his mind ever since. Riley is at a crossroad in her life. With no job and no prospects, she and her friends throw caution to the wind and decide to stay at the ranch her uncle inherited and create a Jane Austen style vacation for six months in Chance Creek. As Boone and Riley realize their plans for the land clash, can they find a way to help each other? Or will they destroy their chance for the futures they dream of? 

I love novels that feature military men and second chance romances. Of course, the cover caught my eye. Marriages of convenience as a trope seem a little far fetched but can make for a good romance. When I bought this book, the Jane Austen aspect in the blurb didn’t register. I added it to my To-Be-Read list and moved on. It came up on the list and I started reading. Boy, was I disappointed. I am not a fan of Jane Austen. And I do not get the appeal of someone who wants to live in “a simpler, more beautiful life-one that allows time for art, literature and music.” What? The Regency Era, simpler? Seriously? Whatever. But then Boone and his friends lecture endlessly about global warming and sustainability that it bogs down the story and you forget you’re reading a romance novel. I found Boone and Riley too immature and stubborn. Sadly, this book was not what I thought it was and by the end, I didn’t care if Boone and Riley found a common ground. I certainly will not be finishing the series. If you enjoy stories of Navy SEALs and love Jane Austen, you may enjoy A SEAL’s Oath. 

A SEAL’s Oath is available in paperback, eBook and audiobook