Books: Tall, Dark and Dangerous series by Suzanne Brockmann (R, A, S)

The TDD series focuses on the Navy SEALs of Team Ten as they find true love and settle down. The later books let us know when the earlier couples marry and have babies, which is lots of fun. (These books were originally released in the Silhouette Intimate Moments line, so the language isn't quite as harsh/realistic as in Brockmann's newer Troubleshooters/Team 16 series, which I’ll review at a later date.)

An asterisk (*) denotes a book on my keeper shelf.

Prince Joe (SIM #720, 6/96; Reissued by Mira, 2002) Veronica “Ronnie” St. Jean is coaching Lt. Joe "Cat" Catalanotto as he impersonates a prince. (The story was fine, but I don't care for smug-I-know-you-want-me attitudes in my heroes.) Grade: B

*Forever Blue (SIM #742, 10/96; Mira, 2003) Lt. Carter "Blue" McCoy and Lucy Tait grew up together. Now, Blue is back in town and has been accused of murder, while Lucy is the cop investigating the crime. Solid and well-paced. Grade: A-

*Frisco's Kid (SIM #759, 1/97; Mira, 2003) Lt. Alan "Frisco" Francisco's wheelchair is a constant reminder that he is no longer a SEAL. If that’s not enough, he must deal with his five-year-old niece and his nosy neighbor, Mia Summerton, while trying to piece his life back together. Frisco is a very tortured hero and we really get to see how losing his place on the teams forces him to reevaluate his goals and even his sense of self. Grade: A

Everyday, Average Jones (SIM #872, 8/98; Mira, 2004) Lt. Harlan "Cowboy" Jones tries to convince Melody Evans, a woman he barely knows, to let him marry her for the sake of their unborn child. (Again, the story was fine, but I don't like overbearing men. Cowboy practically moves in with Melody and refuses to leave until she marries him, even after she says she doesn't want to. I didn't like how his sense of "honor" was more important to him than what she said or wanted.) Grade: B-

*Harvard's Education (SIM #884, 10/98; Mira, 2004) Senior Chief Daryl "Harvard" Becker and FInCOM Agent P.J. Richards find themselves working much closer than they ever imagined. . . A strong African-American romance with great characters! Grade: A

*It Came upon a Midnight Clear (SIM #896, 12/98; Reissued by Mira as Hawken’s Heart, 2005) Lt. William "Crash" Hawken believes he’ll never have a wife and family, but Nell Burns may be the woman to change his mind. Grade: A

*The Admiral's Bride (SIM #962, 11/99) Admiral Jake Robinson and Dr. Zoe Lange, a secret agent specializing in biological/chemical warfare, pose as newlyweds to infiltrate a terrorist cell. Although May-December romances usually creep me out, this was sweet and nicely handled. Grade: A

Identity: Unknown (SIM #974, 1/00) Lt. Mitchell Shaw can’t remember anything about his past. His violent dreams and the gun in his boot make him unwilling to pursue a relationship with Becca Keyes until he finds out who he really is. (My least favorite of the series. Becca was underdeveloped and not very likeable, and I found Mitch's protect-her-by-shutting-her-out mentality very annoying.) Grade: C

*Get Lucky (SIM #991, 3/00) Lt. Luke "Lucky" O’Donlon tends to date Barbie clones, but begins to realize what he's been missing when he finds himself teamed with journalist Sydney Jameson to find a serial rapist who might be a Navy SEAL. (While many romances try to convince us the love of a good woman can reform the most die-hard man-slut, Brockmann actually leads us through Lucky’s thought processes as he takes a hard look at his choices and the women he might have hurt along the way. This is a sterling example of how well she gets inside her heroes' heads.) Grade: A

*Taylor's Temptation (SIM #1087, 7/01) Chief Bobby Taylor doesn't want to date Colleen Skelly for fear it will destroy his close friendship with her older brother. (I love how gentle Bobby is, despite his take-charge attitude and his massive build. Not your typical alpha SEAL.) Grade: A+

Night Watch (SIM #1243, 9/03) Chief Wes Skelly goes on a blind date with Brittany Evans and finds himself sharing all his troubles, including his obsession with another SEAL's wife. Grade: A