Into the Blue (Wild Aces) – book review

Into the Blue
by Chanel Cleeton
Release Date: July 5, 2016
Publisher: Berkley
Book #1 in the Wild Aces series
Number of Pages: 291
Contemporary Romance/Military
Ages 15 and up
CW: grief, PTSD
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Eric Jansen—call sign Thor—loves nothing more than pushing his F-16 to the limit. Returning home to South Carolina after a tragic loss, he hopes to fix the mistake he made long ago, when he chose the Air Force over his fiancée.

Becca Madison isn’t quick to welcome Thor back. She can’t forget how he shattered her heart. But Thor won’t give up once he’s set his sights on what he wants—and he wants Becca.

Thor shows Becca that he’s no longer the impulsive boy he used to be, and Becca finds herself irresistibly drawn to him. But will Thor be able to walk away from his dream of flying the F-16 for their love or does his heart belong to the sky?

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This story started strong for me. I could feel the emotions vividly from both Becca and Eric aka Thor. I was all in on this second-chance romance…until I wasn’t. After a few chapters, the pacing of the story seemed to stall. I would read a chapter at a time but I found I was no longer invested. Quite honestly, if I wasn’t set on reading the next book in this series while also having a completionist mindset I may not have finished. I put this book down for a solid week, not sure if it was my mood or the book that was the problem. I didn’t dislike the book, but I found I was no longer invested. Maybe it was a combination of both.

When I picked the book back up I still wasn’t sure and it was slow going for the next few chapters. Then, about halfway through, everything picked back up and I found myself immersed once more. I feel as though it was a pacing issue. I fully believed in the love and emotions Eric and Becca had for each other. I understood Becca’s doubts and reservations when it came to even being friends with Eric again. Something about how it played out was not working for me.

The last half of this book is great. Especially once Becca resolved to give things a real try. There is a scene when Becca is seeing Eric in his military element for the first time and it is perfect. The author evokes the exact emotions these scenarios bring up for the loved ones of service members and it brought back many fond memories for me.

So while this story wasn’t everything I had hoped it would be, it still gave me what I needed. A HEA for a beautiful second chance at love.

3 stars