Sadly I just could not get into this story.

Annie is a Environmental Grad Student, caught up in a whirlwind romance with a French Grad Student. Before she knows it she is in the Highlands of Scotland, protesting at the activities of an oil company. She is rather naive if you ask me and seems to just be a bit airy-fairy when it comes to her ideals. She soon learns that there are plans afoot to use the protectors to camouflage more dastardly deeds.

Dean was part of SEAL team Nine, who were ambushed on their last mission and they have gone into hiding. Now acting as a deckhand on a boat which moors in the same small coastal town Annie is living in. Their paths cross and Annie finds herself attracted to "Dan". But she is with Julien and he is more her type...isn't he?

Sadly I just could not get into this book at all. I felt Annie was just so naive and she occasionally played into the "poor little rich girl" stereotype. Dean and the rest of the team were fully formed characters and I found them more believable but their interaction with other characters felt stilted and a bit condescending at times.

I did enjoy the idea of the SEAL team being torn apart and hiding out around the world. Maybe because I am Scottish I just felt the Scots characters were kind of "Cartoony" and I just could not love them :(

One of the first things that comes to mind when crafting this review is the uniqueness of the story. The author has really done due diligence to create an interesting and intricate story that made this a pleasure to read.

The characters are not your run-of-the-mill contemporary romance fluff pieces. The plot is well thought out and well constructed. Plus she allows plenty of room for growth in this interesting new series.

While so much of the book is intensive to a degree, there are some humorous and lighthearted spots and our hero, Dean, is definitely delicious. This book was very well thought out and combines romance and suspense with our military SEAL flavor of the month – yummy, hot and spicy.

For those of you that are not familiar with Monica McCarty’s writing, take the time to try this one on for size. I think you’ll find it fits just right, just like our hero. Mmmmm

I can’t wait for more in the series. Definitely an interesting story that is not only believable but the author has taken a page from today’s news. Love it!!

Though I haven't read many romantic suspense novels, it's one of my favorite sub-genres of romance. Going Dark sounded like the perfect book for me, and I couldn't wait to get into it.

Going Dark sets off with an explosive, albeit confusing prologue with a Navy SEAL's mission in Russia going wrong. It's a confusing prologue because you soon realize that the hero of the book isn't who you think it is. So be warned, as the prologue and first chapter will most likely throw readers off. Despite the confusing start, the book is an addicting read with non-stop action and revelations. It's exciting from start to finish, and will have readers salivating for more as you read through the chapters.

At the center of Going Dark are two characters who are polar opposites of each other when it comes to political views, but who somehow fit together like a lock and a key. Annie, a newly minted PhD ecologist, is accompanying her boyfriend to Scotland to protest an oil-company. We soon find out that her boyfriend and his friends' plans involve more than just peaceful protests, and take a dangerous turn. Thankfully for her, she's thrown into the arms of Dan (Dean in reality), who is trying to fly under the radar after surviving the secret mission.

Annie is very anti-military, pro-environment and is a vegetarian. Dean is a Southern military man with very staunch conservative beliefs. So you can imagine that these two don't always mesh together. But they find a way to compromise, and becoming understanding of each others' views throughout Going Dark. I found the inclusion of a couple with such differing views to be interesting, and also quite relevant given the current political climate. Their relationship definitely started with a lot of lust, but as the story progressed we get to see them connect emotionally as well. The chemistry between the two is smoking hot!

Annie does come across as a little naive at times, but her passion for her work, and her resilience spoke to me. As for Dean himself, he's just the kind of her I enjoy in romantic suspense novels, a little on the stoic side, but also sexy as hell. The secondary cast introduced in Going Dark were even more intriguing than the main characters, in my opinion, and I can't wait to become acquainted with them as the series progresses.

For now, I'm already a fan of the Lost Platoon series, and I'm excited to see what Monica McCarthy has up her sleeves for readers. Going Dark is a sexy, fun and fantastic start to what is sure to become an addicting series.

Military suspense story, new to me author that I've been meaning to try, and a cool setting.... I was all set to love this one. And I did...until the heroine showed up. Okay, so maybe it wasn't right when she showed up- and there was that really awesome hero and his plot line to distract me from her.

Well, I made it several chapters in and just got more upset. I was mostly upset because I could have really loved this story if the heroine hadn't been so irksome. Let me just say here and now that people who go in for causes are not the issue when I say that I just wanted to throttle the heroine. It was honestly more of how she went about it with a ton of stubborn-stupid happening. I am a firm believer that we all need to be good stewards of our planet, but yeesh, she got herself in danger and hence another person because he had to rescue her. The attitude she copped about the military didn't win points with me, either, especially when it came with a military-trained man's rescue of her. I will say that the clash of ideology wouldn't have bugged me so bad if there weren't a whole slew of bitsy things about the gal that built up with me. I don't dare go into a list or this would turn into a rant.

So... I called it quits somewhere before half-way. I really liked the set up and the author's writing and I loved that SEAL team in the beginning and the big betrayal/conspiracy so I am definitely coming back for book two for a second chance with a different heroine.

3.5 Stars
I rounded it up, because I ended up being way invested and I want more!

McCarty, the queen of Scottish hotties historical, has started a new series and it's not a historical one.
But it is set in Scotland. Which is one of the best things about the book if you ask me.
I am still enamored with her descriptions of Scotland. She paints the landscape with her words and I feel like I am there again. Every time I read a book by McCarty I end up reminiscing about the time I lived in the Highlands, remembering it's natural beauty, the smells.. the cold (my least favorite part about Scotland) and I plan to visit again, soon.
McCary's writing style works for me whether it's historical or contemporary. It's as I said beautiful descriptions and insightful. But most of all I love the way she meticulously builds characters.
Just like I expected the character building is my favorite part of this novel. While I am not all fangirling about some aspects, when it comes to character building. I am a goner. I want more. I can't wait to find out what's going to happen next with the team... I am emotionally invested in them, even though, we only get a small glimpse of most of the team members.
The two MCs didn't actually win my heart first go. Nope they kinda weaseled their way in. I love how they complement each other and how they agreed to disagree. How both discovered that really the world isn't all black and white, but there is a lot more to it. Also how both found that their weakness is also their strength and that when you want something you can find a way.

The plot is all action and insta- attraction. I enjoyed it immensely. There is a lot of pent up chemisty, a lot of frustration in between the fighting-for-your-life-bits and some sweet falling for each other moments. And then there are the political banters and dialogues... And this is where the 3.5Stars falls in. At times they felt a bit like the reader is being preached at. I suddenly wondered where McCarty politically stands. But mostly the arguments are those we get to read and hear every day on social media and television. They felt a bit generic in the beginning. But as the story went on, I realised that, McCarty used the arguments of both sides to highlight the different standpoints of the two characters
I admire what she tried to do, but I also have to say I am not sure if it added to the reading pleasure. I think it will divide the readers, some will love it and some won't.

Retrospectively I find it interesting and clever, while reading however, I felt like not this again. I have my political views, just like most people. I guess I am quite in the middle field, because when it comes to the liberal and conservative discussions, I find that I agree with certain issues with that and with others with this side. However the thing I can't abide at all is that both sides argue that the other is wrong and they both only see black and white. Where is the compromise? Also how about to agree to disagree? For me about halfway in the book, that was my biggest issue. It was like we think this you think that.. and we can argue to death. Both gave valid arguments. But both also accused the other side of things that were just assumptive and is exactly what irritates me in the current political discussion. McCarty did make them both come around - in that they both acknowledged that neither side is all right or all wrong. There is no clear right way or wrong way, it would be great, but sadly we dealing with much more complex situations. I think if people would be able to listen to others POV, we would have a better world. Sounds simplistic, but that's where it starts. Which is why I love McCarty's solution here. Listen, find a just compromise and agree to disagree. I know this is a book and it's just two people, but it's the way if you ask me.

So how does this compare to McCarty's historical hot scottish alphas?
As I said, the descriptions of the country is fenomenal. McCarty gets Scotland if you ask me. The romance has definitely McCarty's MO all over it. But more than that, I could see a parallel between The Highland Guard and the Lost Platoon. I am not only talking about the fact that both are about highly trained, well built gorgeous warriors, who are all single to start with. But I saw clearly McCarty's signature in her characters and the way she sees alpha warriors. I guess while the customs, methods have changed over the time, and certainly the politics, the essence of a warrior hasn't changed that much and neither has falling in love.

I am looking forward to the next installment of the Lost Platoon. Which reminds me: I feel like I didn't get enough on the mystery about the platoon, I hope McCarty will shed some more light on it in the next book. At least I hope there will be another book, and please let it be about Colt!

Marine Ecologist Annie Henderson travels to Scotland to participate in an environmental protest against North Sea oil drilling. But instead of the peaceful sit-in she expects, Annie discovers she’s an unwitting participant in a violent plot that could ultimately cost her life.
SEAL Senior Captain Dean Baylor is keeping a low profile these days, working as a charter boat captain in Stornoway, Scotland, using the name Dan Warren. He went dark after his clandestine SEAL Team Nine was ambushed and essentially wiped out on a covert mission in Siberia two months before.
While Dan comes to terms with the loss and searches for answers, his path intersects with Annie’s while the deadly oil drilling plot is unfolding. They’ve both been betrayed by people they trusted, and the last thing either of them needs right now is a relationship. She’s a distraction he can’t afford, but the chemistry between them is impossible to resist.
This tightly plotted tale has great timing and tension. Readers are lead on one breathless chase after another. Annie’s trusting nature and Dan’s brooding SEAL vigilance are a winning combination as danger just will not leave them alone. Romantic suspense at its finest.

4.5 Stars Going Dark is a military, romantic suspense and the first book I have read by Monica McCarty. I found this story had a great balance between romance and plot and with its twists and turns kept me intrigue throughout. This story is about primarily about Dean and Annie but we also meet other seals hiding across the world out in search of the enemy who betrayed them. I look forward to seeing where we are taken next in this great new series.

This is a switch for Monica McCarty but her strong sexy heroes carry over well into contemporary romances! Sexy and yet romantic, thrilling and exciting but the characters feel real. It was a fun, intriguing read and I can't wait for the next of the LOST PLATOON books!

I was drawn in by the book blurb, wanted to know more about how a whole SEAL team could disappear and of course the romance. The romance was covered, but not much about the SEAL team, what happened to them and the aftermath. It drives me nuts, but I have a feeling that will end up being a larger story arc across the series, a bummer because it seems like there is a conspiracy working there and I'm impatient and want to know now.

I wasn't a big fan of Annie, there were times that she was TSTL. It drove me nuts that Annie didn't see how she was being used and how closed minded she was about men in the military. Granted she had a good reason that we learned about later. It didn't help that I hated how Annie treated Dan, right from the start she seemed to look down on him. That behavior didn't change much even as Dan was doing his best to save Annie from trouble. Even as I didn't care for Annie, I did like watching Dan and Annie fight their attraction as they were on the run. I did like how this one ended, loved that Annie was able to surprise Dan, while he did the same for her.

I look forward to reading more in this series, to learn more about the SEAL team and what happened.

I was confused at the start of the story, because that first chapter is from a different SEAL's perspective than the rest of the story. I am wondering if I read the rest of the books in the series, then it would be more clear who was talking. I liked the characters in this story a lot. I felt like they had a real connection and I understood why they would like each other. I did feel like the heroine came off really dumb. I guess I could give her the benefit of the doubt and call her "naive", but for someone who is passionate about the environment, who is going on a protesting trip, she sure didn't seem to know a lot about it. And she had no idea that her boyfriend was skeezy? As soon as they said the boat was chartered in her name, she should have been running in the other direction. Overall, I liked it and would read more books in the series. I am curious to figure out the overarching mystery with the SEALs.

A SEAL team paralleling the lost Roman Legion is a mouthwatering prospect. A covert op that had gone so wrong has led to the remaining few scattered around the globe and off the grid, waiting for justice to be served? It's catnip on a platter. As someone who isn’t really into historicals, Monica McCarty’s a new author for me and any addition to the RS sub-genre is something I’m typically happy to pounce on.

Yet the opening was at best, shaky with an overwhelming info-dump that got my head swirling, all in the midst of an op that was going to go bust. Filled with with too many names, ranks and explanations of how the team worked, the first chapter was also oddly anchored by a character who also wasn't the protagonist, which was bewildering to say the least as you only learn of one of the secondary SEALs peripherally mentioned was going to be the hero instead in the next few chapters.

But ‘Going Dark’ hits its stride halfway in, as Dean Baylor (the once Senior Chief)—hiding away in the Hebrides two months after the botched Russian job—gets inadvertently involved in an ecoterrorist plot with a woman who could very well be collateral damage. Nevertheless, I was drawn in by the intrigue and the suspense more than the characters with whom I felt less of an affinity.

Dean/Annie weren’t quite a couple that I could see together—their fiercely opposing ideals aside—as their skin-deep connection simply felt like an adrenaline-fuelled product that would burn bright and hot, but eventually burn out. Dean’s constant rumination about his casual hookups, his usual type of women and Annie not fitting the bill were off-putting to say the least, even when these comparisons were supposed to serve as his internal monologues about Annie’s break from the mould. The latter's environmental-saving, emotional liberalism is the still furthest from his military beliefs however, though attraction comes at the worst possible timing especially since “casual” has always defined Dean’s so-called social life to a tee. Yet Annie’s insecure naïveté—some TSTL lines were crossed—and her need to keep clinging when all they agreed to was a fling that would end when they separated got annoying when she went from a seeming no-nonsense PhD graduate to a weepy, needy woman when she near begs him to stay.

That said though, this is a thoroughly promising series; the other characters definitely intrigue me and Monica McCarty provides enough of a backstory of them as a teaser that makes me enthusiastic for the sequels to come. Action specific to each couple is the focus of every book it seems, though as of now, investigations of the overall mystery crawl on, which make the ending unsatisfactory as none of the pieces have yet fallen into place. But the bright side? There’s still more to look forward to.

A new book, a romantic suspense, none-the-less from Monica McCarty! I have read many of her historical romances and this happens to be the first book in a new series that was really...REALLY good! I am impressed with the story and how developed the characters were and how the romance sizzled in between the danger and thrilling action. It was passionate, scary, sexy, and very well put together. I can't wait for the second book in this new series!

Two philosophically different people come together in this romantic suspense with a twist. It's not your normal Navy Seal saves damsel novel. It starts with the betrayal of the Seals (Dean/Dan) and moves to Scotland for an environmental protest (Annie) that turns bad. This book only made me want to read more to find out what happened to the Navy Seals.

They were sent on a covert mission to Russia, but SEAL Team Nine never returned. It was a deadly trap and all are now presumed dead. Case closed, there would be no investigation and those who survived must go deep underground to await answers on who they could trust and who betrayed them.

Dan Warren has become a dive boat captain in Scotland, staying to himself, sleeping with one eye open, coiled like a snake ready to pounce. He never expected a beautiful woman to literately fall into his lap that night in the pub, nor did he know she would rain down trouble that he cannot avoid getting involved in.

Marine ecologist Annie Henderson was a woman on a mission of passion to protest hazardous offshore drilling. Little did she know she was merely a patsy to take the fall for something far more nefarious. Now she is alone, and in trouble in a foreign country and Dan may be the only person she can turn to for help.

Was it an emotion she stirred within him that made Dan throw caution to the wind to keep her safe? He has worked so hard to stay under the radar but Annie has done the one thing no one else could, she has made him feel again, but to feel anything for her is far more dangerous for them both than she realizes, besides, what would she do if she learned everything he has told her has been a lie?

Monica McCarty’s GOING DARK showcases another dark and brooding male, trained to be the best of the best and a feisty and rather clueless female who leaps before she looks as she lets her emotions blind her to the depths of the trouble she is in.

Looking for that all-male alpha who puts honor before anything else? Like watching them begin to crumble when their heart gets involved? GOING DARK may not be original, but the action is intense and the danger is taut, the hero is hot and in spite of the heroine, this SEAL just may be one cape short of being Superman.

I received an ARC edition from Berkley in exchange for my honest review.

Series: The Lost Platoon - Book 1
Publisher: Berkley (September 5, 2017)
Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Genre: Contemporary Romantic Suspense | Military
Print Length: 352 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

I couldn't get into this one. I love this author's Scottish romance but this feel short for me.

When Dean's SEAL team mission goes horribly wrong, he and the few survivors are ordered to scatter and go dark. Hiding out in a small Scottish town should be easy to keep his cover but when a damsel in distress crosses his path, all bets are off.
Annie knows it was reckless to travel with her new boyfriend to Scotland but she wants to make a difference in the world and protesting an offshore drilling site will hopefully protect the oceanic ecosystem she's worked to get her PhD in. When red flags start to appear though, she knows she's in trouble.
Annie and Dean have a whole lot of trouble chasing them down but their attraction for one another can't be ignored.
 
This new series starts off with intensity as we are introduced to SEAL Team Nine and follow along as they are on a dark ops mission in Russia. There is a lot thrown at you as we are introduced to a wide range of characters and military terms; it’s overwhelming and a bit confusing. The prologue sets the reader up thinking they'll be following along with a certain character only to have a switcheroo, it felt a bit odd. The basic concept though, of a SEAL team scattered throughout the world, hiding out, and searching for who betrayed them, is intriguing, mysterious, and will have you desperate to know more. This story arc weaves in and out as this book focuses on the Senior Chief Dean and his damsel in distress Annie.
 
Annie is introduced as our idealistic, vegetarian, and liberal activist with Dean as our “been around the world twice”, military tough, and conservative leanings hero. With this opposites attract set-up, they naturally had a lot of squabbles. The author did a good job of balancing out the good and bad of both Annie and Dean's ideals, liberal and conservative, but it also had a tendency to make their dialogue and interactions not feel natural and a bit preachy. I, personally, felt their whole liberal vs. conservative back and forth rhetoric somewhat exhausting as everyday life has inundated me with this already. They kind of have an insta-lust connection and because of how full the story is, their emotional connection was lacking for me. There was a scene where Dean talks about his dad but instead of it feeling like a bonding moment with Annie, it felt awkward and as if he was suddenly unloading on her out of nowhere.
 
There is so much going on in this story, the Lost Platoon story line that brings in a cast of characters that includes an old friend of Dean's named Colt and how he is trying to find out what happened to his friends. It's a bit of a secondary couple as Colt has to contact his ex-wife Kate, who we are led to believe slept with one of his teammates and best friend, with the best friend being the Lt Commander of the Lost Platoon, named Scott. So this side story of betrayed Lost Platoon, three way drama between Colt, Katie, and Scott, is beside Dean and Annie running from eco-terrorists. You can see why Annie and Dean's emotional building blocks got a bit left behind.
 
Annie was a bit manipulated to be overly naïve to further the damsel in distress and Dean was forced to be led by his hots for the good looking liberal while a bit confusing eco-terrorists plot kept them together. The main couple was overshadowed by the series arc of the Lost Platoon for me, it’s what kept me reading. Colt and Kate have me wildly curious about their story and I'm locked into finding out who betrayed SEAL Team Nine and just who all the survivors were.

http://wp.me/p3FyId-1yw

Monica McCarty is known for her fantastic and well-written Scottish Historicals. This seems like it would be quite shift from Highlanders...except it’s not.



Her Highlanders were strong, honorable, and noble. They wanted to protect their people, and they loved their women with everything they had in them. Her SEALs are no different.



When a mission goes south, the survivors go into hiding.



Annie Henderson has just gotten her doctorate in Marine Ecology, and her new boyfriend has convinced her to go protest offshore drilling in Scotland. She is caught up in both the excitement of actually doing something instead of just writing papers about the long-term results of oil spills, and the idea of an adventure. But once they get to Scotland, she starts to realize how little she knows about her “boyfriend.”



Dean is keeping a low profile and waiting on orders. After their last mission, where he lost half his team, he’s been ordered to hang tight and observe. He’s captaining charter boats in the area as “Dan” when Annie and her new friends are supposed to take his boat to an oil rig.



He knows this isn’t what it seems and bets that they’re eco-terrorists rather than peaceful protesters. It’s a shame Annie doesn’t know.



This is all still the first few chapters. Once Annie realizes that she’s in way over her head, she runs to Dean to let him know what’s going on. He nopes out of there so fast she’s left standing on the deck wondering what he’s doing. Hey, the man’s got orders, and those orders don’t involve rescuing naive women from themselves.



But when one of the group she’s with figures out what happened, he pulls Annie to him with a gun to her head. Dean can’t just let her die. This is where I feel the book really hits its stride. I wanna say it’s still just the first couple of chapters.



Dean and Annie go on the run, and it’s exciting, action-packed, sexy, and emotional. I do think this book has First Book in the Series Syndrome (FBITSS) which is unusual since you usually see that in UF and PNR series. But that’s the thing, this book/series is so well-researched, that the beginning feels like a SEAL action/thriller, and then the romance begins.  



By the third chapter or so, this book hits its stride. I couldn’t put it down! I think the beginning bogs it down a bit. It’s a very well researched book, and I loved that! But it can be a lot of info to take in right off the bat. Pay attention to the prologue. That’s what sets up the series.



This book has an ending that is left open for the series, but not a cliffhanger ending. It’s more along the lines that the immediate danger surrounding Annie and Dean is resolved, and they get their HFN ending, BUT the main problem of who sold out his platoon is still hanging over their heads, and I’m assuming it’ll take all the guys working together again for this to be solved.



In true Monica McCarty fashion, this book has that band of brothers vibe we loved in her Highland Guard series, it has intense action, a missing platoon that had to go off-grid scattered around the world, and romance. You believe in Annie and Dean, and you want them to be together. With her brand of action and romance brought into the current century, you know this book will be amazing. And the cheeky ending left me with a smile on my face.

***ARC courtesy of Berkley

Perfect for fans of Suzanne Brockmann's Troubleshooters Inc and Tall, Dark and Dangerous books or Maya Banks KGI series books and featuring a strong, sassy, liberal, bleeding heart, idealist of a woman and a conservative, right winged, Texan alpha man.
Going Dark, the first in The Lost Platoon series, is a book that has everything I love in a great romantic suspense read.
You'll laugh, swoon and cry as you go on this thrilling adventure with characters whose banter will have you grinning when your hearts not racing from the adrenaline rush of reading the captivating tale.
Thank you to Netgalley for generously providing me with an arc of this delightful book. I look forward to reading more books in this action packed series

Very suspenseful story of military covert operations, mixed in with action, subterfuge, and oo-la-la steamy romantic scenes. At times the author lost me with all the details about guns, scuba equipment, and other military-related items that I am unfamiliar with. Did look up some things but having to stop made me lose momentum. Read practically every one of Monica McCarthy's books and looked forward to reading this one.

GOING DARK is both my first Monica McCarty book (I haven’t read a historical romance in over a decade) and her first foray into romantic suspense… and it will probably be my last. I nearly DNFed this book every day whilst reading it, but kept going because (1) I love Scotland and revisiting it was nice, and (2) I didn’t have more pressing books on my ARC review queue. Heroine Annie is the embodiment of TSTL, hero Dean is a complete wanker whose only saving grace is that he’s hot, the villain(s)’s motivations are not sufficiently fleshed out to be believable, thereby making what little plot there is feel like an unoriginal afterthought, and the editing… my God, the editing. I get that this is an ARC and that (hopefully) the bulk of the errors will be corrected prior to printing, but whoever’s in charge of early editing at Berkley’s romance division really needs to step up their game. Needless to say, I was not impressed.

**ARC courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review