Overall Rating: 4.55
Action: 2.7 / Emotion: 4.1 / Romance: 4.6 / Sensuous: 1.8 / Suspense: 2.9 // Laughter: 2 / Giggles: 2 // Tears: 6 / Teary: 0

Frisco's Kid: 4.55:
Since Suzanne Brockmann is a favorite author, it was not surprising to find this book a one-sitting, enjoyable, enthralling, entertaining re-read. Because this is a Harlequin "series" book, it lacked the depth and development of a main stream novel.

Hero: 4.5:
Alan "Frisco" Francisco: a wonderfully realistic hero. Brockmann peeled back the layers of this handsome, well-muscled man who defined himself by his job as a Navy SEAL, to reveal an incredibly stubborn, strong-willed man filled with anger and bitterness to reveal his kind and gentle side. Readers joined him on his journey towards accepting he was no longer physically capable of being an active SEAL, but, nevertheless a worthy man.

Heroine: 4.1:
Mia Summerton: her background was not as richly developed to explain why this beautiful, intelligent, compassionate, determined heroine was strong enough to stand up to and stand beside Frisco on his journey to accepting that he was physically challenged, but not helpless.

Story Line: 4.5:
An incredibly interesting and intriguing story line. It is too bad that this book was not a main stream novel so that Brockmann could have used her magic skills of developing complex characters and intricate plots as she let readers into the mind and revealed the emotions of an injured SEAL, who had to reach a place of acceptance that he was no longer physically capable of participating in his chosen career . . . and the woman who helped him reach that point.

Action: 2.7:
This book did not contain a lot of exciting, adventurous SEAL-type action scenes, rather it was filled to the brim with everyday, ordinary incidents that Frisco and Mia had to endure. These events moved the story along at a strong, steady pace.

Emotion: 4.1:
Brockmann did such a great job of developing an empathetic tie to Frisco (and to a degree, Mia) that it was impossible not to laugh and cry right along with them.

Romance: 4.6:
Brockmann did a phenomenal job of keeping the strong, potent awareness that sparked between Frisco and Mia always in the forefront of story. These two polar opposites could not deny the heat that passed between them.

"You touch me, even just like this, and I feel it," she said huskily. "This chemistry -- it's impossible to ignore." (Mia, page 118)

Sensuous: 1.8:
The love scenes were passionate, spicy, and well-written and added to the enjoyment of Frisco's and Mia's story even though they subscribed to the tamer requirements of a Harlequin "series" book published in 1997.

Suspense: 2.9:
There was a minimal degree of suspense woven into the story when a villain was inserted into the plot sequences to bring out Frisco's protective instincts.

Secondary Characters: 3.9:
Brockmann created two extremely intriguing and barely developed secondary characters that stole the spotlight when it was their turn to walk the pages of the book; namely, {1} Natasha (Tasha or Tash) Francisco, the precocious five year old niece of Frisco, who declared herself a Russian Princess and wanted a pink settee, and {2} Thomas King, a street-wise, intelligent young man who was not afraid to go toe-to-toe with Frisco. The rest of the undeveloped characters were thrown into the story to facilitate Frisco's and Mia's journey; namely, {1} Captain Steve Horowitz, {2} Sharon Francisco, and {3} Dwayne Bell; and also included the brief introduction of the members of SEAL Team Ten's Alpha Squad: {1} Joe "Cat" Catalanotto, {2} [Carter] "Blue" McCoy, {3} Harlan "Cowboy" Jones, {4} Daryl "Harvard" Becker, {5} [Luke] "Lucky" O'Donlon, {6} Bobby "Bob" [Taylor], and {7} Wesley "Wes" [Skelly].

A more in-depth, detailed, spoiler-ridden review of Frisco's Kid appears at Wolf Bear Does Books (http://goo.gl/JLpSXj). ( )

Frisco's Kid
TDD #3

Alan "Frisco" Francisco & Mia Summerton

Five years after sustaining a career-ending injury (referenced in TDD #1 Prince Joe), Frisco is facing the fact that he will never recover enough to work with his SEAL team again, at least not in the capacity he wishes to. He's forced out of the VA hospital to continue his physical therapy on his own. He returns to his apartment, which has been unoccupied since his injury, and in his bitterness he immediately alienates his friendly neighbor, Mia Summerton, a local high school teacher.

When his sister needs to enter a rehab facility in order to stay out of jail and drops off her daughter, Natasha, with no warning, Frisco slowly starts to realize that he needs to come to terms with his limitations and learns that it's okay to ask others for help. Mia is there to help him in a no-nonsense way and convince him to see in himself what he CAN do rather than what he can no longer do. In the process, Frisco learns about raising a little girl and giving her a stable life. ( )

Typical SEALs book from Brockmann. While the Tall, Dark, & Dangerous books are definitely formula books, the characters kinda suck you in. ( )

Not realizing this was part of a series until Joe "Cat" Catalano (from Brockmann's Prince Joe) showed up, I read book three in the Tall, Dark and Dangerous series before book two. However, Brockmann wrote it so that it could stand on its own, so it wasn't a huge deal.

Frisco's Kid tells the story of Alan "Frisco" Francisco, former member of Navy SEAL Team Ten's Alpha Squad. As the novel starts, Alan, who was badly injured in an op five years before that has left him with a mangled knee, a cane, and a deep sense of hostility toward the world, learns that he is about to lose his spot in the VA facility where he's been trying to get back into SEAL-worthy shape. Within forty-eight hours, Frisco is back in the civilian world, has done an amazing job of alienating his attractive peace-loving neighbor Mia Summerton, and finds himself acting as guardian for his five-year-old neice Natasha, whom he hasn't seen since the day she was born...just before he suffered his dibilitating injury.

Frisco's Kid was an engrossing read. You could really feel Frisco's pain, both emotional and physical. Even when you wanted to clobber him over the head for being so blind, idiotic, and stubborn, you felt his pain. It was believeable. Having to completely change your expectations for your life is hard, even for--maybe even especially for--someone who is physically so strong. Mia's character was just amazing. She is a high school teacher in a tough, urban school, and even though you don't actually see her in the classroom (the novel takes place during summer break) you really get a sense of how much she cares about her students when seeing how she interacts with her neighbor and former student Thomas as well as with Frisco and Natasha. I really enjoyed their story, and will definitely read others in the series. ( )

Frisco’s knee is shot out in an op to rescue the Prince, and his world falls apart when he’s discharged from active duty as a SEAL. Teacher Mia helps him reevaluate his life as he watches his sister’s daughter Tasha.