SEALed with a Kiss

By Mary Daughtridge

"a heart-touching story that will keep you smiling and cheering for the characters clear through to the happy ending."—The Romantic Times

When widowed Navy SEAL Jax Graham and his young son Tyler get trapped by a hurricane, family therapist Pickett Sessoms takes them in and knows just how to help a rough, tough Navy SEAL deal with his personal side.

Jax Graham is a member of an elite military team, but when it comes to taking care of his four-year-old son after his ex-wife dies, he's completely clueless.

Family therapist Pickett Sessoms knows just how to help a rough, tough Navy SEAL deal with a scared and lonely little boy, but not if he insists on going it alone.

When Jax and his young son Tyler get trapped by a hurricane, Pickett takes them in against her better judgment. Jax figures Pickett's high maintenance, just like all the women he knows, and she figures he's not commitment material. But when an outing turns deadly, Pickett discovers what it means to be a SEAL, and Jax discovers that even a hero needs help sometimes…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sourcebooks
• Release date: Apr 1, 2008
• ISBN: 9781402236037

Mary Daughtridge

Mary Margret Daughtridge has been a grade school teacher, speech therapist, family educator, biofeedback therapist, and Transpersonal Hypnotherapist. She is a member of Heart of Carolina Romance Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Romancing the Military Soul, and is a sought-after judge in writing contests. She resides in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Reviews for SEALed with a Kiss

[soireadthisbooktoday · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

First off, I wanted to like this book more than I wound up doing. The idea of the story was good. SEALS are different than regular humans, almost supermen in a way. However, they are also very self centered, focused, and self-involved. For very good and understandable reasons, of course. I always love a story where they are put forward in a good light, with understanding of who and what they are and how important it is that they aren't people to be 'changed' but rather to be accepted. Not that they are prefect, by a long shot, but certainly necessary to the world as it is today.

I will admit that part of me completely understood Jax. He came from a background of wealth, but also of neglect, and lost his only friend young, a friend whose family had been there for him when no one else was. However, for most of the book, I would have been just as happy to hit him over the head with a brick.

Jax went into a marriage for the most shallow of reasons – a leggy, shallow female who appealed to his sex drive but whom he had absolutely no sense of connection to other than what happened in the bedroom. And, as with lust, that faded even more quickly than any sort of connection. Within a year the wife has had a child and left him, only to pass away within four years, leaving their son with his grandmother. In some cases, being with a grandmother is the perfect solution, and as Jax really doesn’t care to be a parent anyway, well, heck, that works, right? Only his Commander’s insistence sends Jax to North Carolina to spend time with a boy he apparently doesn’t want or need in his life.

Of course, in true ‘romance novel’ style, he comes to learn that he really does want the boy in his life, but NOT if it interferes with his SEAL life. So, he fully intends to send the boy back to his grandmother, and, this is where he really ticks me off – even though he knows full well that the grandmother is a drunk who is cruel to the boy at every opportunity. That doesn’t matter as much to him as getting back to his “real” life. Bzzz! Can we all say ‘self-centred jerk”?

Yes, it all works out in the end, and if it weren’t for Tyler, the son, and the fact that I really liked Pickett as much as I did, well. Let’s just say the book would be rolling around in the 1-star galaxy. Pickett, the female lead, is soft and warmhearted, but also strong and in control of her own life, even though she has allowed her family to convince her she is not up to the ‘quality’ of their particularly stylish family. I got her, and liked and admired her. Tyler came to the story withdrawn and in incredible pain, with a dead mother, a vituperate grandmother, and a father who looks at him as just another soldier, expected to snap to and behave as any other soldier under his command while they were together. And of course, as he only planned to spend the required 30-days with his son, he couldn’t wait to get it over with so he could get back to SEAL life and forget his responsibilities as a parent. It was deeply painful to watch their interactions during the first half of the book, even when Pickett, the child and family counselor, was doing her level best to show him what a complete and total screw up he was as a parent… gently, of course.

There were a lot of other things that bothered me about the book, technical issues that I doubt anyone would notice but me. “Tyler's old DOD 1332.30” . . . hum…. The 1332.30 is “for the administrative separation of commissioned officers of the Regular Army, Regular Navy, Regular Air Force, or Regular Marine Corps for substandard performance of duty, an act or acts of misconduct, moral or professional dereliction, in the interest of national security, and for the discharge of regular commissioned officers with less than 5 years active commissioned service in certain circumstances.” Hummmm again. So, his Commander had his “old 1332.30” on his desk? So, a 1332.30 was already previously filed, but Jax is now command personnel, even thought he was previously kicked out of the military for dereliction of some sort?

Additionally, I am always disappointed when authors don’t take advantage of beta readers and editors in order to ascertain that their books are error free. Though not as bad as some of the books I have recently read (or, should I say, tried to read) the book needs a good cleaning up of missing and misused words and spelling. Disappointing.

Overall, the Jax character was a bit too much on the selfish side, even for a SEAL to not irritate me beyond any ability to come to like him in the end. Actually, I would have liked the book better without the Jax character in it. Of course, it wouldn’t have been a romance per-se so would lose a large part of it’s audience, but if the author had made it a story of Pickett taking in a parentless child and the development of the two of them as a family, I think this could have easily been at least four, if not five, stars.

[lrobe190 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Jax Graham is a member of an elite military team, but when it comes to taking care of his four-year-old son after his ex-wife dies. Family therapist Pickett Sessoms knows just how to help a rough, tough Navy SEAL deal with a scared and lonely little boy. When Jax and his young son Tyler get trapped by a hurricane, Pickett takes them in against her better judgment. Jax figures Pickett's high maintenance, just like all the women he knows, and she figures he's not commitment material. But when an outing turns deadly, Pickett discovers what it means to be a SEAL, and Jax discovers that even a hero needs help sometimes... Desc. from LT).This was an entertaining and romantic story, with humor and plenty of sexual tension.

[mel247 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

SEALed with a Kiss is a typical romance novel - but a good one. The characters are likable, although the quick pace of their romance is unbelievable in real life. It's a good, quick beach read or a rainy day relaxer.Jax, the male lead, is a Navy Seal with the typical troubled child hood, hot body, and raw sex appeal. Pickett, the female lead, is unexperienced, but nurturing, and happens to be a family therapist which is just what Jax needs to help care for his 4 yr old son Tyler.Their love story, through twists and turns, ends up happy as most romance novels too. A light-hearted read.

[radella_2 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Jax Graham is a SEAL, and father to a shy four year old boy. His ex-wife recently died, and Tyler, his son, has been living with his alcoholic, neurotic ex-mother-in-law. While they are all hanging out at Topsail Island, a hurricane heads in their direction. Jax decides to impose upon his recent (as in less than 24 hours) acquaintance Pickett Sessoms. Pickett is a family therapist with some serious problems of her own. Jax has convinced her to teach him to be a better father. I really couldn't get over the fact that Pickett would let a total stranger into her home to ride out a hurricane (But he's a SEAL!). I also had a hard time getting past the fact that, as a therapist, she let a short relationship several years previous scar her so badly. It was difficult to belief that a therapist would willingly and with little thought let her personal and professional life cross over.I also found the writing to be repetitive. It's pretty obvious that he's a SEAL. It was almost as if the author didn't trust the reader to be smart enough to remember this. It was repeated and referenced continually. There was so much discussion of the character's thoughts that nothing ever happened... and their internal monologues pretty much never changed. It got rather tedious. Also, the formatting on the Kindle made it almost impossible to read. I found that in some parts I was more interested in the horrible formatting (no spaces between words, line breaks in the middle of words, etc.) than in the actual plot of this book.

[jjmachshev_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Reviewed for queuemyreview.comWhat an incredibly powerful book! I confess I’d heard positive buzz on a few internet sites about this book, but I wasn’t prepared for the read I got. Stories about SEALs and other elite military forces are very popular these days. I confess that I don’t usually run out to buy these; primarily because many of them tend to pass over the incredible sacrifices these men AND women make EVERY DAY. In “SEALed with a Kiss”, Mary Margret Daughtridge has done a stellar job writing a realistic romance without trying to sugarcoat the difficulties inherent in any military relationship.Pickett (what IS it with names these days?) is a family therapist and works with military families. She knows just how tough the life is for those in the ‘field’ and those left behind. She also knows she has no intention of finding herself in the same situation as those she counsels. She enjoys helping others, but isn’t perfect herself and that made it much easier to put myself in her place. She believes she’s overcome her poor self-image and the insecurities of youth…until she becomes involved with Jax and his son Tyler.Jax is a SEAL. There’s pretty much nothing he can’t overcome. Until his ex-wife dies and he’s faced with the decision of what to do with his four-year-old son. He wants to connect with Tyler, but just can’t seem to quite get there. When he’s almost to the point of giving up, a woman appears who seems to know exactly what to say and do to get his son talking. When he seizes the opportunity of a storm to seek shelter from her, things become much more complicated.I don’t think there’s quite enough room for me to list all the things I liked about this book. I already mentioned the realities of military life; the long absences, sudden deployments, loneliness, lack of stability, and financial hardships can constitute such an overwhelming struggle for these families. Not to mention the relative youth of most of them. Yet Daughtridge manages to provide a sense of empowerment to these patriots. She gives us a chance to try and understand what they face, all without preaching to us!The lead characters in this story are far from perfect. He has the military traits of order, discipline, and domination which aren’t really a plus at the end of the duty day! She has the knowledge and ability to identify relationship issues, but is less willing to open her own self up and risk the hurt that can come with loving others. Aren’t we all like that? We appreciate our heroes when our security or national pride is at stake; but would we ourselves be willing to make the sacrifices and compromises necessary ourselves? In the end “SEALed With a Kiss” by Mary Margret Daughtridge IS a romance. There is plenty of heat between our lead characters and the growth of their relationship is mirrored in their trust with one another. While I read this book I laughed and sniffled, then I was turned on and turned inside out…and at the end, very, very glad I read it!