At His Command by Brenda Coulter

Madeline Bright always seems as sunny as her name, but her positive outlook isn’t helping her attract the attention of ex-pilot Jake Hopkins. In fact, Jake avoids her as if he’s as allergic to her as he is to peanuts.

He’s the hero who can’t get past the fact that he came home from a helicopter crash without his best friend Noah Bright, Maddie’s brother. He’s the hero who believes Noah’s death was his fault. He’s the hero Maddie has looked up to since she was a child.

Jake can't let Maddie know what really happened after the crash. He can't let her know how he really feels about her either. He wants to protect her at all cost – since he couldn’t protect her brother.

Brenda Coulter’s books are an interesting peek at the lives of heroes who have flaws, an unquenchable desire for the heroine, and enough sense to make things come together at the end. This book, Coulter’s fourth, takes a look at an Army pilot turned civilian attorney and the constant problems he tries to ignore, but can’t. Her characters feel real. And since the story’s set in Texas, she gets extra applause from me.

AT HIS COMMAND is in stores now. (Hint, hint.)

For more information, visit her website and her blog.