Book Review: Never for Glory by Lloyd Lofthouse

Author: Lloyd Lofthouse

Title: Never for Glory

Series: Josh Kavanagh #2

Genre: Military Fiction, Action, Suspense, Thriller

Format: ebook

Pages: 259

Published: June 25, 2023

Where I Got It: My Shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Summary: 

He’d give his life for his country. But this time, it’s personal.

Josh Kavanagh burns for vengeance. Parachuting with no backup into a lawless area of southern Venezuela, the Special Ops legend is intent on hunting down the rogue agent who put his wife in a coma. But as soon as he gets feet on the ground, the loyal protector discovers he’s dropped into a trap… and a sex trafficking operation run by the Russian mob.

Fighting his way out and desperate to rescue the victims with minimal body count, Josh plans a daring raid on a remote ranch. But after learning the identity of the mastermind behind the hit on a former lover, the talented operative takes the law into his own hands on a hell-bent solo mission for revenge…

Will Josh’s single-minded thirst for justice finish on the wrong side of a gun barrel?

Never for Glory is the pulse-pounding second book in the Josh Kavanagh thriller series. If you like determined heroes, tough conflict ripped from the headlines, and page-turning action, then you’ll love Lloyd Lofthouse’s pursuit of payback.

Review: 

After reading the summary, I knew I had to check this out! I will admit, I was a little nervous.

Here we follow Josh Kavanagh. He burns for vengeance after his wife is put in a coma. After dropping into southern Venezuela, he soon realizes that he landed in a trap. He will have to fight his way out and bring down the sex trafficking operation run by a Russian mob and the mastermind behind the hit on his former lover. Will Josh succeed or find himself on the wrong side of a gun barrel?

Now, this is technically book 2 of the series. I didn't read book 1, but I had zero issues reading this. It did well as a standalone. Yes, some references are there about book 1, but the author did a good job of allowing the reader to understand enough to read forward. However...I am now curious about reading book 1 ;) 

Honestly, I was a little nervous when starting this. 1) this is book 2 - which I quickly realized this stands alone well and 2) My history with military-type books has been so hit-or-miss over the years. I am so picky when it comes to reading for a publisher/author so I didn't want this to be a miss. I took a gamble. Luck would have it that I quickly realized I liked the story! 

Josh is a gem. You can't help but root him on! I also adored his friend Cheete. Yes, he was a womanizer, but he was funny and very sweet. 

Oo! I also adored Adrienne!! I won't give anything away with her. Just know she is awesome. 

I must compliment the author. One of the issues I find with some military fiction is that the author gets a little heavy-handed with the military jargon. They get too stuck in the details to the point it feels like a textbook instead of a story. The author did a wonderful job balancing this. Yes, there is the jargon and we can tell the author knows what they are talking about, but a civvy like me can follow along easily enough and ENJOY what I'm reading. 

A nice set of characters and the plot was fun. Yes, seeking justice and blood is always classically fun. There is some darkness here, but with just enough comedy to combat the darkness. I really, really enjoyed this. I didn't and couldn't stop reading. I had to know what was going to happen to everyone and see the resolution. 

That scene with Cheete! Gah! I cheered but I also wanted to cry.

All-in-all, I found myself really enjoying this! I went into this a little weary, but I quickly found out that I liked this. Might I even say love? To be honest, I would like to read book 1 so I can understand Josh and some of the others better. I'm sure there is some history I'm missing out on. This has a good set of characters, an exciting plot, and it will make you feel. I'll give this 5 stars. I had zero issues with it and I didn't want to stop reading!!

 

Challenge(s):

- Cloak and Dagger - #1 (Thriller/Suspense)