Finding Kenna by Susan Stoker

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

After jumping into a canal to save a man’s life, only to find out that he was a Navy SEAL not in the need of saving, Kenna and Marshall “Aleck” Smart hit it off.

Aleck is intrigued by the bubbly waitress who almost landed on his head during a training exercise, and after getting to know her better, is thrilled they’ve hit it off so well.

Being a waitress might not seem like it’s a dangerous job, but when a threat comes too close to the woman Aleck loves, it will take all his expertise to make sure they both make it home alive.

Finding Kenna

Protective SEAL, Fearless Woman

The following ratings are out of 5:
Romance: 💙💛💚🖤
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Chemistry: 🧪🧪🧪🧪
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌏🌍🌎🌍
Character development: 😋🙂😁😘
Narrator(s): 🎙🎙🎙🎙🎙
Narration type: Dual Narration

Character Backgrounds and Plot Summary

Finding Kenna gives us Marshall “Aleck” Smart and Kenna Madigan, and their first meeting is one of the funniest setups in the series. Kenna sees a man in the water and assumes he is drowning, so she jumps in to rescue him, only to discover that she has landed on the back of a Navy SEAL who was actually supervising an underwater training exercise. Aleck is understandably intrigued by the bubbly waitress who literally jumped on him, and instead of being offended, he asks her

What I particularly enjoyed was that their relationship develops through dates, texts, phone calls, and simply getting to know each other instead of rushing straight into the suspense. Aleck has his own secret because he comes from a wealthy family and has a trust fund, while Kenna has some very definite assumptions about wealthy people. When she discovers the truth about Aleck’s finances, her embarrassment forces her to confront some of those judgments. Their relationship is tested again when Kenna’s instinct to stand up for what she believes is right puts her in serious danger, eventually leading to a situation where Aleck has to protect her and Kenna gets her own opportunity to rescue her SEAL.

Highlights and Limitations

The relationship was definitely the highlight for me. I liked watching Aleck see beyond Kenna’s awkwardness and recognize that her tendency to help people is genuine. She does not suddenly become a different person because she falls for a SEAL, and that made her feel more believable to me.

I also enjoyed the fact that they met and started a romance in such a cute way that seemed to progress naturally, though fast, but I am one that wants to immediately spend as much time as possible with a man if I am attracted to him. I love that both of these characters feel that way about each other. Those moments gave the romance a warmer, more lived-in feeling.

The wealth issue was more complicated for me. I appreciated that Kenna’s assumptions were actually challenged, especially when her friend calls her out on her attitude, but I sometimes found her reaction frustrating. At the same time, I think that flaw gave her some room to grow rather than making her instantly perfect.

My biggest limitation was that the story feels much more romance focused than suspense focused for much of the audiobook. Several readers have also pointed out that the romance takes center stage, with the major danger arriving later. Personally, I did not mind the slower buildup, but I would have liked a little more development of the suspense before the final stretch.

Narration

Emma Wilder and Aaron Shedlock worked very well together. Wilder gave Kenna the bubbly, sometimes awkward personality that comes through in her interactions with Aleck, while Shedlock brought the confident, protective quality I wanted from Aleck. Their performances helped distinguish the emotional sides of the characters without making the dialogue feel overly dramatic.

I especially liked how the narration handled the contrast between the lighter beginning and the increasingly dangerous situations later in the story. The audiobook runs just over nine hours, so there is plenty of time for the relationship to develop rather than making the romance feel like something that happens between action scenes.

Final Opinion

Finding Kenna surprised me because I expected the SEAL action to dominate, but I actually found myself more invested in watching Aleck and Kenna figure each other out. Their ridiculous first meeting, the trust-fund revelation, Kenna’s struggle with her assumptions about money, and the eventual danger all give the relationship several different hurdles to overcome.

I also appreciated that Kenna is not simply a damsel waiting for Aleck to save her. When things become dangerous, her courage and determination matter, which made the title feel especially fitting by the end.

This ended up being a sweet, entertaining addition to the SEAL Team Hawaii series. I would have preferred a little more suspense throughout, but I cared about these two enough that I was happy to spend the extra time watching their relationship develop. If you enjoy protective SEAL heroes, strong women, humor, and a romance that gets its characters into trouble before delivering the danger, this one is worth adding to your listening list.

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