Special Forces - Soldiers (Special Forces, #1) - Aleksandr Voinov,  Marquesate,  Vashtan
Special Forces - Soldiers blew my mind away. Literally, I was staring at my Kindle for quite a while after finishing the story, lacking the ability to form any rational thought. This intense story is about two people meeting in a very rough environment and under brutally violent circumstances, and the way they manage to turn hate and resentment into friendship and love. This probably sounds very boring, but it's actually a really, really good story about two people who are enemies in a lot of aspects of their lives, whose story starts from literally wanting to kill each other and grows to a point where they need each other in order to survive.

Romance wise, this has got the be one of the best books I've ever read. It's not a sugarcoated love story you can come across in every second book on the market, and there aren't a lot of moments in this book where you will hear Dan or Vadim whisper sweet nothings or confess their love. Not words, but the things they go through for one another, the sacrifices and gifts they exchange (including the gift of life by saving each other's ass on multiple occasions) are the manifesto of their feelings and how these feelings transform and evolve--the hunter becomes the pray, the weak becomes the strong, and ultimately the enemies unite against one greater evil--everything that stands in their way to being together.

This book will work on your emotions on a lot of different levels. It explores the notions of love, friendship, home, family, respect, intimacy, trust, war and the physical and psychological damages it causes. The brutality of the war in Afganistan and the ones that are within them; lust and need for the other as the only things that keep them going; the reality they have to live in and its violence and limitations; the decisions and sacrifices they have to make; the lengths they go for each other--it's all super brutal and disturbing, yet it shows a devotion and a connection between two people so strong, that for them the notions of love, friendship and home become entwined in one singular thing--the other person.

The authors Aleksandr Voinov and Marquesate have created a remarkable story with characters that will truly stay with me for the rest of my life. I strongly recommend this book to people who love heavily emotional books. Please keep in mind, however, that Special Forces - Soldiers contains extreme graphic violence, sex and language.