Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

My mother lent me this book because I am a female Navy pilot and because she thought the plot was entertaining. She warned me that Mr. Malone wasn't entirely accurate in his portrayal of Naval Aviation. Her warning proved to be an understatement. And what a shame. The plot and the characters were entertaining, quirky, and well-written. But every single time Mr. Malone brought the Navy into his story, I cringed with embarrassment at his utter failure to do even the tiniest bit of research into even the most basic elements of my world. Each mistake forcefully ejected me out of the story and made me consider whether I wanted to continue reading and risk further insult. The inaccuracies ranged from the the simple to the profound. Annapolis is the location of the Naval Academy; there is no flight training performed there. And as far as flight school goes, no speed records are ever set by a student or an instructor. Indeed, Navy pilots haven't been setting speed records anywhere in years and years. The braided lieutenant's cap Annie is continuously donning and doffing does not exist anywhere in a Navy officer's seabag of uniforms; neither is this white officer's jacket she seems to wear often. Neither do we go strolling about town in our uniforms if we have a choice. A rockstar jet pilot like Brad would never have a drug problem, as Navy officers and sailors are subject to frequent random drug testing and our culture simply doesn't accept drug use. These examples are only a few; I could take up more space than I am willing to fill listing others. I expect errata when I read fiction that involves the Navy. The culture, lingo, and traditions are complicated. This book, however, got almost everything wrong. Mr. Malone, if you are going to create a character whose identity depends on her status as a Naval Aviator, please take the time to do a little bit of research. Just a little. You could have reached out to any of the many female Navy pilots out there and asked one of us to fact check your work. Instead, you took the lazy way out and just plain made up what you didn't know. Despite very much enjoying your characters and story line, I am straddling the line between being annoyed and being downright insulted by your carelessness about something that is very dear to me. Readers, in spite of the fact that I liked the story and the characters, I recommend you skip this one unless the author issues a revision.