Review by zoe_ -- A Police Action by A. A. Freda

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Nella B
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Review by zoe_ -- A Police Action by A. A. Freda

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[Following is a volunteer review of "A Police Action" by A. A. Freda.]
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4 out of 4 stars
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A police action is a beautiful, empowering love story between a soldier and the daughter of a preacher. It is a historical romance about the Vietnamese War in the 1960s. A. A. Freda has used his own experiences as a soldier fighting in Vietnam to create realistic, everyday scenes that give a view into the life of a soldier.

The story centres around James Coppi, a young soldier who is drafted to Vietnam. Coppi is a smart young man, with clever solutions to every problem he faces. He is said to be attractive and attentive. Throughout the book, the reader gets to know James quite well and personally, I certainly liked this character a lot. He knows how to get his way and talks himself out of everything. Even when he gets into trouble - which happens quite a lot - he always talks himself out of it. Nevertheless, both the higher ranks and his fellow soldiers like him.

When James first arrives in Colorado Springs Military Headquarters, as a preparation for his Vietnam service, he goes out with some old friends. There he meets a humouristic young woman named Samantha. They start talking and immediately feel a connection. In the days that follow they spend a lot of time together. Even though Coppi is a stranger, he helps Sam with her unwanted pregnancy, finds a place for them to stay and helps her find a job. I thought they were a cute couple and A. A. Freda told their love story in a very realistic way, not only telling their good moments but also their bad ones. I also liked the way they behaved around each other, showing in each way their tender love. James' denial of it also brought a nice touch to the story.

After a while, James Coppi leaves for Vietnam. I found it very fascinating to read about his adventures there because once again the author describes the war scene very realistically. There isn't that much fighting involved. The story portrays more the everyday life of the soldiers, which again makes the story interesting and realistic. Coppi has several compelling relationships with multiple soldiers and officers, all bringing something special to the story. At warzone, every emotion is intensified and doubled, with a big contrast between the positive and the negative.

I liked this story very much. Whenever I read about the pains of being at war, my heart broke. Whenever I read about the daily scenes of a soldier, I laughed and enjoyed the easy flow. Whenever I read about his relationship with Sam, my heart both broke and warmed up again - especially towards the end of the book. The author certainly has a way of influencing his readers!

I, therefore, rate this book 4 out of 4 stars. I give it 4 stars because it was historically accurate, very realistically written and overall I enjoyed this book quite a lot. I found no spelling or grammar errors and found it well-edited. I recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, with war being at the centre of attention, or to those who enjoy romance. Readers should be warned that profane language is used but for me, it didn't disturb the story. Also, the book has some explicit sex scenes, so I wouldn't recommend it to anyone uncomfortable with that.

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A Police Action
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