3.5 stars. 
 I want you to do me a favor before you even read this review. I want you to think of every single thing that you know of which might offend or disturb you. Go ahead. Take a minute. 
 *cue elevator music while we wait* 
 You ready? Okay, now that you have your list, I want you to assume that most of your list is probably going to be covered in this book. I'm not kidding. There might be some limited spoilers ahead but these are the types of spoilers you'd want to know about before deciding whether or not to pick up a book this graphic in nature. 
 Descriptive Scenes of Rape? Check. 
 Haunting Acts of Torture? Check. 
 Offensive name calling? Check. 
 Need I go on? 
 This book is long and it is brutal. As well, a good portion of the book does involve graphic m/m sexual scenarios. Even though the point of the story is not about how much sex two people can have, it's probably not a bad idea to know ahead of time what you're getting yourself into, in case you need to back out now. In fact, I would encourage that you do so, because if reading the book and then listing out every single thing about it that bothers you would end up being what happens, then you might miss the reason for the point of the entire story. 
 However, if you find yourself captivated with stories of people overcoming extreme odds in order to be together, then do check this book out. Very few instances come along like this, where you find yourself rooting for the most unlikely of anti-heroes. 
 "You're talking bullshit, Russkie. Neither of us can forget who we are, nor what we have done." 
 There is no way to describe any of what goes on between the pages. All I can say is that love stories like this need to be told sometimes - maybe if for no other reason than to remind us why love is so precious and vital. For some people, it might make them long for a love so strong and enduring as this one. For me, it was a reminder of why I just might be one of the lucky ones. 
 Many people have come before me and written reviews, complete with lovely quotes and passages. You might want to go check out one of those reviews. I took many notes, but am finding that no amount of what I put in my review will begin to reflect what this book is. 
 Most of my friends gave Special Forces 5 stars and I understand why. I understand that the length of the book was instrumental in showing just how much Dan and Vadim had to go through in order to get to a place of acceptance and love. It's not unlike Outlander in that respect. Yet, I found myself getting antsy with some scenes which seemed to be nothing but a "different place, different time." So yes, this is sort of a weird catch. You can't cut out too much without losing the struggle. Yet, I didn't want to read some of it over again in a slightly different version. All in all, I still found myself invested with what was unfolding before my eyes. How could you not be, when two people who know better than to consort with the enemy still fight to be with the other half of their soul? 
 "Mine." 
 "I am." 
 "Forever."