Pain Games follows Katelyn Ann Molsin, a soldier whose journey from enlistment through boot camp to deployment in Iraq captures the brutality, the absurdity, and the dark humor of military life. It starts with her raw initiation at Fort Leonard Wood, then dives deep into the reality of operating with a Female Engagement Team, where she works alongside Special Forces to gather intel in war zones. Through high-stakes missions, cultural clashes, and moments of biting wit, the story paints a picture of someone forged in chaos and driven by grit, yet haunted by personal demons and complicated relationships.

I found myself pulled into the writing almost immediately. The voice is sharp, irreverent, and brutally honest. Author Bevin Goldsmith doesn’t sugarcoat the military experience, nor does she drown it in jargon that would bore a civilian reader. The details are vivid, sometimes uncomfortably so, but they give a real sense of what it means to “embrace the suck.” I loved the rhythm of the narration. It swings from gut-punch descriptions of combat to sarcastic banter that made me laugh out loud. At times, the humor felt like a survival tool, a way of cutting through the suffocating tension, and I appreciated that balance.

On the flip side, the book made me feel uneasy, which I think is part of its point. The moral gray areas, the way trauma shapes behavior, and the constant clash between personal vulnerability and professional toughness left me unsettled, but in a thought-provoking way. I didn’t always like Katelyn. She can be harsh, even reckless. But I believed her, and I cared what happened to her. The relationships, especially with her comrades and with Alex, are messy and real. There were times I wanted to shake her for her choices, but then I’d catch myself realizing that was exactly the kind of complexity that made her human.

This book left me both drained and energized. Drained because of the heavy truths about war and the toll it takes, energized because of the sheer drive and fire in the protagonist’s voice. I’d recommend Adrenaline Rush: Pain Games to anyone who enjoys gritty military fiction, especially readers who appreciate flawed but fierce characters. It’s for people who want to feel the weight of combat, the sting of loss, and the rush of adrenaline right alongside the people who live it.

Pages: 141 | ASIN : B0CTHTDBQ7