Thursday, June 28, 2012

Because of You (Coming Home #1) by Jessica Scott

"Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care. 

Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire."


Type: Contemporary Romance, Military
Heat: 2.5 out of 5 A bit of steam, slow burn romance 
Rating: 5 out of 5

From the moment I started reading Because of You I was so caught up and involved in the world and characters created that time completely got away from me and hours passed before I realized. I love when that happens! [the herd? not so much] Because of You is a very emotional and touching story about the struggles so many men and women in the military face during times of war. It's a beautiful story of how love can heal. Of friendship and finding peace. It's definitely not your everyday light fluffy romance but an incredibly moving read filled with characters that will grab on to your heart and won't let go.


The set up for Shane and Jen's relationship and the story in general is a little different than most. After being wounded during deployment Shane finds himself in the hands of Jen, a nurse he met briefly months earlier and hasn't been able to forget. The patient/caregiver relationship mixed with their attraction to each other added a good bit of humor and awkwardness that I really enjoyed. Love seeing a big, tough alpha male blush. I liked that their relationship was slow burning and grew over time. It really fit these two and didn't feel forced but just right.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Why would you do that?” 
“Do what?” 
“Open your home to a complete stranger?” 
“Seeing as how I’ve held your penis in my hand, I think that puts you firmly in the not a stranger category.” 
He coughed and choked and felt his face turn sixteen shades of hot. 
“Finally. Jeez, I was starting to think your sense of humor had gone AWOL.”
Shane and Jen were characters I so wanted to root for. They're each strong, dedicated and passionate about what they do and are each dealing with tremendous scars both physical and emotional. I liked that link between them and that Jen was able to relate to some of Shane's struggles over being dependent on others and having things out of his control. Scott did a phenomenal job of making you really feel what these two were going through. Shane's raw anger and frustration at being helpless and in pain was amazing to read and Jen's insecurities over the scars she earned battling breast cancer broke my heart. Gah. These two just really got to me. I loved watching them heal and find an inner peace and acceptance.

The secondary couples were very nicely done as well. I found myself getting just as invested in their lives as I was in Shane and Jen's story. Each couple brought in different issues from dealing with life altering injuries, depression and lack of communication to being separated by deployment and the hardships on both sides of the relationship. Their friendships added a nice richness to the story as well. The guys just being guys together, mouthing off and getting each other going again. And the women who were always there to provide emotional support for one another. I was so glad to see that there will be more of them in the future.

While Because of You was a good deal more serious and heavy than I expected I can't imagine it any other way. Scott writes what she knows and does it incredibly well. This one might be hard for some to read because it really will touch close to home for many people but it's definitely worth the time and one I'd recommend everyone check out.



Get Your Copy:   Amazon    Barnes&Noble

Do you like more realistic books you can relate to? Or do you go more for the fantasy world that's not like yours at all?

**A copy of Because of You was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. 

2 comments:

  1. I love both. Depending on my mood. Sometimes, I am looking for some highlander dudes. Sometimes, a rich playboy that has to learn his lessons. Sometimes a rock solid, tough soldier struggling with physical issues falling for a rock solid tough woman struggling with physical issues. I loved Because of you and cant wait for Jessicas next book.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I can't wait either. Was a great start to a series :) Mmmmm. Highlanders. I think I'm going to have to go there next!

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