Two battle buddies. One fateful deployment. Two vastly different sets of wounds. One friendship changed forever.A childhood in foster care taught Carey Everett to hold tight to what he has. Enlisting in the Marines gave him purpose, but a life-threatening injury ended his career—and took his leg. Now fully recovered, Carey’s happier than he’s ever been. He has a fulfilling job, a chosen family … chosen family and, best of all, a cherished friendship with Jase DeSantis, the platoon medic who saved his life.
Despite Jase’s heroism in combat, he’s haunted by his actions overseas. Playing music with his band keeps the demons at bay, but it’s a battle he’s starting to lose.
After a week of sun and fun in San Diego, Jase and Carey’s connection takes an unexpected turn. With change comes a new set of challenges. For Jase, it means letting someone else into his deepest pain. For Carey, it’s realizing love doesn’t always equal loss. In order to make their relationship work, they’ll have to come to terms with their pasts…
…or risk walking away from each other for good.
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This book showcases the effects war can have on individuals. It does touch on subjects such as PTSD, emotional trauma, and therapeutic avenues. Overall, this book is a cute friends-to-lovers story worth checking out.
The author paid attention to the most finite details and it was amazing. The ugliness of war and its lasting effects, the difficulties veterans have trying to readjust to civilian life, the doubts when discovering new things about one’s self. Nothing was glossed over or described briefly, but portrayed in a realistic and often heartbreaking way.
Jase and Carey were written with such sensitivity towards their struggles that I couldn’t help but be drawn in completely. Both carried heavy emotional baggage, had issues to overcome and it was heartwarming to see them find the strength to move forward and fully open their hearts to each other.
I loved them together and I loved this beautiful story of deep feelings and true love.
This author is new to me, but one I will be reading again. I loved Jase and Carey’s story for a lot of reasons.
The characters felt very real, and I liked how the author didn’t gloss over the aftermath of fighting a war. Carey’s wound might be external, but Jase’s is crippling him too. I liked how layered Jase’s personality was, and how he uses keeping busy and the crutch of weed, alcohol, and sex to keep his PTSD at bay. The author has clearly researched Carey’s loss of his leg and I liked how those details were woven in through the story. I also liked the flashbacks and seeing him and Jase before everything went pear shaped. It’s obvious they’re attracted to each other way before either of them admits it, and I liked how Jase finally realises Carey wants the man underneath the mask too. I liked their different backgrounds, and how that comes out bit by bit in flashbacks and comments as they discover that as best friends there’s a lot they don’t know about each other.
I loved the scenes with the band, which has a fabulous name, and how all of them are ex veterans with their own ways of dealing, or not, with what they’ve been through. The music is wonderfully described, and had an authentic feel to it.
Layla totally rocks, and I loved Byrney and Trevor. I liked how far Carey has come since losing his leg to being a vital part of a group who provide so much help to their community.
I loved the emotional depth of this story, and found myself sniffling on several occasions with Carey and Jase staying with me long after I finished reading. The characters’ emotions, pain, and frustration feels very real and tangible. The scene when Jase finally recalls the incident that fuelled his PTSD is heartbreaking.
I’d highly recommended this powerful intelligent emotional read.
4.25 stars
“Everything Changes” by Melanie Hansen centers around Jase DeSantis and Carey Everett, whose friendship was tested by the rigors and trauma of war. As time has passed, they have pursued different paths in life, but each is still dealing with wounds, and their relationship is changing but may not progress unless they learn to truly trust in each other.
This adult contemporary gay military romance is the first story in the ‘Resilient Love’ series and features two compelling veterans. There are so many poignant elements that tug at the heartstrings combined with the exciting glimpses of a nascent music career, and one is captured immediately by these charismatic guys. Jase is a bit of a jerk at first, with his disregard for one of his fans, but his care and consideration for Carey definitely redeemed him in my eyes. One can’t help but ache for Carey’s back story as well, and it makes his wariness understandable.
The author did a wonderful job of showing some of the high prices paid by those who serve in defense of our country, both at the time of service and afterward, and I learned a lot about the challenges of coping with an amputation. I love stories that immerse me in the characters’ struggles even as they teach me, and I was particularly struck by the demonstration of accepting an individual’s choice of how he or she wants to live life. Be prepared to need tissues, as there are several very emotional episodes that are cathartic and enlightening. There are sizzling intimate scenes, but there are also wonderful demonstrations of the intense brotherhood that forms among those who serve.
It would have been nice to have a little more depth to some of the secondary characters, but I think several of them get their own time in the spotlight in other of this author’s books, such as “Point of Contact.” I look forward to being inspired by more of these folks and their courage and acceptance.
A copy of this title was provided for review
This book broke my heart and put it back together again.
I almost don’t have the words to describe how this book made me feel. This is the third book I’ve read by Melanie Hansen and I found it just as much of an emotional read for me as the other two that I’ve read. I knew this was a re-release before I read it (I own the original but never got around to reading it). What I didn’t know is that this was also her first published novel. All I can say is WOW what a great beginning to her writing career.
Like the other two books of hers that I’ve read, this one evoked a deeply emotional response. I don’t think I’ve shed so many tears reading a book in a while. Parts of this story are horribly sad but they were necessary to bring the MCs where they needed to be with each other (and the resulting HEA was worth every bit of sad parts).
I know next to nothing about being in the military but Melanie’s bio says she spent 18 years as a military wife and I think that shows in her writing; everything about what the soldiers experience in this book seemed terrifyingly real to me.
The writing made me feel like part of the story and I felt all of the anguish that the MC’s felt, as well as the love they had for each other. It took Carey a bit of time to come to terms with loving his best friend; he’d never felt any attraction to another man until Jase. Jase has been hiding his love for Carey because he doesn’t want to lose his best friend.
Although Everything Changes was originally written and published before Point of Contact (another book by Melanie that I loved), I’m kind of glad that I read that one first. One of the MCs from Point of Contact plays an important secondary role in Everything Changes. You don’t need to read Point of Contact first but I highly recommend the book, whether you read it before or after Everything Changes.
I am really looking forward to reading more books by Melanie Hansen and more in the Resilient Love series.
A copy of this book was provided to me but my review was voluntary and not influenced by the author.
***Reviewed for Xtreme-Delusions dot com*** (Septmber 14, 2020)