From USA Today Bestselling Author Kate McCarthy, comes a heart-pounding new standalone military romance!At fifteen, Jamie Murphy finds herself broken and alone, convinced she doesn’t need anyone.Until she does.Bear is the boy behind the fence, the one who was there for her when no one else was.Until he’s not.Left with nothing, Jamie joins the army hoping it will give her purpose. The last thing … it will give her purpose. The last thing she expects is the best friend from her past to reappear in the dusty plains of a war-torn country. No longer the boy she once knew, Bear is now a man: big, bearded, and SAS–one of the army’s elite.
Soon Jamie finds herself not only fighting against her enemies, but her feelings for a man who left her once before. Can she risk losing him all over again?
Fighting Absolution is a 135k best friends to lovers romance. It’s a standalone title, not a series, and you don’t need to read Fighting Redemption in order to read this book.
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What a pleasant surprise! A new author to me. I enjoyed this book.
I don’t know if this has ever happened to you after reading an epic love story, but it was a first for me. When I turned the last page of Fighting Absolution, I rushed to my PC, opened a doc and then stared at the screen gormessly. No words came, just tears. I needed to collect my thoughts before even attempting to put pen to paper, but I simply couldn’t. It took me exactly a day to read but ages to write this review. Now, this isn’t normal, Fighting Absolution isn’t your normal military romance, either. McCarthy took me on a roller-coaster ride which squeezed my heart, touched my soul and gave me a profound feeling of hope.
The character development is nothing less than spectacular. In their own way, they all have imperfections, making them so much more relatable. The storyline is dramatic without being overdone, the pace is fast, keeping me on the edge from the beginning to the end. It’s a real-life warzone. It’s battling with emotions so deep, those affected can’t see what’s in front of their very own eyes. The details of the surroundings at home and away, the camaraderie shared hardships to heartfelt friendship, trust and love are carefully thought-out. Nothing is left out, nothing is exaggerated.
“Isn’t that why any of us join the damn army in the first place? We’re hoping it’s going to perform some kind of miracle and piece us back together.”
Young Jamie Murphy is in need of a friend and she finds one on the other side of a fence, but they never cross the panels. Not one to tell all, she gradually opens up to Bear. But who is he? Why does he hold back on her? You’ll see although one thing’s for sure, she’s his Little Warrior.
“There’s the little warrior I know. I would laugh if we both weren’t hurting so much.”
What he sees in her is strength; a strength he encourages and oh boy, she’s going to need every ounce of it. I really and truly liked Jamie. So unpretentious, her beauty doesn’t even register with her. When she’s on form, you’ll love her dry wit and through it all, she still managed to make me smile.
‘Careful. You cracked a joke. Isn’t that your quota for the year?’
The worse happens, he’s gone, she can’t find him. Wow, to say she was peeved would be putting it mildly. Hmm…so it’s his bad luck, life goes on and she has a plan. A plan which not only turns out better than she could ever have imagined, but in its way, also reflects on future happenings which for this reader, caused utter despair.
‘Maybe that’s what life is all about. Snatching moments like this. Ones that get you through when you have nothing else.’
As fate would have it, the same war-torn road they’d chosen to go down brings Bear and Jamie together. Their friendship rekindles, he becomes her rock and to be perfectly honest, I still don’t know if I cried more for him or Jamie whilst learning how they coped with loss. But there are happy times which melted my heart. Their leg-pulling and comebacks; a welcome reprieve, had me grinning from ear to ear. How Jamie and Bear’s story evolves brought out more crushing feels if that were ever possible. And in all fairness and as much as I would like to tell you the outcome of their journey, I can’t. What I can say is this book will captivate you and be warned, having a man-sized hanky at hand is a must.
“There’s no such thing as stupid when it comes to grief. We all deal with it in our own way.”
I would love to have two besties with such wisdom in my life as does Jamie. Wood with his clumsiness, affection and encouragement. Erin who with no holds barred, makes her stubborn friend see things for what they are. And Bear’s mate Ryan, still hurting inside, is there when most needed. Meeting Fin through Jamie’s eyes left a lump in my throat but hey, this tight-knit group became my people.
“You can’t lose the memories inside your heart.”
The dual narrative written in the present is particularly important as it gave me the two sides to the story and although the protagonists’ inner thoughts were at times contrasting, both of them express how they feel perfectly. Fighting Absolution is without a doubt, one of the best love stories I have read this year. Bravo, McCarthy!
“How can you say that? Life brought you the biggest fight of your life, and you know what you did?”
“What?”
“You showed up. Every day. You showed up. You’re still showing up. One day you’ll look back and realise how much strength it took just to do that.”
WOW… Just WOW!!!
It’s been a very long time since I’ve read a book from Kate. But when I saw that she was bringing a new book out and it was another military romance I was like “I NEED THIS BOOK IN MY LIFE”
The story was breathtaking and heartbreaking.
Jamie & Bear….. LOVE LOVE LOVE THEM!!!! I laughed, cried, swooned and had hand on the heart moments all the way through.
Such an amazing read. One that I wont be forgetting any time soon.
Well done Kate on another fab read xx
I absolutely love Kate McCarthy’s books. Her, “Give Me” series, is one of my favorites and I re-read those books all the time…especially Casey’s book 😉 I also really enjoyed reading “Fighting Redemption” so, me reading this one was an absolute no brainer.
If you haven’t read the previous book, you can still read this one as a stand-alone, but I assure you that you are missing out, by skipping it 😛
Now, I will keep my review as spoiler-free as I can, as not to ruin it for anyone.
When I started this one, I knew I was gonna be in for a treat….and I am so happy my instinct was right. Be prepared for a rollercoaster of emotions.
Jamie and Bear were both awesome characters, I loved them from the start. They have known each other since they were teenagers and became (fence) friends when Jamie was at the lowest of times. He gave her the strength she needed. He is the rock that she leans on. That is until he leaves her behind…. to join the army.
Now years later they are being reunited…he’s a SAS soldier and she is a combat medic….
I cried and laughed right along with them. And even though there were times I wanted to smack some sense into Jamie … I really enjoyed reading about how they fell in love…
I think falling in love with your best friend is the best thing there is… I should know, I married mine 😉
This book and it feels. Pass me a tissue, please or many. I couldn’t get enough of Fighting Absolution. I fell in love with Jamie (little warrior), Jake and Kyle. I cried along with Jamie and felt her pain and her healing throughout. I love how strong she is. I love how through everything she doesn’t give up. She may push away but you understand that when you keep her background in mind. Jake is so sweet and swoon-worthy. I loved him with Jamie. Then there is Kyle, Jake’s fellow SAS, someone from Jamie’s past. Kyle will make you laugh even when you just want to tear up and hug a pillow. I love Kyle and his ways. He will make you fall in love with him so hard. He is a gentle soul and one that Jamie needs most in her life. Jamie and Kyle have this slow-burn friendship/relationship and you will see why I say that when you read this one. I’m just so in love with this book and if you love military romances then look no further in Fighting Absolution. This book needs to be read tears and all. ONE-CLICK this one.
Well, I’m going to be that person. I didn’t like it. Let me preface by saying that I hate flashbacks in a book and the first twenty chapters of Fighting Absolution is the “before.” That doesn’t always bother me, but I felt like it dragged on, there was a lot of information, and I didn’t think all of it was pertinent to the story.
Now, if you read the majority of the reviews, it appears like a lot of people loved it, but I can’t in good conscious tell you that I did. The writing style was great, it was just the story didn’t hit it out of the park for me.
Can I just say that this book was one of the best I read this year?
Military genre makes my heart race like no other.
I still have ingrained in my mind the scene (and so many more) where the SAS men arrive to eat. I can picture them all coming one after the other and everyone looks at them. Strong, muscled, deadly. OMG! SO FREAKING HOT! I need to stop now… I don’t want to give any away any spoilers! Ok… moving on…
Fighting Absolution, is a story of a true love, that started early with friendship and evolved to something bigger than itself!
It is heartbreaking, but it is also hopeful. There’s war scenes, some very ugly scenes, but there’s also so many funny and precious moments, and beautiful scenery.
There is nothing left behind about the characters life. Nothing! I feel like I literally just lived their lives! There’s no better sensation than this when you finish a book.
Between these pages, I felt my heart racing, I felt fear, I felt confusion, I felt the love and I felt their happiness.
Now as you might be guessing, I’m running to buy Fighting Redemption because I NEED THAT BOOK ASAP!
Spellbound. Lost in the pages. There was no magic or addictive drug. It was a simple story of love, in all its many facets, told with an abundance of humour, emotion and heart. This was my first read by this author and it was just amazing…
There were so many heart-catching things I loved. The characters, oh the lovable, real characters. From Jamie, who tried to keep everyone away as she struggled with grief and a need to find her place in the world. Bear, who pushed and cajoled with laughter and empathy. From teenagers to adults, life’s choices took them in different directions but what they had couldn’t be over… Their path back to each other was full of life-changing drama as life in the military, with all it contains, was laid out with a matter of fact, yet telling hand. There was sadness and joy, light and dark, and I couldn’t read it fast enough…
Were there a few bird walks which left me wondering out loud? Yes. Did it matter? Not in the slightest. This was an amazing read, one of my top favourites of the year!
*Reviewed for 1-Click Addict Support Group
A gripping and heartwarming romance from the beaches of Australia and war torn Afghanistan. This is the first book I’ve read by Kate McCarthy, but I will be reading more.
Military romance isn’t normally a genre I gravitate to but I absolutely loved this book. A friends to lover romance at heart, the story starts with a friendship between a fifteen year old girl and a seventeen year old boy. A fence divides their back yards, and she uses this fence for protection as she ever so slowly opens herself up. Each are dealing with the heartbreak of losing their only parent and facing the world alone.
He chooses the Australian army. Years later, she does too. He ends up being SAS, military elite. She’s a medic.
One of my favorite quotes from the book: “You’re barely held together with duct tape. We all are. Isn’t that why any of us join the army in the first place? You’re hoping it’s going to perform some kind of miracle and piece us back together again. But newsflash, Brooks, it doesn’t. It only makes the cracks inside us bigger.”
At one point, I had to jump ahead to the end. I need to make sure I wasn’t digging into another “Nightingale” situation. The book isn’t a walk in the park, meaning your heart is going to rip a bit along the journey, but when you close the book, you’ll have a smile on your face and you’ll wish there were more pages to read.
Friendships and minor characters play a major role. For two people with no blood family, their few friends and military colleagues are vital. Maybe that’s necessary in a story about the military? After all, who could ever forget the phrase, “Talk to me Goose!”.
Kate McCarthy‘s Fighting Absolution will have you rooting for these characters to find their absolution and cheering for them as they choose happiness. I strongly recommend this book.
This is the first story I’ve read by this author and I want more!! The characters are well developed and the storyline is full of emotions and intrigue. This is an emotionally charged book if I’ve ever read one. Friends/neighbors become lovers in this heartwarming story. I absolutely love the connection between Kyle and Jamie, it transcends time and space. I highly, highly recommend this book!!
A friend and fellow blogger told me to read this today…I consumed every word without a break.
I was so not prepared for the impact it would make.
Stellar writing! Fantastic storyline..exquisite execution.
I should mention this was my first book I’ve read by the author.
Clearly, I’ve been missing out on her books! I will be rectifying that immediately.
~BREAKDOWN OF RATINGS~
Plot~ 5/5
Main Characters (hero/heroine)~ 5/5
Secondary Characters~ 5/5
The Feels~ 5/5
Pacing~ 5/5
Addictiveness~5/5
Angst~ 5/5
Steam/Hotness/Chemisty ~ 5/5
Theme or Tone~ 5/5
Flow (Writing Style)~ 5/5
Backdrop (World Building)~ 5/5
Originality~ 5/5
Ending~ 5/5
Book Cover~ very fitting for the story
Series~ stand-alone
Source~ Kindle eBook – Borrowed from KU
Would I read more from the author? Yes
Would I recommend this book? Yes
4.5 stars– FIGHTING ABSOLUTION by Kate McCarthy is a contemporary, new adult to adult, military romance story line focusing on Jamie ‘Warrior Girl’ Murphy and Kyle ‘Bear’ Brooks.
Told from dual first person perspectives (Jamie and Kyle) FIGHTING ABSOLUTION covers several years in the life of Jamie ‘Warrior Girl’ Murphy and Kyle ‘Bear’ Brooks. Landing in foster care after the death of her father, fifteen year old Jamie Murphy struggles to find her place in the world. Meeting Bear, the young boy who lives in the home behind the foster care facility but a young boy she only knows by talking through the fence when left all alone. One day Bear does not return leaving Jamie struggling with yet another loss. Two years would pass and Jamie would enrol in the army where she will find her purpose helping those who need her help the most. But another loss finds Jamie facing her future alone until she discovers the boy she once called Bear, has been with her all along. On leave together Kyle aka Bear and Jamie would travel across Australia discovering the who and what of their heart and souls. What ensues is the building relationship between Jamie and Kyle, and the potential fall-out as our leading couple continue to butt heads about the present and the future.
Jamie knows loss better than most but the continuing losses and the atrocities of war begin to take their toll on our story line heroine. Unable to forgive herself for sins of the past, Jamie pushes towards a life that continues to spiral out of control. Kyle Brooks never forgot about the young teen he knew only as Warrior Girl but meeting Jamie Murphy while stationed overseas in Afghanistan gave Kyle a chance at forever if only he and Jamie could survive the upcoming tour.
The relationship between Jamie and Kyle is a friends to lovers/second chances of a sorts for two people who met one another when they needed it the most. The continuous loss of life begins to eat away at both Kyle and Jamie leaving each a shadow of their former selves. But injuries forced Kyle to walk away from the army, injuries he hoped would push Jamie to walk away, herself. The Sex scenes are intimate and passionate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful, animated and sympathetic secondary and supporting characters including Jamie’s best friends Erin Tennyson, Jake Tanner, and Colin Wood; Jake’s sister Fin, and his childhood friend Ryan Kendall. Jake, Colin Ryan, Kyle and Jamie all see time together in the war in the Middle East.
FIGHTING ABSOLUTION is a story of family and friendship; love, loss and grief; forgiveness, struggle, depression and absolution. The premise is real and raw; the romance is captivating; the characters are energetic and lively. FIGHTING ABSOLUTION is a heart breaking, emotional and spirited story of survival and love.
***5 Stars***
I got absolutely lost in the ups and downs, laughter and tears that the characters of this story pulled out of me. It was unexpected, but one I happily accepted. And though I was thoroughly satisfied with how everything turned out for Jamie and her ‘Bear’, as well as their friends, I was sad that there were no more words to read.
I adored Jamie and Bear. Jamie is a force to be reckoned with. Life hasn’t been easy for her and yet she keeps going. She’s sweet, sassy and has a fire inside her that draws people to her and a heart a lot more soft than she likes to admit. Bear is a tender soul wrapped up in a kevlar tough body. His heart has been bruised and yet he still has hope that more is out there for him. He’s a bit of a goof, but it makes him more endearing than awkward.
As for their friends to lovers journey…I’m not going to say all that much, other than I absolutely loved it! It put me through the wringer a few times and that icky wet stuff fell from my eyes, but it was soooo worth it in the end!
This is my first read by the author and it won’t be the last. I was hooked from the start and I truly did get lost in the story as a whole. The characters were all well written and I want to spend more time with them ~ so, yes, I will be adding Fighting Redemption to the TBR list and see if I can bump it up and read it sooner, rather than later. Also, a lot of tough topics are brought up in the story, but I thought they were done with a compassionate hand and were important in the growth of the characters.
Note: This can be read as a stand-alone, but it does run concurrent with Fighting Redemption.
~ Copy provided by Social Butterfly PR & voluntarily reviewed ~
5++ Beautiful Stars!
Fighting Redemption is one of my most favorite books, so when I heard about this story, I just had to read it. I counted down the days until I could have it in my greedy little hands. When I finally had the opportunity to read it, I hesitated. Part of me wanted to blow through it and devour every word, the other part, wanted to take my time and savor every single emotion. In the end, this story consumed me! Fighting Absolution is gripping, heartbreaking, intense, emotional, hopeful, inspiring, and one of the best books I’ve read this year!
THIS book. I have SO much love for it. I was an emotional mess while reading it. It completely gutted me. My heart ached for these characters. The loss was unbearable at times, but the beauty at the end, made it all worth it.
I loved Jamie. I can honestly say that I don’t think I have ever felt that way about another heroine. Despite experiencing a devastating loss at a young age, she was strong. She was fierce. She was a fighter. She was a warrior! Every time she was knocked down, she dusted herself off and got right back up. Even though she felt alone, it was the love of her father that gave her the will to press on. Jamie wore a hard shell and built a wall a mile high around her, but inside, she was just a broken girl trying to out run her guilt. I admired her tenacity and perseverance. Her will to survive.
Kyle…sigh. He had so much to overcome. So much to live up to! I was so proud of him because he did it with patience and love. I liked how he and Jamie went back to the beginning and became friends again. He gave her the space she needed to overcome tragedy. Together, they grieved and found comfort in each other. Kyle definitely found his spot in my heart. In addition to being the best kind of man, he was intense, rough, and ridiculously hot. Those sexy scenes? Off the charts! He had me revved up and swooning like a school girl! Jamie may have had her first love, but Kyle was her soulmate. Their love healed all the broken pieces inside them… and me.
Review by Lys
If you’ve read or followed my reviews at all, you know I’m usually on the hunt for new to me authors that I can fall in love with their words. I’ve never read any of Kate McCarthy’s books before now, but I’m always willing to read almost any author’s books. At least one of them, and I do try to go into them with an open mind. Not everyone is going to be Nora Roberts! (Actually, it’s hard to beat Queen Nora, but you shouldn’t let that stop you from trying.) And while Fighting Absolution is a stand-alone book, there is some character crossover from her book Fighting Redemption. I’ve not read that book yet, but I’m so ready to dive right in now, but my TBR is a bit overwhelming at this point! So many books, so little time, dang it. OK. Sorry for the tangent…on with the review.
Romantic suspense is my jam, but I’m also a huge military romance fan because I’ve kind of lived my own military romance. So you add the fact that it’s a new to me author and a military romance up, and I was totally on board to dive into this epic book. And by epic, I mean it’s not a short book by any stretch of the imagination. With that said, I don’t think it could have been shortened by any length and not have lost so many important elements. Important things like the backstory between Jamie and Bear. And Jamie’s history that plays so much into the young woman she becomes as she enters the Army. And maybe I loved Jamie and Bear’s story because there were some very familiar elements in it that I’ve lived in my own life. Honestly, though, it was just a very well-written life story.
NICUnurse’s Rating: I don’t give 5-star ratings very often because a book has to really get under my skin before I feel like it’s worth 5 stars. If it’s a good book, I usually leave it at 4-4.5 stars. But this book stayed with me for days. I talked about it in some of the groups I’m in on social media. I’ve recommended it to friends and fellow bloggers/reviewers. I’ve obsessed over the cover. I quite simply Loved. This. Story! Like…loved it enough that I was up until 4 am because I just couldn’t stop reading it! Needless to say, I give Fighting Absolution by Kate McCarthy a full 5 out of 5 stars! Y’all…go read this book! Just don’t start it right before you should be going to sleep!
Four years ago I’ve read a book written by a new to me author and I fell in love because Fighting Redemption was perfect, some loyal characters, a bunch of soldiers, a terrible war and a fantastic writing style.So when I’ve found out that Kate McCarthy was writing Fighting Absolution I couldn’t hold back my joy and excitement.
I already know I’ll never make this story justice with my review so I recommend to read it for yourself and to feel it in your bones, and to let it destroy you and to heal you in the end.
This was a beautiful read and it easily became the best book I’ve read this year.
“Home is wherever you are.”
6 massive stars (because 5 stars aren’t enough)!
Wow, what a read! What an amazing, emotional, incredible, beautiful read! A military-themed friends-to-lovers love story that is surprising, unexpected, unique and absolutely epic! I was completely captivated from start to finish and I loved every moment of it. Definitely a fave for 2019.
First up, be aware that this book ties in with McCarthy’s incredible Fighting Redemption. You can read this one as a standalone and don’t have to have read that book first, but if you are planning on reading it, then I would recommend reading it before this one. Not only does the timeline crossover (this book is set before, during and after), but there is also character crossover, and the way these two stories link together is just brilliant, and as a hardcore fan of Fighting Redemption, I loved watching those ties unfold.
Jamie is 15 years old when her world crashes around her. Grief-stricken and completely alone, she finds her only solace in the boy who lives in the house behind hers. They talk through the back fence of their properties, sharing secrets and opening their hearts to each other without revealing who they are, instead going by the nicknames ‘Bear’ and ‘Little Warrior’. But they share something that is significant to both of them, until it all stops.
Years later and Jamie has followed Bear’s lead and joined the Army in an attempt to find herself and find meaning in her life. As a combat medic, she is exposed to horrific situations, but she finds a sense of purpose and close friends while on deployment. She also endures heartbreaking tragedy. What she doesn’t expect is to run into the boy who was her whole world all those years ago, now a member of the elite SAS and fighting right alongside her.
I’m not going to say anything else about this story because you just need to dive in and experience it. And OMG, what an experience it is! Yes, it’s heartbreaking and tragic, and yes, I cried right along with Jamie and all that she goes through. What I wasn’t expecting was to laugh as much as I did. As Jamie and her Bear reconnect, there is a wonderful sense of camaraderie and fun between them as these two friends recapture the magic from their past. They tease, they joke, they banter and they flirt, and they have a lot of fun together. They have a true connection that is beautifully written, and I loved seeing that explored in such wonderful detail.
Their story takes us from war-torn Afghanistan to the sunny beaches of Perth, Western Australia (my home town, which made this an extra-special read for me), and an epic road trip all up and down the coast. We get to see an incredible friendship that slowly, naturally and quite unexpectedly becomes something so much more.
Jesus Christ, I’m in love with my best friend.
But it’s not an easy road for these two. Jamie has built walls around herself to protect her heart, and after her difficult childhood, I could absolutely understand why. She is looking for meaning in her life, and she believes the Army is it and that it’s all she’s capable of. Whereas Bear, who is also without family, has big dreams of creating his own – complete with wife, kids and a house by the beach. It’s a heartwrenching journey for them to find their happiness, and with Jamie’s strong, funny, fearless best friend by her side, I loved watching their story unfold.
“You keep talking like nobody needs you, Little Warrior, but I do. I need you.”
The book is written in dual POV, which I love, and with strong themes of friendship and finding your own family, there’s also a wonderful group of supporting characters – some that we’ve already met in Fighting Redemption (including Ryan and Fin), and a bunch of fantastic newbies that had me laughing and crying and wishing that I had more people like that around me.
This is a really special read, and I adored it so much. The blend of drama, emotion, fear, suspense, humour, fun and heart-pounding romance is so beautifully combined, and blends perfectly with the serious subject matter and the realities of war. I read it in a day, unable to put it down, and then went to bed unable to stop thinking about it. It captured me heart and soul, and, like its predecessor, I know it’s one that is going to stay with me for a long time to come.
I knew by the blurb that this would be an amazing read. Fighting Absolution went above and beyond my already high expectations. This 6 star story consumed me while I was reading and way after I was done.
It starts with a bond that was formed between a boy and a girl. Their time spent talking to each other by the fence was precious. Until it stopped. Jamie never forgot about the mysterious boy. Now many years later she is joining the army. She’s looking for a family, a place to belong. She will make lifelong friends and will find the family she is looking for.
This was an exceptional masterpiece. Once I started reading this story, I couldn’t put it down. I was hooked with this page turning captivating and highly intriguing story. I was overcome by so many emotions. I’m as far away from war but to read about it gave me goosebumps. I know this is fiction but it felt real so that’s heartbreaking.
I seriously think time, research and effort was put into this story. Like I said it felt real. The characters were perfectly developed in order to make me feel what they were feeling. Bottomline is this a must read.
Standalone with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.
*5 Stars*
ARC kindly received in exchange for an honest review.
This was my first Kate McCarthy book, and I have absolutely no idea how or why it took me so long to discover this author and her books. This story, it immediately captivated me with its characters. Told mostly from Jamie’s POV, shes the surly, standoff-ish teen who won’t let anyone in. That is, until the pushy, won’t give up boy on the other side of the fence, Bear comes along and worms his way into her heart and tells her to make some friends at school (enter Erin, who we get lots of in this book and I love). But suddenly, one day, Bear is gone.
Jamie decides to join the Army, and suddenly her life has structure and meaning, and she’s toughing it out to become a combat medic. Enter a new friend, Wood, who I truly loved as a friend for Jamie, and someone to have by her side.
Jamie is a fierce and determined character, and whilst she doesn’t want to let anyone in, there are a few people who she does, even admist the combat zone of Afghanistan. Some SAS soldiers in particular. I thought McCarthy did a fantastic job of writing all the Army pieces of the story, and she has clearly outlined how horrific the war is.
I was on edge each and every time something was happening over there, and before I was even halfway through, I was torn apart and broken. Absolutely wrecked. I was a complete and total blubbering mess and yet I couldn’t stop reading. I was scared of what was to come, but this story grabs you, pulls you in, and makes you so invested that just need to know what’s going to happen.
By this point Bear has re-appeared, and the story takes on a new direction, but in such a way that it perfectly fits and stays true to what has happened earlier in the book. Once you get to know Bear, you can’t help fall in love with this big, sarcastic piece of hunky man. Not to mention that he’s a damned SAS soldier and we’ve seen some of what he’s been through.
It’s like the first half of the book is meant to completely break you, and then the second half builds you back up, until you get this absolutely perfect and adorable ending. Although I will admit I was very frustrated at Jamie alot of the time because of her stubborn attitude.
Throughout it all, there is a supporting cast of some wonderful friends (now I need to go and read Ryan’s book), and whilst alot of our characters are finding themselves, we get some fun times as well. I was really pulling for Bear and some particular dreams he had for his future, and I was completely stoked with how this all played out.
Kate McCarthy has truly written a book that will stay with the reader, and it deserves ALL THE STARS . I can’t wait to read more from her, and hope we get more from this series as well. Bravo Kate, take a bow!
A military romance like none other!! When Jamie Murphy finds herself all alone, she decides her only option to be truly free from her situation and find herself is to enlist in the military. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect her neighbor…her best friend, “Bear”, to be there also. This is a truly beautiful coming of age, emotional, sweet romance about two lost souls finding each other. I don’t want to say too much so you can experience every perfect moment for yourself. We also get glimpses of Jake Tanner and if you have read Fighting Redemption then you know who he is. This book was breathtaking! “She’s my duck tape” Oh and have a few tissues ready. Told in dual POV