Briggs,Remember when we parted ways in Germany? It was the day I broke your heart. What you didn’t know was that I was breaking mine too.I thought they’d be enough–my husband and my son. That I’d get home and everything would go back to the way it was . . .Before the war. Before the ambush. Before you.But, no matter how hard I try, I can’t erase the trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the … trauma we shared. I can’t seem to forget the way my heart beat in time with yours.
The truth is I’m lost without you.
I thought the nightmare was over when they pulled us from that hole in the ground, but nothing could have prepared me for the war I’d face at home.
I know it’s selfish of me to ask, but, please, I have to see you one last time. . .
All my love,
Scottie
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Wow!! Something completely different and fantastic, well done!!!!
Inspired me to get more involved with Veterans with PTSD.
Must read. Engaging loveable honest and real characters.
“It feels like I’ve been holding my breath for weeks…months…and he’s filling my starving lungs with new life. Reviving all my dead parts, all the broken parts, if only for the briefest of moments.”
Every once in awhile a book consumes me heart and soul, and is a prime example of why I love reading so much. I lost days in this story, and it held me riveted each and every second. It flowed effortlessly, hit every emotion, and delved into topics that spoke of tragedy, trauma, strength of human spirit, true love, betrayal, and finding yourself amidst your entire life transforming before your eyes. It was beautiful, it was heart wrenching, it brought me to tears, both happy and devastated multiple times, and it was utterly one of the best books I’ve had the pleasure to read this year. It’s exactly how it supposed to be done. Bravo to the Authors!
“Ocean blue meets amber sunset. And it’s beautiful. It’s healing. It’s life-altering. It’s inevitable.”
~~~Erika, Book Haven Book Blog
This book seriously wrecked me. So many emotions! This is such an intense, angsty and emotional read. So beautifully written. It will affect your soul. Go into this book blind and just enjoy experience all the feels. A Five Star Read!!!
3.5 stars!
Oh this is so hard for me to review. Let me first start by saying I really enjoyed this book. The writing was spot on and I felt everything the characters were going through. This book felt so real for me, which is probably why I’m having such a hard time reviewing it.
I also feel I need to say that I’m not really one for love triangles or military books, but I love everything by both authors so I gave it a try. Again I really liked it, BUT these types of books aren’t my favorite. Plus my guy didn’t get the girl in the end and that killed me because I really REALLY loved him.
Overall I enjoyed the book. It was everything I expected from the duo and more. You can tell the ladies really took their time on this book to get every detail right. The ladies knocked it out of the park in every way. If you are looking for an angsty book this one is for you. It has all the feels. Be prepared to cry!!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This. Book. GUTTED. Me!!
Katy Scott (aka Scottie) was raised a soldier, not a debutante. Her father was a soldier and she knew that was what she wanted to be at a young age. When she reenlist she doesn’t expect to be deployed, all her other tours have been stateside. She isn’t sure what to expect going over there, she’s nervous but ready. Or so she thinks. Can she handle everything she is going to experience? Well as Mullins tells her – “it’s time to soldier up”.
Chris Briggs is a soldier through and through. He has an attraction to Katy that he can’t seem to shake, but she’s off-limits so he knows there is no way he can act on his attraction. He still flirts with her, that’s just who he is. He is the life of the party, the attentive friend, the playboy.
One momentous occasion changes EVERYTHING! It was suppose to be a simple mission. Easy even until the ambush.
That’s when everything falls apart and survival isn’t promised, the only thing that is for certain is this is absolutely hell and there is nothing that they can do to change it. Scottie learns just how strong she can be and just how much she can handle. Briggs has to reign in his feelings because they are his weakness and he can’t handle a weakness at this point. It’s likely to get somebody killed.
Trauma hurts, trauma never lets you forget what happened, you just have to learn how to live with it. Trauma follows you around like a lost puppy dog looking for scraps. It’s a never ending battle. It creeps up on you at the worst possible times. When you go through trauma with another person it brings you closer, you have that hurt in common, that nagging constant distress that you just can’t shake. They get it, they understand you. They understand your hurt, your pain, your reluctance for certain situations. It can also cause you to build walls around yourself, push people away and keep people out.
When Katy returns home after everything she can’t seem to find the woman she was when she left for her tour. She felt things for Briggs she knew she shouldn’t but when you experience the kind of things they did you form a bond that is unlike anything you can ever imagine.. “I am two different women, living in two separate worlds, in love with two different soldiers. In the haze that’s now my life, clarity is all I pray for.” She doesn’t know who she is or how to go back to “normal”, she can’t seem to transition back into her life, things are just not the same (she’s not the same).
OK, so I read the snippet on amazon and thought “hmm that sounds sweet and interesting”. I WAS WRONG! This book was not just interesting, it was heart wrenching! It tore me in two! The emotions in this book were off the freaking charts! I cried so many times I was just a blubbering mess!! It is one that I will never forget. The writing is impeccable. The feelings and heartbreak is astoundingly real!! My heart broke so many times with this book. This is one that will stay with me forever. I am so thankful the authors wrote this story, it is a hard one to tell but it is so worth telling. Some of the content of this book was like a hard pill to swallow but it helps to bring true feelings and reality to these characters. This book deserves ALL the stars!!
A gut-shredding ugly-cry book that will stay with me for a long time!
I am completely in awe of the talent of these two ladies. To weave a story so seamlessly, so heartbreakingly beautiful, so painfully honest and real, a story that will continue to stay with the reader long after the last page has been read, shows just how gifted these authors truly are.
I was a captive of this story and these characters from the first chapter. Swept away on a journey my heart could not begin to imagine nor could it contain the emotions that consumed me throughout that journey. The struggle of each character, their emotions, their pain, their unconditional love, and their growth was so beautifully written I, at times, had to pause just to absorb the beauty of the moment and the words that filled my heart to overflowing.
I could not have imagined a more perfect ending to such an amazing story. I hated to see it end and almost cried that it was over. You can be sure though, that I will re-visit these characters many times in the future.
One of the best books I’ve read.
Heartbreak Warfare is the kind of book where, even though you put it down and walk away to do something else, you’re still thinking about it. It’s not for the faint of heart and you have to go in with an open mind. There were plenty of times where I was a bit uncomfortable and conflicted but I still loved this book all the same. I don’t typically read love triangle; it’s just not my thing but when I found out that Kate Stewart had a hand in writing this very unique, “love triangle”, that eliminated any choice I may have had as to whether or not I would read it. I love her work and this collaborative effort with Heather Orgeron did not disappoint! I think glued to the pages would be a better description than not being able to put it down! I don’t know if I’ve ever read a book that makes me so sad yet my heart feels so full before. I’m truly glad I stepped out of my comfort zone and took the chance on this book!
Books don’t make me cry. That’s the first thing you need to know. I’m not sentimental, I don’t cry a lot about anything. This book, these authors, made me cry at least 10 times while reading. And I don’t mean just my eyes filling with tears that never fall. I mean real crying, tears falling, nose stuffing up, husband wondering what in the world was going on with me. I didn’t even have PMS!
That said, I love this book. Yes, it tore me to shreds, over and over. It pained me, it hurt me, it broke my heart but it was worth every tear. I’ve never read anything close to this level of love and longing and despair. It felt real, it felt like truth. I loved all the characters even when I hated them. I understood why they did what they did every time whether I agreed or not.
Heartbreak Warfare is aptly named and deserves so many more stars than I’m allowed to give. What a journey.
Hands down one of the most emotional and angstiest (not sure if that’s even a word) books I’ve ever read.
Heartbreak Warfare is adequately titled. This book is the very definition of Heartbreak Warfare. It will literally make you feel like your insides are being torn out. I feel so attacked right now.
From the get go I could tell that this book would pull at my emotions. Just at page three I could already feel the tears at bay. But I don’t think I was fully prepared, in fact I wasn’t prepared at all for the onslaught of emotional grenades that were thrown at me in this story.
If you’ve read the blurb you will have an inclination that this book deals with a few sensitive subjects. War and the effects of war. My heart, my heart is still in pieces and I’m still trying to come to terms with everything that happened in this book.
This read was raw, and absolutely gut wrenching and at times I could feel myself shaking as I read this. But I love books that make me feel and man oh man did I feel EVERYTHING. Every touch, every tear, every scream, EVERYTHING. The heartbreak, the worry, the anger, the despair and it’s been awhile since a book has utterly CONSUMED me.
Scottie, Briggs, Gavin and Noah they CONSUMED ME. They gutted me. This is one of those books where I didn’t know how I wanted it to end. At times I wanted one way, and at other times I wanted it a different way. I went back and forth. I’m still going back and forth now typing this up.
I could go on and on and potentially write a short story about what this book did and I will probably tell everyone I come in contact with to read this story.
This book was just WOAH !!!
I’m not usually a crier, but this book got me several times! It was intense, real, raw and devastating. It was warm and inviting at times too. The story line was deep and involved a lot of hard reads but it made it more beautiful in the end. I think it may be my new favorite read involving the military.
Awesome book!! Gripping, captivating story!!! Loved it!
Shrouded by unimaginable anguish and the brutality of war, a war that so many of us forget is being fought every day outside of our “sheltered lives,” comes a beautiful story, a story of the resilience of the human body and spirit of its soul.
As the story between Scottie, Briggs, and Gavin unfolded, I found that there was no balm strong enough to mend the despair that I felt for each of these characters as individuals and for their predicament as a whole.
I felt an ache so deep and real that, at times, it was painful to continue reading… This is when you know you have stumbled upon a book that is not only an incredible novel, but something that could truly change your life.
This heartbreakingly beautiful story made me feel so many emotions. While at times this story was gut wrenching, it brought to light the selfless sacrifices made by all of those serving in our military, including the family members who wait for news while their loved ones are away, and even more importantly have to be strong when their soldiers return home and have another type of battle on their hands upon reentry.
Whether or not you choose to read this story, I hope that you will at least give more thought to thanking a Veteran for their service. There are so many opportunities and organizations out there that can help aide you in doing so if you are not sure how. We owe a debt to those serving and their beautiful families that serve alongside with them.
I cannot rave enough about this haunting and gripping book. It made me feel emotions I didn’t know that I had and it made me truly think about things in a way I never had before. I urge you to read this book. It isn’t pretty but it is so worth the heartbreak you will go through once you get through to the other side, because as explained in the pages of this book, there is so much healing in love.
As Always, Happy Reading!
“5/5 Beaming Brains!”
This book is not my normal read. It’s a very heavy and very emotional read. I’m so glad I just grabbed it without reading the description because I never would have read it otherwise, fan of Heathers or not. This book shows the love and bonds people can form during the most unimaginably horrific circumstances. It gives a very realistic portrayal of the struggles people with PTSD and their families face. This book was very much worth stepping outside my normal box to read.
This was a serious book that had a couple steamy parts in it. I found myself sucked into this story so much so I didn’t want to put it down to go to sleep! I cried a couple of times. This one will definitely tug on your heart strings, so make sure to have some tissues nearby. I highly recommend this book. When you’re in the mood for a highly emotional, gut-wrenching story about people who love each other so much that their love allows them to let them go. Yep. This is a good one.
This book was everything. So real and vivid and the characters make you live right along side them, enduring the pain, helplessness and longing they felt along the way. Three beautiful souls fighting for love, for life, for every breathe in this journey of devastating pain, the continuing journey of healing and the ultimate gift of forgiveness. Truly a masterpiece of fiction that conjured terrifyingly real images of the horrors of war, yet also granting us the gift that love is healing. I am speechless and in awe of these two authors, well done ladies. Thank you for sharing your words with the world.
I’m blown away by this heartbreaking and powerful story of how life’s events can change you as a person. Sometimes you go in one way and come out another. Sometimes you dodge bullets and sometimes they hit you, hard. And those wounds may heal, but the scars remain to constantly remind you of what you have endured. What you have survived.
With all good intentions, some people can never fully understand what you’ve been through unless they were there with you. Love adapts as you live, grow, and heal. We don’t always make the right choices and sometimes we leave carnage in the wake. But finding your own truth for who you are now and what you want to be is the only path to peace.
This books was warfare on my heart. It cracked, it broke, it got pieced back together and then shattered again. But the right choice was made even if it was the harder mountain to climb.
5 broken by war stars
“Whatever demons I can’t drown, I swim with, and we tend to get along fine.”
There aren’t many books that squeeze your heart the way this book did mine. It’s gripping, with characters so real, you feel their heartache as it jumps off the page and into your tear-laced face. I stayed up late reading it and woke up early the next day to finish it—losing sleep worrying about the fate of all of the characters. I shed tears while reading it and more hours after reading the end. Bravo to the authors. Everyone needs to read this book.