Because of You, by Jessica Scott

     Jessica Scott, the author, is career military, in the Army, as is her spouse. I suspect the reason the book seems so real is because she’s seen it and done it all, as have her characters. 

     The heroine, Jenn St.  James is a nurse and breast cancer survivor.  She has yet to accept the disfigured body her mastectomy left her with.  Jen is very happy to be alive, but considers herself damaged goods.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Our hero is Shane Garrison, who Jen meets the night before the platoon sergeant and company are deploying for a year.  They share a hot kiss that neither of them can forget. It keeps Shane sane during his long nights in Iraq. Shane has an extremely high level of perfectionism and taking care of his troops, leaving little to no time for himself.

     About 4 months in to their deployment, a bomb blast sends Shane and a few others from his platoon back to Fort Hood Hospital, where Jen works.  Shane wakes up with both legs and one arm in a cast.  Several of his men have lost limbs.  Shane is totally aggravated and surley that he can’t be up and about to be   there and help his men.  The men are all grown up and most are married, but Shane can’t focus  on himself because he’s too worried about them.  Jen tries so hard to convince Shane that in time he will heal and be able to get back to his men, but nothing is moving fast enough for Shane.  He does take his anger out on Jen a time or two, and fortunately because of her job and own brush with cancer, she understands where Shane is coming from very well.    

     The love story advances, though not very quickly.  There is a lot going on in this book, both with Shane and his men who were injured. It’s nice to read a book written from this perspective, as you get to see what military life is like not only for the soldier, but the entire family.  This is where the author’s background shines.  I read a comment that says this is not a military romance, it’s a romance with military characters and I would agree with that statement. There are no scenes from the battlefield, so I felt the label of “Military Romance” was a bit misleading. 

     The hospital scenes were very realistic.  I have heard some complaints about the catheter removal scene, obviously made by people who do not have a medical background.  Stuff like that happens folks, and it may have happened even if a nurse other than Jen removed Shane’s catheter.  The other scenes, physical therapy and the overdose were also very well played out.     Jen’s cancer also played a leading role in the story.  She was worried how Shane would accept her body, but as she got to know Shane better, she should have figured that would not matter to him.

       This was a very emotional book, and for me, who is not one to cry over a book, I shed quite a few tears.  Why not a better rating?  Because I turned the page, right in the middle of another issue and that was the end!   I have never seen an ending as abrupt as this one. Then, there were complete chapters of several more books coming out by different authors, when that space should and could have been dedicated to a decent ending for this otherwise wonderful book.  

Rating:  A-,    warm       (due to  the abrupt ending)

From Our Family to Yours!

Wild Thing, by Robin Kaye

Book provided by NetGalley for review.
Release date:  12/1/2011
Rating:  B+, Hot 

Hunter Kincaid runs River Runner Tours, and Toni Russo is his exact opposite, the queen of the concrete jungle.  Her boss Bianca of Action Models,  is busy with contract negotiations, so sends Toni to Idaho to manage the sportswear photo shoot in her place.  The minute Hunter spies the Goth girl from New York, (fans of NCIS will love her!)  he falls for her and vows to do whatever it takes to win her over.  However, at this early point in the book poor Hunter had no idea what he was in store for.  Toni has a huge fear of the wilderness, and watching Hunter walk her through her fears is extremely entertaining.  What Toni doesn’t know at this point is that Hunter runs a camp for disadvantaged and troubled kids, and is very good at his job.   

Hunter has recruited his siblings, Trapper, Fisher and Karma (interesting why mom choose their names) to assist with the crew of models and photographers.  Hunter is just full of surprises.  While the crew is camping, he takes Toni to his mountain retreat, where Hunter shows off his chef abilities while preparing Toni a meal fit for a queen.  They end up in bed, but Hunter really makes Toni work for what she wants because it’s more than just sex for him.  Toni does not want to feel any connection for Hunter, but for both of them, it’s like they were hit over the head the minute they met.  Who ever knew a toothbrush in the garbage can could cause such a commotion?!?  You will have to read the book to find out why..... 

James the photographer is like the father Toni never had and encourages the relationship to develop between her and Hunter.  Then good old Bianca shows up and thinking Hunter has a thing for her, sends Toni packing for  New York.  There are a lot of things Toni finds out about Hunter while he is out with the group on a shoot,  which she interprets as lies. After promising to wait for him to return so they can talk, she heads for home. This back and forth with her emotions kind of got to me by this point. Then Hunter comes to the rescue again!  He recruits his entire family, including Grandpa Joe, along with Toni’s mother, to help him win back the woman he has fallen in love with.  He’ll go to any length to do this, which is quite hysterical at times.  His brothers and Karma are just a hoot, and provide plenty of comedy relief throughout the entire book. 

The end is a bit rushed, and there are moments that Toni really got on my nerves.  At one point, she belittles Hunter and all but makes fun of him for liking her, and offering to do the things that Action Models hired River Runners to do for the photo shoot. It made me wonder what else Hunter could possibly do to prove he loves her.  He is like the perfect man, but like most men can be pretty dense at times.  Toni of course is in denial of her feelings for Hunter.   Her fears really control her life, and it takes her awhile to come to the conclusion that she has the ability to overcome these. All with the help of a good man!   

I loved the family interaction, both on Toni and Hunter’s sides.  I am really hoping there will be more  books to follow with Trapper, Fisher and Karma.  The investigation to locate Gina’s missing brother is ongoing, and there are a few hints regarding what might be in store for the Kincaid siblings.  Robin Kaye leaves you yearning for more of this fabulous family.

Mistress of Pleasure by Delilah Marville

I couldn't wait to get my hands on this book and read it...I was not disappointed. For her debut book --- Delilah had me in stitches; I never laughed so hard in all my life when reading some of the scenes. The sexual tension between Edmund and Maybelle was so well written you could just feel it. The sex scenes were well written. Edmund's mother the Duchess was so down to earth and ruled her son with a firm but loving hand....I loved the way Edmund listen to his mother. Maybelle's grandmere was a woman before her time. Get comfy on your couch or favorite reading chair and kick back and enjoy a light-hearted funny read. I can't wait to read Hawksford story next. I'm looking forward to reading more books by her.