It's Always Been You (Coming Home #5) by Jessica Scott

She plays by the rules . . . 

Captain Ben Teague is many things: a tough soldier, a loyal friend, and a bona fide smart-ass. He doesn't have much tolerance for BS, which is why he's mad as hell when a trusted colleague and mentor is brought up on charges that can't possibly be true. He's even more frustrated with by-the-book lawyer Major Olivia Hale. But there's something simmering beneath her icy reserve--and Ben just can't resist turning up the heat . . .

. . . and he's determined to break them

The only thing riskier than mixing business with pleasure is enjoying it . . . and Olivia can't resist locking horns--and lips--with Ben. He's got more compassion in his little finger than any commander she's ever met, a fact that makes him a better leader than he realizes. But when the case that brought them together awakens demons from Olivia's past, she will have to choose between following orders--or her heart . . .

******************************

5 'keeping this short because words can't do it justice' stars!!

I wish I could reach through my computer, take you by the shoulders and look you in the eye in hopes you'd be able to see my passion for this series, because I just don't have the words that can explain how brilliant a writer Jessica Scott it.

I love everything about the way she tells a story:

They're exciting, thought provoking, poignant, and inspiring! The plot, the humanity, the heartbreaking reality of how war can destroy a person in ways that have nothing to do with IEDs and grenades and rifles, and most of all I love the unwavering loyalty these men and women have to our country, to always doing the right thing no matter the cost, and to each other.

I love her honorable heroes:

This was the burden of command: to balance the needs of the army over the needs of the individual. A tightrope he had to walk alone.

I love her sassy heroines:

"Wow, you're going all caveman. I'm not sure if I should swoon or wring out my panties."

The only thing I don't love:

She doesn't write fast enough!

My sincerest 'thank you' to Grand Central Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of "It's Always Been You." In return I'm giving them an honest review.

All for You (Coming Home #4) by Jessica Scott

Description:

Can a battle-scarred warrior . . .

Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions—about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.

. . . open his heart to love?

Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need—and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .  

*****

5 ‘edgy but poignant, agonizing but hopeful’ stars!

The thing I love most about Jessica Scott’s stories is the humanity of them. The behind the scenes graphic, candid look at how the survivors of war – and in this case I mean the soldiers – deal with their emotional and physical scars. And further testament to her ability to tell a tale is that she can show us all this without making statements of political correctness. Whether war is right or wrong, good or evil… 

All For You is gut wrenching, heartbreaking, and gritty. It’s romantic, poignant and sexy. It’s thought provoking, uplifting and inspiring. It’s one helluva brilliant read.

An eARC was provided by Grand Central Publishing via Netgalley and in exchange I’m giving them an honest review.

Back to You by Jessica Scott

Description…

He's in for the fight of his life . . .

Army captain Trent Davila loved his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. He couldn't explain the emptiness he felt or bridge the growing distance between him and his family—so he deployed again. And again. And again . . . until his marriage reached its breaking point. Now, with everything on the line, Trent has one last chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs . . . if she'll have him

. . . to win back his only love.

Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family, and she's just beginning to put the pieces of her shattered heart back together. But when Trent faces a court martial on false charges, only Laura can save him. What begins as an act of kindness to protect his career inflames a desire she thought long buried—and a love that won't be denied. But can she trust that this time he's back to stay?

***** 

Made me cry, made me sigh, made me believe that with love, anything is possible!

Back to You is the third book in Jessica Scott’s Coming Home series. It follows the story of Trent and Laura and the slow disintegration of their marriage due to Trent’s love affair with his other wife, the Army. I was dreading this story with as much passion as I was needing it. Dreading it because of the allegations against Trent, and desperately needing it because, deep down, I knew those allegations couldn't be true, and I needed to see it play out. And play out, right before our eyes, it did.

My review…

I have to tell you, this is one of the best 'one more chance' and military romances I’ve ever read. It gutted me at the same time it uplifted me. It broke my heart while making me fall in love. Start to finish I was completely invested in Trent and Laura’s happiness, cheering them on one minute and crying for them the next. Ms. Scott did a brilliant job of showing us a different side to the casualties of war – the slow, painful, emotional death of a military family. But the real beauty of this story is watching these two amazing people refuse to give up on each other, or themselves, and work to put their family back together again. Their happily ever after was hard fought and well deserved!

The bottom line…

Don’t waste time reading reviews of these books, just buy the books and enjoy the time you spend reading them! Seriously, just do it. But I strongly recommend they be read in order so you know exactly what has taken place, and why Back to You is such a beautiful love story!

My thanks to Forever (Grand Central Publishers) and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this amazing story in exchange for an honest review.

Anything for You by Jessica Scott

Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison has spent a year recovering from his combat injuries. A year spent in the arms of the woman of his dreams. But loving Jen comes with a price: every time he touches her, he faces the uncertain fear that loving her might mean losing her forever.

Jen is a breast cancer survivor and with Shane, she’s found a man who loves her despite her scars. But her scars may be too much for their love to survive.

As their love grows, so does the risk to Jen’s life. And Shane must make the toughest decision any man can make to save the woman he loves.

*****

Anything for You is a short, sweet, touching story, revisiting Shane Garrison and Jen St. James from Because of You, the first book in Jessica Scott’s Coming Home series. If you haven’t already read Because of You, I would strongly encourage you to do so before reading this story, as it’s a continuation of Shane and Jen’s developing relationship.

If you’ve read the books in this series, you know that the draw is how honest these stories are. They’re what life is really like for military men and women who have to face the same things we do. It’s not always about blowing up terrorists or saving the world from corrupt leaders… these are real stories about real people making the same life decisions that real people make, and that means that I connect with the characters, every single time.

Anything for You is a very tender story about loving a cancer survivor. Shane’s concerns, his fears that Jen might get sick again one day don’t stop him from loving her, but they are coming between them in one of the most painful ways any couple can imagine. Ms. Scott tells this story in such a way that my heart broke for them both because I could completely feel where they’re coming from. This is an issue that many cancer surviving couples have to deal with, and there’s no right or wrong to it. Just supporting one another, and living and loving with everything in you because the future gives no guarantees of what’s to come. So, while the choices they had to make, and the things they may one day have to face broke my heart, it gave me such hope and so much happiness for them, and that's what matters.

Ms. Scott, thank you so much for writing this story…for all the books in the series, but especially this one. I know what it's like to wonder, "will it come back?" It's not fun, but it's always there, always a possibility, and everyone's stories deserve to be told, especially the "real" ones. This is life. This is love. This is real. So yeah, thank you.

Anything for You was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.