Throwback Thursday Recommendation

Throwback Thursday: 

November 2018

Don't pass out or anything, but until a couple days ago, I'd never read anything by Kate Stewart or Heather M. Orgeron. I know. I know. I dwell beneath rocks, but not anymore! I've seen the light, and now, I'm in full on stalker mode.  If the quality of this book is any indication of how incredible the rest of their work is, I have a lot of catching up to do! This book alone made me a fan for life!

Okay, enough about my shortcomings. If you know me, you know that I don't go looking for books that are going to make me cry. In fact, I usually avoid them as much as possible, but after my friend mentioned this book to me, I read the blurb and an excerpt of it on Facebook. To say I was intrigued would be an understatement. It seemed like the heroine would have an impossible choice to make, and well, that sold me immediately.

When I teared up on page two, that should have given me a clue as to how emotional   this book was going to be. Lol I foolishly thought it wouldn't be as heartwrenching for me as it was for others I knew that read it. I was wrong. VERY wrong. This book tore me apart! My heart was shredded into ribbons before it was only partially mended into some semblance of what it once was by the time I reached the end.

I read all night long, because I couldn't leave Katy, Briggs, or Gavin until I knew what was going to become of them. Truth be told, I loved all three. Any outcome was going to gut me, and the love triangle was only part of it. To see what Katy's experience did to her was beyond devastating. Watching her try to lead a normal life after everything she experienced in Baghdad was heartbreaking. I already had nothing but the utmost respect for the members of our military, but damn. This story brought it to a whole new level.

You see, it wasn't just Katy affected by her time overseas. It changed the lives of her husband and her son, too. Gavin is the face of so many military spouses that watch their loved ones walk out the door praying that who returns is the same person that left them.

Not everyone will be affected to the extent Katy was. Don't get me wrong. Katy and Briggs' fate is something that every soldier prays will never befall them. The fact is it does happen to some people. We never really hear their stories much though, do we? There are men in my own family that were prisoners of war, and the rest of the family doesn't have a clue what really happened to them. Katy, Briggs, and Gavin's story is a fictional one, but it makes you think. It makes you FEEL...and there is nothing I love more than a book that does exactly that.

Fiction gives you the unique opportunity to step into the shoes of someone whose life is nothing like yours and experience what it might be like to be them for just a moment, and it's honestly, what I love most about it. Heather and Kate slayed that task! The skill it must take to be able to do so at the level they accomplished leaves me in awe! I don't know if I've ever been more moved by any characters in my entire life.

At times, my sobs were so loud I had to struggle to keep from waking my husband sleeping beside me. I say that not to scare you off, but to demonstrate how affected I was by this incredible story that can be called nothing less than a masterpiece. It's an epic journey of souls that had their hearts twisted up, crushed, and ripped into pieces salvaging their lives the best they can. 

Captivating, complicated, raw, devastating, real, and beautiful, it's an emotional rollercoaster like no other! Do yourself a favor, and don't read any spoilers for this one. Knowing anything other than what you get from the blurb and any excerpts floating around will ruin it for you. Go in and just experience everything this book has to offer. Open your heart, and take it all in. It's going to get uncomfortable, but soldier through. It's so worth it. 

Make no mistake about it though. These authors do not take the easy way out. There is no clear right or wrong. No simple answers. No choices without severe, life altering, and painful consequences. Everything about this story is difficult, but after reading it, I felt like I was given a gift. I think you will, too. 

Heartbreak Warfare obliterated my expectations, destroyed my heart, and owned my soul! I recommend it not only to fans of military romance but to anyone that enjoys a damn good story. Fiction readers of all kinds will be able to appreciate this one. If you give one more book a try before the end of the year, let it be this one. 

Purchase Links

AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU

Free in Kindle Unlimited