Synopsis:
Him:
You would think that because I am a Marine that life isn’t that hard to live. I’d like to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong. War is hell on earth. I have seen so many things that will haunt me for the rest of my life. No matter how much I try to forget the light fading from someone’s eyes, I cannot. My life is one determined by the mind. I wake up every day to fears of what will trigger the turmoil that sends me into overdrive. My life is depicted by sounds and colors and things that make me less of a man.
Who am I, well I am CPL Blake Johnson. I am a United States Marine and I am living with post-traumatic stress disorder. If it weren’t for Anna, the sunshine in my life things would be much harder than they are.
Her:
Being a cosmetologist is not the easiest job for me, and after losing my best friend to her inner demons. I am bound and determined to not lose the man I love as well. They say in my line of profession you are more than what you claim. You are a therapist, a shrink, a person that listens to
anything and everything. I am not that person. I have so much built up inside me I think I may be about to explode. I hope that this isn’t true because my heart picked someone that happens to be as inconsolable as I feel.
Who am I? Well, my name is Anna Henderson. I am just trying to live my life one moment at a time and praying that I don’t mess it up.
You would think that because I am a Marine that life isn’t that hard to live. I’d like to tell you that you couldn’t be more wrong. War is hell on earth. I have seen so many things that will haunt me for the rest of my life. No matter how much I try to forget the light fading from someone’s eyes, I cannot. My life is one determined by the mind. I wake up every day to fears of what will trigger the turmoil that sends me into overdrive. My life is depicted by sounds and colors and things that make me less of a man.
Who am I, well I am CPL Blake Johnson. I am a United States Marine and I am living with post-traumatic stress disorder. If it weren’t for Anna, the sunshine in my life things would be much harder than they are.
Her:
Being a cosmetologist is not the easiest job for me, and after losing my best friend to her inner demons. I am bound and determined to not lose the man I love as well. They say in my line of profession you are more than what you claim. You are a therapist, a shrink, a person that listens to
anything and everything. I am not that person. I have so much built up inside me I think I may be about to explode. I hope that this isn’t true because my heart picked someone that happens to be as inconsolable as I feel.
Who am I? Well, my name is Anna Henderson. I am just trying to live my life one moment at a time and praying that I don’t mess it up.
Excerpt:
We are sitting around
enjoying a nice dinner and drinks. Sam
and Anna are actually getting along a lot better than I thought they
would. In all honesty, I believe they could be good friends. If it weren’t for Mary-Beth being with Jameson,
I think they would have been friends too.
We are all sitting
there eating our salad and talking when a plate crashes in the distance. I
immediately duck and cover under the table. Oh shit, this isn’t good. I grab hold to the table and just try to let
me breathing even out. I know this
doesn’t look good for me, but all I can think about is that damn bomb blowing
up and taking everyone away. I’m shaking
under the table, my whole body quivering.
“It’s okay, Anna. Just give him a minute. That crash probably triggered a bad memory
for him. Sam, explain please.” I hear
Jameson saying, but it sounds so far away.
I feel someone beside me, but I can’t look up. My head is in my hands against my knees and I
just keep rocking, trying to make myself forget everything. “Johnson, look at me man.”
“Can’t look up.”
“Blake, it was a dish
or something crashing in the kitchen. We
aren’t there anymore man. It isn’t
anything bad,” he says as he puts his hand on my shoulder. I finally look up to lock eyes with him and
feel like such a coward for acting this way.
“I’m such a fucking
pussy.”
“No, you’re not. You are one of the strongest men I know and
you will get through this,” Jameson cajoles as he bumps his head against
mine.
“She’s going to
leave. We haven’t even stayed together
because I was afraid I’d scare her with my dreams. Now, I have scared her by being scared of a
fucking dish breaking in a kitchen.” I
let out in a tortured groan.
“Anna isn’t
Mary-Beth. She’s a lot tougher than
this. If she cares she will stay.”
“I’ll be outside,” I
say as I get up from under the table. I
avoid eye contact with anyone including Anna.
I hear her mumble something and then footsteps behind me, but I don’t
wait for her to catch up. I walk outside
and to the edge of the building as I light up a cigarette. I inhale the toxins welcoming them into my
body. Anna comes and stands in front of
me, looking me up and down.
“How
long have you been like this, Blake?”
“Like
what?” I snap, I instantly feel remorse as I see her cringe and take a step
back.
“Never
mind. I’m sorry I asked.”
“Anna,
wait. I just… It’s not something I like to talk about. Okay?”
“Is
that why you didn’t stay the night with me that night we watched movies?”
“Yeah. I wake up screaming sometimes. I didn’t want you to see that side of me.”
“Well,
I would have been there for you through it.
I want to know everything about you.
Why you lied to me and kept it from me, I don’t know.”
She
gives me a sad smile as I light up another cigarette, looking over when I hear
Jameson raising his voice outside with someone.
I look over to see Ms. Jennifer and Mr. Roger standing over there with
him.
“Come
on, I’ll take you home,” I say as I grab
Anna’s hand and take her to my car. I
open the door helping her inside then I walk
around to the other side. I just flip
Kyle off as I see him standing by the car parked beside me. We drive in silence the whole way back to
Anna’s and I can’t help but feel like this wall is growing between us more and
more. I pull into the apartment complex
and put the Rover in park.
“You
gonna come in?”
“Not
tonight, I think maybe I should just go on home. We’ve had enough excitement for one night.”
“Oh,
okay then,” she replies. The look on her
face kills me. It’s the look of someone
who’s hurting and I wish I could make it go away, but I can’t. I don’t know how to fix it. I watch her walk up the stairs to her
apartment. When I know she is safely
inside I jerk the car into reverse.
Review
This is the second book in this series and packs a punch just like the first! Anna and Blake's story was endearing and had me drawn from the beginning and are another set of characters in this series that I've grown to love. This book is set along the same time frame as the first (Irreparable) and in some ways felt more of a companion novel rather than a sequel which I found a nice change.
Blake returns from war and is trying to get back to his everyday normal life. This is not easygoing as the aftermath and events of the war have lead to PTSD and then to alcohol and substance abuse. He's trying to block out the images that haunt him but is leading himself to a downward spiral. He needs a push in the right direction. This push is in the form of Anna.
Although dealing with some of her own problems, Anna is the perfect girl to help Blake combat his demons and return to the man he used to be. Although their romance was a little quick, it was very sweet and lovely to read about. They complimented each other beautifully and Anna helped Blake to become a stronger man, one who would make anyone proud.
Life's not all plain sailing for Blake and Anna as events occur that tilt the axis on their world. Can Blake be there for Anna as she was for him? Can he get her back out of her shell? Overall a lovely read with a different spin on things that grips you from the beginning. I can't wait to see what Amanda does next!
★★★★
This is the second book in this series and packs a punch just like the first! Anna and Blake's story was endearing and had me drawn from the beginning and are another set of characters in this series that I've grown to love. This book is set along the same time frame as the first (Irreparable) and in some ways felt more of a companion novel rather than a sequel which I found a nice change.
Blake returns from war and is trying to get back to his everyday normal life. This is not easygoing as the aftermath and events of the war have lead to PTSD and then to alcohol and substance abuse. He's trying to block out the images that haunt him but is leading himself to a downward spiral. He needs a push in the right direction. This push is in the form of Anna.
Although dealing with some of her own problems, Anna is the perfect girl to help Blake combat his demons and return to the man he used to be. Although their romance was a little quick, it was very sweet and lovely to read about. They complimented each other beautifully and Anna helped Blake to become a stronger man, one who would make anyone proud.
Life's not all plain sailing for Blake and Anna as events occur that tilt the axis on their world. Can Blake be there for Anna as she was for him? Can he get her back out of her shell? Overall a lovely read with a different spin on things that grips you from the beginning. I can't wait to see what Amanda does next!
★★★★
Other Books in the Series:
In one day your life can go from awesome to total shit and for me it’s going to change forever. Who am I? My name is PFC Jameson Carter, and I am a United States Marine, or I was until a bomb detonated and took half of me with it. The only thing that kept me alive was the woman I had waiting back for me at home.
How do you go from being a complete person to being half of something? For me, I have help, but how can I be anything more than half of what I used to be? Then when the one person you count on, the person you lived for leaves you how do you react?
For Samantha Blalock life is easy, she helps repair people like me, the people who lose limbs. Something isn’t the same though, she’s changed. See I’ve known Samantha for years. She’s hiding something. Can we help each other through these trying times in our lives? Or does the fact remain that we are both irreparable?
***DISCLAIMER*** This book contains topics of a serious nature, including possible violent scenes.
How do you go from being a complete person to being half of something? For me, I have help, but how can I be anything more than half of what I used to be? Then when the one person you count on, the person you lived for leaves you how do you react?
For Samantha Blalock life is easy, she helps repair people like me, the people who lose limbs. Something isn’t the same though, she’s changed. See I’ve known Samantha for years. She’s hiding something. Can we help each other through these trying times in our lives? Or does the fact remain that we are both irreparable?
***DISCLAIMER*** This book contains topics of a serious nature, including possible violent scenes.
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