Book Review: I'll Be Home for Christmas by Jessica Scott

I'll Be Home for Christmas is part (number 2.6) of the Coming Home Series by Jessica Scott.  Army Sergeant Vic Carponti loves his wife and his country, and would do anything for either. He is smart-mouthed and easy tempered, acting like everything is a joke except for his promise to come home to his wife for Christmas. Nicole Carponti is facing her first Christmas without her father, and knows that Vic is in the midst of a very rough deployment. They each are trying to shield the other from their fears and worry, but when the unthinkable happens their bond is tested like never before. Vic and Nicole need to look inside themselves, and to each other, to weather the storm.

I loved the characters of Vic and Nicole from the previous books in the Coming Home series, and was delighted to see that I'll Be Home for Christmas would give us their perspectives and struggles from the same time frame of Because of You. The glimpses of Vic and Nicole I saw there made me want more, and Scott has delivered beautifully. While the struggles and pain the characters face can be tough to read at times, the realism of it all and the sheer hope and love involved makes it a good hurt. This novella is the perfect addition to the series, and is a great read for readers that already love Scott's work, and for those that are just curious about the series. I am interested to see where the larger storyline will take us, and am eager to see Trent and Laura's story continue in Back to You (coming out in January).

I would highly recommend I'll Be Home for Christmas, and all of Scott's Coming Home series, to readers that like romance that shows the hard parts, not just the happy ever after. Scott is the first and only writer that I have read that has captured the complex emotions and trials faced by our soldiers and those that love them. Jessica Scott is my go-to author for realistic or contemporary romance, particularly for readers that enjoy books that accurately portray the lives of those in the military and those left behind to worry and wait.