Early Book Review: Back to You (A Coming Home Novel) by Jessica Scott

Back to You (A Coming Home Novel) by Jessica Scott scheduled for release as an e-book on January 7, 2014 and in paperback on July 29, 2014. Come back tomorrow for a Pre-Launch post including a giveaway, a Q&A with the author, and an excerpt of the book.

Back to You is the latest book in the Coming Home series, a contemporary romance series that realistically deals with the issues of love and life when at least one party in the relationship is in the military. Army captain Trent Davila loves his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. Now everything is on the line, and Trent has one chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs. Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family. 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?

Back to You is another fantastic book by Scott that makes me feel what her characters are going through in a very real way. Trent is a man dealing with issues from almost dying in the field and the guilt he feels for those that will never come home. In his effort to protect his family, instead he creates barriers that almost destroy the family. Laura loves her husband and has to deal with making choices for herself and their two young children based on what is best for everyone. She feels abandoned despite knowing Trent is having trouble, mainly because he keeps shutting her own. Despite everything, she trusts that he is innocent of all charges and does what ever she can to help his case, even when it puts her heart in a dangerous position. The characters are all to real, and those of us that have been reading this series from the beginning, have seen bits and pieces of this story as it built, and were so happy to see this book. I love that Scott (a veteran herself) captures the complexity of emotions and trauma of both sides of both being deployed and the return home. Too many books that claim to be military romance focus on specialty units and leave out the realities that our men and women actually have to face. Scott gives readers the real deal, and sometimes that means scenes that are not comfortable to read, but ones that are incredibly real on all levels.

I would highly recommend Back to You to all fans of military or contemporary romance. If you have not read anything by Scott, I highly recommend picking up this entire series, but if you are a crier have the tissues handy. This series is full of real romance complete with trauma, kids, and illnesses and injuries. There is no glossed over danger or manufactured problems here. Read, feel, and fall in love with all of Scott's characters.