Review: Lovely, Romantic Little Short
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 12, 2013
Because of You, the book that introduced Shane and Jen, was the first to be re-released in the revamped Loveswept line at the end of 2011, with Until There Was You following in 2012. They were my introduction to a new kind of military romance - one that takes a realistic look at the men and women who serve and the issues they face and it integrates romance into their lives, unlike most of the books that concentrate on the romance with a little military action in the background.You don't have to have read Because of You to be able to enjoy Anything for You as a sweet little story, but if you have read it, it carries a lot more meaning and will feel like an epilogue more than a little bite of something sweet. The bonus is that Because of You is inexpensive and it's worth every penny (unlike many books right now).Shane and Jen's love story began when he was brought in to the hospital where she worked after being injured in the Iraqi Surge. Both are dealing with huge demons: his feelings of inadequacy in the field and frustration about his change in status; Jen, as a breast cancer survivor is learning to live with her partial mastectomy and all of the baggage that comes with it. My favorite part of the story (other than the romance) was that it never shied away from topics like redeployment, prosthetic breasts and frank discussion about war injuries.In this romantic little novella, Shane and Jen pick up after Because of You. The engaged couple is living together and still working through some of the issues that go along with having a relationship with someone who could be called back to active duty. Shane is having a big emotional crisis because he's afraid that there could be a recurrence of Jen's cancer if he doesn't make a big decision for them, one he can't bring himself to talk to her about.This is such a sweet little story, so much more emotional and romantic than the main book, that if you read it, you really do need to pick this to up to see where Shane and Jen have ended up. It was especially touching to read Shane's reactions to what was going on with Jen; he's such a big teddy bear. The military story is here too; Shane hasn't completely decided where his career is going, especially with a certain person causing trouble (he was mentioned in the second book, causing a lot of trouble there too). There was an absolutely hilarious conversation in the beginning that I'd love to give you an idea about but it'd sort of be spoiler-ish. My inner 12 year-old was snort-giggling.I know novellas aren't for everyone, which is why I recommend buying the first book,Because of You: A Loveswept Contemporary Military Romancethen this, to get the right experience. If you're willing to take a chance on the novella without having read the full original story, I still think you'll enjoy a sweet little story about a couple at a crossroads in their relationship. The addition of Shane's anticipation/dread about getting the call to redeploy only deepens the complexity of their relationship and overall, made this something worth re-reading.