Review: Excellent read!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 2, 2014
Reviewed by Pat Henshawfor TheRomanceReviews.comA mentally and physically scarred veteran reluctantly returns home after fourteen years only to find home is where his heart is.At thirty-two, Jed Cooper knows his military life is at an end because of a chronic stomach disease and the debilitating wounds he received during his last deployment. When his younger brother Nick visits him in the hospital, Jed agrees to return to their small hometown of Ashton outside Portland.Since Jed wants to get to know Nick's wife Kim and their two daughters, and because Jed has nowhere else to go, he at first accepts an invitation to stay with Nick's family. When Nick's townhouse begins to feel too crowded and Nick's drinking worsens, Jed agrees to move into the spare bedroom at the beachside home where Kim's adult brother Max lives.Twenty-five year old Max, an epileptic, and his service dog Flo have carved out an idyllic life in their cabin by the lake. Max creates hand-hewn furniture to sell and lives an uncomplicated life, raising his own food. When he has seizures, Flo is trained to get help, so Max is fairly self-sufficient.Jed and Max seem to rub on very well together, forging a friendship and then falling in love. In fact, for a while Max is even able to concoct meals that Jed's chronic stomach illness can tolerate.However, instead of healing, Jed seems to be losing ground as PTSD and his physical wounds get worse. When Max has a particularly bad seizure and Jed discovers that Max and Kim aren't who they said they were, all of their lives spiral downhill quickly.Jed is a particularly interesting man. Having been kicked out of the house by an alcoholic father when he came out, Jed joined the army, turning his back on his brother Nick who proceeded to suffer the brunt of the old man's abuse. When Nick turns up at his bedside, Jed realizes how much he let his brother down, just as Jed blames himself for leading his eight-man army crew into a lethal attack.In order to find personal peace and build a new life, Jed must work through forgiving himself for past mistakes as well as make amends for leaving his brother. His physical condition, however, makes it difficult for him to see beyond his own aching, scarred body.Max too is an intriguing, loving and giving man. While he and his sister Kim had a frightful childhood, they have a chance at happiness, a chance that they are diligent about expanding. Most people, including Jed, are blinded by Max's illness and don't see his inner strength and stability. When push comes to shove, Max isn't a wimp but a survivor.ONLY LOVE is one of those romances in which readers will be pulling for Jed and Max as a couple to grow and bloom. Both fight for their right to happiness and even though their story is rocky, readers will be at their side every step of the way.