Review: Hello Ft Sam Houston!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 5, 2013
My 4.5 star review from Guilty Pleasures book reviews:Right off the bat I felt "at home" with Melissa Schroeder's Leonardo as it is set in my hometown of San Antonio.  In addition I spent a lot of time at Ft. Sam Houston as my Mom was civil service for many moons so I know BAMC, I know the Riverwalk, I know Live Oak, and  I know the HEB on 1604...it was like going home.  On top of that Melissa manages to capture the spirit of these characters in a novella which can be a challenge but by the time I was finished with this story I felt like I really knew them, that they are actual people I could possibly meet.Leonardo Santini is the second brother of four.  He's an army medic, now teaching (training) other medics.  He grew up in a military household and it's what he knows and what makes him the person he is.  You know right away that his family is everything to him and that he worships his Mom.  He also cares about his friends and he's at BAMC checking on a recovering friend when he meets Maryanne.Maryanne Johnson is dedicated to her career and her physical therapy patients.  Growing up with a Marine father and four brothers who are also Marines, she's vowed to not date another military man.  Thing is no one have ever prepared her for a Santini and a Santini on a mission is hard to resist especially when they bring you lunch from Rudy's.I read this book from start to finish because I just couldn't put it down. I love that Maryanne is tough as nails on the outside but Leo brings out her squishy inside (the one she tries to hide from everyone).  The fact that Leo sees the real her from early on and likes that she's tough and can take care of herself makes me love him right off.  It is easy to appreciate how much effort Leo puts into wooing her and how much he notices that she likes it (even though she won't admit it).  Their chemistry is off the charts and the fact that they have to wait for a short while to act on it made their first time together that much more explosive.  I enjoyed how flustered they both were when they realized their feelings for one another and admire that Leo knew he needed to dial it back so as to not send Maryanne running.  While they still had some trouble, I can't help but crack up at the fact his Mother ordered Maryanne to fix it.  Truly proves who really runs a military household!I like that both characters are military brats, I think that gives them both a unique perspective on their relationship.  The fact that they are both close to their families makes it nice and I can't wait to see what is in store for the rest of the Santini men and am already hoping we'll see the Johnson men get their stories told as well.  While this is a novella, I felt enough time passed to make their relationship feasible, the characters were fully developed, the intimate moments were extremely well written, and I love that the author didn't botch up the location.  She was spot on proving she knows the town and did her homework.  Well done, Mel...well done!