Review: Because of You  by  Jessica Scott
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 11 3, 2013
A beautiful love story.  Army infantry soldiers are training for the big Surge in Bahgdad, Iraq.  Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison, Captain Trent Davilla and his wife, Laura; injured platoon teammates, one of the best Osterman, lost a leg; also Shane's most troublesome, but his best infantry man, lost his arm and a buddy but not his quirky sense of humor and his lovely, patient wife, Nicole, who adored him. Shane returned from Iraq severely injured with no family to greet him.  He recalled asking a pretty blonde nurse if he could pretend she was his family and she agreed, feeling sad that he had no family to see him off.  He wondered if she knew he was here with his platoon wounded? He prayed she would find him so that they could maybe resume his romantic dreams of continuing his relationship with Jen St. James, the nurse he met briefly the night before he left for Iraq.  They had shared a romantic tender goodbye kiss that he dreamed of every night in Iraq.  He would never forget how it made him feel.  He felt something that made him feel alive again, something that made him want to come home to.  Now, he had come home, severely injured and hoping to resume their relationship.  He was confined in the base hospital where  he knew she most likely worked as a nurse.  He ached to see her.nThis is an interesting story of the rigors of army life; firefights in Iraq; the ruthless, dishonest abuse of power; serious war injuries; how men accept their injuries and how differently each man dealt with his injuries.  Some injured soldiers like Shane, who was severely injured, could not concentrate on his own wounds until his men were treated  He felt responsible for all the wounded in his platoon, fearing he had failed them somehow?  He couldn't concentrate on his own  which interfered greatly with his recovery.  The women grouped together to help each other cope ln support each other.  One by one as the injured returned to the states and were treated and came together during various therapy groups to boost each other's morales.  The wounded were healed.  Jen who had recently recovered from a mastectomy before meeting Shane and other wounded members of his platoon helped the men who had difficulty over losing parts of their bodies when they discovered that Jen, who was their medical caretaker recovered bravely after losing one of her breasts.  It also helped her accept her loss when she helped them accept theirs.  Jen and Shane resumed their romance and when Shane was discharged from the hospital and had no where to go, Jen offered him a room at her large country home that once belonged to her grandmother who raised her.  Shane was deeply touched by the offer and agreed to live there until he could afford to care for himself.  His ex wife had taken everything, all his bank account, loaded up credit cards he had to pay off, took all yhe household furnishings leaving him only with a rundown old van that was parked in a vacant lot  along with junk cars and trucks by the river in a seedy part of town. Shane and Jen were happily married and looking forward to raising a family, a family that Shane never had and yearned to have, and to have this remarkable woman be the mother of their children was almost too much to hope for.  He was happy and content, getting along with a cane and, with Jen's help growing stronger each day.  Like Jen kept reminding him, he was a good man who did many good things to help others in his life.  And God knew that.  Yes, he thought, looking with a loving glance at his wife, I've been blessed.  God is good.Carole Beighey