Review: A fine story of love and patience . . . .
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 2, 2014
Wish For You by Marquita Valentine(Book #4: Boys of the South Series)Source: ARC from authorRating: 5/5 starsIt may still be January and cold but the heat is on in the South!!  Book four of the Boys of the South series, Wish for You is the one many of us have been waiting for . . . .Lacey and Wyatt!!  The gentle ex-Marine and the totally weird (in the awesome kind of way!) girl who rocks the roller derby finally get their moment and oh, what a moment it is.Wyatt has been home from his overseas service for a short time and to say that he is struggling wouldn’t even come close.  He has nightmares, he has anger issues, he is involved in some seriously self-destructive behavior and, the one person who has always been able to calm him down and help him focus has made it clear that she only wants to be friends.  For two years, Wyatt cherished the letters and packages Lacey sent him and knew, without doubt once he returned to his hometown, Lacey would be his.  Hope is a wonderful thing until the moment your intended places you squarely and firmly into the friend zone.Lacey Evans has always been socially awkward, she avoids change of any kind like the plague, she holds her few friends close and, wishes more than anything else for two things: 1) to be free and confident in her daily life like she is when she skates and; 2) to be so much more than friends with her best friend, Wyatt.  For two years while Wyatt was serving overseas, Lacey sent letters and packages and always hoped for Wyatt’s safe return.  When Wyatt came home, Lacey was sure that all would be right between the two of them and then, Wyatt’s parents made it clear that Lacey is not the girl for him and she was to discontinue her “relationship” with their son immediately.  Though it nearly kills her to do so, Lacey tells Wyatt they can be nothing more than friends.Though both Lacey and Wyatt are trying to abide by the new rules of their relationship, both are struggling.  As if things aren’t bad enough, Lacey’s world is turned upside in a couple of ways: 1) Wyatt is trying to move on and date other people; 2) as her good friend and nothing more, Wyatt is setting Lacey up on a date; 3) the roller derby isn’t going all that well and; 4) Lacey’s parents and all her nine siblings are packing up all of their belongings and moving overseas to work as missionaries so Lacey is going to have to move out.  Remember I mentioned Lacey’s avoidance of change?  With no one else to turn to and no one else she can trust, Lacey moves in with Wyatt and slowly but surely the tension mounts and the friend zone begins to break down.The Bottom Line: I’m still totally and completely in love with this series and am glad to see that it is still evolving and each story is fresh and new.  Wyatt and Lacey have always been a part of the series but as secondary characters so the wait for their story was long but totally worth it.  Valentine’s characters are always slightly damaged but she has upped the game in this read and dealt with some truly tragic circumstances and conditions.  Explaining Wyatt and Lacey and their particular situations could have gone epically wrong but Valentine shines as she deals with sensitive topics in both a caring and appropriate manner.  Lacey and Wyatt’s road is not an easy one by any means but somehow they manage to always see one another for who they truly are and are able to deal with any dilemma they face.  I have loved every couple in this series but at the end of the day, Lacey and Wyatt may just be the most gratifying of the group.