Review: Four Stars: A light, feel good romance with lots of chemistry and sizzle.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 03 24, 2014
Ellie finishes her ballet dance class amidst a gaggle of giggling four year olds. She loves her job, in spite of the fact that her injured knee makes dancing more difficult. Over the past year, Ellie has thrown herself into her ballet studio after her mother's death, her brother's deployment and a cheating boyfriend, she was in a tailspin. She swore off men for a year, but when she started getting emails from a fellow officer in her brother's unit, she sort of fell a bit in love with him. Then his emails stopped, and Ellie is left wondering. Had she imagined it or was there some chemistry between them? Ellie then meets Hunter, another soldier in Sam's unit. Hunter has a bad reputation for being a ladies's man. Ellie and Hunter are soon working together to help save the resource center for veterans. That means a tango and fundraiser. Could Ellie be falling for Hunter or is her heart still pining for the man who emailed her?What I Liked:*It is so nice to pick up a contemporary romance these days and not encounter broken damaged characters and drama. I loved that this was a simple romance that kept it light and fun. If you are tired of the drama and angst in the romances on the market, grab this one for a sweet, pleasant read.*I liked both Ellie and Hunter. Both characters overcame some difficulties in their past, Ellie deals with the loss of her mother and an injury to her knee, while Hunter was recently involved in an ambush in Afghanistan. Ellie has sworn off men for an entire year due to her always seeming to attract the wrong men. Ellie instead has thrown her whole focus into her dance studio. She is content and happy until her brother is injured. When she starts receiving emails from one of her brother's fellow soldiers, an unexpected friendship is born, and then it starts to become something more until the emails cease. I appreciated that even though Ellie had been through plenty of hurt, it is never the focus, and I liked that she is always optimistic and upbeat. Hunter has earned a bad reputation among the men in his unit. His nickname is Hunter because he is a bit of a womanizer. After the attack, he has turned over a new leaf, but no one believes he is giving up his womanizing ways. Even though he has seen lots of negative things as a soldier, he refuses to let it get to him. Again, it is so nice to meet two characters who have overcome big obstacles but they are happy and bright. No broken or damaged characters in this one.*The romance is a bit fast moving, but no insta love. It starts out with a firm foundation, though one of the characters doesn't know it. I won't give the details away here as to what is going on with the romance, let's just say that Ellie is a bit in the dark about Hunter when the first meet. What follows is a hesitant friendship because Ellie has heard of Hunter's reputation through her brother, and the last thing she wants is to get involved with another man that is all wrong for her, besides she is still a month away from completing her year long commitment to not date, and she still has feelings for the man who was emailing her. Ellie and Hunter are thrown together to work on a benefit to help fund the center for the soldiers. Ellie is going to teach Hunter to tango for the fundraiser. These tango lessons are all about chemistry and sizzle. I loved how the romance was developed through a heated touch or a look it made it so sexy without actually delving into the sex part. It just goes to show that a romance can be incredibly hot without sex scenes.*I liked that the author kept the explicit sex scenes out of the book. If you want intimate rip your clothes off scenes you will be disappointed, but if you enjoy lots of kissing this is your book. I personally loved that this book managed to be so sexy without trying too hard.*I loved that the story calls attention to the military. Ms. London gently reminds us how much military personnel and their families sacrifice for our benefit. Then to return home only to find a valuable resource for returning service men and women in danger of closing due to lack of funding is heartbreaking. We need to do a better job of supporting our military.*This end left a big smile on my face, and I loved how everything worked out. It was nice to get a happy ending and close the book feeling satisfied.And The Not So Much:*There is plenty of miscommunication between the couple. I won't give away all the details, but I will say that it was frustrating. I kept waiting for the truth to come out, and by the time it did it was almost too late. I was wanting to pull my hair out waiting for the big reveal.*Ellie takes on a huge undertaking in agreeing to organize a big benefit and fundraiser to keep the military resource center open. All the details were glossed over as to how Ellie magically pulled it all together. I was wondering how she did it, but there are no details. The only thing that the reader sees Ellie actually do besides teach Hunter to tango is work with the press. I wish that more information was shared on how Ellie organized the event.*This is a minor quibble, but I grew rather attached to Tess, Charlie's sister. She was eight months pregnant during the story and she didn't know the sex of the baby. The book ends with no mention of Tess' baby. I wanted to know if she had a boy or a girl.*I think Ms. London should have included some resources at the end of the book for readers to reach out to help those who serve in the military. I have no doubt that there are many places like the WS in the book that could desperately use some donations.Falling For Her Soldier is a delightful, light romance with plenty of chemistry and sizzle. This is the perfect read for spring, or anytime you need a pick me up book. I recommend this for anyone who wants a romance without drama and angst, and for those who like to end the book with a smile.Favorite Quotations:"He tasted like cake and sunshine and the sweetest love.""He loved his car. He loved his family. He loved the way the sky smelled just before it rained."I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.