Review: Best in the series so far...can't wait to see what's next
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 01 7, 2014
“Back to You” by Jessica Scott is the searingly emotional military romance that continues the ‘Coming Home’ series and finally explores the relationship between Trent and Laura Davila that imploded in “Because of You”, the first story in this compelling series.  An impending court martial continues to loom over Trent’s head but that pales in comparison to the disaster that his marriage to Laura has become and he struggles to find a way to reach the woman he has not ceased to love, despite her demands for a divorce.  Trent must find a way to deal with his discomfort with his family, his distance from everyone he cares about, his crippling guilt, and the impending destruction of all that he has held dear over the years.  The question is whether any of it is reparable or have things gone beyond the point of no return?There are some stories that just touch the heart and make one suffer right along with the characters and root for them to get through the heartache and difficulties in their lives.  Jessica Scott has created a cast of characters that are vivid, not just because of the poignancy of the issues they face...the constant threat to their survival, the strain on their interpersonal relationships, the repercussions of breast cancer, amputation, survivor’s guilt, PTSD...but also because they are not perfect.The harrowing journey to find himself characterizes Trent’s role in this story but the strengths and weaknesses that are displayed in his interactions with others plus Laura’s own reactions detail the cost that is often extracted by war and its machinery.  There are so many poignant scenes in this story, that reflect the deep love shared by these two people who have become so scarred by their experiences that they have lost touch with what they had but there are glimmerings of hope as well...”The overwhelming love that he felt for her was there.  Like a sleeping thing waking from a long dormancy.  It was fragile.  Malnourished.  But there, stretching after a long slumber...”It is cathartic to watch the healing start as Trent finally gets some help “...what he truly saw was her strength. The strength to love his children, to keep their home together.  To walk away when he hadn’t been enough.” and a memorable description of something called an ‘emotional rucksack’ helps shed a little light on the sometimes impossible pressure that soldiers force upon themselves with incredibly harmful repercussions.  “It means that we all have the capacity to deal with bad news.  And when the first piece of bad news hits, we can stuff it down and keep going.  But eventually, our bags get too heavy and there’s no more room to stuff things down anymore.”This is a great novel which combines a fantastic love story with harrowing realism about the cost being paid constantly for participating in war and if I could give it more than 5 stars, I would.A copy of this wonderful story was provided to me in exchange for an honest reviewSubmitted to Night Owl Reviews