Review: TWO MEN. TWO WARS. ONE STRUGGLE TO FIND LOVE.
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 28, 2014
Jed Cooper is recovering from life altering injuries he received in a battle in Iraq that ended his military career. He returns to his home town in Oregon, suffering from a damaged leg, severe burns, and a permanent gastrointestinal disorder. Recovery is going to be a bitch. But he thinks he can make it. Sometimes.He moves in with his brother and his wife and two young girls. What he needs is rest, time to heal, and to come to terms with his broken life, but the necessity of a companion is one of his prime considerations.Jed left his family after being discovered kissing another boy. His only option was to enlist. And because of his desire to end his life, he joined the most dangerous branch of the Army.Max O'Dair lives a life of solitude in a cabin with his canine caretaker, Flo. He earns a living repairing boats, building furniture and avoiding power tools. Max suffers from seizures and lives a very structured life, with his garden and his isolation.Jed is offered just what he needs; a room in Max's cabin. They discover that they can both offer each other help. The peace and lack of stress is what they both desire. Max's healthy diet is just what Jed needs. And Jed can offer Max the peace of mind that someone can be there for him when he has a medical problem.Both men have secrets, dark ones, that will sooner or later, surface, and neither of them realizes the extent of their connection.Written with real style, researched and edited perfectly, Ms Leigh brings both her characters and the locations to life. Slowly revealing truths and emotions, she garners her reader's trust. Then, begins to reveal the true nature of this personal and intensely moving story between two men, who find that they both desperately need each other in order to survive, both physically and psychologically. This is a story of discovery and hope.I didn't quite expect all that I found. You may not like the book's pace, however I felt it necessary. With a cast like this, a considerable amount of background is necessary to give life to the characters. I thought Ms. Leigh did a remarkably good job.