Battle Scars [Paperback]

Meghan O'Brien (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2009

Returning Iraq war veteran Ray McKenna struggles with battle scars that can only be healed by love.

Ray McKenna returns from the war in Iraq to find that she had attained unwanted celebrity status back home. As the only surviving American soldier of a well-publicized hostage crisis, she is the center of attention at a time when all she wants is solitude. Struggling to overcome the fear and anxiety that plague her, she relies on her psychiatric therapy dog Jagger to help her through the vicious symptoms of PTSD.

Veterinarian Dr. Carly Warner hasn't yet figured out how to open her heart to the possibility of falling in love again after the death of her longtime partner. When Ray McKenna walks into the North Coast Veterinary Clinic with Jagger, she and Carly begin a friendship that takes them both by surprise. Brought together by their shared love of dogs, Ray and Carly discover that they are both capable of moving forward, if only they are brave enough to try

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Born in a suburb of Detroit, Michigan, Meghan O'Brien relocated to Windsor, California in October 2005. As a recent transplant, she's enjoying the moderate weather and gorgeous scenery of the Bay Area. Meghan lives with her partner Angie, their two-year-old son, three cats, and three dogs. Yes, it can be just as chaotic as it sounds.

Meghan works as a web developer for a major corporation, but her real passion is writing. From her humble beginnings creating numerous "books" out of construction paper and crayons as soon as she learned to write, to her two published novels and various anthology contributions in the past five years, writing is what makes her feel most complete.

Product Details

• Paperback: 230 pages
• Publisher: Bold Strokes Books (December 15, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1602821291
• ISBN-13: 978-1602821293
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #405,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Meghan O'Brien lives in Northern California with her partner, their son, and a not-quite-insane number of cats and dogs. She has published five novels: Wild, Battle Scars, Thirteen Hours, The Three, and Infinite Loop. Her short stories appear in numerous Bold Strokes Books erotica and romance anthologies. When she's not writing, she's being a geek. Bungie's Halo titles remain her favorite video games to date.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another wonderful book from Meg O'B, December 30, 2009

By 

Geoff (Connecticut snob, temporarily on loan to South Carolina) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Battle Scars (Paperback)

Battle Scars is the fourth book from Meghan O'Brien, and the third I have read. This novel starts a little slower than "13 Hours" or "Infinite Loop", but is well worth the gradual build-up.

I am very pleased that the author continues to explore new topics and genres in her writing, and in "Battle Scars", she works love and romance with the very real and current difficulties many returning veterans face with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Having suffered a horrifying experience in Iraq, former soldier Ray McKenna struggles to perform any social activity, even buying groceries is a frightening experience, so seeking out a veterinarian to treat her Service dog (and only friend) is a monumental feat, which brings her in contact with Dr. Carly Warner, and as a friendship starts, Ray is confused by her attraction to another woman.

Carly has her own baggage, having not quite recovered from the death of her former partner, and their unborn child in a car accident. She is concerned about having feelings for a straight woman who is struggling with PTSD, and Carly is not sure she is ready to risk her barely healed heart on anyone just yet.

For anyone who worries that this book is weighed down or gets preachy about PTSD, don't be. Yes, it is a part of the book, as it is part of one of the character's life, but it never overwhelms the reader, or drags down the story.

I found the author's shameless use of her own two dogs in the story to be very amusing, and I hope Jagger and Jack receive sufficient compensation for their appearance!

So, while there are few less sexual moments in this book that in previous ones by Ms. O'Brien, the romance & heartache are definitely turned up a notch! It is well worth a read.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Battle Scars, March 14, 2010

By 

Marie Ellen Logan (Lloyd, Florida) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Battle Scars (Paperback)

This is my first Meghan O'Brien book and while I had heard good things about her books, I chose this one because her character was a female soldier with PTSD. The use of service dogs didn't hurt either. I thought it was well written, nicely paced, good character development. Loved it. Will look for her other books.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Moving read, March 12, 2010

By 

MJS - See all my reviews

This review is from: Battle Scars (Paperback)

This was a great story and my favourite of the three O'Brien stories I've read. She proves to be a very versatile author and is not afraid to tackle 'issues'. The characters are wonderfully fleshed out and their relationship builds realistically and each new aspect feels authentic. Well worth the read. I'd also recommend her other stories.