Customer Reviews

Because of You: A Loveswept Contemporary Military Romance

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all I would like to state so that there is no misunderstanding: Because of You is not a military romance, but a contemporary romance having military heroes/heroines. I warn you so you don't expect to read about thrilling and suspenseful war scenes, the novel mostly takes place in the US and is not about some suspenseful military action but the emotional healing of wounded soldiers and how they find their way to love.

That said, I can now tell you what an amazing read Because of You was. Jessica Scott wrote such a deeply emotional and overwhelming story, that reading about the internal struggles of these wounded men and women, portrayed in such a realistic way teared me up quite a few times, and I'm not really the tearing up kind.

Meet the heroine: Jen St. James, who is a nurse and breast cancer survivor. I found it incredibly brave and laudable of Jessica Scott that she chose to feature a cancer survivor who lost her breast as the heroine of her romance novel. Despite being grateful for still being alive, Jen still hasn't come to terms of having lost such a primordial part of her feminity and herself and she considers herself a "freak" and damaged goods.

The hero of Because of You is Shane Garrison an infantry platoon sergeant and a dreamy hero: besides the swoonworthy physical attributes (tall, strong and handsome), he is extremely responsible, honourable and generous. Following a vicious attack Shane is sent back home to heal and Jen is one of the nurses taking care of him.

The love developed gradually and in a very realistic way between Shane and Jen, Jessica Scott didn't gloss over Shane's injuries and make them "alibi wounds" just to land him near a nurse. No, Shane's suffering because of him losing his identity was real and heart-wrenching.

"I don't want help. I don't need your help. I want to get fixed and get back to Iraq."

Shane had difficulty defining himself as anything else than the infantry platoon sergeant he was/is. His whole life revolves around the army and his boys. His sense of responsibility and commitment for his men was both troubling and astonishing. Troubling because it added heavy weights to his shoulders and conscience and astonishing that he felt so deeply responsible for other grown up people.

"I am. That's what I do. I fix my soldier's problems. I let them lean on me when things in their lives are broken. I take care of them."

His devotion to his men moved me to tears. It was heartbreaking reading about his terror, revulsion and despair at having lost the main part of his identity, the part which he feels defines him, how he feels completely lost and confused not being a soldier anymore.

(and I have to note here that Shane's inner thoughts and memories were written in such a distinctly male voice that I find it extraordinary a woman managed to channel such a masculine character and train of thought, so kudos to Jessica Scott!)

In Because of You Jessica Scott showed us how two strong but scarred and lost people surmount their vulnerabilities to open themselves to love and each other. An exceptionally emotional, moving and overwhelming read I can only recommend to everyone!

What I loved more than anything about Because of You was the authentic voice of Jessica Scott, how believable the story was because she wrote most of it from personal experience. Being a European civilian I don't have any connection to the army besides the occasional military fiction novel I read, but through her vivid and emotional narrative I got a glimpse at what it must feel like to have someone in the army or be in the army. Reading Shane's thoughts, reading the wives' and girlfriends thoughts on their men's deployment was both eye-opening and moving. Jessica Scott showed the not so glossy side of being an army wife, the constant worrying, struggles, heartache and fear of drifting away emotionally from your husband.

"I'm not a single parent by choice, I'm a single parent by my husband's choice. He's literally been home for long enough to get me pregnant and that's it." She bit her lips and stared into space.

The truth behind Jessica Scott's words resonated through the pages.

"It doesn't get any easier no matter how many times you say good-bye."

"Deployments were filled with long bouts of boredom and loneliness, punctuated by bursts of pure terror and an overdose of adrenaline."

But I have to mention that besides being such a heavily emotional story, Jessica Scott managed to pepper the novel with laugh out loud humour (Thundercock, hospital erection scene just to mention two of my favourites *wink*).

Verdict: Prepare several boxes of tissues because you will need them. Because of You is an incredibly raw read, it held my heart in a painful squeeze and made me try to swallow my tears so many times I lost count. It is not a light roses and sunshine romance, it is full of angst, pain and emotional suffering because the story is so very real. I teared up, my heart aching for these poor men and women and their torment. Because of You is an extremely powerful and emotional debut novel, one that will squeeze your heart and resonate with you for several days.

I can't wait to read the next novels in the series, I am completely wrung but happy, Jessica Scott took me on an incredibly emotionally exhausting journey but the ending couldn't have been more perfect, so I await the next book with a happy sigh. :-)

The best part of discovering a new author whose talents grip your attention immediately is sharing the good news with other readers. In all my years of reading military romances, there has been only one other that moved me as much as this one did. BECAUSE OF YOU is a beautifully written and poignant love story between two individuals, broken both in body and spirit. It also honorably portrays the lives of the everyday heroes and heroines who serve in the military and gives them the credit they so deserve.

When Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison regains consciousness after being critically wounded in an attack on his team in Iraq, he finds himself starring into the eyes of Jen St. James. On the night before his deployment four months ago, they shared one heated kiss and then gone their separate ways.

Jen St. James is a nurse and a survivor. After fighting her own personal battles, she fears never again being accepted and loved for herself because of the scars she carries. Seeing Shane again reminds Jen of the feelings that his unforgettable kiss triggered months ago, but also reinforces the pain of knowing that he might reject the real her.

Shane, who has an almost desperate need for fixing the problems of others, particularly those of his soldiers, suddenly finds his independence taken away by his injuries and he feels completely useless. Asking for help is and always has been a totally foreign concept to him. His divorce left him with no home or money and now because of his injuries he's unable to fend for himself. Jen understands some of what Shane is going through and steps forward offering Shane not only a place to live while he recovers but a much-needed lesson in self-worth. Shane really doesn't know how to handle his feelings for Jen. She's touched his heart with kindness the likes of which he's never known before, and much to his surprise he realizes his future is bleak without her in it. They are flawed characters who have each suffered betrayal, loss and pain, but find in each other the kind of love that looks beyond the physical imperfections and deep into the soul. There is an exceptionally touching scene between Jen and Shane where he proves beyond a doubt that his feelings for her reach way beyond the physical. Even the most critical and demanding romance fans will find the chemistry between them powerful and satisfying.

Jessica Scott has paved the way nicely for upcoming books in the "Coming Home Series," by introducing a remarkable cast of supporting characters who skyrocket the first book from being excellent to exceptional. Among them, you'll meet Captain Trent Davila and his wife, Laura, who are facing changes in their once solid and loving relationship. When Trent suddenly goes silent and Laura hears rumors accusing her husband of improper behavior with a female soldier, along with other worrisome concerns related to his job, she begins to fear her marriage is in real trouble and that the father of her children isn't being honest with her. In addition to Jen and Laura, there are a number of other strong female characters who exhibit an appealing combination of toughness and vulnerability. Sharing girls night out with the female cast offered up some delicious girl-talk, as well as giving us their take on the more serious matters of the heart.

In the category of supporting characters, first prize goes to the young man wrapped in a bright yellow tracksuit resembling Sesame Street's Big Bird. Sergeant Vic Carponti bugs his platoon sergeant more often than not, but Shane admires Carponti's special gift for sharing his wicked sense of humor and making the best of otherwise grim situations for everyone's benefit. Severely wounded in the same attack as Shane, Vic faces his future a changed man. Yet he proclaims he'll be fine and that he's lucky that he made it home without "TC" being blown away; otherwise, "he probably would have to kill himself." I think you'll be amused and entertained by Carponti's personal account as to why he places so much importance on this "TC" character. Sgt. Carponti provides many laugh-out-loud moments throughout the book but this one certainly made me hoot and holler the loudest.

Opening a window for us to look through into the realistic world of military life, the author details the daily concerns and problems facing soldiers and their families along with the toll it takes on them. Their stories are told with compassion and great skill. Whether she's writing dialogue between the characters or using military terminology, the authenticity is front and center. The quick-witted banter between the soldiers seems very natural. I would bet that the bonafide soldier who authored this book has mixed in some actual conversations she's participated in or overheard in her own experiences at one time or another in her military career.

From the beginning I was completely enthralled in this story. The hero will capture your heart and you can't help but love and admire the heroine. At times, the story is heart wrenching and confrontational. All of the characters become real. You don't just like them - you feel their hurt and share their pain. But most importantly, you'll cheer for each and every one of them to achieve their happily ever after. Keeping your kleenex nearby is probably a good idea.

The hallmark of a great book not only excites, thrills, and keeps you thinking about it for a long time to come, but it leaves the reader begging for more - and this one certainly fits that description. BECAUSE OF YOU, by debuting author Jessica Scott, is an impressive start to a new series and I am pleased to recommend it without hesitation.

3.5 Stars

There was a lot of buzz about Because of You before it's release since it's the 1st new release of the revitalized Loveswept line and I was really looking forward to reading this. I was a big fan of the Loveswept line of books back in the day and I'm glad they're making a comeback.

I found this book to be quite a heavy, angst-filled book. I personally wouldn't recommend reading it if you are looking for a light, fun-filled story or if you are feeling even slightly depressed.

There is some comic relief in the book in the character of Vic Carponti, but even all his antics seemed liked a defence mechanism to hide from the pain he was experiencing. But the naming of his penis TC and what that stands for made me laugh out loud.

I will admit to being intrigued by the heroine Jen St. James and her physical handicap. I found it very realistic and not usually something you read about in romance novels. Jen's been through her own hardships with her health, so she knows a little something about having experienced a massive low point in her life. It makes her the perfect person to be right by Shane's side for his recovery and rehab when he returns home from the war - barely alive, his body broken and his spirits hanging on by a thread. His whole identity is so closely tied to who he is as a military leader and now he's the last person who can be there for his men.

I'm not going to lie - I found this story to be a bit depressing, but maybe that was because it hit too close to the truth...about the pain and suffering men (and women) returning home from war go through.

There is a second book in the series Back to You and I will probably read it because of the set up for Trent and Laura's story - I do want to see how it gets resolved.

Reviewed By~Sarah L.
Review Copy Provided By~NetGalley

Having a niece currently deployed overseas, I was intrigued with reading a story involving characters in the military and those that have been deployed. Ms. Scott has used her experiences in the military to bring us the intense, emotional and even sometimes humorous story of Shane and Jen.

After suffering a debilitating injury, Shane not only needs to heal physically but mentally as well. He tries to shoulder the responsibility of those under his command even after they are injured and brought back home as well. This causes much internal conflict for Shane but Jen is there to guide him through it. Jen has also suffered extensively in the past and even though she may be healed physically, she still suffers emotionally. This is a great story of two wounded individuals who help each other overcome adversity and heal both mentally and physically.

I really enjoyed the interactions with the secondary characters. Carponti cracked me up. Even after suffering his terrible injury he was still the life of the party. There was also a lot of focus on the issues facing Trent and Laura and I look forward to reading the next installment to see how that plays out.

Favorite Quote: "Seeing as how I've held your penis in my hand, I think that puts you firmly in the not a stranger category."

Because of You may just be the most realistic book that I have ever read. I don't have any family in the military so I've never had to experience what some of the characters have in the book. But the author Jessica Scott did a great job of making me feel as if some of the experiences could have happened to me personally. Having a love one go off to war is not an easy thing and neither is dealing with someone getting injured or passing away. This book had me feeling so many different emotions and I knew that when I chose to read it. I wanted to step outside of my comfort zone and read something that had a harder edge to it. Because of You had that edge to it while dealing with a realistic situation that many people are dealing with every day.

I really enjoyed the character of Shane Garrison because this is a man who would do anything for his men. He is honorable and thinks of everyone else before himself. Even after he is injured all he could think about was getting back and doing his job. Recovery is hard on a person and it took a while for Shane to realize that there was nothing he could do to make it go any faster. Jen St James came into his life at the right time and was able to help him in a way that no one else could. Her ability to be patient and understanding added to Shane's recovery. I thought their relationship was very realistic and I'm happy than Shane knew he had someone that cared for him when he was overseas. It almost gave him a reason to believe and want to carry on.

Life can be very complex and Because of You does a great job at showing that. After reading this book I felt as if I had an insider look into military life and I am even more at awe with not only the men and women of the military, but with their families as well. They all go through so much to protect our great country and Jessica Scott did a wonderful job at reminding us that life is precious and that these great people need our support and love. I'm looking forward to reading more of her work because it really is eye opening and different from other books out there right now.

This is the first book by Jessica Scott and the first romance novel I read. I bought the book for my wife because I look like the guy on the cover so I figured she would like that. I didn't expect much from this book as I have always considered romance novels sappy love stories with recycled plots like chick flicks. That's why I was very surprised by how good the book actually is. It is a realistic story well written and draws you in. I started reading and didn't stop until I was done.

It is about Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison who is a hard charging soldier who lives for the army and his men. His whole identity is based on being a soldier and his ability to fix their problems. On the night before a deployment back to Iraq while celebrating at a bar he meets Jen St. James, a nurse who is a breast cancer survivor and has her own scars from her mastectomy. Before the night ends they share a kiss and the next day Shane leaves for deployment.

There is a very short battle scene when we learn that Shane has been seriously injured. He is stabilized and sent home to find that his nurse is none other than Jen. He was recently divorced and as a result has no home, no money, no anything, except a truck. This and because of his injuries he is totally dependent on Jen and the hospital and has a hard time dealing with the uselessness he feels. Because Jen also understands loss and because of her feelings for Shane she offers him a place to stay. During this time Shane and Jen deal with their feelings not only for each other but about themselves.

Most romance novels I have since read create a hero and heroine that are physically perfect. Well the author of this book went in a different direction with the heroine by making her physically flawed. I think this was pretty brilliant and bold for a first time author as it causes the reader to focus more on the relationship and what it means to be beautiful. I know what you're thinking, "that's some pretty deep stuff Romance Man", I hear ya'. But the truth is, I am married, if my wife had cancer and had to have a mastectomy it wouldn't make me see her different or love her less. I would just be happy she survived. But this book got me thinking about how I would feel if I met someone and started to like her and realized she had this physical scar. How would I react? I would like to think it wouldn't matter. The point is if an author can cause that kind of self reflection and make you think about the character long after you have finished the book then he/she has been pretty damn successful because that is not an easy thing to do.

The author also paints a very realistic picture of what it must be like to be an Army wife living with constant worry. The author also does a good job developing other characters as well that will appear in her next books. To me, the most interesting character is the heroine, Jen. I wish the Jen character had been developed a little more, her childhood, why was she estranged from her family, what happened with her ex-boyfriend. I didn't want the book to end and it seemed to end too quickly. But those are minor issues and overall the book is excellent. If you are a man reading this and think you wouldn't like a romance novel I say give it a try and start with this book. You'll be pleasantly surprised.

Shane is a Sergeant who loses some good men under his command and is injured by a road side bomb. Shipped home and stuck in a military hospital, he can't walk or fend for himself for a few weeks while he recovers. Luckily for him, the sexy nurse he met right before he deployed is around to keep his spirits up. Jen watches Shane deal with trying to heal not just himself, but several friends trapped inside injured bodies as well. These two deal with real issues and the whole book made me really think about what our veterans go through once they get home. This story pulls your heartstrings without mercy and doesn't let go. Great book.

BECAUSE OF YOU by first-time author Jessica Scott is the story of wounded soldiers trying to recover from the war in Iraq. Squarely in the romance genre, she uses the loneliness and pain of the wives left behind at home as a jumping off point for a hot romance between two damaged people who think they are no longer worth loving.

The author Jessica Scott is a career soldier who served in Iraq. She brings total believability to every scene that has anything to do with being a soldier.

Ultimately though, this is a romance novel, so sexual longing bleeds from the pages and eventually leads to long and hotly explicit passages. And as a bonus, sometimes the secondary characters become so compelling you'd like more about them, which makes sense as this is the first of three related books.

Recommended.

In many ways reading is like voyeurism - we get to see and virtually experience a world unfamiliar to us with the hope that the author has done his or her job to create it true to life. Because of You revolves around a world I have a hard time even imagining - the war in Iraq and the pain of soldiers coming home with traumatic injuries. As a veteran herself, Jessica Scott paints a real and heart-wrenching picture of loss and recovery through the eyes of soldiers on the front lines and the medical teams they come home to. This story is a romance with the hopeful ending those entail, but it's more than that. The frustrations of a writer who's also a soldier with first hand experience of the failings of the system and the absurd injustices of war add a richness and depth to the characters that I've rarely found in a military romance.

The characters, from the leads to the supporting cast, are fascinating and well drawn. The story has enough laugh-out-loud moments (particularly from the irrepressible Carponti) to keep it from weighing too heavy. It's a quick read (only took me a couple days... although that included a night I should've stopped reading and gone to sleep an hour or so before I did!) but has an emotional impact beyond the pages. I highly recommend Because of You.

Being in the military is all Shane knows. It's all he has left after his sham of a marriage ends. His men are the only family he has and the only people he cares about. Except for a spunky nurse he meets the night before he deploys. The memory of their kiss the light at the end of his tunnel. When a bomb sends him back home he awakens to find himself immobile. Struggling to come to grips with his limitations and the various setbacks that have occurred to him he is volatile, moody and sometimes violent. The only thing keeping what little sanity he has left is his daily meetings with his nurse Jen.

Scarred herself from a mastectomy, Jen knows how Shane is feeling, but can't bring herself to tell the one man who has treated her like a woman, that they share that in common. Still reeling from her cancer she just isn't ready to bare her soul no matter how he makes her feel. Jen is slowly falling for the wounded soldier. Against all odds, these two will have to lean on each other in order to heal.

I feel almost bad for saying I didn't really connect with this one. Maybe it's because it was a military romance and my sense of patriotism was affected. Maybe it's because I recently went to the funeral of a family friend's brother who was killed by a roadside bomb and saw the devastation of a family affected by war firsthand. I don't know. Every fiber of my being wanted to love this book. When it comes right down to it though, I just didn't as much as I wanted to. I do not think it had anything to do with the book or the writing itself, I think it was me and it was just the wrong place, wrong time.

As individuals I really liked Jen and Shane. They were both complex characters that did quite a bit of growing throughout the course of the book. Together though, I never felt the heat. There wasn't enough passion between the two for me to buy into them as a couple. For much of the book they each had flitting thoughts of the "Florence Nightingale effect" and to be honest I did as well. I think I just find it a bit weird when a nurse and her patient become involved. Not to say that it can't ever happen, I'm sure it's the exact opposite. Still I think it's odd.

I found the story line lagged a lot. Especially when Shane launched into thoughts on the military that used terms I had never heard of. Since I've never had first hand knowledge of things over in the desert of Baghdad, the terms the author used could be a bit hard to follow. There were a few times I thought about calling my cousin (also named Shane lol) to help me decode some of the wording.

I enjoyed Shane's range of emotion while coming to term with his new limitations. It must have been incredibly hard for this strappingly strong soldier to be sidelined while most of his men continued to fight. He went through a lot and I could understand his frustration. I liked how he showed his emotions seemingly only with Jen.

Poor Jen, I just couldn't understand her. I wanted her to open up to Shane the entire book. She was a classic case of do what I say and not what I do. She kept telling him to open up. To talk about things. To stop blaming himself for getting sidelined and having to leave his men. Yet she kept everything bottled up. Never wanting to tell him of having a mastectomy and when he finally finds out, never wanting to allow him to see the scar. Allowing him to see and feel the scar was a barrier between them that it seemed Shane would never breach.

Where this author gets it right is in the supporting characters. I loved every one of them! Carponti was my absolute FAVORITE. His outlook on life was incredible and even though he was crazy and snarky, I still felt for him. I mean, how often do you meet a guy who has had his arm blown off and yet has a bright outlook on life? He was the glue that initially held Shane together. I also really liked the authors ability to shed light onto the sensitive subject of how the country deals with its wounded veterans after they return home. So often these courageous soldiers are pushed to the side and forgotten. As a country we need to embrace these people and give back...show them how much they truly do mean to us. No matter which side of the politics you are on, supporting our soldiers should never be a dividing line.

Because of You is left completely open ended with a story line for some supporting characters still up in the air. I know Jessica has some more works coming out early next year and so I hope some of these get taken care of. While this one didn't exactly float my boat I do think it was well written. Sometimes what I want to like...and what I crave to read are two separate things that don't like to play nice nice in my brain. I will pick up the next book, I believe in Jessica Scott's work!

I give Because Of You by Jessica Scott 3.50 stars!

Nikki- Ramblings From A Chaotic Mind