Heaven Is For Heroes [Kindle Edition]

PJ Sharon (Author)

Book Description

Smart and athletic seventeen year-old Jordie Dunn has a bright future planned, but when tragedy turns her life upside down, she begins to question not only her future, but the facts surrounding her brother’s death in Iraq. The military’s account that his best friend and fellow Marine, Alex Cooper, is at fault, is a notion she refuses to believe. Alex was the careful one--the shy, protective, computer geek she’s had a crush on since the ninth grade, and she knows better than anyone that her troubled brother had a dark and reckless side—a secret she’s kept for far too long.
With no memory of the incident that killed his best friend, nineteen year-old Alex Cooper returns home, shattered and facing a difficult recovery. Determined to go it alone, he pushes Jordie away. No longer the freckle-faced tom-boy who followed him and Levi around as a kid, she has become a beautiful and stubborn young woman who believes in him far more than he deserves.
While Jordie’s unique approach to rehab pushes Alex to extremes, the two discover that their childhood friendship has grown into more. The attraction has Jordie’s head spinning and her heart soaring, but Alex struggles to deal with his guilt, his loss, and the nightmares that continue to haunt him. Even though Jordie is determined to help him heal, and even more determined to find the truth, what she doesn’t expect, is to find love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Kristan Higgins, NYT and USA Today bestselling author says,
"Filled with the complex emotions of grief, confusion and first love, HEAVEN IS FOR HEROES is a rich, uplifting story that will touch a reader's heart."

From the Author

I'm no stranger to being part of a military family. My father was a WWII Army veteran who suffered from PTSD and was never treated. Most men weren't back then. My brother was a Marine, and my sister served in the Navy for eight years. Although my siblings didn't serve in combat, I had first-hand understanding of being a kid at home waiting for my brother or sister to be called to go to war. There has been a lot of press about the parents, spouses, and children of soldiers serving in Iraq and Afghanistan, but not much is said about the siblings. That is one of the reasons I wrote Heaven is for Heroes.
The other reason is that I love romance, and nothing pulls at the heartstrings like first love. In Heaven is for Heroes, seventeen year-old Jordie Dunn must face the loss of her brother when he's killed in the war in Iraq. But Jordie doesn't believe the military report that his best friend and fellow Marine, Alex Cooper, is at fault. In her quest to find the truth and help Alex (the guy she's had a crush on since the ninth grade) in his recovery, Jordie discovers that the truth isn't the only thing she wants.
Because the focus of the story is the tenuous romance with the underlying plot of a family's search for peace in time of war, HIFH will appeal to adult readers as well as older young adults. With entertaining secondary characters and a challenging mother-daughter relationship, the story deals with real life issues with both unwavering comprehension and uplifting humor.
 Set in a fictitious Connecticut laketown, the story has the feel of hometown USA and is relatable to anyone questioning the value of war and the cost to the families of lost and wounded soldiers. Heaven Is For Heroes takes you through one family's loss, and the recovery of a soldier dealing with both the emotional and physical ravages of war.
I hope you enjoy the book!
PJ Sharon

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• File Size: 546 KB
• Print Length: 302 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 1463569548
• Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
• Publisher: PJ Sharon; 1 edition (September 17, 2011)
• Sold by: Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
• Language: English
• ASIN: B005NWRLCU
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• X-Ray: Enabled
• Lending: Enabled
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #285,522 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Poignant and Timely October 10, 2011

By M. L. Reynolds

Format:Paperback

PJ Sharon's debut novel touches the reader's sensitivity to current social, political, and emotional issues. Jordie is like many young adults now in that she must face many of life's struggles at a very young age. Yet, she is buoyant and draws strength from the members of her broken family as she searches for the truth about Levi's death. Love lives alongside confusion and anger in her relationship with Alex, as well as with her mother. The tangle of human emotions leads Jordie to continue her quest to solve the mystery and keeps the reader engaged throughout the story. PJ Sharon cleverly draws us through the story with her cliffhanger chapter conclusions. The author's ability to weave this delicate story speaks well not only for this, her first novel, but for subsequent novels, as well.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A sweet and poignant story of loss, discovery, and love December 16, 2011

By Jennette M. Heikes

Format:Kindle Edition

Seventeen-year-old Jordie is coping with the death of her brother, who was killed while serving as a Marine. But some of the circumstances surrounding Levi's death are suspicious. Her brother's best friend Alex was also present, and injured in the accident that killed Levi. As Jordie tries to find out what really happened, the relationship that never was with the boy she's always loved finally happens. Other family dynamics and a secret long-buried come into play while Jordie learns to deal with her new-found love for Alex, who has struggles of his own.

While mostly a "quiet" book, this young adult contemporary romance deals with some heavy, current-events issues like PTSD, and never skimps on emotion. Jordie's a smart, likable heroine who sometimes does stupid, impulsive things that add to her authenticity, as do Alex's hot-and-cold ways. If you're looking for a highly emotional read with a liberal dose of realism, Heaven is for Heroes is sure to please!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A haunting, authentic love story with a strong, appealing heroine September 29, 2011

By Huntley Fitzpatrick

Format:Paperback

Heaven is For Heroes is a richly textured, poignant story which weaves together first love, coming of age, and the ways in which even imperfect people can support and sustain one another. When 17 year old Jordie Dunn's brother Levi is killed in Afghanistan, his death leaves behind nagging questions for Jordie to deal with, along with the tearing grief. Deeply close to her brother, Jordie is haunted by the possibility that Levi's dark side was in ascendence on the day he died. Did he die a hero or throw his life away, unable to escape his personal demons. For Jordie, the key to finding the answer lies with the other member of their childhood threesome, Alex Cooper. Like Levi, Alex joined the Marines. He supposedly charged into a building against orders, leaving Levi to go to his rescue--and his own death. But Alex was never the impulsive one. What's the true story?
Complicating matters are Alex's injuries--he's coming to terms with the loss of a leg--and his and Jordie's tangled history. Years before, her feelings for Alex slipped from friendship to love. But how does Alex feel?
Debut author PJ Sharon does a wonderful job of both the emotional and the realistic background of this story. The imagery in this book is so vivid, I felt I was at the military funeral, and could smell the sweat as Jordie dragged Alex into physical therapy. Levi is a powerful character, despite never appearing on page. Alex's struggle to move on despite a dehibilitating injury and the fear that he was involved in his best friend's death is moving and powerful. Above all, Jordie is a YA heroine to cheer on--feisty, athletic, determined and unstoppable. Definitely a book to add to your `to read' list and an author to watch.

More About the Author

Writing "Extraordinary Stories of an Average Teenage Life", I take what I've learned from my own life experiences and create characters and stories about the difficulties of walking that line between being a kid and becoming an adult. I've traveled far to get to this point in life, but I'm a happy, healthy person these days, and want to let teens know that no matter how bad life gets, it can always get better--have hope!

I live in the Berkshires with a dreamy husband, and I've successfully raised two sons who are on their own hero's journey. When I'm not writing and publishing my books, I spend my summers kayaking the lakes and ponds in New England, and my winters snow shoeing in the 6000 acres of woods behind my house...aaahhh, bliss!

Fun facts about me: I have a black belt in karate, sing opera, and can still do a sit spin with the best of them.

Visit my website at www.pjsharon.com