I have a new feature which I’m going to be introducing which I am hoping will help me post a bit more often. The idea is these will be quick five minute thoughts on books I have read which I simply have not found the time to write a full on review for. This might be for a series which I have been reading the newest book has been released and I want to spurt my thoughts out to you all without writing much of substance, or it might be that I just couldn’t be bothered to write a full review because I’m lazy and I’m in the middle of a really good book, but I know I should good you all something for being nice readers and visiting my little blog.
This week I shall be giving you my thoughts on two books which had a military theme. One is told from the male perspective, a soldier on leave from war and dealing with the traumas of war in his own way. The other is from the female perspective, a girl who is suffering the effects of being from a military family and all which that involves.
Something Like Normal – Trish Doller
Rating:
When Travis returns home from a stint in Afghanistan, his parents are splitting up, his brother’s stolen his girlfriend and his car, and he’s haunted by nightmares of his best friend’s death. It’s not until Travis runs into Harper, a girl he’s had a rocky relationship with since middle school, that life actually starts looking up. And as he and Harper see more of each other, he begins to pick his way through the minefield of family problems and post-traumatic stress to the possibility of a life that might resemble normal again. Travis’s dry sense of humor, and incredible sense of honor, make him an irresistible and eminently lovable hero.
I really enjoyed reading Something Like Normal. I had avoided it for a long while. A book involving a marine did not hold great appeal, and for some reason I am always a bit wary of books written from the male perspective. I don’t know why, but I prefer a book with a female narrator. I liked it with this book though. I genuinely cared about Travis, I adored his friendship with Charlie, of what we saw in the flashbacks. It was interesting to read this from a male perspective, it definitely made the book unique, a hard thing to come by at times.
I liked the character development you see. I loved seeing the different relationships Travis had, with his mother, his family, with his friends and with Charlie’s family. I just loved this book. I really believed the emotions Travis was dealing with during his leave. I believed he cared for Harper, and I believed the growing feelings between the pair. I wanted to beat Travis when he was being an idiot and shake come sense into him, but it was real. People are stupid, they do stupid things. That was exactly how the characters behaved, like people would. I think that’s the best thing about this book, it felt real, Doller understands something about people and knows how to write them convincingly so you grow attached.
Rating:
Three knocks can change everything…
"She knew. That’s why Mom hadn’t opened the door. She knew he was dead."
Twenty years as an army brat and Ember Howard knew, too. The soldiers at the door meant her dad was never coming home. What she didn’t know was how she would find the strength to singlehandedly care for her crumbling family when her mom falls apart.
Then Josh Walker enters her life. Hockey star, her new next-door neighbor, and not to mention the most delicious hands that insist on saving her over and over again. He has a way of erasing the pain with a single look, a single touch. As much as she wants to turn off her feelings and endure the heartache on her own, she can’t deny their intense attraction.
Until Josh’s secret shatters their world. And Ember must decide if he’s worth the risk that comes with loving a man who could strip her bare.
This book was amazing. I was extremely wary at first, but I read a review over at Aeropapers which convinced me it was worth a try. I am so glad it did convince me. This book made me a complete emotional wreck, which is becoming a bit of a thing for me and books. I mean, I cry easily anyway, but this one hit close to home, so U found myself crying all over the place about the death of Ember’s father and how it affected her entire family. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone and everyone. Seriously, read it, it’s amazing. The story was so touching, I felt the pain of the entire family, I worried for them and grieved with them and generally grew very attached to them. I adored Josh and his crazy weird bad boy turned reformed saint transformation.
I know I was a bit put off by the New Adult label, but that was way back when I first heard of this book. Once I started reading within the genre I was put off by the fact that the book begins with the death of Ember’s father and that romance should develop from that tragedy. I am always wary about books that look like they are going to be sad, and this one had me tearing up on my commute. It was a fantastic and emotional read which I really enjoyed. The romance was a bit predictable, but I didn’t are because the writing really made me care about the characters. The ending was a bit of a shock, I didn’t know how they were going to resolve the issue and I did not fully believe what happened, but it was a happy ending so I don’t think I care.
And that is all from me. Anyone else read these books? DO you agree with what I’ve said? Does anyone else put off reading books they think may make them too emotional like I did with these ones?
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