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Loving You Is Easy

(Loving You #1)

Wendy S. Marcus (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · Rating details · 681 ratings · 176 reviews

She’s a survivor of the front lines of politics. He’s a wounded soldier returning home from the battlefield. Can they place their trust in the power of love?

Nobody plays the role of perfect politician’s daughter better than quiet, respectable math teacher Brooke Ellstein. But she won’t be caught swimming with the sharks again, not after the son of a wealthy donor sinks ...more

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ebook, 276 pages

Published December 9th 2014 by Loveswept

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· 681 ratings · 176 reviews

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Sep 20, 2014 Beverly rated it liked it

3.5 Stars

Brooke is the daughter of a wealthy politician and elementary school teacher, she is the definition of wholesome. Shane is a solider in the Army and has spent the last 8 years in the military, he is the definition of rough around the edges.

So when the two of them meet in a write a solider program through her elementary school, neither predicts they will hit it off. Shane immediately tells Brooke he isn’t interested in a relationship, and that is fine because she isn’t either. However, ...more

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Nov 25, 2014 Geri Reads rated it did not like it

DNF @ 45%

Couldn't get into it. The premise is good but the execution just felt lame to me. I couldn't connect to the story or the characters.

The prologue opens with the with letters from Brooke and Shane establishing a connection through a pen-pal program. The next chapter, Shane and Brooke meet for the first time and bam, they were suddenly lovey-dovey even though Shane was adamant about not wanting a relationship.

I didn't buy any of it. It would have been believable had we seen the developme ...more

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Sep 05, 2014 LuvLaw rated it really liked it

*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Random House Publishing*

Well this book... I dont know How to rate this book as 3 or 4 :)

Lets start by saying that this book is one of those books which have got its own angst *__*

Lets start with what I liked about this book:

I liked the start where it started with letters exchanged between Brooke who is a teacher and Shane who is a soldire ( they are Pen Pals ^^ How sweet is that)

The next is where the Prologue starts and one can see Brooke for the 1st time ...more

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Dec 02, 2014 Mandy rated it it was amazing

Shelves: love-love-love, arc, favorites

Brooke's father is running for governor of New York. She's a teacher and loves her job, loves helping kids. As a class project, she gets involved in a pen pal program writing to soldiers. Brooke starts exchanging letters with Shane. Shane is stationed in Afghanistan and they exchange letters for year. There is so much to this story that I really enjoyed. The story was interesting, I liked the characters (even with how moody Shane could be), I liked how strong Brooke was even though she wasn't st ...more

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Aug 27, 2014 WhiskeyintheJar/Kyraryker rated it liked it

Shelves: series, contemporary, military

3.5 stars

****Full Review****

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

Through a mix-up, elementary school teacher Brooke has become the pen pal of from the wrong side of the tracks American soldier Shane. Brooke comes from wealth and privilege but not exactly a happy home giving her a sweetly naïve guarded outlook on life. Shane's experience has a more real world quality, he spent most of his high school 3.5 stars

****Full Review****

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review

Through a mix-up, elementary school teacher Brooke has become the pen pal of from the wrong side of the tracks American soldier Shane. Brooke comes from wealth and privilege but not exactly a happy home giving her a sweetly naïve guarded outlook on life. Shane's experience has a more real world quality, he spent most of his high school years working, just managed to get his GED, has been a soldier since he turned eighteen, and is on his fourth tour of duty. Shane is tired, a little cynical, and prone to crabby angry outbursts. Through letter writing, emails, and skype Brook and Shane have established a solid friendship but even though Shane warned her not to, Brook wants more. When Shane gets injured and Brooke's life is falling apart around her, their relationship is tested and they both struggle to figure out just what they really mean to each other.

There were two sides to this book; one was a sugary sweetness which emanated from Brooke providing the lighter rainbows, puppies, and it will work out ok because of love. Everything is fine and dandy when Brooke and Shane are tenderly bantering and just want to make kissy noises but things get tense when real life issues come into play. This brings about the other side of the book a gritty and uneasy look at what four tours of duty in a warzone can do to a person brought on by Shane. These two sides clash as Brooke obstinately makes moves to help Shane when he expresses a strong desire for her not to, this in turn makes Shane resent and act out (not physically) towards Brooke hurting her with his words. There are generally times when Brooke seems to blindly act and take her Mother Theresa persona too far giving a faint feeling of distaste and leaving the reader to wonder if these two really are worlds apart. Shane is clearly dealing with PTSD issues and I actually appreciated how the author depicted the normalness of this, no big one time moments of flashbacks that everyone sees and the hero gets immediate help but small everyday occurrences that people brush off. I do wish since the author made this a big part of the story that Brooke and Shane would have talked about it and he would have agreed to seek counseling.

The story thread that lead to Brooke and Shane being forced together, a sexy picture she took for Shane ended up being put on Facebook then snowballed to a student saying his brother had sexual relations with Brooke, worked for the most part. It was a realistic circumstance but the author got a bit preachy at times about cyberbullying and the whole thing was wrapped up in such a way that it felt rushed and anticlimactic. It is also mentioned quite a lot that Brooke loves watching soldiers returning home videos on Youtube and the feelings it gives her, it all made me wonder if she truly is in love with Shane or with the idea of loving a soldier. The mixtures of secondary characters were supportive and engaging, Shane's sister Charlotte had a few over the top moments but Brooke's friend Neve and her relationship with Shane's friend Rory has me intrigued.

Largely this is a nice story about two people dealing with life issues and coming together, it's an easy read that is not too terribly emotionally investing. Is Brooke and Shane's relationship completely believable? Not sure, but this is fiction and we're here for the happy ending which Loving You Easy graciously provides.
...more

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Jul 22, 2014 Jennifer Probst rated it it was amazing

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book and loved every word. A great love story with a strong heroine, a broken hero, and their rocky journey toward happy ever after. Highly recommended!

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Oct 02, 2014 Claudia rated it it was amazing

Loving You Is Easy drew me in on the first page and held me until the last. A great read and hard to put down.

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Sep 06, 2014 Liz F rated it it was amazing

Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.

I have one question: where the hell has Wendy S Marcus been my whole life? Holy crap, I loved this book. I mean, it was better than great. It was stupid good. No. It was stoopid good!! It was so good that it made me stupid! Where's the button for 6 stars? 7 stars? While I look for it, read on to find out what made this book so good that I felt like I'd been hit in the head with a phone book...in a good way. There is a good way to get hit with a Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley.

I have one question: where the hell has Wendy S Marcus been my whole life? Holy crap, I loved this book. I mean, it was better than great. It was stupid good. No. It was stoopid good!! It was so good that it made me stupid! Where's the button for 6 stars? 7 stars? While I look for it, read on to find out what made this book so good that I felt like I'd been hit in the head with a phone book...in a good way. There is a good way to get hit with a phone book, right? Oh never mind. Just keep reading!

First, there's Brooke. I really liked her. She's the daughter of a prominent politician...sigh. I guess I have to say that Brooke felt very familiar: her father is distracted and busy with his political career, her mom is a total judgmental asshole and she was sexually assaulted as a teenager. I don't want to sound mean or heartless; I really DID like Brooke. I'm just saying that I've seen this type of character before and I don't mean that as a bad thing. I loved Brooke's quiet strength. Sure, she didn't have a lot of choice in becoming strong but she's still one hell of a broad! ;) I think she's a great match for an angry, damaged soldier. She doesn't get her feelings hurt very easily and she's much tougher than she looks. She may look like a privileged socialite but she can literally kick ass. I don't want to say anything more about that because I don't want to ruin any part of this book for anyone. Point is, I liked Brooke. She's patient and she wants to help Shane and isn't sure how. So she's muddling through, trying to balance his needs with his pride and I thought she was doing great.

Then there's Shane. My goodness, he was described as being so hot and sexy and strong and dominating. Definitely an alpha male. I loved how pushy he was when we first meet him. And he's so confident! Yummy yummy! But he comes back from Afghanistan a damaged man, physically and emotionally. Like many veterans, he's seen things over there that can't be unseen. And he re-sees lots of it every time he closes his eyes at night. He also lost an eye and gained a limp. But he retains all of his sexiness and masculinity. Unfortunately, he doesn't see this. He doesn't want to be seen as less than a man but his self esteem is in the gutter. He may need help but he won't accept help. He suffers from some pretty crazy mood swings too. So Shane may not be a super likable hero all the time but I loved everything about him and everything he was going through.

I think that Brooke and Shane had decent chemistry. Sure, it wasn't always obvious due to his poor coping mechanisms but I think that patience will be rewarded in these two. I really liked how Brooke saw that Shane needed help but didn't know how to help him or what to do. She knew that he still needed to be a man but it was obvious when he was in pain or when he was tired. And damn, he made it tough for her to help him sometimes! All the time, actually! But I couldn't get mad at him because I could understand where he was coming from! I loved the emotional journey these two went on together. There were definitely times that I wanted Brooke to leave him alone and stop trying to help. And there were times when I wanted Brooke to leave his grumpy ass. But that doesn't happen and this story is so much sweeter for it.

I would absolutely recommend this book. I think that the author MUST know someone who has come back from the war and dealt with these issues. It just seemed way too real for her to come up with this just out of her imagination. So the reality of this book was very attractive to me. I loved the difficult relationship that Brooke and Shane had. I totally laughed out loud, I got pissed and I cried. Like. A. Baby! Holy crap, have some tissues nearby when you read this, people!! Damn this was such a good and heartbreaking and funny and real book. I just.... I can't even. Give this book a chance. I doubt you'll regret it! ...more

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Sep 14, 2014 Desere rated it it was amazing

The super talented Wendy S Marcus is back!!! And I could not be happier, I have been a huge fan of her work form her very first mesmerizing release and ever since I have devoured everything she has written so of course I squealed with pure delight when this new release landed in my very happy hands.

The read tells the story of Brooke Elstein,a politician's daughter and always quiet, in control and thus the perfect image of dutiful always do what makes dad look good gal. All that comes crashing d ...more

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Sep 15, 2014 Allison rated it it was ok

Shelves: contemporary, new-adult, fiction, insta-love, rich-kid, romance, tragedy, emo, arc, soldier

ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Oy vey! What a train wreck!

This book had a couple redeeming moments, but overall it was a mess! Things it had going for it:

1. It knows it's cheesy so it's easier to accept it.
2. The first half of the book was somewhat entertaining.
3. The funeral scene actually made me cry.
4. I didn't have to put it on my "stupid character names" shelf.
5. I didn't have to put it on my "more gray eyes" shelf.
6. See 4 and 5. THA ...more

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Feb 27, 2015 Rachmi rated it did not like it

Shelves: ebook, bully-abuse-dysfunctional-family, contemporary, romance, mental-illness-issue-disability

The story happens because of one of Brooke's sexy pictures that supposed to be for her soldier "friend", Shane, is in his soldier friend Facebook's wall. And since she is a teacher and is also a politician's daughter, it attracts more attention and makes her reputation at bay.

I, for one, questioning Brooke's sanity, what did she think giving a guy she hardly knows her sexy pictures? Yes she's attracted to him but she only met him once for less than 24 hours! Yes she's communicating with him for The story happens because of one of Brooke's sexy pictures that supposed to be for her soldier "friend", Shane, is in his soldier friend Facebook's wall. And since she is a teacher and is also a politician's daughter, it attracts more attention and makes her reputation at bay.

I, for one, questioning Brooke's sanity, what did she think giving a guy she hardly knows her sexy pictures? Yes she's attracted to him but she only met him once for less than 24 hours! Yes she's communicating with him for months before they met, but he can be a liar or least of all an irresponsible person for all she knows. And yes he's a soldier but it doesn't mean she can trust him with something private before she really knows him, if you ask my opinion. Well...maybe it's just me being a cynical person and Brooke is so sweet and kind person if she didn't do it, there won't be this story. But well.....

To be honest, I liked the way the story begins, with a letter from Brooke to Shane and vice versa. I thought I'll get more letters to come, to know Brooke and Shane relationship development. But the story is straight fast forward to 8 months since they start writing each other. And after that first letters I read, Brooke already says that she's falling in love with Shane, while I was like "what?" I hardly know the main characters, let alone feel their relationship and then suddenly I have to believe that she's in love with him? And he's actually in love with her too, despite his constant word that their world is so different they don't belong to each other? I.did.not.buy.it!

And then there are also subplots that make everything seems happen at the same time, but it doesn't describe well. It's just like touching the surface. I think Shane's PTSD can be a good subplot if I can get more about it. Unfortunately I only get his mood swing and his injured eye and left leg. I want more than that. And then there are also problems with Brooke relationship with Shane's sister, Brooke's bestfriend's problem with Shane's bestfriend soldier, Brooke's relationship with her family. Not to mention Brooke's past. All of them can intertwine each other nicely if it goes deeper that what already has.

I don't know whether this is it's-me-not-you kind of book but it looks like I'm in minority here. And I still haven't found a very good NA contemporary romance I want. Apparently it's time for me to sing an Adele song again "should I give up or should I just keep chasing pavement, even if it leads no where" ...more

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Aug 27, 2014 Kim Reads (Read Your Writes Book Reviews) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2014-reads

Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews
by Kim

Prepare to lose yourself in Loving You is Easy. Wendy S. Marcus is a relatively new author to me. This story marks the second time I’ve read a book from her. As with the first book, this book had me from page one.

Loving You is Easy is the story of Brooke Ellstein and Shane Develen. Brooke is a twenty-five-year-old math teacher who happens to be the daughter of potentially the next governor of the state of New York. Shane is a twenty-six-year-old ca Reviewed for Read Your Writes Book Reviews
by Kim

Prepare to lose yourself in Loving You is Easy. Wendy S. Marcus is a relatively new author to me. This story marks the second time I’ve read a book from her. As with the first book, this book had me from page one.

Loving You is Easy is the story of Brooke Ellstein and Shane Develen. Brooke is a twenty-five-year-old math teacher who happens to be the daughter of potentially the next governor of the state of New York. Shane is a twenty-six-year-old career Army soldier with blue collar roots from New Jersey. In a perfect world, these two would never have met. But the world isn’t perfect. For the past eight years, Shane has been overseas fighting for his country.

Brooke is overseeing the Support Our Troops pen pal initiative for the state of New York. The two start to communicate when an error is made adding Shane to the list although he isn’t a resident of the state. After months of communication, the two become really good friends. Things for these two are going really well until an ambush and RPG tear both of their lives apart.

I say this a lot, but Loving You is Easy was so much more than I anticipated it would be. I wasn’t prepared for the the feelings these two gain for each other without spending physical time together. I wasn’t prepared for the social messages in the book. And, I was definitely blindsided by some events in the story.

Wendy has written two characters who are each vulnerable and yet very, very strong in their own rights. The love and support that Brooke and Shane have for each other oozes through the pages. Wendy has succeeded in writing characters who are real with real issues. Not only has she managed to write a strong hero and heroine, the secondary characters are just as strong and some just as likeable.

The story leaves room for an additional story to be told on a couple of the secondary characters. All I can really say is that Loving You is Easy is the perfect title for this book. Brooke and Shane make it so easy to love each of them and their story. Loving You is Easy simply put is a captivating story of friendship, love and determination.

**Received a copy from Random House - Loveswept in exchange for an honest unbiased review.**
...more

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Sep 04, 2014 Karina Ramirez rated it really liked it

Shelves: new-adult, arc

3.5 - 4 Stars

This was a really good book!

Brooke is the daughter of a politician, always in the spotlight always in the media. It's her life. So when she pen pals with a solider, she can finally be herself. Let loose a bit. Over the course of a few month Brooke and her solider pen pal, Shane develop a pretty strong bond; so when he's home for a few days she surprises him, and gives him some pretty risky pictures -- especially for a politicians daughter not to mention a school teacher.

When said ...more

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Jun 18, 2015 Nicola rated it really liked it

Loving You Is Easy was a more intense read than I was expecting. One of my grumbles with many of the military romances I read is that they steer clear of life-altering injuries in favour of PTSD, which don't get me wrong is itself life-altering, but the hero is still perfect on the outside. Shane Develen isn't, and in many respects that is what made him so.

"Sometimes he felt so familiar, like she'd known him for years. Other times he felt like a total stranger, a man she had no interest in k ...more

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Sep 16, 2014 Nas Dean rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary

LOVING YOU IS EASY by author Wendy S. Marcus is a December 2014 release by Loveswept, Random House.

Brooke Elstein joined the pen-pal initiative and became Sergeant Shane Develen’s pen-pal. After long emails back and forth, she felt she knew him enough to hand deliver him some sexy photos of herself on his next leave home.

But these photos get into wrong hands when Shane gets injured on duty. Brooke’s life crumbled around her as one photo ended up on social media and her students started commenti ...more

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Nov 01, 2014 Helen rated it really liked it

This is a really good story emotional and sensual as Brooke and Shane have a journey to a HEA that is filled with twists and turns, Shane a soldier since leaving school is from working class New Jersey and Brooke a teacher in a private school from a political family well to do but not much love from her mother but Brooke is such a strong caring heroine and Shane also strong with the belief that he should be looking after Brooke. When they start writing to each other while Shane is fighting in Af ...more

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Dec 08, 2014 Kelsey Browning rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-romance

I’ve long been a fan of Marcus’s medical romances. She has a talent for taking incredibly touchy subjects—hoarding, body image issues, and more—and crafting a beautiful love story around a backbone of pain. Although Loving You is Easy is a departure from the medical setting, Marcus brought her A-game when creating the premise—cyberbullying of an adult—and the backstory for her heroine and especially her hero, Shane. I found myself crying more than once because of Shane’s pain. If you like an ang ...more

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Dec 16, 2014 Jen rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, netgalley, netgalley-reviews, arc, 4-5-star

Wonderful love story! Shane could have been easy to hate, if he wasn't so easy to love. At first we only see sweet Shane, but adjusting to life with his new disabilities makes him act like an jerk. Luckily for him, Brooke does not give up on him so easily. Brooke is stronger that she thinks, and with Shane's support, she finally stands up for herself and for the life she wants. I loved the letters in the beginning and would have liked to have seen more of them. I think it would have been a nice ...more

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Oct 18, 2014 Amy R rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-romance, 2014

I was lucky enough to read an early copy of this and absolutely loved it! Wendy is so talented at writing about real life emotional issues into her fictional stories. If you are looking for a contemporary romance that will have your heart breaking but also warming before the book is over, I recommend Loving You Is Easy!

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Aug 26, 2014 Sheryl C. Nash rated it it was amazing

Shelves: romance-contemporary, romance-erotica

REALLY, REALLY GOOD... And i'm hoping that Neve and Rory get their story next!!!

*ARC courtesy of Netgalley and Random House Publishing*

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Nov 24, 2014 Lustful Literature rated it really liked it

*** JOSIE'S 4 STAR REVIEW ***

LOVING YOU IS EASY is a delightful, heart felt story about inner strength and new beginnings. I am a mother of a Marine and I love to read novels having to do with service men. The author writes Brooke and Shane’s story in a way that as reader I felt every emotion they went through. I really love how the author starts their story off by introducing us to the main characters through their first letters to each other. I was an emotional mess in parts throughout t ...more

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Dec 05, 2014 MBR rated it really liked it

Shelves: contemporary-romance, tattoed-hero, ex-military-hero, oral-smexing, dry-hump-smexing, finger-smexing, scarred-hero, family-drama, abused-heroine, heroine-in-love-with-hero

Loving You is Easy is a book that starts off in an intriguing manner. November 2011, Brooke Ellstein, a 7th and 8th grade Math teacher who also happens to be the daughter of a prominent politician in New York starts corresponding with Sergeant Shane Develeen in the manner of pen pals. Fast forward to July of next year and these two meet for the first time, Brooke having fallen for Shane even with his warning that he is not looking for a girlfriend to mess with his head.

Devastation hits Brooke wh Loving You is Easy is a book that starts off in an intriguing manner. November 2011, Brooke Ellstein, a 7th and 8th grade Math teacher who also happens to be the daughter of a prominent politician in New York starts corresponding with Sergeant Shane Develeen in the manner of pen pals. Fast forward to July of next year and these two meet for the first time, Brooke having fallen for Shane even with his warning that he is not looking for a girlfriend to mess with his head.

Devastation hits Brooke when a photograph in which she posed for Shane finds its way to the Internet. Feeling betrayed at the knowledge that Shane had been home for more than 2 months and never contacted her, Brooke feels like her entire life is falling apart until Shane walks up to her door, a man scarred from the war, with a gigantic chip on his shoulder that won’t quit. Shane’s only reason for showing up is to put things to right or so he tells himself.

From the start, Shane had believed that a classy woman like Brooke would have no place in her life for a man like him. After nearly losing his life on the job and with the scars to prove it, Shane is adamant and steadfast in his belief and need to keep Brooke at arms length and that she doesn’t expect something more to happen between them than just friendship. But then life and love has a way of breaking even the toughest of them and the more Shane learns about the woman that Brooke hides behind the facade of rigid control and discipline that has been her life, the more little shards of doubt begins to penetrate into Shane’s firmly held conviction that they aren’t meant to be.

Loving You is Easy is a book that is easy to read given that Wendy is an author who writes well and portrays a lot of emotions in her stories. Brooke’s past when revealed turned out to be a heartbreaking one, making one question exactly just how much families and their children suffer when either of the parents chooses to pursue a political career. Brooke’s emotional strength was an admirable trait, her closest friends the ones keeping her sane.

Shane is a bit of a grouch and a tad hard to like but given the circumstances he finds himself in, I guess a little bit of anger at the fates was called for. My disappointment with Shane stemmed from his lack of belief in Brooke, who gives him no reason to doubt her. If it had been just one instance, I could have brushed it off and thanked the stars for the angst that the misunderstanding had brought to the story. But more than once and especially under a situation where Brooke had needed his support, I just felt a bit letdown from all that. The saving grace was the fact that he seemed to pick up the pieces and get Brooke back. I would also have loved to see Shane’s issues related to his injuries and the resultant PTSD looked at with just a tad more detail. Judging from how the story had proceeded, I’d like to bet that Brooke’s best friend Neve is going to get her own story pretty soon!

Recommended for fans of Wendy and fans of war torn heroes.

Rating = 3.75/5

For more reviews & quotes, visit www.maldivianbookreviewer.com ...more

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Jan 11, 2015 Christie72 rated it really liked it

4 ½ Stars

~I received a copy of the book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.~

Loving You Is Easy is a beautiful, heartfelt, and moving love story. I was hooked from the very first page. Brooke Ellstein is the beautiful daughter of a New York politician, but she has put some distance between herself and her family, especially her mother. However, she does try to continue to help her father in his political endeavors. She is the coordinator of a program that matches military members in 4 ½ Stars

~I received a copy of the book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.~

Loving You Is Easy is a beautiful, heartfelt, and moving love story. I was hooked from the very first page. Brooke Ellstein is the beautiful daughter of a New York politician, but she has put some distance between herself and her family, especially her mother. However, she does try to continue to help her father in his political endeavors. She is the coordinator of a program that matches military members in the Middle East with pen pals in the New York area. She is reaches out to Shane Develen who comes from a tight, hard-working family in New Jersey. He enlisted right after high school. The two of them could not be more different, but they manage to become close friends, and they confess things to each other in their letters and emails that they haven’t told many others. However, Shane makes it clear he doesn’t want to be more than friends. But, that is easier said than done when Brooke surprises him at the airport when he comes home for a short leave. The chemistry is apparent between them. When he returns overseas, they agree to re-visit the status of their relationship when he comes home. However, those plans are blown to smithereens when he is hurt and sent home. He doesn’t contact Brooke because he feels like he has nothing to offer her. Shane does finally decide to contact her after her career as a teacher is threatened when sexy photos she sent to Shane make their way on to social media all over the Internet. As they are forced together until the scandal dies down, they will have to open up to each other about their pasts and work on their trust issues.

This was a steamy, sexy romance. There was a lot of lust between the two that gave me butterflies in my stomach (love when a book does that to me), but it was more than that! There was some angst and a lot of back and forth, especially on Shane’s part; however, I did find it realistic too! A great deal of the book delved into Shane’s recuperation after the war was over for him. He sustained life changing injuries, not just physical but mentally too. This was a man who had to fight everyday just to get up and put one foot in front of the other. He not only questioned himself because of his physical looks changing, but he questioned himself as a man. What could he offer Brooke now? No career? His mood swings? His PTSD? His ability to walk normally again? This book was different in that Marcus deeply explored those issues. She didn’t just gloss over them. While he fought to push Brooke away, she fought to bring him closer to her. I just love an obstinate, loyal woman! They are both characters that I won’t forget for a long time.

This is the first book I have read by Wendy S. Marcus, but it definitely won’t be my last. Try this one if you like some sexual tension with some sweetness mixed in. It is also very realistic and is very eye-opening in the battles that our women and men come home and face after being in a war. It’s evident that the war may be over for their loved ones but not always for them. GREAT READ!!!!

***Reviewed for Devilishly Delicious Books***
...more

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Aug 11, 2014 Jamie Farrell rated it really liked it

I was given a copy of LOVING YOU IS EASY in exchange for an honest review. Wendy S. Marcus and I are online pals, though we’ve never met in person.

LOVING YOU IS EASY is a wonderfully heartwarming story about inner strength and new beginnings. It’s about of a wounded war hero from a blue collar family and a strong, good-hearted teacher who prefers a quiet life outside the limelight cast by her father, a rising political star. This book made me smile, it made me cry, and it made me ache for our so I was given a copy of LOVING YOU IS EASY in exchange for an honest review. Wendy S. Marcus and I are online pals, though we’ve never met in person.

LOVING YOU IS EASY is a wonderfully heartwarming story about inner strength and new beginnings. It’s about of a wounded war hero from a blue collar family and a strong, good-hearted teacher who prefers a quiet life outside the limelight cast by her father, a rising political star. This book made me smile, it made me cry, and it made me ache for our soldiers who are coming home from war having served our country well, but no longer sure of where they fit in their own world.

Shane was a lovably grumpy hero. There were times I wanted to shake him, to tell him to quit worrying over what he couldn’t give Brooke, because this is the 21st century and she could take care of herself. But I also understood his insecurities and feelings of vulnerability, not just because of the vast differences in their upbringings and families, but because he didn’t know how he would support himself given the extent of his injuries. It’s not just his body and mind that are injured. His pride is too.

Brooke was goodness personified. Ever the schoolteacher and politician’s daughter, she was well-practiced at keeping calm and managing Shane’s grumpy side, even in the midst of her own personal crisis. She was also strong enough to know she deserved to be treated well, and to stand up to Shane when he was overbearing and taking his frustrations out on her.

I adored the secondary characters. Shane’s mom was fantastic, and I loved the banter about all the ways to bake apple treats. I also loved Brooke’s friendship with Neve and Nate, and I adored that Brooke had a good relationship with her father’s head of security. Too often those characters can be wooden caricatures, but Wendy really brought them to life. The one exception was Brooke’s mom. The evil mother is one of those tropes that never quite works for me.

This was a solid, well-written book. I adore Wendy’s books, and I’m hoping for a sequel with Neve and Mic!
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Jul 25, 2014 Laura Drewry rated it it was amazing

Brooke has spent her whole life doing what's right, and a big part of that is keeping up the "perfect politician’s daughter" image. She knows better than to do anything that will land her or her parents in a scandal, and yet that's exactly where she ends up after sending Shane back to Afghanistan with a little something to remember her by; a little something he appears to have shared with his friends.

The scandal explodes over social media, leaving Brook humiliated, under police investigation, an ...more

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Oct 18, 2014 Janie rated it it was amazing

"Loving You is Easy" by: Wendy S. Marcus is one of those books that you don't want to put down. It makes you want to continue to read to find out what is going to happen.

Brooke Elstein is a politician's daughter. She's the sort of shy, quiet, girl who is in control of her life. That is until she meets Shane Develen through 'Support our troops pen-pal' and decides to meet him when he comes home from his tour of duty.

Sexy Shane Develen is blue collar but finds himself attracted to Brooke. He get ...more

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Dec 21, 2014 Susan Swiderski rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance, heartwarming, heart-wrenching

This is a romance novel. No surprise there, right? But trust me, it's more than a simple run-of-the-mill love story. To start with, the hero is a disabled combat veteran with PTSD, which introduces a whole set of unique problems, which, by the way, I think the author portrayed quite well.

The heroine? She's a teacher who has problems of her own, problems initiated by an unfortunate Facebook post, and then made worse when some students post a bunch of lies, which are believed by some hysterical p ...more

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Dec 11, 2014 Nathi *Shut it and let me read* rated it it was amazing

What a fantastic book that took me by surprise!

First of all must I say I'm a huge fan of military books and specially with broken heroes.

I really enjoyed how this book started. It was a completely different way for me to see the main couple interact and still made complete sense to the both characters and relationship development.

What also really interested me, specially in time like this, was the use and sort of little discussion about people judging other without any concrete evidence and how ...more

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Sep 08, 2015 Lydia rated it it was ok

Shelves: nook

I didn't realize what I was getting myself into with this one. It has all the irritatingly "classic" romance novel things. One, or both, of the main characters pretending they don't want to be in a relationship with the other for some reason (in this case, "She's too good for me!" Blech!) Falling in love fast and hard (via letters, and one - yep, I said one - evening together, where she obviously MUST do something sexual... but she doesn't believe in sex outside of a committed relationship... bu ...more

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Nov 22, 2015 AJ's book-reMarks rated it it was amazing

I ordered this book on October 11th, and it took me over a month to get to read it, there has been a setback in reading a book a day. Didn't realize when I purchased this book it would be so appropriate; October is domestic abuse awareness month.

November is a time to remember our fallen soldiers and to pay our respects to all who served our country. It is also a time of unrest in our world with recent terrorist attacks in Paris, Lebanon, and Mali. People are screaming put more troops on the gro ...more

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About Wendy S. Marcus

Wendy S. Marcus

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Wendy S. Marcus is an award-winning author of contemporary romance who lives in the beautiful Hudson Valley region of New York...where she spends way too much time indoors on her computer. Writing. Really! Okay, more like…where she spends way too much time on Twitter and Facebook! To learn more about Wendy and the books she’s managed to write, in spite of her social media addiction, visit http://W ...more