Fisher's Light

Fisher's Light #1

by Tara Sivec

Fisher,
I guess this is it, huh? After fourteen years together, starting a life of our own on this island, five deployments and countless letters I’ve written you through it all, I finally go out to the mailbox and see something I’ve always dreamed of: an envelope with your handwriting on it. For one moment, I actually thought you’d changed your mind, that all the awful things you said to me were just your way of coping after everything you’d been through. I was still here, Fisher. I was still here, holding my breath, waiting for you to come back even though you told me you never would. You always said you’d find your way back to me. Out of all the lies you’ve told me, this one hurts the most.

Enclosed you will find the signed divorce papers, as requested.
I hope you find what you’re looking for. I’m sorry it wasn’t me.
Lucy

To get the ending they want, Lucy and Fisher will have to go back to the beginning. Through the good and the bad, they’ll be reminded of why they always made their way back to each other, and why this time, one way or another, it will be the last time.

Genres: Romance, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, New Adult, Adult, Military Romance

400 pages

First published March 15, 2015

About the author

Tara Sivec is a USA Today best-selling author, wife, mother, chauffeur, maid, short-order cook, baby-sitter, and sarcasm expert. She lives in Ohio with her husband and two children and looks forward to the day when all three of them become adults and move out.

After working in the brokerage business for fourteen years, Tara decided to pick up a pen and write instead of shoving it in her eye out of boredom. She writes in a wide range of genres including Romantic Comedy, Romantic Comedy/Mystery, Romantic Suspense, New Adult Drama, Contemporary Romance and Psychological Thriller. Her novel Seduction and Snacks won first place in the Indie Romance Convention Reader's Choice Awards 2013 for Best Indie First Book and she was voted Best Indie Author in the Indie Romance Convention Reader's Choice Awards 2014.

In her spare time, Tara loves to dream about all of the baking she'll do and naps she'll take when she ever gets spare time.

Reviews

[Aestas Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

“You and me against the world. It’s always been you and me, and it always will be.”

WOW. WOW. WOW!! I finished this incredible book with my heart overflowing with emotions. I was captivated from the first page and was unable to put it down until the end! This was exactly the kind of book I most LOVE to read! A heart-wrenching, achingly beautiful story of true love spanning 15 years. It's a second chance military romance and one of the best books I've ever read. Everyone should read it!!

5+ STARS!!

From the moment I read the blurb, I knew this was a book I had to read. Even just that little tiny glimpse into Lucy and Fisher's story made my heart ache. I needed to know what happened next...
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Fisher,

I guess this is it, huh? After fourteen years together, starting a life of our own on this island, five deployments and countless letters I’ve written you through it all, I finally go out to the mailbox and see something I’ve always dreamed of: an envelope with your handwriting on it. For one moment, I actually thought you’d changed your mind, that all the awful things you said to me were just your way of coping after everything you’d been through. I was still here, Fisher. I was still here, holding my breath, waiting for you to come back even though you told me you never would. You always said you’d find your way back to me. Out of all the lies you’ve told me, this one hurts the most. Enclosed you will find the signed divorce papers, as requested.

I hope you find what you’re looking for. I’m sorry it wasn’t me.
Lucy

To get the ending they want, Lucy and Fisher will have to go back to the beginning. Through the good and the bad, they’ll be reminded of why they always made their way back to each other, and why this time, one way or another, it will be the last time.

_________________________

Gah!! You feel it too, right?!

Lucy and Fisher first met in high school. The day they met was the same day he enlisted. His need to serve his country and his utter devotion to and love for Lucy were the two things that drove him. They built a life together on the island. It wasn't always easy, but they made it through together. She understood and supported his need to be a Marine and did everything in her power to help him heal and find peace each time he came home on leave. But over the years, he was changed by his experiences in the war...

“I love that he has this need to protect our country and our freedom, but at the same time I hate it because it takes him away from me. And sends him back just a little more broken every time.”

Fisher suffered from severe PTSD. It changed him, but Lucy didn't stop loving or believing in him... until one day, he finally pushed too far and forced them apart. A year later, he returns to the island, intent on proving to Lucy that he had conquered his demons and that he'd never once stopped loving her. This is the story of a marriage built on a love so strong that nothing -- not war, not separation, nor even divorce -- could destroy it. As heart-wrenching as it is, it's also truly inspiring and ultimately uplifting.

“I’m going to fix this. I have to fix this… I hate every moment that I’m away from her, but I will do whatever it takes to find the man she once loved and bring him back to her.”

The story is told in a mixture of present day events and memories of the past, from both Fisher and Lucy's POVs. These storylines were seamlessly blended together in a way that strengthened the story and gave deeper meaning to each and every scene. In order to appreciate what each of them were going through in the present day, you had to understand their past and every new bit of their past that we learned would always have a direct impact on your emotional reaction to the present day events.

I really connected deeply to Lucy's character. I loved the way she stood by Fisher through the worst of everything he went through. She hung on as long as she could even after he forced her out of his life. I loved how understanding she tried to be, and I fully understood the depths of her hurt. It was soul deep. And yet, the progression of her growth over the course of the book -- how she got stronger and stronger with everything she endured -- was just perfectly portrayed.

“I only have room in my heart for one man, and it’s always going to be Fisher who occupies that space.”

My heart broke for Fisher over and over again. Tara Sivec really did an outstanding job of showing his experience living with PTSD and what was going on inside his head. We experienced it from both sides. First by seeing what Lucy saw -- him from the outside -- and then from his POV. Seeing what he was going through and living with inside his head was utterly heart-breaking. Heart-crushing.

“It’s a strange thing, feeling like you can’t breathe without another person. Physically, I know I’m breathing and my heart is beating when she’s not around, but… when I’m away from her, I feel like my life is on hold and she’s the only one who can restart it."

Their story owned my heart. More than anything, I loved seeing them work through their issues together. Even through the worst of their mistakes, the one thing I never once doubted was their love for each other. You could feel it on every page. Some of the hurt was impossibly deep, but their love was always there.

"I’m going to remind her why we’re perfect for each other. I’m going to show her that there’s no one else on this earth who can love her like I can.”

Everything that happened felt believable. The characters' emotions were understandable. This entire story felt real. It was gut-wrenching at times, at others it was unbelievable romantic, and some scenes even had me laughing out loud. My heart was broken, torn to shreds, but left healed and whole. In every way, this was the kind of story I most love to read about. A heart-felt story of the resiliance and healing of true love.

“I will always fucking fight for you, Lucy.”

I can't recommend this highly enough. For me, this is one of the best books of the year. Actually, I'd say that at this point, it's tied with The Mason List for my #1 top favorite of 2015.

I loved this book. Lived it. And I know I will never forget it. This is an epic love story. If you're looking for an heart-wrenchingly emotional and yet powerfully uplifting new book, this is it!

Rating: 5+ STARS!! Standalone Adult romance.
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[Mo · Rating 3 out of 5]

OK, don't shoot me. Three stars meant I liked it... No way was it a 4 or 5 star for me. PTSD is hard. An old friend of ours who fought in Vietnam had an "incident" one night when we were out in the pub. He literally fell to the floor, crawled under the table shouting "Charlie 5". It was quite disturbing.


TBH, I thought he was quite immature. Yes, he had a tough time in the Marines but he treated her like shite ...

Just felt it all fell together too easily in the end. One Big Happy Family.


I, for one, love my big HEA but this one didn't move me.

I know most of my friends gave/will give this 4 or 5 stars.

Call my a cynical bitch. I don't mind. I would prefer to think of myself as being honest.


I have only read one other book by this author. Snacks and Seductions and I really enjoyed it.


Anyway, life would be very boring if we all LOVED the same books.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!



This Tara Sivec book is so different from any book of hers I’ve read, but it’s my favorite of hers by far. Her best work to date in my opinion. I loved the emotion, the second chance romance and the military aspect. I loved it all. This was a very special romance for me.

Fisher and Lucy were high school sweethearts who married young. They were so in love and happy. Fisher is in the military. Even though his family has a lot of money, he felt like he needed to do this. To serve his country. And Lucy always supported that no matter how hard it got. After so many tours, Fisher is a different man. A man with PTSD. A man who doesn’t feel good enough for Lucy anymore. A man who gives up and feels like divorcing her is the only option. The only thing thats good for her.



Lucy tries anything and everything she can think of to get Fisher back to being Fisher. But nothing is working. All he does is push her away. Going into the past is heartbreaking. Seeing all that this couple struggles through really got to me. Lucy is completely devoted to Fisher. Nothing could change that. She will fight for him. But what happens when you’re the only one fighting? When the person you’re fighting for has given up?

I’ve lost him. Everything he promised me was a lie. He was never going to find his way back to me.

The divorce is final and Lucy is trying to move on with her life. She runs her family’s inn and lives day to day. She misses Fisher but he hurt her in the worst way. After some time passes (over a year since their divorce) Fisher comes back into town. At this point in the story, most of us won’t like Fisher. But then the letters. We get to read the letters/entries. And we get to see inside of Fisher’s head; see what he was thinking and going through at the time. You will feel for him, you will forgive him, and you will root for him. He’s finally at a good place in his life and he only wants one thing. His Lucy back.

She wasn’t supposed to move on. She was supposed to love ME forever, be with ME forever.

Watching the struggle between Fisher and Lucy felt real. I understood both of their feelings. I got why Lucy felt the way she did. I understood Fisher and what he’d been through. I loved them both and my heart hurt to see them go through this. I loved how resilient they both were in their own ways. At first, Lucy. Never ever giving up on Fisher. Loving him an supporting him through everything. Then, after it was all said and done, there was Fisher. Fisher who lived through hell and now was back to make everything right. To go through that he did and make it out and get the help he needed to move on, that is a beautiful thing.

Their romance is powerful, it’s epic, it’s inspiring. You could feel everything. I could just feel in my heart how it was for Fisher without Lucy.

It’s a strange thing, feeling like you can’t breathe without another person. Physically, I know I’m breathing and my heart is beating when she’s not around, but in my soul, it feels a movie that’s been paused, waiting for someone to come back into the room. When I’m away from her, I feel like my life is on hold and she’s the only one who can restart it.

Fisher’s Light is one of those unforgettable stories. That is one of the highest compliments I can give a book. In a market where there are hundreds of books getting released a month and I’m reading a book most days, to read a truly unforgettable book is an impressive thing.

If you’re looking for a beautiful, moving, powerful and emotional second chance romance, look no further. This is the read for you!

“To get to the good, sometimes you have to live through the bad.”

“You make everything perfect, Lucy. You’re my light and my life and all I need is your love to guide me home, no matter where I go.”

[Val ⚓️ Shameless Handmaiden ⚓️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

***Unpopular Opinion Alert***

Drunkenly edited to add one additional "nugget of fun" at the end for those, like me, who have some extra time to waste invest today...

I liked this book.

So don’t get it twisted.

However...

I did not love this book.



*brushing off stoning rocks*

Now...

Imma let chu finish Taylor Swift but, before anyone thinks I am suffering from a case of “mega hype = too high expectations"…lemme ‘splain Lucy (hahaha, Lucy, get it? Sorry. Geez, be an adult Val).

You might be right.

But I doubt it.

While I couldn't have missed all the hype, I did purposefully avoid reading any in depth reviews on this book regarding storyline, etc.

And, while I usually avoid hyped books like this, in light of the aforementioned "expectations" issue, what I DID see blowing up ALL over my news feed was everyone saying how much it made them cry.

Aaaaaaaannnnnnnnnd being the cold, black souled and heartless young thing I am...I of course immediately thought:

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So before downloading this bad boy I made sure to have a pack of tissues at the ready.

Well, not quite at the “ready” per say.

But in the same house.

In a cabinet.

Still cozied up with its other Costco bulk shrink-wrapped buddies.

So close enough.

But I digress.

And the result?



Yep, that’s right.

Still cold and heartless.

Still unopened and shrink-wrapped tissues in closet.

I thought for sure this could be the one, but alas, no dice.

But I digress.

***Possible Spoilers Ahead***

This was way good, don’t get me wrong.

There was a lot of stuff to love here!

Tortured/heroic/solider/alpha male

+

Strong/loyal/girl-next-door/freckled female.

+

A lot of other familiar elements, i. e., war story, love letters, wet water lovin’, Fourth of July shenanigans, young dude with rich family/young chick with not as rich family, a quaint sea town backdrop…

And, of course…

…a lighthouse.

…Elements which – I’m sorrynotsorry, but seriously, please don’t shoot me…

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…sometimes made me feel like I was reading an amalgamation of Nicholas Sparks books.


War story / Love Letters a la Dear John


Wet water lovin' a la The Notebook


Quaint sea town backdrop a la Safe Haven, leading to...


Fourth of July Shenanigans


Young dude with rich family/Young chick with not as rich family a la The Last Song


Pretty sure this one is obvious enough...

See what I mean?



But anywho!

I thought the story was very solid, with some very powerful elements.

Fisher’s PTSD was so very earnest and raw and the way the author flipped back and forth between past and present and different POVs - which usually annoys the be-Jesus out of me - was very engrossing and well done here.

For a while.

But then, the fact that the lynch pin of the entire story line ended up coming around to what essentially boils down to a miscommunication over one single episode of rough sex?



I felt that this took something away from what I thought were the book’s more significant story lines.

In fact, I felt like the whole rough/passionate sex story thread kind of cheapened Fisher and Lucy’s emotional connection and virtually trivialized the impact of Fisher’s PTSD at that point - both elements I felt to be the more powerful, touching threads of the story - for me anyway.

In addition, I felt like there was so much awesome build-up of tension and excitement leading up to 1) Fisher and Lucy's first run-in in the present 2) Their eventual "coming together" and, quite frankly, I felt that both of those scenes were a little more...anticlimactic than I had expected them to end up being.



Also: I thought the Ellie/Bobby story line was superfluous and killing off the poor grandfather in conjunction with the fecking HURRICANE? Come on, man, really? So unnecessary in my opinion.

And don't even get me started on the scuba excursion and the Dad's "about face" in the end. Ri-goddamn-diculous if you ask me..

Otherwise, this was a very sweet story with some really good themes. The ending was especially sweet - if a little too sweet...and too conveniently tied in a bow IMO - but I enjoyed it well enough.

Overall, remember: unpopular, minority opinion here - so take this review with a grain of salt.

The vast majority of my good GR buddies LOVED this book - and rightfully so. It's a really great book, with a very sweet, heartfelt story line.

It just didn't quite spread the peanut butter evenly across the bread for me is all.


Please check out my Bottom Ho Allison's review...And...my response to said review...

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Val-Pal's review of your review:




-Flawless segue into book falling the fuq apart with girl falling down gif:



Out-fucking-standing.

-The precise pointing out of all the skulduggerous shenanigans afoot in the last avalanche half of the book:





Hahahahaha, you have potato chips, you losers.

-Shout-out to moi with jumping shark referral:



Additional visual aid:



-Overall awesomeness:



Well done, bottom ho, well done!

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

“I kept my promise. I found my way back to you and I will ALWAYS find my way back to you, no matter where I go, forever..."

I loved the first half of this book. It had the perfect blend of everything I love in an angsty, emotional romance. Unfortunately, the second half of the story fell short of my expectations and didn’t live up to the hype. That said, I still enjoyed this book.

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I'll always find my way back to her."



This book maybe my favorite Tara Sivec book to date! This is a second change romance that totally wowed me. You have one tormented war veteran and one devoted military wife and you add alcoholism, a severe case of PTSD and sadly things deteriorate very quickly for this couple. Your heart will go out to Lucy and Fisher.

”I became a different man.

A dangerous man.

A suicidal man.”

This story is told in dual povs as well as skillfully entwining the couple’s back story and an amazing island/town that was vividly alive through the pages. The story is gutting while realistically brings our characters back together one year later as Fisher has returned to the island to make amends to the town and to win back his wife.

”Not everything has to change, Lucy. Sometimes, people are perfectly happy with the way things used to be. Life just gets in the way and makes them forget for a little while.”



Fisher and Lucy’s journey was extremely well done and the supporting characters were just as fantastic to boot. There was one or two things that I didn't like but nothing that took away from the feels you get once finished. Expect to love both characters and hope that someday Tara Sivec takes up back to Fisher’s Island!


”She makes me appreciate my home, because she IS my home.”

[Lady Vigilante (Feifei) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!



My first reaction after finishing this book – WOW! And then I curled up in my bed, letting the story just sink in and running scenes through my head that made me smile and cry hard. This book was an epic love story in every way, capturing beautiful highs of a couple so in love with each other, baring the ugly lows when the unexpected blazes through, and their harrowing journey full of heartbreak and hope. While the book wasn’t perfect to me, the romance aspect of it was, and that part just totally won over my heart. I felt Fisher’s pain, I felt Lucy’s sorrow, I just...felt. And when I experience that kind of emotion in any book, any nit-picking and boundaries don’t have a say. I just let my heart take over and give the verdict: I love second chance romances, I love this military hero, I love this resilient heroine, and I love this book.

“This is where my story begins.
Or ends.
I can never really decide.”

Fisher and Lucy were high school sweethearts. Meeting when she was 16, he was 18; marrying when she was 20, he was 22...it was a fairytale dream come true for the both of them. But one thing that has always given Fisher purpose was his need to serve his country, and so he enlisted and became a Marine with Lucy fully supporting him behind. Throughout the 14 years they were married and through all his deployments, cracks in their marriage started to surface. Add on the severe PTSD and scarce time the two of them actually spend with each other, the once loving couple are a shell of what they were before.

“I couldn’t tell the difference between dreams and reality. I became a different man.
A dangerous man.
A suicidal man.”



With all of his experiences in combat, Fisher didn’t know how to adjust being a civilian again and didn’t know how to convey all the warring emotions in him to Lucy, the one person who he always thought could ground him and keep his demons at bay. And Lucy...this tortured woman was at a loss too – she could only stand by helplessly as she watched her husband sink deeper into a dark nightmare she couldn’t save him from. In the end, 14 years of marriage went down the drain and both have been pushed to a point where divorce and time apart was the only way to go.



But that wasn’t the end for Fisher and Lucy. Over time, Fisher got himself cleaned up and Lucy became a stronger, more independent woman. The actual story the book begins with is Fisher determined to win his beloved wife back again, and as the plot progressed in the present, there are many pivotal past moments weaved in as well. It’s common knowledge that I absolutely despise time gaps and choppy past/present POVs so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw they were done so well here. Each chapter served a purpose and they helped me better understand these characters. Even with his PTSD, Fisher made many terrible mistakes that delivered blow after blow to Lucy’s pride and heart, and having to read those scenes just...gah! They really hurt. But when I got his version of events, it was aching heart time all over again for me. Basically my heart never stopped getting a workout. As for Lucy, she is one of the most idealistic yet resilient heroines I’ve read about. She fought hard for her marriage when Fisher didn’t, she held onto hope when he gave up, and kept fighting all the way to the end. I didn’t see her as a doormat at all, because when she finally saw for her own eyes how useless it was to hold onto hope when Fisher was beyond saving then, she stood up for herself. Not going to lie, I was mentally kicking Fisher in the nuts and hugging Lucy hard here.

“It’s live driving by a car accident and not being able to tear your eyes away from the devastation because you just have to see, you have to know it’s real and that it actually happened.”

But that was the Fisher in the past. The Fisher now hasn’t lost sight of what he truly wants, and that’s Lucy and their life on the island. He also sees that the sweet, timid wife from before has changed. She’s more bold. More confident. But also more reserved. And though she tentatively lets him into her life again, Lucy’s quick to protect her heart this time, even knowing full well that Fisher’s had it all along. And that’s where the true beauty of this story lies, that no matter what tribulations and harsh experiences this couple goes through, love will always prevail.

“How many people get a second chance at love with the only person they’ve ever held in their heart?”

Forget second chances. Third, fourth, fifth...nth number of chances and Fisher and Lucy will always end up together. THAT is how strongly I can feel their depth of devotion and love for each other.



Though this was a 400-page book, it went by so fast I wished there was more. The secondary characters were wonderful and were often a source of comical relief (or extra angst depending on who). I also loved the quaint setting and for me it added a dreamy, romantic feel to the story that can’t be fabricated...it truly felt natural. The writing was seriously top-notch. I haven’t read a book from this author for almost 2 years so I’ve pretty much forgotten what her writing is like (oops!) but reading this book makes me want to revisit all her other books I missed. All in all, this story took me back to a time a few years ago when I was voraciously devouring romance after romance, loving and drowning in a sea of emotion without a care in the world. Not that I don’t do that now, but because my tastes have gotten more cynical and picky, not everything appeals to me anymore. This is one of those rare times an author has delivered a powerful, epic romance which won over that jaded heart of mine, and that’s not something I can ignore. I highly recommend this book to ALL romance fans. Let Fisher and Lucy’s story win over your heart too.

Fisher’s Light is a second chance military romance standalone. It’s not related to this author’s other books.

P.S. In my reading progress updates I said I had a teensy complaint with this book. Well that actually turned out to be 3 LOL! But keep in mind, they didn’t make that big of a difference anyway and didn’t affect my enjoyment of the story. Emotions won over and feels were everywhere :)

1. My picky brain just can’t get how in 1 year Fisher was able to detox and clean himself up enough to come back so determined to win over Lucy again. This was really unrealistic to me considering how he had 14 years worth of ugly to work out but for romance’s sake I let this one slide.

2. The ending with the hurricane was rushed...like really rushed now that I think about it. But once again I let it go because Fisher and Lucy had been through so much I just wanted them to be together already.

3. The usage of so many CAPS in the second half of the book. A few times for emphasis is fine with me but seriously, on every other page there’d be a word in all CAPS and it made me OCD. What’s wrong with italics?

[Lana ❇✾DG Romance❇✾ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

I’m going to fix this. I have to fix this… I hate every moment that I’m away from her, but I will do whatever it takes to find the man she once loved and bring him back to her.”

When I first read that blurb, I knew that this was going to be one of those books for me. The soul crushing, gut wrenching, make you hurt so good just to put you back together kind of books. And you know what? I wasn't even a tiny bit wrong. Just 5 percent into this story, I was completely captivated and totally enraptured in the story of Fisher and Lucy. I think the only thing I love more than an amazing second chance romance, is a tortured hero and this book gave me both.

How do I get that back when the darkness is hell bent on taking over, holding me in its clutches and making sure I never see the sunshine again?

Fisher's Light is told in alternating first person POV and flips back and forth between past and present in the form of Fisher's journal entries in past and alternating POVs in the present. It's done in such an incredible way that it read like two sides of a coin. It gave you the dark, ugly parts of their relationship only to turn around and through Fisher's journal to give you that light at the end of the tunnel. Where one part you'll find yourself hating him and the way he treats Lucy, in the other part your heart will break for him and his internal struggle. These two sides were balances out so well, that the story was made that much better.

Fisher and Lucy are high school sweethearts. Their love for each other flows right off of the pages and deep into your soul. It's one of those couples that will really stay with me for years to come. Fisher is the son of the founding family of Fisher's Island. He's the popular rich boy that every boy wants to be and every girl wants to be with. But the second Fisher first lays eyes on Lucy, no one else exists for him.

Fisher joins the Marines when he's 18. Their marriage of 14 years survives 5 of his tours overseas. Every time he comes back, he comes back a little more broken, a little more haunted, and a little more tortured.

Suffering from debilitating PTSD, Fisher begins to slowly lose touch between his reality and his memories but Lucy stands by him through it all

There might be a few cracks, but nothing is ever perfect. Anything that’s worth living for, worth dying for, has a few cracks

But unfortunately, no matter how hard she fights for him, with each and every day that passes, Fisher slips further and further away from her. Until the one day where he breaks her so completely that there is absolutely no coming back from it.

I don't deserve her forgiveness. I never deserved her to begin with, so now she'll be free to find security and happiness without having to worry about the broken man she married who can never be fixed.

This book hurt so good, I can't even begin to describe to you the feels of it all. I was a slobbering, sniveling mess for a good chunk of it and I loved every tearful second of it. It was such a beautiful and emotional story.

Lucy is ones of those heroines that you will fall in love with from the very beginning. She's strong but with insecurities, yet her love for Fisher is so fierce and unconditional. When he left her a year ago, she didn't know if she could come back from it. But she picked up the scattered pieces of her life and she's trying to move on.

To get to the good, sometimes you have to live through the bad.

Fisher never stopped loving Lucy. He knows that his actions hurt her immeasurably, but he's determined to atone for his sins and get his wife back. There is no one else for him.

You're my light, Lucy...
You are always the light in my darkness. You're the reason I'm alive, you're the reason I'm here and you're the reason I breathe, every day."

Lucy is no longer the insecure and meek little girl from their childhood or the quiet wife he left behind, and she definitely doesn't make things easy for him. Watching him really work to get back into her life was one of my favorite parts of this book. Having only read Tara's Chocolate Lovers series, I was honestly shocked at how she was able to flip from humorous and fluffy to something so emotional and poignant. It speaks volumes of her talent as an author.

I will ALWAYS fucking fight for you, Lucy,” I promise as I dig my fingers deeper into her hips and pull her body down a little more on my cock...
"It's always been you. It will ALWAYS, only be you." I whisper as I shift my hips and slide in and out of her as fast as I can in the water.

I adored this book from beginning to finish. It ripped my heart to shreds and then melded it all back together with a romance that I'll compare all others to. It was just THAT good.

I recommend this book for any romance readers. This is simply a must read and it's going straight to the very top of my all time favorites.

For more reviews visit

[Catarina · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Beautiful Stars.



Lucy and Fisher fell in love in their island many years ago. They married and they thought it would be forever. But Fisher was a Marine and war changed him.. And he didn’t realized that everything changed with him. So when he comes home with PTSD he doesn’t want to show his weakness, he doesn’t want help. So he pushes away everyone and everything he loves. Even Lucy, the woman who loved him through everything.
He said he would always find his way to her, but sometimes in order to find the right way we have to get lost in the middle. This is Lucy and Fisher’s story, it isn’t always pretty… but it’s definitely worth reading.



This book was an epic journey of love, redemption, forgiving and second chances. About how to adapt to the circumstances life throw us, and use them to grow as person. Life not always go as we plan it (in fact… does it ever?) but it all comes down to how we deal with all the cards that are dealt to us. Lucy and Fisher had a bad hand of cards and a rough path, but that was what made their story so beautiful. There was some things about this book that I didn’t particularly liked The fact that what made everything go down was a stupid case of miscommunication. How he treated her sometimes, even if he did it to make her go away and don’t see his weakness. That scene in the bar that in my opinion only added unnecessary angst to an already emotional story. , but in overall was a pretty good and extremely well written reading. Some are saying that this was a book full of angst, but at my eyes, despite having some gut-wrenching moments it was more emotional than anything else. And as the chapters were intercalating between different time frames it lessened the hardness of the story and made the reading experience easier and sweeter.
Tara Sivec proved to me with this book that she is a talented and versatile author. Without a doubt, a book I recommend reading.



Rating: 4 Stars.
Characters Development: I loved Lucy. How decided and strong she was against all adversities, and they were a lot of them. I loved how sweet, loyal and genuinely good she was. A great heroine. Fisher was another story, being inside his head was good for understanding his actions, so we knew exactly why he was doing all that, but at some moments it was impossible not to hate him: he has purposely hurtful and behaved like an asshole. But the way he fought for everything again, the way he give everything for a second chance made me love him again. It was a love-sometimes-hate relationship between us. I really liked Bobby and the way he and Fisher would give Stanford stupid names. Supporting characters were strong but his father was especially despicable.
Steam: Hot.
Sensible Subjects: PTSD. Alcoholism.
Love Triangle: No.
Cheating: There’s a moment of huge stupidity. But no cheating.
HEA: Yes.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars



I knew I was going to love this book. The blurb alone had me anxious to start. I love books that make me hurt, gut-wrenching emotion, angst, sign me up. Fisher's Light did not disappoint. I found myself completely wrapped up in Lucy and Fisher's love story.

"I couldn’t tell the difference between dreams and reality. I became a different man.
A dangerous man.
A suicidal man.”

It's hard to describe this book, through multiple POVs and flashbacks, the reader is thrown into emotional turmoil, experiencing the heartache and the love between these two high school sweethearts.



This story focuses on PTSD, while Fisher is suffering, instead of communicating, he pushes everyone away. After a year of separation he returns home, hoping he can repair the damage he has done to his marriage.



The first 80% of this book was perfection. I loved every minute. Then there was a bit of added drama that was a bit much for me, but still, I was so emotionally invested in these two, it didn't bother me too much. So while a few things bothered me, this was still a phenomenal read. I highly recommend this one for romance junkies with a soft spot for second chances.

[✦❋Arianna✦❋ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

"He who has a why to live can bear almost any how." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

“How many people get a second chance at love with the only person they’ve ever held in their heart?”

Did you ever feel like a part of your heart has been ripped out of your chest? That’s exactly how I felt at times reading this wonderful story. 'Fisher’s Light' is a beautiful, gut wrenching, touching story about life, love, war, forgiveness, redemption and last, but not least the power of love. It’s a story not only about second chances at love, but second chances as life as well. It’s a story that absolutely moved me and without a doubt will stay with me for a while. It’s one of my favorite books (so far) of this year and the best second chances romance I’ve read so far. It’s the story of Fisher and Lucy and their touching love story who spans so many years.

“You make everything perfect, Lucy. You’re my light and my life and all I need is your love to guide me home, no matter where I go.”

Fisher and Lucy met and fell in love in high school. Fishing’s family is wealthy and he’s the son of the founding family of Fisher’s Island. Needless to say, he’s popular. Every boy wants to be his friend or to be him and every girl wants to be with him. From the moment he met Lucy he was drawn to her. She’s shy, but feisty when there’s a reason to be, she’s different. She challenges him and he enjoys it every single time.

Fisher always wanted to make a difference, to serve his country, so he joins the Marines. His and Lucy marriage survived for 14 years and 5 tours of duty. With every time Fisher goes to war he loses a part of himself, with every time he goes to war he comes back more and more lost and tortured. The first four times, Lucy manages to make Fisher forget a little about all the horrors, atrocities, crimes and sufferings he witnessed.



After the fifth tour, Fisher is changed completely. He’s broken. He always had nightmares, but after this last tour he experiences nightmares more often, his PTSD becoming more severe. Lucy tries to be there for him, to help him, fighting for him and for them as a couple. She wants to take away his pain, she wants to give him what he needs, even if she knows she doesn’t have this power.



Fisher doesn’t speaks with Lucy about he saw during the war, he doesn’t let her in, he pushes away, he treats her badly breaking her in the process.

"I love her so much and all I'm doing is hurting her. The one person in my life who never lets me down and all I keep doing is breaking her apart."

Fisher never stopped loving Lucy. He doesn’t want to hurt her more than he did, he doesn’t want for her to suffer along with him, he doesn’t want to become as tortured as himself, so he does what he thinks is best for her, he files for divorce. What he didn’t know is that his actions will completely destroy Lucy. They say that people who are meant to be together will always find their way back to each other, and Fisher and Lucy will find it after a year. A year, difficult for both of them. While Fisher was at a clinic, talking with counselors and dealing with his issues, Lucy build high walls to protect herself.

Now, a year later, Fisher is a recovering alcoholic, not fully healed still having nightmares. But now he knows he can’t keep living in the past, he knows that he’s a different person and all he wants is to win 'his wife' for more than a decade back.

“She moved on. She wasn’t supposed to move on. She was supposed to love ME forever, be with ME forever.”

***

“I’m going to remind her why we’re perfect for each other. I’m going to show her that there’s no one else on this earth that can love her like I can.”

What an incredible read! I was mesmerized by this story from the prologue and I loved it from the beginning to finish. This story with its real, relatable and redeemable characters really made me feel. Written in dual POV both in the past and in the present, “Fisher’s Light” surprised me in a very good way, especially since it was my first read by this author. Both Fisher and Lucy are very well developed, (both in the past and in the present) and are very compelling characters who have their flaws and/or insecurities. I loved them as teenagers and I loved them as adults.



Fisher was such a tormented hero. My heart broke a thousand times reading about his nightmares and his PTSD moments. It was heartbreaking ‘to see’ a full grown man like him acting and suffering like that. It wasn’t my first read with a hero who suffers from PTSD, but it was for sure the best I’ve read so far. His characterization is so well done. The author did a really great job. Like I said before she made me feel and Fisher’s flashbacks have a significant role in this.



Fisher is not a perfect man and he knows it. He made a lot of mistakes, but he redeemed himself. When he comes back he wants to make amends with the people whose business he trashed when he was just a tortured man and he’s ready to do anything to win Lucy back. He’s persistent and he wants to be a better man for Lucy, he wants to be ‘the one’ for her, to care for her and to love her like he did in the past. And I admired and loved him for that. I also loved him for the fact he makes Lucy live again, because like him in all this time they were separated, she didn’t live, she only breathed.

“I hate that I made you feel that way. I hate that I never let you know how much it killed me to be away from you. I hate that I made you second-guess everything I felt for you.”

He treated Lucy so badly and I know many readers will hate him for that. I didn’t! Who am I to judge a man who sacrificed himself and his sanity to serve his country? All of us deal differently in a certain situation and we are different from each other. Let's not forget that! He didn’t know how to deal with everything he has experienced, he didn’t know how to ask for help. He is just a simply man. So...I don’t have any complains about his character. This doesn’t mean my heart didn’t broke for Lucy.

“I know I should hate him. He broke my heart and said things he knew would tear me in half, but how do you turn your back on all the years you’ve spent loving someone, growing with him and building a life together?”

Lucy is an amazing woman. She supports Fisher and she fights so damn hard for him and for their marriage. She never loses hope when it comes to him. She’s not perfect either. She has insecurities and I must admit there were a few times when I didn’t agree with her decisions or where I didn’t like her thoughts too much. She’s loyal, caring and so supportive from the moment she met Fisher to the moment he went to war. In my eyes she’s an incredible woman. I liked the woman she was in the past and I loved the woman she has become. She’s more confident, bolder and mouthy. We all know how a certain experience can change you and in this case, Lucy’s change is visible. But even if she's a changed woman, she has her own fears and she still has some insecurities.

I loved how their relationship changed and how Fisher worked for her attention. Their love is powerful, it never died and I absolutely adored it and felt it. It’s intense and palpable. It's beautiful. I like to think this one year break between them, help them to become better individuals and also to become stronger as a couple.

The secondary characters were really great (most of them) and some of them plays a certain role in Fisher and Lucy’s relationship. I’m not really a fan of time gaps, because in my opinion most of the time it ruins the quality of the story. So it goes without saying I can’t remember the last book I’ve read where the author used a time gap. For some reason this time it really worked for me. Tara Sivec also did a remarkably job with the past/present POVs. It definitely made the story more captivating.

While I absolutely loved this story I have one little complain – the ending, which in my opinion was a little too rushed. Just a little! I can’t say I cared to much about it, since it didn’t affect my rating, but I thought I should mention it.

All in all, 'Fisher’s Light' was a wonderful second chance romance with a solid, intriguing plot, great developed characters and fantastic writing and I highly recommend it!

“You and me against the world, Fisher. It’s always been you and me, and it always will be.”

[Pavlina Read more sleep less blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 EMOTIONAL STARS

You and me against the world, Fisher. It’s always been you and me, and it always will be.” Such a beautiful, powerful, emotional and intense book!! Lucy and Fisher's story touched me on so many levels!I loved them both and I felt their love, their pain and their loss.This book is about second chances and forgiveness!Tara Sivec has a unique way of writing her stories and I really enjoyed her style. I haven't read a book by her prior to this book but I'm going to be checking out her other series!!



This book follows Lucy and Fisher's life, from the past and present.They fell in love in high school and they got married but Fisher was a Marine and he suffers from PTSD due to the traumatic incidents.He becomes emotionally numb especially around those closest to him. He was aggressive and he has bad dreams from his war experiences. However one thing was for sure he loved his wife Lucy so much. Fisher was emotionally devoted to her and because he was afraid for her he asked for a divorce. Now that he is better he wants her back...but nothing can be easy... Can they manage to be together again without problems? Is their love strong enough?



Wow this book made me feel so many things!!I cried so much for Lucy and Fisher!I wanted them together and happy!I have to say that reading Fisher's POV broke my heart,I cried a lot! Poor Fisher,I love him so much! He is a mess and I understood him.At the beginning I felt so sad for Lucy but then in comes his POV and I felt his love and reasons for his actions. He didn't know how to speak to her and how to get her back...he’s afraid that he will hurt her. Lucy is a lovable character! She is sweet,kind and tough! She is always putting everyone else before her. She is exactly what Fisher needs!




This book is a must be read for everyone! It's so beautiful but be prepared with your Kleenex because you are going to need them!!

[Allison ❤️Will Never Conquer Her TBR❤️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Over-the-top drama Stars!


Nicky Sparks, you ain't got nothing on the romantic drama in this baby. Prep yourselves boys and girls, because this review isn't all hearts and flowers.


Let me also preface this with the fact that Fisher's Light was all over my feed when I bought it. The book blurb promised me an angsty emotional book and let's just say I LOVE to cry in a tortuously emotional read. Let's also say that I DID NOT CRY. Not even close. Having that out of the way, onto my rant review.





Fisher's Light takes place in a remote island off the coast of South Carolina. I'm not sure if such a place exists, but I want to go there if it does. South Carolina is awesome! Take their southern hospitality and couple it with island life, that'd be perfection. But I digress...


Fisher is a Marine who's suffered greatly for his country during wartime. He's married to Lucy in the sky with diamonds, being high school sweethearts. After the events of 9/11 he's compelled to enlist. He just didn't plan to meet Lucy two days later when she and her family moved to Fisher Island to run their family inn...Butler House Inn.


Fishers Light takes us back and forth from past to present. Fisher serves multiple tours of duty and gradually the tolls of what he encounters during wartime have a severe impact on his psyche. He's got severe PTSD after his latest 16 month stint. He suffers from delusions and hallucinations. It's ugly. He's terrified his hallucinations will cause him to hurt Lucy so, in the end, he files for a divorce and leaves the island in a drunken mess.
There's the gist of the book. The author did a spectacular job flip flopping from past to present in dual POV. Oftentimes that confuses me and disconnects me from the current place in time, but Ms Sivec nailed it perfectly! She also captured the deep seated damage combat causes veterans and I'm thankful she didn't sugar coat an ounce of it. PTSD for veterans is ugly. It's slipped under the rug. It needs more light shine upon it so these vets get the help they deserve. But, again, I digress. This is a subject close to my heart so you'll have to deal a bit...


Lucy was a strong heroine and I felt for the pain she was going through watching her husband whither away inside and not being able to help him. Short of dumping him off to a VA center, I don't see how she could've helped him.


I went from 'love Fisher' to 'hate Fisher' to 'love Fisher' depending on the POV at the time. My heart broke for Lucy with the horrible things he said when he was at his worst with PTSD. But when I got in his head, via his journal entries, my heart broke for him. This first half of the book was easy five stars for me. Then the wheels came off...





Okay...so here's where the book falls short for me.... I'm going to spoiler tag it because, not gonna lie, it's definitely spoilery. Proceed with caution if you plan to read this book.


1- This book was SO Nicholas Sparks melodramatic cliche I can't even begin... I understand giving the reader angst but come on, already. Nothing, I mean, nothing seemed to go their way. From the-
a) Complete dickhead father-in-law banker threatening to foreclose her inn. I mean, who is that mean?
b) Town whore Melanie going after Fisher with zero care that he's a married man and damaged.
c) Douchenozzle Stanford (that's name I found cute the first half dozen times she made fun of it- but that got old- Stan-the-Man, Stan-the-UN-Man, Stan-Weasel-Ford, Stan-Dick-Fuck-Ford, Stanley, Salamander, Santana, etc ).
d) Complete lack of communication in the ONE thing that would've brought them back together emotionally. That being rough sex? Really? I think putting so much focus on that, making that focus the bulk of their challenge to overcome, trivialized how much the guy went through to get back to Lucy. Which, by the way, NO WAY can a year in rehab take him from where he was to completely healed psychologically. But that part didn't really bother me. Her holding back from him because she just wanted him to take her rough was a bit weird though. Say you like it rough...move on. The guy is just trying to be sweet. That was one of her only immature moves in the book that bugged me.





2- The ending was a complete hemorrhage of useless plot drama...or as my buddy Val called it, "jumping the shark." (defined below, because, yes, she had to define it for me). Drama overload, here we come. Within the last 8% we get-

1- A hurricane pummeling Fisher Island (just in time for Lucy to realize Fisher is the love of her life and stop freezing him out). I mean where is Jim Cantore from The Weather Channel? He calls hurricanes DAYS ahead of time. And one blows up in minutes!? Nope, then all the while...
2- Fisher happens to be scuba diving? For hours? How much oxygen does a tank hold? Oh, she said he used four tanks. Doesn't that require a person to come up to the surface to swap them out? I'm not a scuba diver apparently..but you'd think an impending hurricane would effect the waves a bit. **eye roll** Anywho...
3- Enter Lucy risking life and limb to find him in said hurricane. And RUNNING into the ocean (DURING A HURRICANE) to aimlessly look for him. Can't fix stupid.






Okay, so, we know he saves her life cuz yah, it can't happen any other way. Now let's propose right there to her after such a life saving moment! (Enter Nicholas Sparks swoon moment....ahhhhh). They must have quality pockets in scuba gear to hold those engagement rings. But plot twist for no f$cking reason was the killing off Fisher's grandpa during the hurricane. Why? Sad or mad? MAD! Then have the villain father-in-law do a total 180' and suddenly support them like dad-of-the-year? Nope, a leopard never changes it's spots. And I won't even start with the little "bun in the oven" we get at the very end. Two weeks or 8%...ridiculous





Sorry but that wrapped-in-a-bow everything drama weird coming to a peaceful conclusion killed the book for me. So I didn't shed a tear. I actually finished this book with the biggest eye roll I've had in a long time. Call me cold hearted. Call me cynical. I love a good Contemporary romance but I hate contrived drama that, instead of clutching my heart, makes me want to chuck my kindle out the window.





Rant over. For those friends who loved this (which is the vast majority), I guess I get the cold hearted bitch award (gimme it, Polly). The plot didn't connect enough with me emotionally to make up for all the manufactured drama in the end. And a special thanks to my bottom ho, Val-Pal, for keeping me from jumping off a cliff in the end. Mwah!





Definition of "Jumping the Shark" by Wikipedia- Jumping the shark is an idiom created by Jon Hein that was used to describe the moment in the evolution of a television show when it begins a decline in quality, signaled by a particular scene, episode, or aspect of a show in which the writers use some type of gimmick in an attempt to keep viewers' interest, which is taken as a sign of desperation, and is seen by viewers to be the point at which the show had strayed irreparably from its original premise.

Total "jumping the shark" ending!

[Mysza · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will be short cause I'm kinda lazy tonight. I liked it but I didn't love it. It was ok, good story, important topic (PTSD) entwined, nice love story and some steam, but it didn't impress me that much. The first half was solid 5 stars, but then it lost my interest slowly. The ending was too "sweet", everything just fell so quickly into place. And call me cynical bitch, but I didn't cry this time.
Would I recommend it? Yes
Will I reread it someday? No

PS. I was thinking about second chance romances while reading and kept comparing it to others, I could say it reminded me a bit of Hydraulic Level Five, I mean the story was completely different but the angst was similar. Though to be honest, hydraulic was much much better.

[Geri Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A heart-wrenching story of a broken soldier and his faithful wife. It reminded me of the story of Odysseus and Penelope in Homer's Odyssey. But this one was a little bit more heart-wrenching because every time Fisher comes home to his island and his Lucy, he comes back a little more broken.

What struck me about this book wasn't the PTSD per se, but the sacrifices these families make when one of them choose to serve their country. The agony of waiting and then dealing with PTSD was hard to read but it was done beautifully here by Sivec that I couldn't really complain.

[Polly · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!!

Holy shit this book!


I'm not going to go in depth with what happened in this book. I'm not that type of reviewer. I just want to say I really feel that everyone should give this one a shot.

The FEELINGs!! I had tears in my eyes almost all the way through. Tears of anger, tears of heartache, and tears of happiness.

People think I'm a stone cold bitch and well you know this one broke down my walls.

This is a book about building yourself up again after being at the lowest point of your life and prevailing.
It's the story of true soulmates making it in life and prevailing.


My top book of 2015 for sure.


Side note for those that don't want to read it because of one scene this is for you, I'm going to give you a few pointers


I got over it so can you.
Shut up and read the book.

[* Meli Mel * · Rating 3 out of 5]

♥♥♥ 3.75 STARS ♥♥♥

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"I’m going to remind her why we’re perfect for each other. I’m going to show her that there’s no one else on this earth who can love her like I can.”

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

That blurb, I am a total sucker for a second chance at love story. So, of course I had to read this one right away.

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"There's a light that guides all of us to where we're meant to be. You're meant to be with me, Lucy. Please...be with me."

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

As soon as I read the first page, I knew this one was going to hurt me...bad. And it totally did. Fisher and Lucy have known each other since they were kids and become high school sweethearts. Fisher comes from a wealthy family, the family that founded Fisher's Island. Lucy and Fisher eventually get married, and Fisher joins the Marines. But each time Fisher returns, he comes back a bit more internally scarred. On his final tour, where he received some damage to his shoulder, his PTSD has become very severe. And his marriage of 14 years, comes to an end in the most heart shattering way.

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"I will ALWAYS fucking fight for you, Lucy. I'm sorry I went away but I DID find my way back to you and I'm never fucking leaving again. It's always been you. It will ALWAYS, only be you."

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

Lucy tried so hard to help Fisher with his PTSD, because it seemed that she was the only one who could calm him. Eventually Fisher pushes her away, and it hurt so much each time that he did. This story goes from past to present, alternating in each chapter. I really liked that about this, because it gave me a chance to see how their romance began and grew. I really like Lucy and I loved her unconditional support towards her husband. I truly felt for her and how her marriage with Fisher ended that it made me tear up so bad. Fisher I really liked when he wasn't being a complete jerk thanks to his PTSD. I was happy that he didn't give up and that he tried so hard to show Lucy that he still loved her. I totally loved when his Alpha male came out, as well.

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

"The thing I've NEVER been more clear about is how much I love you, how much I need you, and how I don't ever want to be anywhere else but right here with you."

●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●  ●

The story was sweet and very emotional. There were a few parts that for me were a tad slow. And, there were also times that I felt were a bit too dramatic. Once their story of the past ended, and the remaining last part of the book took place in the present, I thought things would come together a bit better. It did take a while, and I got frustrated with Lucy and Fisher's stubbornness and miscommunications. But other than that, I really liked and enjoyed the story. I loved the smoking hot scenes and liked some of the secondary characters. Overall, it was a good romantic second chance at love story.

[Sher❤ The Fabulous BookLover · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆4.5 "The Light in My Darkness" Stars☆☆

"I kept my promise. I found my way back to you and I will ALWAYS find my way back to you, no matter where I go, forever."
-Fisher

I love married couple stories and this one was no different. Gosh there's just something about fighting for that second chance at love! From the very first moment I opened this book I've experienced a kaleidoscope of emotions. This was an intense ride and it doesn't let up until the final pages of the epilogue. And let me tell you the final chapters hits you like wham! If you've known someone who've dealt with ptsd then you can relate, but heck I think of you've been married or have ever been in a serious relationship you probably can relate!

Fisher and Lucy are an amazing couple. This story spans 15 years of their relationship. Fisher is a marine and everytime he comes back home to Lucy a little bit of him had been lost and chipped away because of the ravaging war. Marriage is already hard to begin with, but when you add in a struggling spouse with the effects of war it becomes almost impossible.

"I love that he had this need to protect our country and freedom, I hate it because it takes him away from me. And sends him back just a little more broken every time."

I certainly had my issues with Fisher. Through his struggles with the after effect of ptsd he was constantly and repeatedly hurting Lucy.

"I was punishing her for being so soft and sweet and beautiful when all I'd known for the last year was hard and awful and ugly."

I found myself disliking him a lot, especially how he kept pushing her away. But that's what we humans do! We hurt the ones who are closest to us. Why do we do that? I found myself getting emotionally involved with Fisher's healing and slowly I grew to love him as he tried to mend his broken marriage.

Lucy, wow what an amazing heroine! She was one of the strongest heroines I've ever read. You have to look very closely because it's more of a quiet strength. She had character, selflessness, integrity and most of all...a forgiving heart. After enduring what Fisher had done to her she still found it in her heart to forgive...that to me was just amazeballs.

If I had to sum it up I would say this was about forgiveness and second chances. And even though I really enjoyed this story it may not be for everybody, but I do wish everyone would read it! It's definitely worth reading.

*Thanks to Keisha for lending me this book, because I would've missed out on an amazing story:)*

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 The Sacrifices We Make
* * * 1/2 Spoiler Free
I have been very fortunate in my life. I have not been touched directly by the horrors of war. I have mentioned in reviews my past work with Veterans. To assist these dedicated individuals has been a personal honor.

In Fisher's Light, I was aware of the premise and dove in with an open mind.

The story used the idea of each characters' POVs and covered different times in the relationship. We had the end of the relationship, the back story as to why and how it ended and then the present with our couple working through the past to come back together.

The story, the love for each other all of it played out well. The full circle of the connections was a lovely touch.

What was difficult for me personally was the element of stubborn...Lucy and Fisher both had these stubborn streaks to the point of being punitive to themselves and others. It stopped him from going for treatment at the first sign of his PTSD issues, from her holding her own and insisting he go and then later with her putting her livelihood in jeopardy by not using funds available. Lucy also continued with a relationship long after she knew to cut it loose.
I also wondered where was the mention of Fisher going to AA meetings once on the island. I have many friends and they would never encourage a stopping of meetings after only a year of sobriety. These were just some of the things which troubled me while reading.

Again, stories with the premise of Veterans and what they endure are to be commended, if only to bring home awareness of how difficult it is for our men and women who did so much for all of us.

~~~ Before Reading ~~~~
I've ordered my case of tissues from Costco...
Stocked up on Emergency Ben and Jerry's....
Even have the big guns of Vodka when nothing else will work....

Now just need to clear the decks and dig in. I hope my heart will be able to stand it.

For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways

[Vanessa Booked Up · Rating 3 out of 5]

3- Totally wasn't what I thought it was gonna be, and not in a good way - STARS!!



Goodness...well, if you're like me, then you'll agree that the 3-star reviews are by far the most difficult to write. I was super excited about this book. It was over-powering every single one of my feeds everywhere this past week. Second-chance romance is one of my very fave sub-genres, as is a battered hero, so I was all over this book like white on rice! The blurb totally hooked me and all I kept hearing were things like, epic love story, coming of age, tissues needed. Awesome! I was sooo ready!

And I'm not gonna lie, there were parts of this book that I did love. So you know it's (IN PART) about a former soldier and his struggle with PTSD. His struggles are so bad that he leaves his wife because he becomes concerned for her safety.

First and foremost, I thought Sivec did a fantastic job of depicting Fisher through his struggles with PTSD for the most part. I have a very dear friend who also served multiple tours in the Army and many of these exact same things happened to him and still do sadly, years later. My heart went out to Fisher during these scenes where he was battling the hallucinations, nightmares, and struggling to remember that he was not losing his mind.

I also loved the setting. I live in NC and while I don't believe that Fisher's Island actually exists (I may be wrong), we vacation on the coast every year and it totally sounded like the way this little corner of the country really is. In that sense, it almost had a Nicholas Sparks picturesque quality to it.

And finally, there were some AMAZING 4 and 5 star moments that I LOVED!! The whole 4th of July scene is definitely one, as well as the scene with Lucy, Fisher...and a kitchen table! LOL!

I love books that flash back to the past and take us back to when the couple first meets. The scenes from high school between Lucy and Fisher...and Bobby (LOVED Bobby!) were heart-warming, funny and witty. I think that there is a way that the timeline could've been done a bit better but, this wasn't even a big problem for me. These are difficult to pull off and I think the author did a fairly good job of executing it in a way where the reader remained engaged with the couple and the story.





Ok, here is what I did not LOVE...

Everything that I just said above? Yeah, that was more than enough story to carry this book 110%! And based on the blurb, I assumed that WAS the story; a hero battling with PTSD and a couple healing and finding their way back to the loves of their lives. And for the first 43% or so, it is. After that? Well, for whatever reason, the author brought in a slew of completely OTT drama needlessly that totally soured the whole book for me.

Please allow me to explain in order of pist off'd-ness <--- totally a word!

1) Intimacy - I didn't feel the intimacy between these guys enough until very late in the story. Not to the level that I was expecting in this type of grand love story. :0/ I don't know if it is because their reunion doesn't happen until around the 70% mark. Until then, we get flashbacks to the past, but in the present, they are brooding and apart.

2) PTSD - While I really liked and believed to be accurate Fisher's active struggles with PTSD, he later goes away for 13-months to deal with it and comes back in a way that seemed to me like he had healed too quickly. Granted, he had been drinking too and he quit doing that, however, it just seemed too quick for me. Even the way that he was coming back to town to try to re-claim Lucy because he was all healed up and better, didn't quite equate for me. The author does state in her note to the readers that she took certain liberties in creating her story with the issue, and I am just hoping that this was one of them.

3) Communication - One of the big huge points of conflict in the story, the event that led up to their inevitable split resulted out of a lack of communication. Had they had one conversation, the whole thing could have been avoided. I didn't even see why it was that big of a deal either. MCs that don't communicate, is probably my biggest peev. I don't read YA for a reason. Ughh!

4) OTT in the EXTREME!!!

I am going to include all of these examples in a spoiler tag because I really do not want to offend anyone that loved this book OR spoil it for anyone who is planning on picking it up. There are a lot of sub-plot lines mentioned here, several of which contain spoilers. It's a laundry list though, believe me!


A) Fisher's Dad - Why was he such an ass exactly? Just for no reason? I kept thinking this was leading up to some big secret but...no....apparently he was just a prick. Very anti-climatic, IMO.

B) Stanford - Ok, so she dated someone in the year or so while she and Fisher are apart; totally get that. But the whole dropping to one knee and proposing at the softball game and then him later factoring into some of the conflict in the end? Really?! Completely OTT to the level of straight make-believe for me. In fact, this totally lessened my view of Lucy and Fisher's connection. It was reaching...why keep secrets from the "love of your life" over the money and the loan? Too much attention was placed on this.

C) Melanie - This might've been the thing that cheapened the book the most for me. Why did this chick factor in, even for a millisecond, into yet another conflict between these two? One that lasted for over a week, mind you. Hey, I totally get that we all struggle with confidence and keeping our men happy, satisfied, etc. but again, the fact that so much emphasis was placed on this story line made me doubt this supposed lifelong bond that the author was trying to sell me on between Lucy and Fisher.

D) The Rough Sex thing - Again, why was this so big of a deal? I just think too much emphasis was placed on it. So, the experiences of your life have hardened you and now you like it a little rough between the sheets. Awesome! So does your wife. What's the problem here? This is the thing that I was referring to in #3 above. Just OTT. A quick conversation btwn these two would have cleared this up and not let it become the driving force between them.

E) Hurricane - Ok, truth be told, EVEN with EVERYTHING that I have ranted about above, up until the 80% mark, I was going to give this book 3.5 stars. But this bullshit with the hurricane at the end? I can't even. Talk about stupid! Who would ever in a billion years go scuba diving on a day like that? These aren't earthquakes. You know, for quite a few days prior to, when a storm like this is approaching. Even if it took a last turn at the end and even if he hadn't listened to the news in a few hours, as someone who grew up on a fucking island, I had a REALLY hard time believing that he would actually risk his life like this. Again O.T.T!!!!!

And as if that wasn't enough, Lucy has to go and be just as stupid and go out driving in this storm, all of which end in yet another fucking proposal.

By the end of the book, I was rolling my eyes and thought that my book had been replaced by some cheesy Lifetime movie gone wrong!! :(( For the last 30% or so of this book, the PTSD nor Fisher were even a focus anymore. The focus was all on this OTT drama crap!!

Just NEEDLESS drama none of which added any quality to the book whatsoever! This author had a kick ass book with the blurb and the main plot lines... that's it! Stop right there! Because sadly, for me? It was totally ruined with all of this useless drama crap.

This was my first Tara Sivec read. I think that plays into people's opinions on this book a lot. I understand that she has written some other books that are more on the funny, witty side, making this book really illustrate her range as a writer and that may very well be the case. I have a bunch on my TBR but have not yet read.

And finally, my very favorite book EVER that also dealt with the sensitive subject matter that is PTSD as it affected an ex-soldier and a family, and that I think did a FLAWLESS job in pulling it off, is In the Stillness by Andrea Randall. If you felt any of the things that I felt above and this book left you wanting, then I very highly recommend this one! <3

[Sharon ∞❥ is an emotional book junkie ❥∞ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fact: I only wanted to read this because all my friend's were talking about how much it made them cry.

Fiction: I cried my heart out!



Fact: I really was impressed with Tara Sivec's ability to write a more dramatic type romance since I've only read her hilarious series, Chocolate Lovers.



Fiction: I LOVE military story lines but I thought TS could've done a better job and written more about Fisher's military history.

Fact: You know what they say about getting what you wish for...well, I loved having both POVs but sometimes it felt like too much retelling.



Fact: I loved the stories from when Fisher and Lucy met especially the story from when they were eleven and nine.

Fiction: Trip is the worst grandpa...ever!



Fact: I wasn't a big fan of Stanfords but even I wouldn't wish that person on him...that was a bit cruel.

Fact: There were some hot times on the island...phewww!



Fiction: It's always a great idea to go scuba diving when a storm is coming.



Fact: It was amazing though predictable how everything came together. The epilogue was priceless.

Fact: ♥ Fisher & Lucy's song ♥




Favorite quotes:

♥ “It’s not ruined, Fisher, it’s just a little broken.”

♥ “Hey, I was helping you out. Did you really want all of Fisher’s Island watching you kiss her for the first time in a year? That’s just depressing. And here I thought you had moves,” he tells me with a sad shake of his head.

♥ “Those lips are MINE.”

♥ “You make everything perfect, Lucy. You’re my light and my life and all I need is your love to guide me home, no matter where I go.”

♥ “It’s always been you. It will ALWAYS, only be you.”

♥ "I love you, Fisher. With everything I have and everything I am.”


♦ BR w/Melissa!

[Sandy ღCoffee Addict Booksღ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“4.5 stars”

There are two kinds of romance novel - A) two people falling in love which they wouldn’t realize/admit until half of the book and B) two people falling out of love and the whole book is about fighting for what belongs to them and finding their way back to each other.

I’m a huge sucker for the latter! And Fisher’s Light is all about it. There’s something heart-warming to read about married couples which never cease to restore my faith in true love, that being said I’m madly in love with this story. (I also happen to know a buddy of mine who loves any story related to marriage/married couples more than I do, *coughs* Supreet! YOU HAVE TO READ THIS!! Thank me later sweetie *winks*)

It was achingly beautiful second chance romance I’ve read in very long time. I loved the main characters so very much, Fisher and Lucy were amazingly strong and their love for one another is so powerful you wish for their story to never end.

“You and me against the world, Fisher. It’s always been you and me, and it always will be.”

This is my first book from Tara Sivec and I’ve no clue why it took me so long to read her books! Her writing is simply exquisite, descriptive and appealing. Right from the prologue till the very end I was connected to every aspect of this story, I could feel their emotions, pain, struggle as though I was with them in every step of their life.

There’s this two chapters from Fisher’s POV (his journal entry), it broke my heart to read those agony filled pages. Kudos to the author for bringing out massive amount of feels in those pages!

Then why not 5 stars?
While the romance and depth of emotions totally captivated me, I honestly felt second half was tad bit repetitive or was it dragged?!

I highly recommend this to all the romance lovers! You got to meet this wonderful couple and live their EPIC love story.

[Vilma · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gripping and emotional second chance romance.

"I should have realized that she was my light. She was everything bright and beautiful about my life and it went to shit after she left."

Tara Sivec delivers her best non-comedic novel (and arguably best work to date) in this heart-wrenching tale about love, war, second chances and forgiveness. The story gripped me immediately, drawing me in to the swirl of sadness and regret that bled off the page. Fisher and Lucy's story is rife with complication. It's the story of a love interrupted... a love broken by the brutal memories of war, of blood and bombs and fallen friends and things that wholly change a man to his core. But it's also about a love that keeps fighting, keeps burning, keeps hoping. I loved the emotion it evoked, the message it imparted and the way the story came to life with past and present chapters, with letters from a journal that conveyed truths hidden beneath hurtful words.

"I love her so much and all I'm doing is hurting her. The one person in my life who never lets me down and all I keep doing is breaking her apart."

Fisher and Lucy fell in love in high school. He was the popular boy surrounded by friends, sought after by girls, but when he saw Lucy, a girl who deflected his charm immediately, who was quiet, but feisty, he never again had eyes for another girl. But Fisher was ready to leave the small island community where they lived to go make a difference in the Marines.

"You're my light and my life and all I need is your love to guide me home, no matter where I go."

Immediately we learn Lucy and Fisher are divorced in present day and it's obvious that Fisher hurt her in a way that cut deep. By going back in time and seeing their love slowly uprooted, we're able to understand how Fisher's multiple deployments changed him, how it affected their relationship, how it warped the very real life they built with each other.

But thirteen months of living with hurt can change anyone and sometimes even the best intentions cannot be repaired. Fisher left Lucy, and when he returns after more than a year to win back the life he treasured, the love of his life, he finds a Lucy that is stronger but still hurt... a Lucy that has moved on.

"I'm scared to death that he'll break my heart all over again."

This novel allows us to experience the highs and lows of their relationship and some parts are so hard to read, with words slung that are so hurtful that even I felt the burn. It's really a story about figuring out if love is enough to survive the worst, if love can forgive what seems unforgivable, if love is so resilient that it can be mended when it's been shattered and stepped on and seemingly forgotten.

"Loving you meant loving every part of you, the good and the bad, the easy and the hard."

I loved that we had intensity and emotion, but we also had some of Tara's trademark humor in places where levity was needed. I devoured the entire story in one evening... I just couldn't stop reading. These are my favorite types of stories—second chance romances full of conflicting emotions and desire—and this one was a wonderful one to read. Don't miss this very real, very compelling novel... you'll devour it just as I did, I'm sure.

"You are always the light in my darkness. You're the reason I'm alive, you're the reason I'm here and you're the reason I breathe, every day."

✦ ✦ ✦ ✦

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[Ang C · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
I am a sucker for second chance romances and so disappointed this one did not move me.

Fisher's Light was a truly emotional read, but the protagonists actions/dialogue were too immature for their age. I felt as if I was reading a high school romance rather than a couple in their thirties. I appreciate Fisher's issues and what he endured after his discharge from the Marines, but he was too cruel. He came off as a major douche - the way he pushed Lucy out of his life was unforgivable and his actions totally despicable.

Lucy was a weak heroine, and quiet frankly, I could not get my head around how quickly she accepted Fisher back into her life after all he had done. I understand she still loves him, but I felt if Fisher honestly wanted to win back Lucy's affections, he should have manned up and explained the truth earlier in the story. Lucy should have demanded he confess the truth.

The HEA was bitter-sweet, which I usually relish, but the characters somehow lost me in a way I could not savor their reunion.

[Natasha is a Book Junkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“No matter what, I will always find my way back to you.”

The hardest thing to do when you find a book you end up loving body and soul is not to turn your review into an ode to the author and all the ways her words have moved you, thrilled you, inspired you, but I fear that I will fail miserably by the end of this review because this book took my breath away, and made me fall in love all over again with Tara Sivec’s spellbinding writing style. Heartfelt, gut-wrenching, romantic—this is a story that enthrals you completely, shutting out the world around you and overwhelming you emotionally until you cannot think of anything else. An epic love story like no other, Lucy and Fisher’s tale will forever hold a very special place in my heart, and it still brings tears to my eyes every time I think about it.

“My life has been spent waiting for this man to come back to me.”

Lucy and Fisher are high school sweethearts, each other’s first loves, each other’s only loves, but after Fisher’s five tours of duty over a fourteen-year span, the bulk of their marriage has effectively been spent living apart. Every single deployment has left Fisher just a little more broken each time, the horror of his memories continuously tormenting him and stripping him of his ever-waning grasp on reality. Until his terrifying fantasies start bleeding into his everyday consciousness, completely blurring the line between his past and present, thus putting in danger his very reason for living—his beloved wife.

“She is my heart, my soul, my everything and I know it’s only a matter of time before I do something that could possibly kill her.”

Lucy has spent her entire adult life as a military wife waiting for her husband to come back to her after his many deployments, making sure he had a loving place to come home to. In her early thirties, the owner of her own business, she has always worked hard to stay independent from her husband’s family legacy and wealth, the only thing she ever wanted out of life being her husband’s safe return and his love and devotion. But war has slowly changed the man she has loved since she was sixteen years old, chipping away at his sanity and the man who eventually returns after his last tour of duty is not the man she once knew.

“I’ve never felt so alone, even when he was halfway across the world. I’m living in this house with my husband and I get to see him every day, but it feels like I’m living with a ghost.”

As their past is revealed to us in snippets, their present and their past interlaced with one another and told simultaneously, we see their marriage as it came to be, we watch it survive distance and separation, and eventually succumb to the effects of the many traumatic events Fisher has lived and survived through, not to mention how little they know of one another by the end of it. With astonishing insight into the darkness of his mind and his struggle to keep it rooted in reality, we get to hear not only Fisher’s voice as he tries and fails to break free of the prison in his mind, but also the magnitude of Lucy’s heartbreak from the demise of her marriage and the gradual loss of her one and only love.

“I want to take away his pain, to stop the hurt that fills his heart and his mind, but I feel like I’m so far out of my depth that I’m drowning.”

And eventually, we see them lose it all. But this is not a story of lost love—this is a story of two people who have fought hard to stay together, to expel the demons tearing them apart, and who are forced to fight even harder to find their way back to one another. This is a story of second chances, of remembering the good and the bad that brought two people to a particular point in their relationship, and of never forgetting the great, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love that never allowed their bond to be truly broken.

“How many people get a second chance at love with the only person they’ve ever held in their heart?”

With impeccable, emotionally inspiring prose, Ms Sivec caught me by surprise with this novel, her once witty and entertaining voice now replaced by a more mature, confident writing style that made me regretful of having missed all the undoubtedly brilliant steps in the evolution of her craft. Even though this story is told in constant and often disjointed leaps from past to present, we are never distracted or confused by those leaps, as their tale becomes a puzzle that forms effortlessly in our minds, each new fragment of their past adding new layers to our perception of their present. By giving us a window into the psyche of both these characters, we grow attached to both of them in equal measure, our hearts breaking at their lows, and rejoicing at their highs. We get to feel the powerful love between them, and all they are willing to give of themselves in order to never let their bond wither away. This was one of the most intense, heart-wrenching stories I have ever read, as well as one of the most exquisite ones, and I wish there were a way to read it for the first time all over again.

“I’m going to remind her why we’re perfect for each other. I’m going to show her that there’s no one else on this earth that can love her like I can.”

[6 STARS]



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[Ⓐlleskelle - That ranting lady ッ · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 3.5 STARS ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I am so conflicted about this book!



Fisher’s Light was one of my most expected book release this month because… Tara Sivec.

I loved her writing and completely goofy characters in Seduction and Snacks… The love story and comical situations complementing each other perfectly, making it a nice and feel good read. But I also enjoyed her writing in a less comical style, "A Beautiful Lie" was a great romantic suspense!



So when I learned about Fisher’s Light, I was super excited. The blurb was just calling my name, I had to get to Fisher Island and meet Lucy and Fisher. Second chances at love is a trope that almost never fails to entertain me, and I kind of crave the resulting angst… Often it comes packed with a good groveling, and I never say no groveling.

One warning before I start : This review will contain spoilers. If you don’t want to read them, I suggest you come back later! :)

“How do I get that back when the darkness is hell bent on taking over, holding me in its clutches and making sure I never see the sunshine again?”

Honestly up to 25%, I really thought this was going to be my "top shelf" selection this year, I LOVED the build up, the unraveling of this man, year after year, tour after tour, letting his insecurities and fears taking him away from his "light", from Lucy. But somewhere in the middle, the story fell flat, and all my hope for a 5 stars read went down the drain.

“I don’t blame her for walking away; I shoved her out the door and told her to go. I should have realized that she was my light.”

Fisher’s Light starts really hard in the emotional department, the story is told in 2 point of views, with some flashbacks from Fisher’s memories notebook. It’s a back and forth between the present where Lucy and Fisher are separated, and the past, right when things started to break between them.

Fisher and Lucy met in high school, Fisher is soon to sign his life over to the Marines, being the son of the wealthiest man of the island but his complete opposite, he has in his heart to help his country and seize the first opportunity to get out of his little town to do something that means a great deal to him.

He promises Lucy he’ll come back to her, no matter what.



Fisher does come back to Lucy, only each time a little more eroded and tortured by the experience that is war. Each time a little more different. Each time shutting down the light that is Lucy.

Through the flashbacks, going over a 14 years time span, we assist to Fisher’s disheveling, his PTSD growing with each tour he’s enrolling to. Lucy doing what she can to help him, doing what she thinks is best. She supports and loves her husband, but she soon realizes she can’t help Fisher anymore by coddling him.



The scenes of their fights were really hard to take in emotionally wise, the author did such a great job, it really made my heart hurt, and I barely make it hoping, knowing, it would be better as the page turns… The scene that caused their separation was heartbreaking. At this point of the book I was just sitting in a corner picking up my heart’s little pieces from the floor.



His PTSD growing and eating at him, making him angry at everyone, Fisher is going to do what he thinks is the only way to keep his Lucy safe, it’s going to break your heart too.



I just loved this part. Tara Sivec did a magnificent job, drawing emotions and tears. PTSD is such a sensitive subject, it makes for a great challenge in a character.



Eventually we get back to the present, Fisher comes back to the island after 1 year of therapy, only to find his ex-wife moving on with her life, dating a man the complete opposite of what he is.

“Of course she moved on. Of course she stopped loving me. I broke her and I hurt her in the worst imaginable way and then I walked out.”

Ensues a pissing contest, I quite enjoyed it. At first. Don’t get me wrong, witnessing men going all alphas on their woman is hot and should be celebrated. But this was dragged throughout the entire book, only making annoyed and bored.

“This is straight up, alpha male, ‘I protect what’s mine’ shit going on and it’s the hottest thing I’ve ever heard.”

To me, there was no need to keep Stan-Weasel-Ford in the picture for so long, it was obvious he wouldn’t last, it was obvious there was no chemistry, it was obvious he was there only so we could cheer up for Fisher to get his Lucy-in-the-sky-with-diamonds back, and fast.

I thought he would, they had plenty of sparks whenever they crossed path and it was even more obvious that Lucy still loved him, but Fisher decided to stay back despite his pissing contest with Stan-Fucker-Ford, because of… reasons.

This annoyed me. No. This enraged me.

Fisher was completely oblivious to what Lucy wanted and to the rather OBVIOUS "go ahead and make your move" signals Lucy was sending him. I mean, how letting him taking her against a wall in a dark alley was a sign that he should leave her alone?

I for one, thought it couldn’t be more clearer that she wanted him back for good!



But not for Fisher, to him, it was only the sign of his uncontrollable anger, and he swore to never lose his temper near Lucy ever again. Gah!

So this part dragged, for me.

We eventually got rid of "Stan-it’s a school not a dude-Ford", Lucy and Fisher got back together, and I could have be happy with the story ending there and then.

But it didn’t, the rest of the story felt completely unnecessary and the drama manufactured.
Lucy waiting for Fisher to admit she had changed as well, and that he shouldn’t treat her like the young and naive woman she was when they married.
They spent a good time not seeing each other over this fact. Complete waste of time. Especially since they agreed they’d talk about their issues from now on. It was completely childish to not address this issue, and I thought we were dealing with teenagers.



Something really not adding for me was the "he was meant for me” discovery. I mean, okay, I get how this could be a sweet addition but at this point I really thought the book was over filled with one too many clichés.

Then came a hurricane. And what do you do when a hurricane storms in?
You freaking go scuba diving, of course! Just because. (Huge near the end drama right there)



So why only 3.5 stars and not 5? For all the reasons above. Even if 3.5 stars stays a good rating in my book, I can only say I liked this book. I loved parts of it, but it definitely wasn’t a perfect read for me. It left me unsatisfied and couldn’t shake off the feeling of conveniency the author chose to wrap her story with. I like sweet but maybe not that sweet. The epilogue was sugary sweet, and I know some crave this kind of sweet, so I’m pretty sure most of romance readers will be pleased. As i’m much a Happy For Now person, I thought it was a bit over the top.

In the end I would highly recommend Fisher’s Light to any fan of second chances romance, with a warning on an overload of clichés past half of the story.

★More reviews and book talk at★

[Malene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wanted angst, heartbreak, romance and all consuming love and Fisher’s Light delivered. This story was so emotional and at times very real that I couldn’t control my emotions. Fisher’s struggle with PTSD and panic attacks, after been deployed overseas 5 times, was depicted with an authenticity that made my heart break for him and Lucy. They fought like crazy in their own ways to save their marriage and each other. It was painful and heartbreaking.

I loved Fisher and Lucy. He was flawed but determined to fight his way out through the darkness and against his demons. Back to his wife Lucy. She was incredible. Strong as hell. Her love and support of Fisher was never ending even though Fisher did everything in his power to push her away which he succeeded. His road back to her was filled with many memories of them. From their first meeting, kiss and trip overseas. Their history was so beautiful and way deeper than I thought. I loved how they both struggled with acknowledging their feelings and giving into them. Their road back to each wasn’t easy and I liked that. I wanted all the emotions and shared history between them. There was no doubt that they loved each other. I felt it. Fisher’s Light is about all consuming love, second chances, soul mates and I enjoyed every moment of this story. Wow.

4 BadAssDirtyYou’reMyLightStars

[Kelli C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well...I didn't cry! Don't know what that says about me though!

To begin, I have loved Tara Sivec for a long time as no one can bring the heat and the LOL quite as well as she can. This book, however, is quite a departure from what I have come to expect from her.

Fisher's Light is deep emotional read. A forever kind of love that NEEDS a second chance. This is one of those reads that is beautiful yet broken. This is a story of young love, a real hard fought war, and survival against all odds. This is the story of Fisher and Lucy...



While many people LOVED this, I found myself a bit on the fence. I start by saying that I liked the read, a lot. The story was moving and profound. I really connected and felt the pain of Fisher. His character was so sad and so traumatized that I shudders at his thoughts.



I guess my main con would be the "second chance" of it all. While I do understand the idea of one true love, one soul stealing connection...I struggled a bit with the harsh events that destroyed Lucy and Fisher and the ease in which his return came about.

I was completely in invested in the pain both characters were going thru. Yes, the angst was over the top, but I did not care. I felt the craziness and I could just feel the tears both Lucy and Fisher were dropping. Couple that with the author's awesome flashbacks to "happy beginnings" and I was moved.



Maybe I'm just a mean girl. I know I am a terrible grudge holder, so I wanted Lucy to stand firm a bit more. I wanted more...but hey I do understand the SEX was GOOOOOOD! A girl can only hold out so long right? Oh well, I liked it. I thought it was written well. It had steam and angst. It had an epic love feel to it that was Good for me...just not great!

[MELISSA *Mel Reader* · Rating 4 out of 5]

REVIEW TO COME
4 Stars!
(BR with Sharon)

[Anas Attic Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fisher's Light by Tara Sivec

Standalone, Adult Contemporary
Wow. Tara Sivec is a genius. From laugh-your-ass-off funny, to new adult sobfest, to action romance, to utter perfection. That was Fisher's Light . It was pure genius. Tara can write anything, and the key, I think, are the real, relatable characters she writes. They are your best friend, your neighbor, your brother, your husband. Tara doesn't need to write billionaires, doms, rock stars, bikers or stepbrothers, she writes about real people. And none more real than those in Fisher's Light.

War changes everyone, son, there’s no shame in that, If it doesn’t change you, you were already too fucked up to begin with.”

Nothing makes you grow up faster than enrolling in the military and serving overseas. It takes a very special person to be able to go over to the most horrible place in the world, all in the name of protecting other people so our world can be safe. These people are selfless. We can not even begin to understand what they go through every day, seeing best friends and innocent people being violently killed. Having to kill people themselves. Living in fear every minute of every day. WE.HAVE.NO.IDEA. You can't come back from that place the same as when you left. And how could anyone back home ever understand you again? They have a calling. A need in themselves to keep going back. "No man left behind" is ingrained in them, and as long as their colleagues are still fighting, they need to as well. Even if the love of their life is home waiting.

I don't presume to know anything about being in the military, or having family in it. But Tara made me understand it in a different way. She made me appreciate the men and women who continue to serve so much more than I did before this book. But I do understand life with someone with panic, anxiety and PTSD. And it's obvious Tara knows as well. She must, because her descriptions of living with someone that has it were so accurate and hit so close to home.

How do I get that back when the darkness is hell bent on taking over, holding me in its clutches and making sure I never see the sunshine again?"

Lucy and Fisher met in high school. Living on an island in the outer banks, Fisher grew up wealthy, with the family who the island was named for, and a dad who is "the king" of said island. Lucy and Fisher were made for each other and neither of them cared what anyone else has to say about it. Though Lucy was never 'good enough' for Fisher according to his dad, that didn't stop them from falling in love and getting married after Fisher's first deployment.

But each time he came home from another deployment, he was less of the guy Lucy fell for, and more and more distant.

I was punishing her for being so soft and sweet and beautiful when all I'd known for the last year was hard and awful and ugly."

Though Lucy didn't mind him taking his aggression out on her, he couldn't stand himself for it, and punished himself even more.

I have to make her leave so that I can never hurt her again."

And as his illness progresses, he loses all sense of who he really is.

I’m not a hero, I’m not a good man, I’m not a good husband…I am none of those things and they need to see that.”

Well Fisher succeeded in pushing the love of his life away when he sent divorce papers the previous year. Lucy has been left on his family's island, caring for the old fashioned inn she inherited from her family, and she is just scraping by.

But a year later, he's back.

I should have realized that she was my light. She was everything bright and beautiful about my life and it went to shit after she left.”

I loved how honest Lucy's feelings were, and they never made her seem like a selfish bitch. It must be so hard for military wives to come to terms with the fact that fighting a war in a foreign land is more important to them than staying home with their family, and Tara nailed those feelings, which made me love Lucy even more. Nobody is totally selfless! Living with a spouse with PTSD can be just as hard on the spouse.

I can't pick a fight with him just to get a reaction out of him, even though I want to. I want to see something spark behind his eyes instead of the cold, dead stare he seems to always have lately. I want to smack him across the face, push him so hard in  the chest he stumbles. Something, ANYTHING to get some kind of emotion out of him."

There were lots of changes through the book, both in time and point of view. Told in flashback, there was a good amount of time-jumping, but not once did I become confused.  There was also changes in point of view, which was really special. There was a part where you actually get three points of view. Fisher's journal, Lucy's, and Fisher himself.  Just when you want to kick him in the nuts for being a total dickface, he goes ahead and breaks your heart and you just want to hug him.

The setting of the book, Fisher's Island, absolutely came to life under Tara's guidance. This was by far the most visual book Tara has written, and it gave me a very accurate picture of the island in my mind's eye. Her attention to detail was impeccable.

Likes:

•ALL.THE.FEELS.
•Brilliant writing.
•I loved both Fisher and Lucy.
•Some funny moments that broke up the emotion.
•The super accurate portrayal of PTSD and the spouse who lives with someone with panic, anxiety, and PTSD.
•The easy switches of time and POV all moved the story at a perfect pace.
•How Tara made me appreciate the drive soldiers have to go back and fight, and the crushing blow they must feel when they no longer can.
•I love the symbolism throughout of her being the light that guides him home.
•Reading how the same scene can be so differently perceived from both parties.
•The amazing visual descriptions of the island and the buildings. I can close my eyes and see every detail.
•All of the Stanford comments! Haha!
•Trip. LOVED.

Dislikes:

•Absolutely none.

Rating: 5+++++ Stars. 4 heat




The Down and Dirty:

Fisher's Light by Tara Sivec will absolutely be on my Top Picks for 2015 list. I think this is absolutely Tara's best work to date. It feels very personal, like Watch Over Me without the intense crying that one caused. This is another perfect book that showcases the talent Tara has at writing any genre she sets her mind to, and knocking it out of the park. Fisher's Light was so realistic about life with a person with PTSD, that it felt like a journey she must have taken at some point. I love a second chance romance, but Fisher's Light had so much more, and was the perfect balance of emotion, symbolism, heart, and realism that will keep anyone up all night turning the pages.

I told her to come to the lighthouse whenever she was feeling sad. I told her that no matter where I was in the world, no matter what time of the day, I would know she was here and I would see the beacon from the lighthouse in my mind, guiding me back home to her.”

Purchase Fisher's Light by Tara Sivec
Amazon | BN.com 

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