✨ Romance Comfort-Read Alert ✨
This review comes from a reader who loves:
🛑 No cheating / no OW-OM drama
💞 Low angst (together > apart)
🚫💔 No third-act breakup — If there is one, I will tell you. NOPE!
👑 Strong FMC
💪 Take-charge MMC
🔥 Reformed playboy > current manwhore, but never manwhore is preferred
💬 Miscommunication allowed if resolved like adults
🏡 HEA ALWAYS
🌶️🌶️🌶️.7
Format: 📖
Triggers: Both of the MCs have lost a limb. Stocks lost his leg serving in the Marines, Monica lost her arm in an accident, thoughts/talk of suicide
Stocks meets Monica at a party, and both notice the other. Stocks has had some less-than-great experiences with women once they find out he has a prosthetic leg. Monica is not shy about what she wants from Stocks, and propositions him to come back to her hotel. He does, because who turns down a beautiful, confident woman? At her hotel, they start to undress, and he's tense about what she will do when she finds out about his leg. She hesitates for a second, then keeps moving it along. They share a wild night that breathes life into Stocks. He's been struggling so much, is depressed, can't find a job...he's just been super bummed. Being with Monica put a little extra hitch in his giddy-up.
Months go by, and Monica is out with friends and takes a drunk friend home. She is hit by a driver who fell asleep because he has been pulling doubles. She is severely injured, the worst of which is the loss of part of her left arm. She is a fighter pilot, well used to be.
The story is about two people who had their future planned out a certain way, but life threw a major wrench in that plan. Their lives are catastrophically changed, and Monica is majorly depressed. She's sleeping all day, skipping doctor appointments-stuff like that. Her BFF, Naomi (previous book, connected to the MC) finds out how bad Monica is...scratch that-she finds out what happens to Monica when Monica's parents call her. She is HOT PISSED b/c Monica lied to her. She pulls Stocks with her to get Monica and bring her to Seattle.
What unfolds is a story of healing, reinventing yourself/finding yourself. Both of these very strong, badass people have to figure out who they are after the loss of a limb and how that changes their life, and deal with the loss and anger it brings.
The book also addresses veteran suicide, which is close to my heart. Another difficult topic is how many veterans find re-entry into civilian life incredibly difficult and are often "unemployable" because the skills they have are not transferable to civilian life. Suddenly, your importance is dropped tenfold. I come from a military family, and I have many friends who are currently active duty or veterans. I can completely confirm the struggle for our service men and women is very real. It's heartbreaking, honestly.
So, all that to say: I really did love parts of this book and cried several times. Stocks really struggles to find work, and I hated that for him so much. He's a good man. I found him patient, kind, thoughtful, willing to rise to the challenge, and relentless. He didn't let Monica push him away. He actually communicated. He took his time with her, didn't push her relationship-wise, but he did push her to heal herself, go to her doctor's appointments. At one point, he makes a bet with her that he can braid her hair (she is African American and he is white) that if he can do it, she has to go to her doctor's appointment. She thinks "this white boy is crazy," and I loved that he watched videos and really took the time to try. It was honestly the cutest thing. He asked her questions and tried to get to know her, soften her a bit.
Monica wasn't my favorite. Personally, when we first met her, I was not a fan. I am no prude by any stretch of one's imagination, but she was just crass and gross (IMO). However, she did grow on me. I loved that both she and Stocks found their purpose together. Seeing her handle a situation at the end of the book with grace, but the hard truth was really cool. I honestly wish we had seen more of it.
This book is not long, 200 or so pages, so the story progresses quickly. I would have loved to see more development: each MC as people struggling with this loss, therapy/healing, emotional growth together vs fueled by lust. That said: I highly recommend. Just know it will pull on your heart and your eyes might sweat a little.