Blog Tour: All For You by Jessica Scott {Review, Excerpt,+Giveaway}
Welcome to my stop on the All for You blog tour hosted by Forever!
Today I am excited to share my review, an excerpt from the book, as well as a giveaway with you all!
All For You (Coming Home #4)by: Jessica Scott
Publication Date: Feb. 4, 2014
Publisher: Forever
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: Adult
Source: e-ARC received via the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 307 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N | iBooks | IndieBound
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Can a battle-scarred warrior . . .
Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions—about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.
. . . open his heart to love?
Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need—and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .
Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions—about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.
. . . open his heart to love?
Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need—and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .
I have read several books that involve the military and Jessica Scott's books are by far some of the most realistic and powerful that I've read. She knows her content, having served herself in the US Army. This installment of the Coming Home series was incredibly difficult to read, as it really touched on some very sensitive topics that very dear friends of mine have lived through. I have heard their stories and seen their pain, but I will never know what it feels like to witness the horrors they have firsthand. I commend Scott for writing this story, as Reza's story is one that needed to be told.
While this book deals with serious topics such as PTSD, bullying, depression, suicide, and addiction, the budding romance between Reza and Emily is one that will tug at your heart and have you holding your breath that these two can make it through all of the obstacles in their way. Reza Iaconelli is no stranger to war and the aftereffects it brings with it. Having been forced to grow up at a young age, he has become a hardened warrior who has the weight of the world on his shoulders, all while struggling to fight his addiction with alcohol. Being the First Sergeant, he is bombarded with issues and dealing with soldiers who are fighting their own addictions and problems. I liked seeing Reza's transformation throughout the novel. He starts off as a bit of a tool, but slowly we see that he is a compassionate man who is just under so much pressure from his superior officers.
His first encounter with Captain Emily Lindberg is not the most pleasant, as he is criticizing her lack of knowledge on what it's like to have seen real action and be on the frontlines. She has never deployed, never seen the brutality of battle or what it's like to watch your own guys get blown up and killed. However, Emily desperately wants to make a difference and you can't help but admire her for that. I liked Emily a lot. She does not let herself crumble under Reza's harsh scrutiny. Instead she proves to him that she's not some desk shrink. She gains his respect little by little at her resilience and unwillingness to stand down. They are both physically attracted to one another and there is some definite sexual tension simmering beneath the surface.
Their relationship is a very slow moving one though. It really worked for these two, because Reza has a lot of baggage he's not willing to open up about and share. The more time the two spend together, the more they realize they have a connection they don't want to ignore and I liked seeing them lean on one another during times of need. They make a good team and I love that Emily doesn't give up on Reza. It takes some hard work and some tough love to break through those barriers, but she shows him that he does not have to carry the burden alone and that is what makes all the difference.
Overall, while this wasn't my favorite book in the series because of its slower moving nature, I did really enjoy it. It is deeply emotional and I hope that you all empathize with these brave men and women who have seen unspeakable horrors in war and come back not quite the same people they once were. They deserve honor and respect no matter the lows they've sunk to, because the old saying rings true, "You never truly know a man until you stand in his shoes and walk around in them."
Emily watched
her friend weave through the crowd of broad-shouldered Cavalrymen and toward
the captain. Alone at the bar, Emily twirled her wine in the glass, staring
into the swirling pale golden liquid.
She sipped her wine and glanced around the wide open space, feeling the warmth. She was comfortable in this place. A drink after work. A good friend. This was a good life. It was simple. It had purpose. So much better than the complicated mess she’d left behind.
She lifted her glass, savoring the freedom of her rebellion. She might not fit into her uniform just right but she fit here among these soldiers better than she’d ever fit back home.She saw Olivia gyrating slowly with the captain across the dance floor. Her friend’s movements were slow and sensual, a sultry undulation that spoke of power and of sex. She smiled at her friend’s pleasure. It was enough that Emily could enjoy another’s happiness. She’d come here tonight to relax, to help Olivia celebrate.
“You don’t come here often, do you?”
Emily glanced at the man who’d appeared at her shoulder. He’d been standing with the group of captains that Olivia had just infiltrated.
“Not really,” she said, sipping her drink. She thought about easing away, putting space between where their upper arms touched.
"Personal space much? she thought.“
Are you here with friends?” he asked. She caught a heavy scent of beer from his direction, beer mixed with cigar smoke. It was not unpleasant.
She glanced over at Olivia. “Yeah.”
“Not up for company?”
She smiled and finally glanced back at him. “Not really. Thank you though.”
He brushed the tip of his hat with two fingers. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
He swaggered off, leaving her alone at the bar. That had been nice. Too bad she wasn’t interested. Once upon a time, she might have danced but there was something missing from the way he’d carried himself.
He was missing that power that Sergeant Iaconelli wore like it was second nature.
She shook her head and took a long sip of her wine. She’d done nothing but argue with the man but now she was thinking about him in a way that was purely unprofessional.
The heavy iron door swung open at that moment and Emily’s breath caught in her throat.
“Speak of the devil,” she muttered.
Reza Iaconelli stood in the doorway, his gaze scanning the room as though he was taking a headcount. What was it about the man that he was always walking through doors at the wrong time? And this time, his gaze swept the bar and landed directly on her.
His eyes lit up, his mouth flattened. Just a faint flicker, but it was enough to tell her he’d recognized her.
And the familiar hostility was gone.
Her mouth went dry and she took another sip. He wasn’t going to come over. It was going to be fine.
They would keep the rampant hostility and no lines would be blurred.
It would be fine, right?
Except that he was now coming over. Weaving through the crowd, his Stetson adding to his height.What the hell was she supposed to do about that? The closer he got, the more her stomach flipped beneath her ribs.
She was too tired to fight. And the alcohol would probably allow her to say something that she’d regret come Monday.
His clean white shirt accented his shoulders and made his skin look darker, more appealing. His face was shadowed by the brim of the Stetson.
He was there.
A short space separated them. He radiated something—a power. A rawness.
She was doomed.
She sipped her wine and glanced around the wide open space, feeling the warmth. She was comfortable in this place. A drink after work. A good friend. This was a good life. It was simple. It had purpose. So much better than the complicated mess she’d left behind.
She lifted her glass, savoring the freedom of her rebellion. She might not fit into her uniform just right but she fit here among these soldiers better than she’d ever fit back home.She saw Olivia gyrating slowly with the captain across the dance floor. Her friend’s movements were slow and sensual, a sultry undulation that spoke of power and of sex. She smiled at her friend’s pleasure. It was enough that Emily could enjoy another’s happiness. She’d come here tonight to relax, to help Olivia celebrate.
“You don’t come here often, do you?”
Emily glanced at the man who’d appeared at her shoulder. He’d been standing with the group of captains that Olivia had just infiltrated.
“Not really,” she said, sipping her drink. She thought about easing away, putting space between where their upper arms touched.
"Personal space much? she thought.“
Are you here with friends?” he asked. She caught a heavy scent of beer from his direction, beer mixed with cigar smoke. It was not unpleasant.
She glanced over at Olivia. “Yeah.”
“Not up for company?”
She smiled and finally glanced back at him. “Not really. Thank you though.”
He brushed the tip of his hat with two fingers. “My pleasure, ma’am.”
He swaggered off, leaving her alone at the bar. That had been nice. Too bad she wasn’t interested. Once upon a time, she might have danced but there was something missing from the way he’d carried himself.
He was missing that power that Sergeant Iaconelli wore like it was second nature.
She shook her head and took a long sip of her wine. She’d done nothing but argue with the man but now she was thinking about him in a way that was purely unprofessional.
The heavy iron door swung open at that moment and Emily’s breath caught in her throat.
“Speak of the devil,” she muttered.
Reza Iaconelli stood in the doorway, his gaze scanning the room as though he was taking a headcount. What was it about the man that he was always walking through doors at the wrong time? And this time, his gaze swept the bar and landed directly on her.
His eyes lit up, his mouth flattened. Just a faint flicker, but it was enough to tell her he’d recognized her.
And the familiar hostility was gone.
Her mouth went dry and she took another sip. He wasn’t going to come over. It was going to be fine.
They would keep the rampant hostility and no lines would be blurred.
It would be fine, right?
Except that he was now coming over. Weaving through the crowd, his Stetson adding to his height.What the hell was she supposed to do about that? The closer he got, the more her stomach flipped beneath her ribs.
She was too tired to fight. And the alcohol would probably allow her to say something that she’d regret come Monday.
His clean white shirt accented his shoulders and made his skin look darker, more appealing. His face was shadowed by the brim of the Stetson.
He was there.
A short space separated them. He radiated something—a power. A rawness.
She was doomed.
USA Today bestselling author Jessica Scott is a career army officer; mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs; wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. She's currently pursuing a PhD in Sociology in her spare time and most recently, she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.She's written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View: Regarding War Blog, and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn and has served as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas.
Super excited to also give a copy away for ONE winner here on my blog!
Giveaway Rules:
-Giveaway is US/CAN only.
- Winner must be 18 years old to enter.
-Winner will be chosen randomly through Rafflecopter and contacted via email.
-Winner will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.
Giveaway will run November 25- December 3rd.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
3 comments
I love it when an author portrays situations realistically! Glad you were able to enjoy this one despite it not being one of your favorites. Great review!
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ReplyDeleteLeave me some comment love! And I will get around to commenting back!
My blog is an award-free blog, however, as I just do not have the time to follow-up.