West and Brandt are best friends and have been since basic training. They are each others’ most important person and are each others’ family. Whilst out on a mission, they are both severely injured and lose the rest of their team. They are sent home where they are medically discharged and start the long journey of recovery both physically, but mostly mentally. West, in particular, struggles deeply with his grief and mental health journey,  Brandt is there for him every step of the way - through his own physical and mental recovery and whilst on this journey their love for each other morphs into something more.

Check content and TWs if needed.

I think the way the author wrote about military life, the realities of war, and its potential aftermath for those who serve was mostly done and handled well . She covers really sensitive subject matter with care and consideration whilst also not shying away from the brutal and harsh realities of PTSD, Mental health issues, suicidal thoughts and attempts and coming to terms with a disability etc and that is what kept me turning the pages on this one.

The romance between Brandt & West didn't add anything, in my opinion. It felt very one sided with Brandt always being the one to be strong for West and West never reciprocating, even though both MCs went through the same traumatic event Brandts recovery was swept under the rug and all focus was put on West which didn't feel right to me. The physical relationship between them also felt very one-sided with Brandt, yet again, being the one to do it all, it left me feeling like West was using Brandt to some extent. Considering the overall subject matter of the book I was expecting far more emotional depth than we got, some of the more important plot points were skimmed over and not explored the way I hoped/wanted them to be.

Overall I feel like this and stories like it are important to be told and this was mostly done so well, I just don't think it works marketed as a romance as that isn't the lasting impression I'm left with from this book. Yes it is about friendship, loyalty, love, connection and not giving up on someone or yourself, but that could've been told without forcing a romance between two characters that didn't need one to have an impact. This was my first book by this author, and I will definitely read another to see how I get on with that and if their writing style is for me or not. 🌶🌶

"A feeling of ease settles over me. No matter where in the world we're stationed, if Brandt is there, I'm good. I'm home." 

"Lean on me. Take from me. My strength, my conviction, my hope, and my love." He clutches my hand to his stumbled cheek and squeezes. "Take all my love and let it fill up all your broken, empty places."