The Way Home (One-Eyed Jacks #2)
by Cindy Gerard
Blurb:
A heartwarming Christmas story from the New
York Times bestselling “true master of romantic suspense” (Romantic Times).
Four
years ago Jess Albert got the news that her husband Jeff was killed in action
in Afghanistan, and a painful void entered her life. The more time passed, the
more acutely she felt that emptiness. But when Tyler Brown, former military
hero and all-around alpha male, shows up a year after she’d last seen him, Jess
gradually begins to realize there is one thing that can make her feel whole
again—love.
As
they’re planning their wedding and new life together, Jess receives shocking
news: her husband is alive, under the care of a young Afghani woman hiding him
from the Taliban. Even as he sees their happily-ever-after slip away, Ty
arranges for the One Eyed Jacks and Black Ops, Inc. teams to make a daring and
dangerous rescue mission to bring Jeff home. The hardest thing Ty or Jess has
ever done is to let the other go.
When
Jeff returns to Jess, broken physically and emotionally and with no memory of
their history, they try to heal their marriage and each other. But as time
brings them together more as friends than lovers, an unexpected development
helps them see the true way home, to the people they love.
Review:
Every once in a while an author that you know
and love offers you something completely unanticipated and out of the normal
realm of your expectations; this story was just such a story. I went into
this story knowing it might be a bit different since the blurb gave a bit away,
but this was even more surprising and enjoyable than I thought it would be. If you
have read any of the Black Ops series or the first book in the One Eyed Jacks
series you will enjoy seeing some familiar characters, but Gerard definitely took
this book into an entirely new direction.
There was intense emotional drama and psychological trauma, which leads
four people into new territory and teaches them the true meaning of love and
commitment. With ups, downs, laughs,
tears, and the action inherent in any spec ops or military drama, The Way Home
is a spectacular read that will leave you breathless.
The
story actually takes place simultaneously in two different settings and about
two different couples. First we have Jess and Ty. Ty exploded into Jess’s life a year or so
earlier when he and his brother were on a small mission that required some
firepower and they instantly had a connection.
But when Ty never contacted Jess again, she’d given up hope of ever
hearing from him or experiencing that zing again, though she’s never gotten him
out of her mind. When he finally
reappears, ready to explore their feelings and perhaps have a chance to be
together. As they spend time together
and work together to overcome the tragedies they’ve both been dealing with
these last few years, Ty and Jess realize that they are meant to be together
and their love develops into a deep and abiding bond that will allow them both
to find all the happiness they’ve been seeking.
Meanwhile
in Afghanistan, Jess’s husband, presumed dead for over three years, has escaped
his captivity and is receiving shelter from a young afghan woman and her
father. He’s been tortured, broken
physically and psychologically, but with the help of Rabia he is finally digging
out of the hole he’s lived in. Starved
emotionally and bodily, he needs Rabia's help to find himself again so that he
can return to the man he once was, but things are never as simple as they
should be. Rabia and Jeffery slowly
begin to develop feelings for each other and when his memories return,
reminding him what he has been through the last three years, she offers him the
solace he needs more than anything else.
But as their time comes to an end, they both realize their feelings are
deeper than just captive and rescuer, something that seems remarkably close to
love. But when Jeffery is returned to
the US and learns he has a wife, his life and emotions are thrown into turmoil.
Ty
is such a sweet guy, even though he is an alpha, sexy military guy. It was great to see him chasing after Jess
and making sure that she understands just how far he is willing to go to
convince her to give him a chance. Jess
is a woman that has been living an empty life, coming to terms with herself now that she is a widow and running her family’s general store. Ty is sexy beyond belief and when Jess
finally gives in to him and they take their relationship to the next level, the
love between them is so deep and sexy that I find myself wanting to read a
whole second book about this couple just so I can see more of their
loving. Rabia and Jeffery’s love is
different, forbidden and dangerous, but one that becomes just as deep and
fulfilling. Jeffery has certainly had
more than his share of misery and sorrow, as has Rabia, but the connection
between them is one that comes to mean more to both of them than the dangers
inherent to their relationship. Jeffery
is a character that is definitely one that reminds you that no matter how bad
your life is, there are some that have it so much worse. Rabia is a cool lady too, one that leads an
underground rebellion for afghan women’s rights, rescues men in danger, and
generally puts her life in danger repeatedly just to insure that no one is ever
mistreated or taken advantage of, she is for sure true to her title of heroine.
When
I began this story I had an idea that things would be different than normal,
but I never expected just how heartwarming and heart-wrenching this story would
be by turns. I cried often seeing all
the trauma and fears that the two couples had to overcome. Circumstances and their own decisions led
both couples to make unexpected decisions, but in the end everyone found their
happiness and were able to embrace this new idea of their new family. Jess, Ty, Rabia, and Jeffery were all
wonderful characters, full of depth, intensity, and all the emotional confusion
that lead both couples to find their bliss in unexpected ways. It was great to get to see some of the characters
from previous books and catch up with them, but the beauty of this story was definitely
in the emotions between these couples. The best lesson we can take from this
story is that love can come in many forms and at any time, if only we open
ourselves to the emotions and embrace those that would offer the chance at
love. I cannot wait to see where this
series goes from here, but I honestly don’t know if this story can be topped. If
you’ve never read a story by Cindy Gerard I suggest you go and buy this one now
and read it immediately! You can’t find a better story to begin with, but just
understand that this is different from most of her work. Thank you Ms. Gerard
for one of the best stories of the year, but you owe me a few boxes of tissues
now. :)
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