More Than a Touch (Snowberry Creek #2)
by Alexis Morgan
Blurb:
In the town of Snowberry Creek, there
is always hope....
Wounded
in combat, Leif Brevik is haunted by survivor’s guilt. For the first time in
his life—unsure if he still has a military career in his future—he feels
completely lost. So when a war buddy calls for help with restoration of their
fallen brother’s house, he jumps at the chance to regain a sense of purpose.
Zoe
Phillips is assigned to monitor Leif’s physical therapy while he’s in town. But
she’s a former military nurse, and she senses that his wounds are more than
just physical. As she pushes the handsome soldier to open up, the connection
between them deepens beyond the professional facade she tries to maintain.
And
as Leif begins to put down roots in her beloved hometown, Zoe realizes that
maybe having him around is exactly what she needs to heal her own wounded heart
as well....
Themes: Contemporary, Military
Rating: 4.5 stars
Heat Rating:
Review:
Returning
to the small town of Snowberry Creek, Alexis Morgan takes us along on the
journey of healing forced on a man through his courage and sacrifice to our
country. Leif and Zoe’s journey to come
together is one that was packed with trauma, emotional upheaval and
increasingly intense bouts of anger.
This new series revolves around a group of soldiers, ones that have
suffered a joint trauma, but have come together to offer support and the friendship
they each need to heal from their losses.
Returning to the small hometown of one of their fallen comrades they
have each found a home for themselves, but not without challenges and stresses
on their journey. This second
installment in the series continues right where the first ended, with Leif
dealing with his physical injuries and the treatment needed to try to get back
to himself. Another wonderful tale of
the strength of friendships, More Than a
Touch, will remind you of the healing power of a touch, a touch given in
love, no matter the kind of love. If you haven’t read book one in the series, I strongly
recommend you do so, because while you get the highlights in this book, you
will miss a lot of the deeper story and the connections linking all these
characters together.
Leif’s
injury hasn't improved on it’s on, so giving in to the requests of the doctors
he has made an appointment with a physical therapist, to try to get his leg
back up to par. Color him surprised when
he arrives at his appointment to find out the new nurse in charge of his case
is the woman he’s been thinking about for days since they danced at a party
given by Leif’s friend, Nick. Zoe
interested him from the first, but knowing that she is now in charge of his
care puts a kink in both their plans to get closer to one another. No matter how hard they try to stay away
though, they keep running into each other and just can’t seem to resist that
magnetic draw. When they finally give in to the pull, having a
passionate night together that could so easily lead to more, Zoe pushes him
away, determined not to fall for him and cross that line again with him. But
pushing him away in a small town like Snowberry Creek is a bit more difficult
than either of them imagined. Thrust
together by their friends and circumstances again and again, Zoe and Leif try
to find their balance as friends while keeping the lust between them from
overwhelming their senses. Finally
forced to face her hang-ups or face losing Leif, Zoe has to come to a decision
that could either make or break their chances at a future. Will the love developing between them be
enough to force them to overcome their issues and find a way to have a future
together?
Leif
is in pain, and I know form firsthand experience that living with a person in
pain is not always easy. He has mood
swings and is touchy about even the smallest acknowledgement of his weaknesses
and even though he knows he is no longer as strong as he once was, facing that
truth becomes just too much for him sometimes.
Aside from his physical injuries are the hits he has to take to his
pride again and again when he is no longer able to do all the things he once
could. Though it is obvious he is a good
man, strong of character, free with himself, and having a loving nature until
the end, Leif can’t accept the changes his injury has forced on his life. Meeting Zoe at a time like this is just not a
good thing for his unstable emotional health.
Though he is having deep feelings for her, he can’t get past the fact
that he is not a full man and isn't good for her. Zoe on the other hand is determined to keep Leif
away for her own reasons. Mainly she is
determined not to have to relive a trauma in her past, one that she still hasn't fully dealt with. When her fear is
forced to the front, Leif is determined to help her heal just as much as she is
determined to keep her past to herself. With two such hurt and stubborn people coming
together can there be healing, or will they give up their chance to happiness because
they are determined to hide behind their fears?
Leif
and Zoe’s romance is one that led with the emotional before becoming physical,
but when they do finally cross that line, there is a heat and zeal to their
loving that is hard to ignore. Leif is a sexy soldier, even with his injuries
and battle scars, one that can still lead a woman to temptation. He sets his sights on Zoe from the minute he
sees her stroll up the road to his temporary home and nothing can stand in his way,
even himself when he tried to resist.
Zoe is just too much to resist.
Giving in to Leif will fulfill the needs of her body and soul, even if
it puts her professional ethics in question, but the larger danger Leif
represents is to her heart. She knows
that he could break her heart as easily as snapping his fingers, just by walking
away and returning to his life, but she is unable to stop herself from having
him.
Emotion
packed and filled with the sorrow and trauma of the life of a combat veteran, More Than a Touch, is the story of two
people that have gone through hell and are determined to get their lives back and
find their future together. Though not
action packed, or filled with dangers like many contemporary romances, Leif and Zoe’s story has the most important element—Heart. Overcoming their own stubbornness and
allowing themselves to heal is the first step for both Leif and Zoe, but they
needed each other to push them toward those steps. Dealing with their pasts allows them each to
understand that though they could live without each other, and maybe even have
decent lives, only together will they truly find happiness. I hurt for Leif throughout the story when his
injury plagued him or his memories left him racked with guilt, and though I can’t
relate personally, I felt connected to him in a way that I never connect with
most of the Heroes of my novels. Zoe was
an amazing woman herself and I was thrilled when she finally opened up to Leif
about her past and accepted his help in moving on. Together I know these two will find healing
and the strength to build a long and happy life together. Filled with laughter, strife, love and life, More Than a Touch will take your heart
on a roller coaster and leave you a better person for having had to chance to
travel this road with the characters. I
look forward to reading the next story soon and learning more about the future
in store for Leif and Zoe and their many friends in Snowberry Creek.
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