Review – All for You by Jessica Scott @JessicaScott09 @ForeverRomance

All for You by Jessica Scott
Series: Coming Home #4
Publisher: Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Publication Date: February 4, 2014
Date Read: April 
Length: 324 pages
Source: NetGalley
★★★★☆

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 . . .

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This really was a fantastic read.  I have had this book for years but for some reason never picked it up until now.  Let me tell you that this was a big mistake.  Huge mistake.  This book was really good and made me think.  It made me feel which is always a good thing.  I think that I had expected this book to be a more typical military romance before reading it but I was completely wrong.  I am really glad that I took the time to read this powerful story.

This book deals with military suicide and PTSD which are some pretty tough topics.  Most of the soldiers in this story are affected by their time in combat in one way or another.  Reza is a Sergeant First Class and tries to watch out for his men while dealing with his own issues.  He often has to spend a lot of valuable time trying to find out what is going on with his me.  Time that could be spent in training before their next deployment. 

Emily, a Psychiatrist, is new to the Army and really wants to help the soldiers that come to her for help.  Her family is not in favor of her decision to enlist in the army but she is determined to make a difference.  She quickly learns that there are a lot of things that she does not understand in regards to what the soldiers have been through so she works to learn what she can. 

I really liked Reza and Emily together.  They had such great chemistry even though they were not at all alike.  They both seemed to be able to support each other in exactly the way that was most needed.  I really appreciated the fact that the romance didn’t overpower the other issues that the book was dealing with.  If anything, I would say that the romance aspect of the book was secondary to turmoil with Reza and his soldiers. 

I really liked how this book was able to show such tough topics in a way that felt realistic.  Reza’s battle with alcohol was painful to watch.  There were some pretty graphic scenes that really got to me.  I understood how Reza and Emily were taking thing hard because I was right there with them.  I also really appreciated the fact that the book ended on a very hopeful note because I really wanted to see both of these characters get their happy ending.

I would recommend this book to others.  I thought it was a really well done story that was quite eye opening.  This book is the forth book in the Coming Home series but I read it as a stand alone without any trouble.  I would definitely read more from this talented author in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) via NetGalley.

About the Author

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.

Author Link:  Website | Goodreads | Facebook | Twitter 

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