Reviewed by Desere
Anyone who personally knows me knows that my days are filled with assisting the injured when they return home from the war-zone. I get to hear all about the nightmares, the flashbacks, the heartache behind losing a friend and the pure hell they need to go through when returning home and their families not understanding what has happened the once friendly person they knew, because they have been replaced by a darker, more dangerous almost sinister force, that sadly they themselves don't understand.
It's the ending of many happy marriages, the start of endless nightmare battles and sadly the death of many. So of course when picking up a book and noticing a PTSD element am always skeptical that the author, unless directly related to someone with war-zone PTSD, will actually be able to convey all the various emotions I myself experience each time I interact with one of my clients.
But I have also learned that sometimes a little communication and understanding can help those living with PTSD have almost normal life, and if their partner's are able to understand what they are going through, love can conquer the deepes, darkest of anger. So naturally I believe in romance and love being able to make it all better.
And this is exactly what the new Amy Ruttan read shows. We meet orthopedic surgeon Ingrid Walton, a nice promotion puts her in a celebratory mood and she ends up spending a passionate filled night with army medic Clint Allen. He takes off for his tour of duty and it's only seven months later that he shows up working as the new trauma surgeon and yes you guessed it he bumps right into Ingrid. He's naturally shocked at seeing her again, but it's not so much seeing her again that sends his heart racing and his mind running, it's seeing her pregnant with his child.
Now as we all know in romance reads the men are usually honorable and do the right thing , owing up to their responsibility, but Clint has a whole other set of issues he needs to get past before he can be a loving father, his tour of duty has left he more than just a little emotionally scared.
As I mentioned authors relating the PTSD elements in books don't always nail it perfectly , but this author got it perfectly! I could feel the anger and rage that runs through Clint at the confusion he's going through and then the entire pregnancy thing making it so much worse. I truly felt bad for the guy, it's not easy in the first place to try and handle the nightmares and flashbacks and rage , and all the other emotions that he can't control and then have to try and deal with becoming a father at a time in his life when he feels pretty much worthless.
The character of Ingrid was understandably stressed out too. Being suddenly pregnant and alone, having to deal with body changes, work and all that single motherhood entails takes it's toll on most woman. But of course her kind of stress is completely different to the kind of stress Clint has to deal with. But definitely not less important to overcome than the those of Clint.
The author giving both characters stress although it be different kinds of stress, gave this read a very unique and fresh feel. Usually we have only the one character dealing with stress and the other is the one to pull them from that deep, dark place of despair. But both these characters healed and guided each other to overcome their situations and various levels of stress. Really nice touch Amy!
As previously said, if the authors are not personally related to a person who has gone or is going through PTSD issues then they need to do a lot of research and whether this author knows someone personally or just did the research, either way she hit each and every one of the spots with this read.
I am taking away a message of love can overcome the darkest of emotions, all it needs is to get in first. Yes it is a battle to get through to the person , but once you place yourself in that person's shoes you will be able to learn how to help them and not push them further away.
I highly recommend this read for anyone that loves romance meets real life. The author crafted a stunning story of love found in the most unexpected of places during one of lives most natural everyday occurrences.
5/5 star review
" He goes from being her hero, to a total zero. Can he reach hero status again?"
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Reviewed by Nas
PREGNANT WITH THE SOLDIER’S SON by author Amy Ruttan is a
Harlequin Mills & Boon Medical Romance series release for July 2014.
Ingrid Walton has a shock coming face-to-face with her
one-night stand Dr Clint Allen, but not as shocked as Clint is. Because Ingrid
is very much pregnant and the baby is his!
But is Clint ready to be a father? And is Ingrid willing to
move forward with Clint?
PREGNANT WITH THE SOLDIER’S SON moved me to tears many
times. It is a full on emotional drama. Author Amy Ruttan brought this tale
shimmering with emotions. A reader would stay glued to the book till the last
page.
Highly recommended for all lovers of Medical Romance!
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