Good emotion packed love story that has you laughing and crying. All these characters are so real and flawed that you can't help but root for them to have a happy ending. ( )

This book started out nicely and I took a quick liking to Nick. He's a strong soldier who's suffered trauma and the loss of his friend in the line of duty. Spence, Nick's deceased friend from the military, has left his home to his childhood friend, Callie. They were best friends as children and grew up next door to each other. Nick pays her a visit in hopes of finding a permanent home for a dog Spence (and his unit) took off the streets of Afghanistan. Callie is also coming to terms with Spence's death and the fact that he (unexpectedly) left everything to her in his will. Once Nick sees the condition of the house Spence left behind, Nick decides to stick around and fix it up while he deals with his grief. While I liked Callie, she came across a little generic. There's not much to say about her other than she was extremely patient and had a good understanding of what Nick was going through.

The book brings up important issues. It's very difficult for our servicemen and women to make the transition from combat to civilian life. I can't fathom being on alert 24/7 and watching your friends die. I understood Nick's misplaced guilt about Spence's death and his attraction to Callie. The author did a great job of portraying PTSD, but I wanted more emotion, more "showing" by day to day example. There was a little of this, but not as much as I'd expected. I also expected to shed lots of tears, but the writing just didn't quite get that raw. It was good though and I'll remember it, but I'm not rushing out to buy the next book in the series just yet. ( )

Thoroughly enjoyable read! After his buddy Spence dies in Afghanistan wounded soldier Nick travels to Spence's hometown of Snowberry Creek to visit Spence's girl Callie to give her his buddy's beloved dog. But nothing is ever that simple! Recommended read! ( )