Reviewed by Emma

In a matter of seconds my entire world changed, and it was in that moment that I stopped living and simply began to exist.

In my grief, I sent a letter to the first boy I ever loved. I hoped in writing it I’d find some peace from the nightmare I was living, some solace in my anger.

I didn’t expect him to write back. I wasn’t prepared for his words, and I certainly wasn’t ready for the impact this soldier would have on my life. A deep-rooted hate transformed into friendship, and then molded into a love like I’d never known before.

Sergeant Devin Ulysses Clay did what I couldn’t: he put the shattered pieces of my heart back together, restoring my faith in humanity and teaching me how to live again.

But now that I’m whole, I have a decision to make. Do I return to my life as I knew it and the fiancé I left behind, or do I walk away from it all for the only man to ever break my heart?

***

I’ve been living in hell, but you won’t hear me complain.

These men depend on me, as I do them, and this brotherhood is the only family I’ve ever known.

The Army saved me from a callous mother and a life on the wrong side of the tracks that was quickly spiraling out of control. So unlike most of the men in my platoon, going home wasn’t something I longed for.

I was content overseas, spending my days defending this country that gave me my life back. Fighting became my new normal … until her.

A letter from Katie Devora—a letter that I almost didn’t open. Her words put a fire back inside of me that I didn’t know I’d lost. She gave me hope during a time when I was fighting every day just to stay alive, and now it’s time I fight for her.

A Lover’s Lament

It’s taken me about 2 days to be able to write this review. I was trying so hard to find a negative (yep your read that right) about this collaboration, because in my experience the only collaboration that works is Ker Dukey and DH Sidebottom. In the end I found one, well… it’s not really a negative, it’s just in personal opinion A Lover’s Lament was too damn short!!

I wanted needed more.

It’s obvious from the get-go that Katie and Devon are soulmates. The prologue sets the story perfectly, it draws you in, it rips your heart out. Apart for 10 years Katie and Devon are brought together again after the death of the man who played a hand in  pushing them apart.

I suck in a sharp breath at the sight of his name. “Impossible,” I murmur, sitting up in the recliner. There is no way that there’s more than one Devin Ulysses Clay walking this earth. It’s impossible. Right?

This book has it all. I laughed, I cried and found myself stepping outside to grab some air every so often, a long cold shower was also needed at one point.

“I love being inside of you,” he whispers before brushing my hair out of the way and kissing the back of my neck. ” You feel so fucking good, it hurts. This is perfection. You’re perfection.”

Devin’s PoV makes it feel like you were there. The writing is so vivid, it really is incredible. I could smell the dirt and grime in the tents he bunked in and the heat of the sun beating down on his face. There’s certainly no skimming over the details.

Katie, could at times be a little unlikable, although she did redeem herself. She seemed immature in comparison to Devin. Even taking into consideration her heartbreak, her behavior could be off-putting. You could feel the love she had for Devin.

It’s a poignant second chance romance, one of re-awakening and forgiveness. It’s both heart-wrenching and heart warming. It’s full of love and loss as well as hope and despair. It’s a story of love that never died.

“I feel it, Katie.” Everything around me blurs as tears fill my eyes. “You do? Because I feel it, and it’s powerful and overwhelming and I thought I had moved past it, and then all of a sudden, there it was again, and…”