A Soldier's Return by RaeAnne Thayne Published by Harlequin Special Edition on January 15, 2019
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The Women of Brambleberry House are back!
Returning home to Cannon Beach and living in Brambleberry House, a place where good things seemed destined to happen, had brought Melissa Fielding and her young daughter such joy. Perhaps it was no accident when the single mom "bumped" into Eli Sanderson, and discovered the handsome doctor was also back in town. The ex-soldier was still so captivating, but also more guarded. Was now the time to put old ghosts to rest?
~~Reviewed by Evelyn~~
A SOLDIER’S RETURN, the newest installment of the Brambleberry House series by RaeAnne Thayne, is a pleasing, heartwarming story of two people coping with past hurts and trying to avoid being hurt again.
Melissa Fielding was married to a world-class surfer who was always in search of the perfect wave. Fed up with having an absentee husband, she divorced him, got a nursing degree and moved her daughter and herself back to her hometown where she felt safe. When the well-respected doctor that she worked for needed knee replacement surgery, his military doctor son, Eli Sanderson arrived to take his place in the clinic until he was able to work again. Melissa is very attracted to the new doctor but she knows that there is something still haunting him from the past. Eli had secretly been in love with Melissa since high school but neither wants to be in love with the other because Eli will inevitably leave to return to service in the military. Do they have the power to stop it?
This is a sweet, somewhat predictable story, but still very enjoyable. While the complexity that we’ve come to expect from a RaeAnne Thayne full-length novel is not there, the story is well-written and the characters are well-developed for a novella. While part of a series, A SOLDIER’S RETURN is very easy to read as a standalone book.
A SOLDIER’S RETURN is a solid, delightful story that can be read in one sitting. I highly recommend it and am giving it four stars.
I voluntarily read an Advanced Reader Copy of this book and the views expressed are my honest opinions
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About RaeAnne Thayne
I’m not one of those people who knew from birth she was destined to become a writer. I always loved to read and throughout my childhood I could usually be found with a book in my hands. To the disgust of my friends, I even enjoyed creative writing assignments that made them all groan. But I had other dreams besides writing. I wanted to be an actress or a teacher or a lawyer.
Life took a different turn for me, though, when my mother made me take a journalism elective in high school (thanks, Mom!). I knew the first day that this was where I belonged.
After I graduated from college in journalism, I took a job at the local daily newspaper and I reveled in the challenge and the diversity of it. One day I could be interviewing the latest country music star, the next day I was writing about local motorcycle gangs or interviewing an award-winning scientist.
Through it all — through the natural progression of my career from reporter to editor — I wrote stories in my head. Not just any stories, either, but romances, the kind of books I have devoured since junior high school, with tales about real people going through the trials and tribulations of life until they find deep and lasting love.
I had no idea how to put these people on paper, but knew I had to try — their stories were too compelling for me to ignore. I sold my first book in 1995 and now, more than 30 books later, I’ve come to love everything about writing, from the click of the computer keys under my fingers to the “that’s-it!” feeling I get when a story is flowing.
I write full-time now (well, as full-time as I can manage juggling my kids!) amid the raw beauty of the northern Utah mountains.
Even though I might not have dreamed of being a writer when I was younger, now I simply can’t imagine my life any other way.
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