Capture Come Back To Me (Come Back To Me #1) Edited By Mila Gray Shown As Script

BACK TO ME IS JUSTp ON AMAZON UK RIGHT NOW! FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY!

This is actually me Sarah Alderson writing as Mila Gray for Pan Macmillan.
It's my first new adult novel and I'm so excited about it, It will be out on Juneth as an ebook and then as a paperback in the UK in August exclusively to WHSmith before general paperback release in October.
For anyone who read sitelinkHunting Lila and loved that then you should also like this it's set in Oceanside, just like Hunting Lila and is about two marines who are best friends Kit and Riley.
Kit falls for Riley's little sister Jessa and so our story begins, . . sound familiar Well, that's where the similarities to Hunting Lila end though Kit is every bit as gorgeous as Alex,

It's a contemporary romance, so no mind powers in this one and it's a lot, LOT steamier than my YA, . . : In fact I've told my parents they can't read it, . . It's also a bit of a tear jerker so bring your tissues!
I hope you like it!
CALLING ANY BLOGGERS WHO WANT TO TAKE PART IN A BLOG TOUR do get in touch!

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stars

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review,

So its a little alarming that Ive read four New Adult books in the span of about a week, Its a genre Ive always been wary of, despite its heavy focus on romance and me being the epitome of a hopeless romantic, But Im a very picky, moody reader, and New Adult tends to either be too angstdriven, too poorly written and/or edited, too full of stupid, annoying characters, or all of the above.
Wading through the bad to find the good for the most part seems to take too much effort, Im not really sure what caused this sudden spurt maybe feeling drained on Young Adult books and having read most of the Adult ones that appeal to me but Ive been, for the most part, pleasantly surprised.


Come Back To Me combines two tropes I absolutely love in a romance: a hero who is not only in love with his best friends little sister but a military guy at that.
Sign me up, please and thank you, Oh, and its dual pointofview, so brownie points, Its about first love, family, loss, and redemption, Right away we learn something devastating will take place, but then were thrown into a long flashback full of summer and lightness, Kit has just returned home on leave, along with his best friend Riley, Nine months ago he started to notice Jessa, Rileys sister, a lot more than was appropriate, and he hasnt been able to stop thinking about her ever since.
Jessa has always had a crush on him I mean, if the cover model is to judge, who can blame her but she thinks its hopeless, Even if he did reciprocate her feelings they couldnt be together because of her overprotective brother and her dad who for no apparent reason hates Kit, Plus, Kit has always been a player, so can she trust there could ever be something deeper

I think Im making that last part sound more dramatic than it actually is, because I was extremely giddy over their relationship.
They are super duper adorable, Its not long before they decide to risk it and be together, though without telling anyone about it, Theres plenty of covert kisses and discreet eye sex and sneaking around normally this sort of secrecy would make me tense all over, but I was completely wrapped up in their love story.
They are both so sweet on each other that I couldnt help but be swept away, Theres an innocence to it it really captures the rawness and beauty of first love, Knowing that tragedy was up ahead, Im so grateful there is very little angst and drama between Kit and Jessa, Also, both characters are extremely likeable, Jessa is passionate and open in a way thats unusual for this genre, and Kit is a sexy mix of strength and vulnerability,

Though romance is the focus, theres also plenty of interesting family dynamics, Kit has a good relationship with his dad, who suffered from alcoholism after his wife passed away, Riley is a constant presence as well, and his relationship with his longtime girlfriend is particularly bittersweet, One character I definitely did not like is Jessas dad, Hes suffering from PTSD and has violent mood swings, but

refuses to get help, Hes the main reason why Jessa and Kit are forced to keep their relationship a secret, as hes very controlling of Jessas social life, Theres also the inevitable tragedy that you know is coming its heartbreaking and painful, and I understood why each character reacted the way they did,

Come Back To Me is an aching story of loss, yes, but it always comes back to the soul deep love between Kit and Jessa.
I really enjoyed their story, and I hope Mila Gray aka Sarah Alderson continues to write in this genre, Its not as graphic as most New Adult books, but the slow build up to Kit and Jessas first time is sensual enough, The only thing I wish is that the epilogue wasnt so picture perfect, Im not talking about the surety of their happily ever after that I loved but that they both made it so big in their professions, I think it would have been sweeter if they were still trying to break through but also content with where they were at,

This review can also be found at sitelinkLove at First Page,
”Come back to me, That was the very last thing I said to him,

Always. The very last thing he said to me, ”

I dont think Ive ever read a book with as much kissing as this one, and for some reason, Im not really mad about it.


Jessa has been in love with Kit Ryan ever since she was fourteen, And despite his denials, Kit feels the same way, The problem Hes her brothers best friend, That and her overbearing, emotionally abusive father would never allow his perfect little princess into a romance with a Marine, Especially when that said Marine is the son of his biggest enemy, So begins a summer of secret getaways, stolen kisses, and steamy romance, But Kit and her brother are redeployed, bringing their romance to an end, And when a Marine chaplain knocks on her door, it can only mean one of them is dead, But who

You have to be in the right frame of mind to read this book, And by right frame of mind, I mean you have to be in the mood for pages upon pages of steamy makeout sessions, Like I said before, I dont think Ive read a book with this many makeout sessions in quite a long time, if at all, It doesnt take long for Kit to give into his feelings for Jessa despite the blurb making it sound like an unrequited, slow burn romance that will be taking place.
Nope they admit their feelings right away, And once they do admit their feelings, put on your chap stick and stick a breath mint in your mouth, because KISSING WILL ENSUE!!!

”We have five more hours left before I have to drop you back home.
How many of those hours can we spend kissing

Maybe four and a half, depending how fast you can paddle us back to the beach, ”

sitelink
To be honest, there were so many kissing scenes and a lot more, if you know what I mean, that there wasnt really a whole lot of time for character development and growth.
If the authors intent was to give us an escapism romance with lots of romantic moments, she succeeded, If the authors intent was to show us the workings of a military romance and how war can effect it and change the people who served, she failed.
Speaking on that note

One thing that irked me here was the authors representation of soldiers with PTSD, As the daughter of a military veteran who suffers from PTSD, I can say with certainty that the author didnt do her research in regards to this topic.
I would go so far as to say that she brushed it off entirely, She also made it seem like theres a oneall cure, and as soon as you have a bunch of drugs in your system, everythings rainbows, unicorns and sunshine again.
Thats not the case, It can take years to get back to even the quarter of the person you once were, and some people never will go back to beingnormal.
So for the author to basically say that once you get into therapy and have all these charming little drugs to help is kind of offensive,

Another thing that bogged down this novel was the predictability of it all, Jessas the typical good girl virgin who never gets in trouble and is all Precious Moments innocence,

”At school Im the good Catholic straightA student who never messes up.
At home Im the good, quiet, studious, and respectful daughter who doesnt cause trouble, On stage or with Kit, though, I get to throw off those identities and inhabit another person, I can be angry, passionate, funny, tragic, playful, seductive, powerful, I guess its ironic that the only time Im ever myself is when Im not myself, My usual self, anyways. ”

Hell, her description even reminds me of those little ceramic Precious Moments figurines, The only thing missing are teardrop eyes and a halo,

”One day she was this small, blond kid, all elbows and knees and braces, following the two of us around all the time like a lemming, and then I go away to basic training and come back to find shes all grown up, with eyes the size of dinner plates, hair hanging straight as a snipers aim down her back, and a smile that takes my breath away every single time.
”

Kits the predictable bad boy Marine, Jessas father is the overbearing, mentally ill Corporal, Jessas mom is just kind of there, etc, This is the YA/NA equivalent of a Nicholas Sparks movie, You know sobbing, tragic romance stories with pretty white people set on the beach, Even the plot is predictable, I knew who would die, I knew how it would end, I knew the big twists and turns, The author didnt make it very heard to figure these things out,

And yet I cant bring myself to fully hate this book, Like I said, you have to be in the right frame of mind to read this sucker, and I just happened to be in the right frame of mind for a kissing book.


Was it predictable Yes,

Was there way too much kissing Probably,

Could I bring myself to stop reading it No,

I got to hand it to the author, she knew how to keep me turning the pages, So if you need a kissing book in your life, or a steamy romance to keep the blues away, Id recommend this book,

Just keep a fan with you, because some of the scenes are STEAMY, .