Blog Tour of Home Sweet Home: A Sweet, Texas Novella by Candis Terry -- REVIEW



Before I started reading Home Sweet Home, I had an expectation of how the story will go about. War survivors who come back broken usually deal with lots of emotional and mental stress, and I figured that PTSD or survivor's guilt would be playing a major role in this book. Was I right? You'll know in a bit.
 
Title: Home Sweet Home: A Sweet, Texas Novella
Author: Candis Terry
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
Published by: Avon Impulse
Genre: Contemporary, Romance
Source: ARC Given by Author and Tour Organizer

SYNOPSIS:
He's given up …
 
Army Ranger Lieutenant Aiden Marshall fought in some of the most hellish corners on earth and survived. Those closest to him, did not. When he returns home to Sweet, Texas, he believes he's broken and has lost everything—including his soul. The only fair thing he can do to the woman who's patiently waited for him to come home is tell her to move on with her life—without him.
 
… but she never will
 
Sassy waitress Paige Walker has no intention of walking away from the man of her dreams. He gave his all for his country and served with honor. Now it's time to pull him from the darkness and give him hope. With a heap of love, the help of the entire town, and a tail-wagging companion, Paige makes sure her hero knows there's no place like home sweet home.
 
IMPORTANT LINKS:
 
CHARACTER BACKGROUND:
Aiden Marshall is suffering from survivor's guilt. He lost his best friends in war, and he had to leave a companion behind when he went back home. He feels undeserving of people's praises, and he feels most undeserving of the love a certain blond southern sweetheart gave -- and continues to give -- him unconditionally. 

Paige Walker is a beautiful, sweet, and passionate woman. She's only ever loved one man and she has no plans of spending the rest of her life without him. She wants to do everything to make Aiden feel wanted and whole again, even if it means manipulating him...even just a bit. 
 
TO LOVE:
Home Sweet Home is a contemporary romance novel that's about second chances, finding one's self, unconditional love, and acceptance. Like with what I stated earlier, I had this notion that this would be a dark and painful story. Thank God it was not. Not because I find reading the horrific truths that war heroes face during and after their battles bothersome, but because that kind of heaviness doesn't seem to fit the story of this book. This is a light and inspiring read even though Aiden's pain is real. 

 The community the author created seems like an interesting place to live in. People are quick to help others in need, they all greet each other with warm smiles, the food is decadent and delicious (I can only imagine how good it actually is), and they show their appreciation for the people who risked their lives to save their country. This is the kind of town that would draw people in. The kind of town that would draw ME in, at least. 

 The characters were interesting. And I'm not just talking about the leads. We have the broken war survivor who left his woman to help his country, the southern belle who waited for her man to come back and wishes to help him in any way necessary, the lively old ladies who seem to know everything about everyone, men in town who seem to enjoy chatting people up and rehashing the good ol' days. This story even has the diner that has been in town for decades! But the person that stood out to me the most is Paige. Why? She's not the typical blond southern charmer that we've read in other books; the shy, reserved, and timid girl that everyone's drawn to because of her innocence. Our heroine is NOT like that at all. This makes me very happy, because I love a woman who can stand up for herself, take charge, and doesn't take crap from other people. Girl power. 

 TO BLEH:
What didn't I like about this book? I didn't really find anything wrong with it, but I guess I was just looking for something more. A bit more intensity, drama, or heat perhaps? I'm not really sure. I just didn't feel it completely. 

SUMMARY:
I give Home Sweet Home 4 stars, and I STRONGLY recommend that everyone reads this. Not just because the story is great and the book was well-written, but also due to the fact that the author is doing something amazing with the profit made from this novel. So come on you guys, purchase this, you won't regret it.
 
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR:
A note from Candis about why she’s donating book sales to charity.
"The inspiration for HOME SWEET HOME came from an article I’d read about a soldier who been forced to leave the pup he’d rescued in Afghanistan because it wasn’t allowed to bring the animal back to the U.S. In writing the story I realized that rescue animals are a huge part of the romances I write. Since I’m prone to rescue four-legged friends in my personal life I thought that maybe I could help in a bigger way. When I started looking into rescue centers I was overwhelmed by not only the number of animals in need but the generosity of the volunteers who often nurse these animals back to health so they can be adopted. The love and loyalty of an animal is unconditional and I’d like to see them have the opportunity to be loved right back. I know I can’t help them all, but I hope these donations will help as many as possible."
 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Candis Terry was born and raised near the sunny beaches of Southern California and now makes her home on an Idaho farm. She’s experienced life in such diverse ways as working in a Hollywood recording studio to chasing down wayward steers. Only one thing has remained the same: her passion for writing stories about relationships, the push and pull in the search for love, and the security one finds in their own happily ever after.
 
AUTHOR LINKS:
BUY LINKS:
GIVEAWAY!!
Rafflecopter Giveaway (Sweet, TX series backlist: ANYTHING BUT SWEET, SWEETEST MISTAKE, SOMETHING SWEETER, SWEET SURPRISE)
 

TOUR ORGANIZED BY:
 
 

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