Publisher:
Pan Macmillan
Release
Date: 19th
June 2014
Edition:
e-proof,
review copy
Other
Titles by this Author: [as
Sarah Alderson] Hunting
Lila, Losing
Lila, Fated, Severed, Shadowed, The
Sound, Out
of Control
Come
back to me. That was the very last thing I said to him.
Always.
The very last thing he said to me.
Home
on leave in sunny California, Marine and local lothario Kit Ryan finds himself
dangerously drawn to his best friend’s sister, Jessa – the one girl he can’t
have.
But
Kit’s not about to let a few obstacles stand in his way and soon Jessa’s
falling for his irresistible charms.
What
starts out as a summer romance of secret hook-ups and magical first times
quickly develops into a passionate love affair that turns both their worlds
upside down.
When
summer’s over and it’s time for Kit to redeploy, neither Kit nor Jessa are
ready to say goodbye. Jessa’s finally following her dreams and Kit’s discovered
there’s someone he’d sacrifice everything for.
Jessa’s
prepared to wait for Kit no matter what. But when something more than distance
and time rips them apart they’re forced to decide whether what they have is
really worth fighting for.
A
breathtaking, scorchingly hot story about love, friendship, family and finding
your way back from the edge of heartbreak.
Historically I haven’t got
along with NA. I find it cliché, too focused on sex, not enough character
development and sloppy writing. It was solely because I knew that Mila Gray is
actually Sarah Alderson that made me want to pick up Come Back to Me. I really am glad I did.
The novel opens with an
emotional punch: we find out that at the end of the novel Jessa will lose
someone. Either Riley, her brother, or Kit, her boyfriend, who are both
marines, has been killed in action. And just before the name is announced, Gray
throws us into flashback to the beginning of the summer and the arrival of the
boys on leave.
Jessa has had a crush on Kit
for years, but she’s always been his best friend’s little sister. Or so she
thinks. Kit is Hot, with a capital ‘H’, and he has sizzling chemistry with Jessa
and I was cheering on their sneaking around. I love stories of forbidden love
so damn much. For Jessa and Kit, the obstacles are Riley (overprotective and
knowledge of Kit’s tendency to be a player) and Jessa’s scary, scary dad
(suffering from PTSD, a Colonel and hates Kit). It actually took me a long time
to get to like Riley. He’s judgemental and possessive, he feels a little
similar to their dad at points. I have to admit that I had a few errs with Kit
too – he’s pretty bloody pushy! I mean, it always worked out in the best way
for Jessa, but it did make me cringe a little.
Aside from the scorching
romance, the secrets and the sun-drenched California summer, Come Back to Me also tackles some
sensitive issues: fighting in wars, death and PTSD. Unfortunately, war is a
very topical subject at the moment so it made an impact. Though being in the
marines in an American role, one I actually know very little about, the
reactions of Jessa’s dad, Kit’s dad, and Kit and Riley themselves seems familiar,
and worrying. These four men having experienced unspeakable things across a
wide arc of time and in different places all over the world and they all
suffer. It’s a sobering thought.
Come
Back to Me is
an emotional, sexy and addictive summer read. I have high hopes for the rest of
Mila Gray’s books.
Thanks to Sarah for the review
copy.
Sophie
Wow, this sounds amazing! Nothing like other bad experiences with NA, will have to look out for this one :)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading this one. Glad you enjoyed it!
ReplyDelete