Susan F. (scoutmomskf) -
Fantastic friends to lovers story. Evan and Juliet were good friends in college. Both are members of the ROTC and headed off to their first assignments as new second lieutenants. The night before graduation they promised each other that if they were still single as lieutenant colonels they would marry each other. Fast forward sixteen years and Juliet has just been promoted to lieutenant colonel. She is the single mother of an eleven-year-old son and has just arrived at the same base where Evan is stationed.
Evan got the shock of his life when Juliet showed up at his office to collect on that pact. He had no idea she was divorced and had all but given up on fulfilling the pact. He jumps at the chance to make his dream come true. Juliet is surprised at his quick agreement, especially considering she and Matthew are a package deal.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Evan and Juliet develop. Even though they've only seen each other a few times during the sixteen years, it didn't take long to re-establish their friendship. It quickly became evident that Juliet hadn't fully thought out all of the details of her proposal as she realized what being married to Evan meant. Thanks to her ex-husband, Juliet has lost a lot of confidence in her ability to sustain a relationship. I loved Evan's patience and understanding, as he is well aware of the failings of her ex. I felt a little sorry for Evan also because he blames himself for her miserable marriage. It was sweet to see how much effort Evan put into getting past Juliet's fears. There was a bit of a hiccup thanks to the woman Evan was dating before Juliet's arrival. I was impressed by the maturity of both Evan and Juliet as they talked about it and came out stronger on the other side. There was one more crisis to get through when Juliet's ex showed up and tried to make trouble. It was so satisfying to see him get what was coming to him. This time it was Juliet's turn to help Evan get past his fears. I loved her comment about him mucking things up as she made sure he knew how much she loved him.
A big part of the story was Juliet's son Matthew. He has a rough time of it. He has moved away from all of his friends and is the new kid at school in the middle of the year. He loves his father, but the man hasn't bothered to visit him in more than three years. Now there is a new man in his mother's life (ewww - kissing!) and he doesn't know where that leaves him. Juliet knows that Matthew needs a dependable male role model in his life and believes that Evan can be that man. There are some fantastic scenes of Evan and Matthew together. It isn't easy, as Matthew is suspicious, but Evan is determined. It is a bit of a rollercoaster ride as they work out their relationship. I loved the fishing scene, but the one that really won my heart was the aftermath of the incident at the school. The epilogue was just the icing on the cake.
One of the things I love best about Caro Carson's books is her attention to detail when it comes to the military. There's nothing worse for a reader with a military background than reading a book where the author screws up the details. This is never a worry with her books, thanks to her career in the army and being a West Point grad. From the description of the promotion ceremony to the visual of the MPs making a "hole" for him to get down the hall at the station, every bit of it felt authentic. The only thing I have left to say is "GO NAVY!" (Sorry, Caro - couldn't help it!)
Evan got the shock of his life when Juliet showed up at his office to collect on that pact. He had no idea she was divorced and had all but given up on fulfilling the pact. He jumps at the chance to make his dream come true. Juliet is surprised at his quick agreement, especially considering she and Matthew are a package deal.
I enjoyed seeing the relationship between Evan and Juliet develop. Even though they've only seen each other a few times during the sixteen years, it didn't take long to re-establish their friendship. It quickly became evident that Juliet hadn't fully thought out all of the details of her proposal as she realized what being married to Evan meant. Thanks to her ex-husband, Juliet has lost a lot of confidence in her ability to sustain a relationship. I loved Evan's patience and understanding, as he is well aware of the failings of her ex. I felt a little sorry for Evan also because he blames himself for her miserable marriage. It was sweet to see how much effort Evan put into getting past Juliet's fears. There was a bit of a hiccup thanks to the woman Evan was dating before Juliet's arrival. I was impressed by the maturity of both Evan and Juliet as they talked about it and came out stronger on the other side. There was one more crisis to get through when Juliet's ex showed up and tried to make trouble. It was so satisfying to see him get what was coming to him. This time it was Juliet's turn to help Evan get past his fears. I loved her comment about him mucking things up as she made sure he knew how much she loved him.
A big part of the story was Juliet's son Matthew. He has a rough time of it. He has moved away from all of his friends and is the new kid at school in the middle of the year. He loves his father, but the man hasn't bothered to visit him in more than three years. Now there is a new man in his mother's life (ewww - kissing!) and he doesn't know where that leaves him. Juliet knows that Matthew needs a dependable male role model in his life and believes that Evan can be that man. There are some fantastic scenes of Evan and Matthew together. It isn't easy, as Matthew is suspicious, but Evan is determined. It is a bit of a rollercoaster ride as they work out their relationship. I loved the fishing scene, but the one that really won my heart was the aftermath of the incident at the school. The epilogue was just the icing on the cake.
One of the things I love best about Caro Carson's books is her attention to detail when it comes to the military. There's nothing worse for a reader with a military background than reading a book where the author screws up the details. This is never a worry with her books, thanks to her career in the army and being a West Point grad. From the description of the promotion ceremony to the visual of the MPs making a "hole" for him to get down the hall at the station, every bit of it felt authentic. The only thing I have left to say is "GO NAVY!" (Sorry, Caro - couldn't help it!)
