All the Right Reasons received a beautiful review from You Gotta Read! Reviews this morning! My thanks to Val!
Title: All the Right Reasons
Publisher: Book Strand
Rating: You Gotta Read
Reviewed by: Val
Can love heal all wounds? Lucas Mitchell returned from Iraq a bitter, changed man, wracked with guilt over his friend's death. He buys and ancient mansion and deals with his injuries and grief by restoring his new home and rehabilitating retired racehorses. Joy Kovacs falls in love with Lucas at first sight. Descended from gypsies who are still influenced by the lingering effects of the Holocaust, her family follows the traditional ways. A husband has already been selected for her, and her father insists she work at their ethnic restaurant. But Joy wants to use her talent and be an artist, and she wants no one but Lucas. How can Joy find a way to help Lucas break out of his prison of grief? Although they've committed their hearts to each other, can the growing love and passion between Lucas and Joy survive her family's insistence that she marry within her culture?
Lucas Mitchell was a complex character who had emotionally given up after losing his buddy on his tour in Iraq. Joy was the woman that could save him when no one else could. The relationship between Lucas and Joy was one unlike any I have read so far. Being a Gypsy, Joy could sense what Lucas needed. In subtle ways, Lucas would be able to sense what Joy wanted and needed. To add to this intriguing plot line, the Romungro culture is steeped in tradition and Joy's family would not let Lucas join their tight circle as he was not of full Romungro ancestry. Joy had to choose and one way or another, would let someone down. Would it be her closely knit family or the love of her life? The addition of the villain, Tamas, was priceless.
I anxiously delved into this book anticipating the third book of the Damaged Hero's series. The other two books in the series were amazing and All the Right Reasons did not disappoint. I was in for a shock when I cracked open the book. It was extremely hard to put down. All the Right Reasons evoked unexpected emotions in me. I felt a part of Joy and Lucas' lives and the pain in my heart ached for Lucas and the issues he was dealing with. The guilt he was carrying around was almost suffocating at times. It was truly phenomenal how Ms. James was able to so accurately depict how a soldier would feel in such a situation. All the Right Reasons was a multilayered, emotionally gripping story of the guilt of a soldier, the love of family, and just trying find closure. All the Right Reasons is laced with humor and oh my gosh, you have got to read the bachelor party scene, I laughed so hard. Joy and Lucas are my favorite couple in this series so far. I know I say this after each and every book but the characters truly get better with each book.
Ms. James has once again gone above and beyond and delivered an exceptional well written, well rounded, touching love story with deep meaning. I can't recommend this book enough. I can promise that anyone who is not a fan of Ms. James yet, will most certainly be by the end of this book. I am anxious to read the fourth book in the Damaged Hero's series, Faith of the Heart. I am listing all the books so far in this series because, trust me, you will want to read them all. Although they can all be read as a stand alone book, you WILL want to read the entire series.
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