Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Homecoming
SERIES: Men of Devotion Book 1
AUTHOR: Meredith Daniels
PUBLISHER: Pride Publishing
LENGTH: 95 Pages
RELEASE DATE: March 12, 2019
BLURB:
Home is where his heart is.
Broken in body and soul, elite Special Forces operative Jack Dresden returns to Devotion, Georgia both dreading and longing to face his past. Leaving behind the only person who made him feel like he was right where he belonged was the hardest thing he’d ever done…until now. Seeing Dillon again brings back all those feelings, along with all the reasons Jack should stay away.
Pretending was never Dillon Bluff’s style. Coming out right after high school, he faced the stigma of being gay in a small Southern town head-on. When Jack walks back into his life, Dillon knows there’s no denying the smoldering hidden torch he’s carried for his former best friend.
Jack’s a mess and the last thing he wants is to hurt Dillon in any way. Fighting through terrifying flashbacks, Jack believes he’s too broken to be any kind of partner to Dillon. But Dillon is determined to take control and show Jack’s heart the way home.
REVIEW:
Jack is a man in turmoil and it only gets worse as he heads home after leaving the armed forces. When he left home he escaped from his father’s glaring disapproval, but he also left behind the person who meant the most to him.
Dillon is the kind of guy who tries to face his problems head on, but when Jack left to join the service, Dillon was angry but not for the reason Jack thinks.
There’s no denying Jack is a tortured soul. The things that he saw while he was in the military have left him feeling broken and alone. Seeing Dillon only adds to the conflict inside of him and he can’t bring himself to get any closer…or walk away.
I liked this story. Both men are good guys who are so scared of what’s inside of them and it’s kind of painful to watch. Jack’s low self esteem, which was nurtured his whole life by his father, leaves him frozen even though all he wants is to be with Dillon.
Dillon is still angry about how Jack left but as the story goes on, he starts to figure out that things with Jack aren’t exactly like he thought they were.
Dillon’s sister is sweet and I love how she helps Dillon figure out what he wants so that he can help Jack get there too.
It’s a shorter story but I felt like it was all there and that mostly nothing was missing. My only complaint really, is that someone with Jack’s level of PTSD could have used a little more help from some professionals and I would have loved to have seen that angle explored a little more. However, the author did a great job of getting how Jack’s PTSD affected him across and I was almost moved to tears in a couple of places. I have a special place in my heart for the men and women who go into service for the country and come out damaged by the things they see and endure.
Jack and Dillon live in “every small town” USA and it helps the reader to connect to the characters because it feels familiar for a lot of us.
This story is nicely written and I am looking forward to more stories from this author and in this series especially.
RATING: 
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