Reviewed by Cindy
TITLE: Always You
SERIES: Guardian Hall #1
AUTHOR: RJ Scott
PUBLISHER: Love Lane Books
LENGTH: 236 Pages
RELEASE DATE: January 29, 2025
BLURB:
In the frostbitten heart of Chicago, a scarred and solitary soldier finds a second chance at love with the man who broke his heart.
Twenty years at war have left Sergeant Jasper “Jazz” Brookes battered, scarred, and haunted. His marriage is wrecked, his daughter barely speaks to him, and the world he fought for has moved on without him. Homeless by choice, Jazz manages until the brutal Chicago winter forces him to seek help from a shelter he doesn’t want to need.
The weathered building in Humboldt Park offers veterans a place to rebuild, but Jazz doesn’t expect to find Alex Richardson there—his first love, the boy who chose money over him, the one he left behind. Seeing Alex again cracks open old wounds and stirs feelings Jazz buried long ago.
For Alex, the sight of Jazz reminds him of everything he’s tried to forget. But neither man has moved on. As they grapple with their past and confront the scars they’ve carried for years, they’re forced to decide if the connection between them is strong enough to survive the pain.
This time, it’s all or nothing.
REVIEW:
Ex military men are always a little heartbreaking, aren’t they?
Jazz is lost and feeling alone, but he wants a better life. Help comes from an unexpected source.
Alex is a man who knows how badly he messed up and he wants nothing more than to help Jazz get his life back…okay, maybe he wants a little more than that.
The angst in this story comes from the real world situations that these men find themselves in. People who serve their country are all too oftem left to fend for themselves when their “usefullness” is worn out. It leaves them in desperate situations and feeling like there is no where to turn.
Jazz is soft and sweet and so scared of hurting the people he loves. The author did a great job of portraying the reality of PTSD and the way it makes having a real relationship hard. There’s no magic fix here, just hard work and determination.
Both characters are easy to relate to. Both let their fears get the best of them and lead them to rock bottom. And both have to pick themselves up to start again.
I always know when I see this author’s name that we will get excellent characters and well written premises that will almost alway break your heart before fixing it again. I love how the book doesn’t try to throw in too much in the way of “outside” interference and instead focuses on how these men find their way to each other while still working on how to make their lives better.
I enjoyed Alex’s interactions with his friends and his honesty about his own situation. And I loved Jazz’s determination to do better so he can be a better parent to his child.
Very well done.
RATING:
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