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A review by mindfullibrarian
The Military Wife by Laura Trentham
4.0
(free review copy from publisher) Military stories are ones I definitely want in the world, especially stories like this one - about PTSD and the hardships that military families face, but until recently I haven't actually been able to read them. Due to a personal reason, the stories have either been way too close to home, or infuriate me by romanticizing something that isn't romantic in the least. With time being a healer, I just this winter have been able to read stories like this one, and am so happy that I did because it means I can recommend them to others.
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The Military Wife is a full-hearted story of a young widow of a Navy SEAL and her relationships with other military families, as well as one of her husband's friends. There is a strong romantic element, which makes sense given the author's history as a romance author, but the book is about so much more than that too. It's about the trauma of war, PTSD, the struggle of military spouses, and the indoctrination that military personnel endure to be able to do the jobs they do. While the author is not herself a military wife, the book was written with the input of a former Navy SEAL as well as a military wife - this definitely adds to the authenticity of the story.
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I loved this book, and am so happy that Trentham wrote it - I hope it brings much wider awareness to the struggles that our military members face when returning from combat, and also the unique issues that military families face on the home front. The characters aren't perfect, but neither are real humans, and the character of Noah was so reminiscent of young men I have known who have joined the armed forces.
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If you read women's fiction and appreciate romantic themes, I definitely recommend this one. There is sex in the book, but it's not at all steamy. I really like how consent was handled in the book, as well. I haven't found a review yet by an actual member of the SEALs or a military spouse, but please do let me know if you've written one or have read one! I am sure this book might be a tough read for either of those groups, and I completely understand them not wanting to read fiction based on these experiences.
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Content warning: Mentions of suicidal thoughts/attempt, brief mentions of remembered child abuse, remembered graphic combat violence.
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The Military Wife is a full-hearted story of a young widow of a Navy SEAL and her relationships with other military families, as well as one of her husband's friends. There is a strong romantic element, which makes sense given the author's history as a romance author, but the book is about so much more than that too. It's about the trauma of war, PTSD, the struggle of military spouses, and the indoctrination that military personnel endure to be able to do the jobs they do. While the author is not herself a military wife, the book was written with the input of a former Navy SEAL as well as a military wife - this definitely adds to the authenticity of the story.
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I loved this book, and am so happy that Trentham wrote it - I hope it brings much wider awareness to the struggles that our military members face when returning from combat, and also the unique issues that military families face on the home front. The characters aren't perfect, but neither are real humans, and the character of Noah was so reminiscent of young men I have known who have joined the armed forces.
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If you read women's fiction and appreciate romantic themes, I definitely recommend this one. There is sex in the book, but it's not at all steamy. I really like how consent was handled in the book, as well. I haven't found a review yet by an actual member of the SEALs or a military spouse, but please do let me know if you've written one or have read one! I am sure this book might be a tough read for either of those groups, and I completely understand them not wanting to read fiction based on these experiences.
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Content warning: Mentions of suicidal thoughts/attempt, brief mentions of remembered child abuse, remembered graphic combat violence.