“This book captivated my heart …”

Riveted with the call of duty and the battle between love-and-let-go, this book captivated my heart and took full control over my emotions with each page turn. I purposely did not read the synopsis because I like to be surprised. Perhaps, well, perhaps I should have prepared myself a bit. Still, I’m glad I didn’t. Having no idea what I was about to read caused me to feel the climax of the story with more intensity. Alice Bliss articulates every military wife’s struggles, fears, and the dirty work civilians can’t fathom. I was blown away.

There are secrets in this book. Secrets that are whispered between the lines. Secrets that lie between first kisses and first dances, first heartbreaks, first season crops, and boxes of secret letters, whisper, “It’s all worth it.”

Matt Bliss is in the National Guard and though his family is not happy about his service, they support him. They love him. Their lives come to the familiar halt that active and reservist wives experience to some degree at one time or another when Matt is deployed to Iraq. They press on. They get down to business, exploiting their plans, unfurling their goals, eating simple foods that match their one-track minds, barely masking their pain as they try to live lives that make Matt proud. Matt’s the kind of man every man of courage and character can relate to and every woman wishes she had: devoted to his family, devoted to his duty. He’s the kind of father a girl can’t help but admire. And admire is exactly what Alice does.

I can’t possibly put into words the impact this book had on me. Between the familiar sarcasm of Alice and Ellie, the laughter I shared through Uncle Eddie’s antics and charming “advice,” the raw emotions and pain in Angie’s struggle to be a mother and deal with a growing and rebellious teen, and the genuine motherly love of Gram, I was lost in another world. I’m not a fast reader and yet I went through my days wondering what melody Henry might play for me next. Ms. Harrington, you’ve won my heart with your work. And I hope my review makes your book sales sky-rocket.

Every one of you who reads this review should read this book. You have to. I’m almost begging you to. It’s easy reading, written in a journal format. You’ll probably learn some new vocabulary words, too.

A huge thank you to Meredith Burks of Penguin Group (USA) for approaching me with the honor of reviewing Alice Bliss, to Penguin for publishing good literature worth reading, and especially to Laura Harrington for really engaging the “behind closed doors” truth and harsh reality of military life with its unexpected twists and turns. I’m still fishing for words in a puddle, trying to grab at something that might make people want to read this book while in truth, I’m still speechless. Five stars, two thumbs up. (And two big toes.)