Though this is a romance story between a military man and his lady, I liked that the author wrote about some of the PTSD effects. Even though she didn’t go into great details about them, she did touch on some of them.
But, what I really liked was the section where McKenzie‘s Southern Mama gave McKenzie‘s ex the what-for. That had me laughing so hard.
I received an e-copy of this story for my honest review.

McKenzie McCormick moved back home to take care of her ill grandmother. The problem with going back home is that Fort Stewart is only a few miles away, which means her hometown has its fair share of soldiers. She doesn't want anything to do with soliders because her father died in the war. She struggles to keep her attraction at bay when she runs into a gorgeous green-eyed Army Captain.

Captain Remington Bennett is intrigued by the pretty brunette he sees while out on his morning run…

Intrigued by her, he wants to get to know her. But she put up walls and doesn't want to let him in.

I really liked this book. Kenzie let fear rule her and not give herself a chance with Captain Remington . It flowed well and I read it in one sitting. I was hooked, I wanted to know would she give him a chance. Or would she realize too late ? I was a good I'd recommend to my friends.

Fantastic story you can not put down! This authoe knows how to craft characters that leave you wanting more and more

Well I gave this a three star because it was not a bad book, but really not for me. It is slow and the back and forth just drove me crazy. Kenzie meets Remy while jogging in the mornings, they are instantly attracted to each other. Kenzie has moved back home because grandmother has dementia, and she is having a hard time with it. Her and Remy are formally introduced in a picnic, and decide to go out on date, and they are getting along great, and then she pulls back and Remy does not know why. This is my problem, why could she not be a grown up, and tell him her issues, also why does she become confused after her exboyfriend comes to her after he hears she is going out with someone, and now he wants her back. She finally decides she misses Remy, when he is deployed and all of sudden she realizes she loves him. Remy comes back and they are together. Others may like it, but too slow form and I did not like the immaturity of Kenzie.

A very believable story about a couple's journey to find love.

Kenzie has experienced so much loss in her life and now her Nana is not doing well. She moves back home to help her aunt and uncle with Nana's care. There, she meets Remy, a military man, who just returned home from overseas, and both feel the chemistry from the beginning. Kenzie resists her attraction at first because her father was killed while serving when she was a young girl and left a scar. Remy is a charmer and shows a lot of patience and they eventually begin to date, but things aren't always so easy.

Remy was such a sweetheart; his patient wooing was unbelievable. I could understand Kenzie's hesitance to be with a military man to a degree, but she was more unhappy to be without Remy than with him. The close-knit family and community makes you want to visit and meet these people.

The alternating point of view in stories has become popular, but I find it distracting as I always have to remind myself whose pov I am reading.

DNF - Just no

Loved this sweet story. Mackenzie moved back home to take care of her sick grandmother. Working and taking care of her grandmother doesn't leave time for romance. Remington is home after being wounded and a new position. Both not looking for love until they run into each other. As they pursue a relationship Mackenzie's insecurities and Remington's job hinders their relationship. Love how they both work through their issues and Remington is so patient and sweet. Recommended read

At first, I really was enthralled with the characters of Remy and Kenzie. But at times the author repeated the character's point of view. Once from Remy's then again with the same words from Kenzie's. The sections about the relationship with Kenzie's nana really tugged on my heart strings. With some tweaks, this book has the potential to be a huge hit.

Damn just loved the chemistry between Remy and Kenzie.I just loved this book it was real and you can not help but root for these two.A fantastic read would recommend to all.

Embracing Love
Alison Mello

The story of Kenzie and Remy is cute, romantic and a lil sad. Kenzie has just moved to take care of her nana who has developed dementia and is getting sicker each day. Her father died when she was younger overseas on deployment and her mother passed years ago also.
Remy just came home from deployment after being shot. He meets Kenzie during his morning run and just can't seem to get enough of her.
Kenzie doesn't want to get involved with Remy because he is in the military. But she is afraid to open up and share her feelings so instead she just pushes him away.
Remy doesn't understand why he is being pushed away. He tries everything he has to romance her back.
Remy is like the perfect man, hot, sexy,sweet, and caring. Who wouldn't jump for the chance to be with him. Kenzie is crazy to push him away. She should be jumping all over him and claiming him for her 😂
Great easy read!
Thanks NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.

This is a beautiful love story with many dimensions. The first is the love between a son and his family, next is the love between a granddaughter and her ill grandmother. Then, of course, is the love between a man and a woman, Remy and McKenzie. All three aspects were very touching, perhaps a bit more difficult for the reader of an aging parent who is similarly ill to McKenzie's grandmother or perhaps someone who has lost a loved one in the military services, but the thread of those stories combine to make this a much fully romance story.

So all of that worked well - it was emotional and wonderful all at once!

What didn't work for me was the writing style at times. It often read like a recitation from a list, almost to the point of: she did this, then this, then that, went here, went there, cooked this, etc. When there was true dialogue between two or more characters, this was not as pronounced, but when it focused just on one at a time, it just lacked a natural flow to the prose.

But the premise of the story and all of the other facets - Remy's family, McKenzie's grandmother, aunt and uncle - really added to the story and gave it a deeper dimension. It helped you identify with why they main characters felt and acted like they did. It was precisely those connections that make this a story worth reading!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free copy for an honest review.

Amazing book by Mello! My first by this author and most diffidently not my last.

an ok read

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

3.75 Hearts Ok so this is going to sound like I didn’t like this book because I have a lot to say about it but here is the thing. I did enjoy it. It is not often a story can make tears roll down my cheeks so when this one did I knew I had become invested. So while this may sound like I have a lot of complaints I feel more like this is constructive criticism than anything else.

It took me a little while to get used to the way the author writes. The sentences are very clipped, like “When we arrive, I pull her seat out for her. She sits.” Also in the beginning the sex scenes seem out of the blue. Almost like someone told her to add scenes for more impact. The scenes are also repetitive.

I actually looked to see if this was the author’s first book but it is not. She has had a number of other ones but by the end of the book I was much more familiar with her way of writing and it seemed to be easier to read. And while the sec scenes don’t really improve all that much they just are part of the story and easily read through.

Now I want to say again…. I ended up really liking this story. The background characters are what really make this story. Remy’s family and Kenzie’s Nana are wonderful. I would recommend this story to pretty much anyone and would also say don’t judge a book by its first (or second) chapter.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Remy is exactly the kind of man Kenzie wouldn’t date because of her fear that he’d be exactly like her father—military to the core, and gave his life in service to it. Her life is full with responsibilities and duties too, which leaves dating a remote possibility. But the attraction to the mystery jogger in the morning grows into something deeper when he starts turning up at events that involve her, and their steadily evolving relationship is only held hostage by this particular fear.

Mello's characters are by and large likeable: Remy’s the sort that defies all military stereotypes that have pretty much defined the male protagonists in romantic suspense. He’s also rock solid, enviably stable and sweet…the adjectives could go on really, finding his match in Kenzie who is thankfully, mature enough not to throw outrageous fits and tantrums when it comes to the inevitable question of whether she has staked everything on Remy always being there for her.

This is a sweet story though with a very, very slow burn; Mello puts a great deal of effort into showing the tight bonds of family in this book, but it seemed to compromise the number of scenes that Remy and Kenzie had together. Fewer scenes between Remy’s own family and Kenzie’s repetitive, consuming thoughts about hers would have worked better, as they soon felt as though I could have skipped those and still be caught up in Remy/Kenzie’s story. A lot of the book felt ‘superfluous’ in a way that had me skimming the pages, which I thought interrupted the build-up of their relationship. As a result, the convivial ‘family atmosphere’ makes ‘Embracing Love’ a near angst-free read, save for the brief separation and conflict that felt more like regret on Kenzie’s part than anger or a complete emotional breakdown.

It isn’t a bad read, to be honest, but it felt as though this book could have worked better as a novella, where the narrative (without the unnecessarily repetition of events from differing POVs) could have been whittled down a lot more—to the point where Remy/Kenzie actually take centre stage.

I had high hopes for this book, mostly because I love books that deal with the courageous and dedicated military men and women that serve our country.
Sorry to say, I was disappointed. The theme of the story is about McKenzie and Remy. MacKenzie is back home to help with her Nana’s care. She has come off a 2 year relationship, and fears anything military. Remy is a career military Captain, back home and now assigned to the local fort in the Intelligence department.
Though I really loved Remy and his family, I did not feel the dialogue was mature enough for the main characters ages 33 and 35.
The POV moved from one to the other, and the author repeated the same story from each POV. I found myself skipping pages. It wasn’t until I was over 50% of the book, that it started to mildly interest me.
That said, the effects that deployment have not only on the troops but also on their loved ones, is real.
I was gifted this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

4.5 stars First book by Alison Mello but I can assure you it won’t be my last. I enjoyed this story from beginning to end, it took me on a journey with the characters and I could feel their thoughts and emotions through the pages. I look forward to reading more

Embracing Love is written in POV form. Which is usually not a problem, however with this book I didn't care for it. Sometimes the same scenario is repeated for both POV's. Ugh.
Other than that I really enjoyed this book. Remy is so sweet and does a lot of little things to show Kenzie how much he cares for her.