The blurb about this novel intrigued me, an injured vet with PTSD returning to his small hometown after one year in Afghanistan, hoping to reunite with the girl he left behind, the girl who promised to wait and that she'd love him forever, only to learn that not only is she married, she has a baby son too. What he doesn't know but soon learns is that due to a dog tag mix-up after the IED explosion that killed his friends and left him burned over 70% of his body, he's been presumed dead.

While Kyle spent months in a coma and more months in rehabilitation, the girl he left behind had her own crisis to face. After Kyle deployed, and after learning of his death, Nicole was devastated and also pregnant with his child. Her ultra-conservative, church-going and self-absorbed parents never liked Kyle to begin with, and when she announced her pregnancy they gave her an ultimatum--get kicked out onto the street with no money, no place to go and no parental support, or, since they didn't want her pregnancy to ruin their image and standing in the community, marry a man of their choice, a man who'd been obsessed with her since high school. Sadly, she chose the latter option, only to find herself married to a physically and emotionally abusive, controlling drunk and drug abuser, who kept her a virtual prisoner in her own home, and slowly but surely alienated her from her friends and family, only to use her as his own personal punching bag.

Nicole had been ferreting away money to enable her to run away with her son. She's shocked when she gets a phone call telling her that her husband dropped dead at work, and even more shocked when she later finds out that the heart attack everyone thought he had wasn't the cause of death--his autopsy indicated that he'd been poisoned. His parents, especially his mother, blames Nicole, and she's high on the list of suspects. When Kyle shows up at her door, angry and feeling betrayed by her, she's thrilled to learn that he's alive, but the Kyle she loved a year ago is gone, and she barely recognized the angry, and betrayed ex-Ranger who shows up at her door. When she tells him that the baby is his son, he doesn't believe her, thinking she's a lying, cheating bitch, who only waited a month after his supposed death to marry someone else.

What follows is quite an intense read about how these two former lovers try to deal with the situation they find themselves in, Kyle's doubts and his PTSD, and when a series of break-ins at Nicole's house and even a house fire meant to kill her and her infant son occur, the proverbial plot thickens. There are certainly plenty of suspects, and plenty of nasty allegations against Nicole by her in-laws, and it's certainly quite a whodunit.

My issues with this book and the reason for giving it only a 3-star rating have to do with the set-up of facts in this novel. First, I was bothered by Kyle's aversion to seeking help for his PTSD--and his stating that Army Rangers do not get PTSD, and whatever he's dealing with he can fix it himself. PTSD isn't something anyone just gets over. How do I know? I've been married to a Vietnam veteran with PTSD for over 40 years, who wasn't officially diagnosed for the first 30 years of our marriage. But that was more than 40 years ago, and we know a lot more about PTSD and its dangers now, and we know that every single day, 22 veterans commit suicide, so dismissing it just seemed wrong to me.

Something else kept bothering me as well. We've been told that Kyle suffered burns over 70% of his body, and with burns as severe as his, infection usually sets in, often resulting in death. So aside from his near miraculous survival, when Kyle and Nicole resume their sexual relationship, not one word is mentioned about Kyle's scars. We're told he had skin grafts, but even with skin grafts, his scars after such horrific burns would certainly have been extensive and clearly visible, and yet, as Nicole admires Kyle's body, she never says a word about them? That stretched my willing suspension of disbelief a bit too far.

Further, as Kyle and Nicole give in to the chemistry between them and begin to resume their sexual relationship, no mention is made of birth control, and even though when Nicole discovers that her deceased husband was unfaithful and she mentions that she should be tested for STDs, the use of a condom for birth control and safe sex aren't even mentioned--another problem for this reader.

While I liked this novel for being well-written, well-plotted, and for the issues it covered, i.e., domestic abuse, PTSD, a surprise baby, infidelity, and murder, the issues I mentioned kept cropping up and kept me from truly getting lost in this story. It's not a bad read, but it did have its flaws.

I voluntarily read an advance reader copy of this novel. The opinions expressed are my own.

Kyle was deemed dead while on duty as a Army Ranger and was mistakenly thought a different person when his body was found and was in a coma recovering. Nicole is the women he left behind pregnant with his child. She's now married and when her husband is found dead she is suspect #1 and Kyle is now back from the dead that same day. While they try to find out who her killer is drama unfolds and Kyle is there to help her out while she gets everything in order.

It's beyond me why I've come across negative reviews about this book on goodreads when it's actually pretty good. Don't let the reviews change your opinion of this book! I was a bit skeptical when I saw them myself. After getting into this book I just couldn't stop. I spent most of my morning binge reading this book. If you like a good old mystery, with loads of drama and small town gossip then you just might find yourself enjoying this book as much as I did.

Unfortunately I did not like the heroine at all and it ruined the story for me.

Sorry but I couldn't get into the book at all. I tried though, I'm so sorry for my ADD brain.

Just the right amount of mystery and romance to keep me coming back for more. Can't wait for the nest book. Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read and review this book. Always love a story with a baby in it.