I loved this book. It was funny, heartwarming and an easy read. I liked how Rebecca is a strong single mother who will do what she has to do to protect her son's. Shane will do what he has to do in order to have the family he has always dreamed about.

I highly recommend this book it is a very enjoyable read.

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for allowing me to read this title for an honest review.

When I started reading this story, I couldn't put it down. I read the book in one day.This author is an awesome writer.I cannot wait to read more of their books. Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.

The Sergeant's Christmas Mission is the first book I've read in the Brands of Montana series as well as being the first novel I've read by Joanna Sims, and never have I read a novel that more closely echoed my own life experience than this one, and it gets 4.5 stars from this reader.

The first character we meet in this novel is Shane Brand, as a loud knock on this garage apartment door wakes him from a drunken stupor. Continued knocking gets him to sit up, try to get his bearings and wade through the litter and crushed, empty beer cans on the way to his door. Waiting outside for him to open that door is Rebecca, his new landlady, and Shane's first thought upon setting eyes on her is that she has pretty eyes. His second thought is that she might be there to evict him--but he's wrong about that. Although Shane is clearly nursing a hangover, needs a shave and a haircut desperately, and is more than a tad unkempt, Rebecca is able to see beyond that, and when he helps her rescue a tiny kitten she found under the porch, she's not wrong about his character.

Rebecca inherited the house from her recently deceased aunt, Ginny, and it's filled with her aunt's hoard of belongings, as well as all the cartons that accompanied Rebecca to Montana from her previous home in New Hampshire. This inheritance gave Rebecca and her two young sons the chance for a fresh start after her recent divorce was finalized. She has yet to find employment, and since Shane's rent will be the only income she has until she starts working, she has no plans to evict him, although his apartment is a messy disaster, and smells like marijuana. Shane also has a very large German shepherd, Recon, and she has no problem with the dog. She agrees to let Shane stay until the end of the month and makes it clear that she expects him to keep his drugs away from her young sons, and she's in a hurry to get her sons off on their first day in their new school. As first meetings go, it could have been a lot worse.

We soon learn that Shane's drinking and drug use is tied to his former military service, and that he uses both to self-medicate, refusing to acknowledge to anyone that his dreams are nightmares, and that he has PTSD, and after we finally learn why, it's easy to understand why he self-medicates and is in denial about his physical and mental state. As someone who's been married for over 40 years to a Vietnam veteran with PTSD, which went undiagnosed for the first 30 years, and who also self-medicated with beer for all that time, Shane's life and situation strongly resonated with me, and although we never had children, it wasn't hard to understand Rebecca's first desire to protect her children. We also learn that he's a talented singer/songwriter, and that his music and lyrics touch Rebecca's heart. Their almost instant attraction to each other also wasn't hard to understand--Rebecca and Shane somehow managed to almost immediately connect on a soul-deep level, much as my husband and I did when we became engaged to one another 3 weeks after our first date.

Rebecca's uppity sister, Kelly, lives nearby, and in many ways is responsible for her lack of self-esteem. Rebecca has always felt like a loser compared to her sister, and every encounter with Kelly ends in a stand-off. Kelly is quick to point out that Rebecca is always attracted to broken men, ones she wants to fix, and she's not wrong, because I too suffer from that same affliction, and have always been drawn to dark, troubled souls and wounded warriors, and acknowledge that I have a propensity for reading novels with dark, troubled heroes--and this one was an absolute gem.

I loved that Rebecca had the backbone to draw a line in the sand when it came to Shane and demand that he deep his darkness, drug use and drinking away from her two young sons. Even after Shane is asked to keep an eye out for one of Rebecca's sons as she rushes the other one to the ER with a high fever, and he promises to stay sober while babysitting, when Rebecca notices one beer missing from a six-pack in her refrigerator, it's a game-ender for her and Shane's budding relationship, and again, she has the backbone to put her sons' welfare above her own attraction to Shane. By the next morning, Shane has vacated his apartment, and Rebecca is torn between losing their relationship, the financial challenge his leaving the apartment will cause her, and her sons, who had closely bonded with Shane.

At its heart, The Sergeant's Christmas Mission is a novel about redemption, understanding, and the healing power of love. These two characters do indeed love one another, but can they heal themselves enough to make a long-term relationship work? Will Shane be able to kick his addictions and get help for his PTSD? Will Rebecca ever be able to let the past go, and trust Shane again?

The only negative for me in this novel, and it's taken from my own experience, is that Shane's recovery process, his sobriety, and his efforts to win Rebecca back seemed both too easy and took far too little time. As anyone who's dealt with addiction and recovery knows, in most cases, it takes years, not months, but aside from that minor issue, this novel was an exceptional read, and I highly recommend it.

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

Found a new author to read in Joanna Sims. Shane goes though many trials in this story but Rebecca and her children help him. Can't wait to read the other books in this series.

There was little to no christmas cheer around this book, I thought with a title like that there might be a bit more to the holiday aspect but other then a few gathering there was little christmas cheer to be seen. But as a contemporary romance novel this was a pretty good book I really enjoyed it. I loved that connection between the two. I loved getting to know both Shand and Rebecca's characters. I loved that when it came to Rebecca's children they didn't fall into some deep dark hole never to be heard from again which tends to happen. I loved getting to know what was up with Shane its clear he has PSTD but from what getting to know his reasoning for joining the army was an interesting one. Overall pretty good book I enjoyed it.

When former Army Sergeant, Shane Brand's, new landlady moves in with her two small kids, he finds himself dreaming of a life that he never before thought possible. Plagued with horrific memories of battle and PTSD, he'd much rather try to numb the sorrows with alcohol and drugs. Now he must decide if love for two small boys and their mother is enough to pull him through to find peace again.

4.5 Hearts, SJ, Romance Junkies

THE SERGEANT’S CHRISTMAS MISSION, a Harlequin Special Edition romance, grabbed me with its holiday and military veteran themes from the get-go. Though the Christmas aspect doesn’t come until the end (so not exactly a Christmas read, per se,) it didn’t bother me because the time spent building this romance made so much sense. Joanna Sims penned an emotional and heartfelt novel about a former army sergeant dealing with emotional trauma and a spirited single mom doing her best to take care of her two children. A wonderful, uplifting story that shouldn’t be missed!

Former army sergeant Shane Brand is working part-time singing at bars at night while living above the garage he rents from a woman who has recently passed. His landlady left the property to her niece, Rebecca. Rebecca’s a single mom with two adorable boys, and Shane, reeking of alcohol and scruffy in a full beard and shaggy hair, leaves much to be desired as a role model for her children. Shane’s got a dog. Rebecca finds a rescue kitten for him, but other than that, the pair don’t actually want much to do with each other. So begins this story of redemption, forgiveness, and love.

Joanna Sims does a superb job of showing Shane’s PTSD and resultant alcoholism by making him real. He’s not a complete mess, but he’s got problems. Once he meets Rebecca, he starts working on getting better. The animals help show his softer side, as does his interactions with Rebecca’s sons.

Rebecca is a strong character, a recently divorced mother of two and a responsible adult who has issues with her family. The developing relationship with her sister helped round her as a character, and her sweet, caring nature doesn’t make her weak in the slightest, rather it gives her a backbone of strength when dealing with Shane’s alcoholism and her need to be there for her sons.

Shane has family issues as well, in addition to his emotional problems. The way the author interweaves family and friends with this loving relationship really does these characters justice. The romance isn’t rushed; it builds. And the children’s relationship with Shane felt natural, not forced. So well done.

THE SERGEANT’S CHRISTMAS MISSION invokes the joy of watching characters grow stronger together, then apart, only to come back for a deserved happily ever after. All this makes for an enchanting read about forgiveness, staring over, and embracing love. And what better ending than a joyous Christmas time!

Rebecca and Shane are two very interesting characters. Rebecca is recovering from a divorce and Shane refuses to get help as he looks for a new normal after serving in the military for years. There is a candid look at Shane's problems and how they were affecting his relationship with Rebecca. I did question why Rebecca would get involved with Shane when she knew his problems. There was a bittersweet tone to the relationship and a look at what had to change for it to work. Interesting story using what is today a familiar trope.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

We’ve seen these plot elements before: a veteran with PTSD issues who is just trying to hold it together, a single mom trying to make it on her own with an adorable little kid. These are likable people whom you’ll be pulling for.

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book that I received from Netgalley; however, the opinions are my own and I did not receive any compensation for my review.

New landlord? That's what the sergeant encounters after his landlady dies. He ends up with a younger single mother to whom he is attracted. Yet, since returning from his deployment overseas and getting out of the military, he has a few problems. After letting her down during a crisis, he realizes how much more help he needs. I liked the story and the changes that occurred during it.

A romance with some serious themes, PTSD and single parenting. Sims was able to write a fun romance that makes you want to read the others in the series. Highly recommend to readers of Samantha Chase.