This is a romantic read with some hard issues. PTSD is talked about sympathetically and it is good that it is being talked about. Veterans do need help. Overall the book is too light a read for me to give it anymore than 3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Copy received from publisher via Netgalley for an honest review

I have adored Ms Trentham's Cottonbloom series, and even though this is a big departure from what I have read of hers previously, I knew I was going to enjoy The Military Wife.

And I was hooked on Harper's story right from the start.

From the blurb, you know that she is a military widow, surviving daily life but struggling to move forward.

An unexpected revelation takes her on a journey that she would never have expected. And it is as unexpected for her late husband's "brother" Bennett.

Though there is that spark between our lovelies, sexual tension that burns through the pages, this is more about the emotions both of them are feeling.

And as I continued reading, I just knew that they would be what each other needed to heal.

There is a wonderful cast of secondary characters, including Harper's mother, her son and her best friend.

And oh the tears some of these stories brought me to.

Raw, emotional, hopeful. The Military Wife had a bit of it all.

I now can't wait to see where this series takes us next.

While such a good romance, this book also covers important topics about military life and also about life after the military.

The first book of the series and I LOVE IT!

The shifting of timeline from past to present gave this book the push to give it a 5 star rating. And the way the adult scenes were written.

Military wife open ups to the lives of the women who married to a man wearing a uniform. Since I do not know anyone who was in the position, this plot gave us a glimpse on how they live. I love the words, the scenes. and the lines. I find myself crying due to the situation.

The words Ms. Laura Trentham weaves will make you smile, curse, and cry. I look forward to reading the next book in this series.

<i>I received a free, advance copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review. </i>

"The Military Wife" by Laura Trentham
A busy contemporary romance with happy times, and, heart wrenching sadness. Read the publishers blurb, then if you want a read that you will not want to put down even if you are scrambling for a tissue.. grab your copy of this book and get reading. Can you tell I loved this story? I was lucky enough to read an ARC of this story the publisher shared with me via NetGalley. This story is scheduled for publication in February 2019.. watch for it !!

A book that intrigued me from the minute I was pitched it to review. I am a wife of a police officer and I always wonder how close and far apart the life of a wife of a military personnel was compared to a police officer. I am not sure that I have had my eyes open and looking, but I was unaware of any other book that solely looks at life through the lens of a military wife.

The main narrator is Harper Lee Wilcox and her husband died serving in Afghanistan and she is still trying to put her life in order after his death. The story has two time lines, the current moment where she is doing the single mom life and then the past where it tells of the story of her meeting her future husband and their relationship. I liked getting that viewpoint of the past coming to meet the present.

The thing that I loved most about this book was the honesty. This book gave a few viewpoints of different military wives with husbands with different reactions to the war and the honesty of each of these women just felt so real and raw. I loved getting to know each of them and it felt as though I could be friends in the trenches with these ladies.

I loved this book and would love to read more books like this that expand my worldview and giving me a honest perspective of a life of another person.

This is the story of Harper and Noah who meet on a warm summer afternoon. Harper is working her final summer before heading off to college and Noah is heading to SEAL training.

Their story follows them through college and training then through the early years of their marriage before Noah dies in the line of duty.

Widowed and pregnant, Harper struggles to come to terms with her husband's death.

Bennett Caldwell met Noah during SEAL training and they quickly became friends and team mates. When Noah is injured, Bennett promises to look after Harper and their unborn baby.

Many years later Harper decides to look for Bennett, a team mate she never met, to attempt to find out the circumstances surrounding Noah's death. With a second chance to find her HEA Harper and Bennett explore their new found relationship.

Despite the tragedy of Noah's death this is essentially a story of love, grief, moving on and the military community. The deployments experienced by both the personnel and their spouses and the rehabilitation to family life following those deployments all form part of this, at times, heartbreaking love story.

Military Wife is the first novel by Laura Trentham that I've read but it won't be my last.

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
This was an exceptionally emotional and moving read which I loved from the very first page. The characters were so real and their troubles so beautifully described that I felt like I knew them personally.
A story of hope, new beginnings and love set amongst the military. For me it highlighted the trials and tribulations of being a military wife. Something which I know nothing about but fills me with admiration.
Another excellent read by this author. 4.5****

This is an achingly poignant story that provides a realistic view of the military life, the struggles of both the military member and their families. The military are trained to focus on the assignment and then not share the details or emotions of what they’ve seen and done. There’s also the issue of the men being seen as weak and affecting their career if they share their concerns, so many don’t seek help and everyone suffers.

This story resonated with me as a former military spouse and I was married to my husband 18 of his 20 years in the service, plus several years afterwards. My former husband deployed fairly often with his squadron and while he wasn’t injured in war nor did he suffer from PTSD, there were many difficulties with that type of life. His deployments varied from a week up to six months at a time. I had just given birth to our second child when he left for six months. I also had to deal with job issues since employer’s believed I wouldn’t stay in one place very long. Each move left me starting from entry level positions, while my ex-husband kept his rank, pay, benefits, and later his retirement. I also understand the difficulties as a wife and having to handle all of the details of daily living, raising children, working and many other things and then expected to defer to my husband when he returned.

Harper and Noah meet as she is heading to college and he to Navy Seal training. Living on opposite coasts and a long distance relationship, I was surprised that Noah felt so strongly about Harper and being married. I loved the past portions of the story, to learn more about Noah and Harper’s life, experiences, and struggles. She had just completed dual degrees and yet, couldn’t find a job. Noah thought she could just find volunteer or part-time work without really understanding how hard she had worked and wanted to use her education. Several years later when Harper decided to start a new business and include other military wives, it served as a way to bond and to help as the women struggled to find their own worth aside from their military spouses.

The past and present are interlinked in several ways and I felt these were seamless transitions and helped move the story forward. The dual POV from Harper and Bennett, also a previous Navy Seal and best friend of her husband, helped me understand their thoughts, fears, and struggles better.

There are so many wonderful characters in this story, the most precious children, and a loving and loyal dog. Every person/couple/family struggles in life but the military has many additional concerns that many civilians may not understand. I felt so many emotions while reading this story from the heartbreaking losses and suffering, to watching a child grow and finding a new love.

After five years of grieving the loss of her husband and raising their son, Harper meets Bennett, her husband’s best friend and there seems to be an instant connection. Many of the Seals developed close bonds and described each other as brothers and would protect them at all costs. Both Harper and Bennett struggle with grieving over the loss of Noah, guilt, and unsure of moving forward. Their struggles are realistic in a potential relationship. I was so emotional reading what Bennett had dealt with from a young child to an adult, who became a loner with no love or connections except for Noah.

After reading about the struggles between husbands and wives over PTSD and other issues, I wonder how Harper and Noah would have handled these types of concerns if he had returned. It seems that many couples are at a loss on how to move forward and end up divorcing.

I love epilogues and this one was especially moving and full of hope and joy. I would love to see this story as a movie! Ms. Trentham is a new-to-me author and I look forward to reading more of her work.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this story.

You can never go wrong when you pick up a book by this very talented author. This one proved my point.
This time the author took a little detour to her usual method. Yes, there is romance, but the main topic of the story was about the wives and significant others left behind, of the brave soldiers that are willing to give up their lives to keep us safe. And then we also have those men and women that are home , but are now facing PTSD and/or physical injuries.
Either by deployment or widowhood those left have to continue their lives as mothers, caretakers etc. Not an easy task for only one person to carry along.
In comes Harper Lee Wilcox, a widow with a five year old boy, and her business idea. And let us not forget her husband’s former SEAL teammate Bennett Caldwell. While the attraction seems mutual both face a certain amount of guilt for living.
Another wonderful story by this author. One that is at times heartbreaking but also heartwarming. Kudos to the author for reminding us the struggles these brave men and women as well as their families endure to keep us all safe.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley and St Martin’s. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

The Military Wife will make you laugh and cry and every emotion in between. It will also make you so happy that you took the time to read it. i loved the characters and the writting. The story held my interest till the end.I am so glad netgalley chose to receive an arc of this great story. The review is my own opinion.

Loved it! I laughed. I cried. Two delightful love stories. Interesting descriptions of life as a military spouse and that of a SEAL. Children and a dog add to the tale. I look forward to reading the next one.

THE MILITARY WIFE swept me up quickly into Harper's life and story. Harper was a military widow and what was unusual about her tale was that she was five years down the line from being widowed. She was forever changed by her experiences, sad at times but she was also functional and optimistic about life ahead.

This story is told in a past/present chapter approach. Whilst I really did want to be focused in the present and what was happening there, I did appreciate the need to know the story underpinning the 'now'.

A strange revelation in Harper's life threw her into the path of her late husband's closest 'brother' and Bennett is reluctant to see or communicate with Harper. Bennett was a large, interesting but quiet man and Harper was persistent, getting under his skin. What develops between these two is slow-burning and beautiful. Although there was heat, the focus was very much on the emotionality of the connection and this intensity was fantastic.

There was a cast of strong secondary characters including another military family who were in crisis, Harper's son and her mother. The stories around these characters were strong and interwoven inexplicably into Harper and Bennett's tale. This all made for a rich and deep story.

This is my first time reading Laura Trentham but I literally can't wait for more of this series. I will also be perusing her other books as I wait.

I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

The Military Wife is an emotional novel about Harper Lee Wilcox, a widow with a young son. She’s still coming to grips with the tragic loss of her husband while trying to provide a normal life for her son. When she meets with a man who survived the mission that claimed her husband she hopes to find the answers she’s sought for so many years. She’ll find much more. Along the way she gets an opportunity to repay a kindness to another military wife and that opens up the possibility to help more. The Military Wife is a story of honor, loss and second chances. I really liked it and look forward to the next book since this is billed as the first of a series.

This is my first book I have read by the author and I am very impressed with this book overall. This is the touching heartwarming story of military wives and their struggles. In particular it is the story of one young wife who has lost her husband and how she overcomes her grief to live again through helping other military wives. This is a very nicely done light romance and drama that warms your heart for the characters and the sacrifices they make as military wives. I highly recommend this book.

Thank you for the ARC which does not influence my personal review.

As the spouse of a retired member of the military, I loved the realistic details in this book! The author has captured how the spouse feels during deployment, when the spouse is killed and how a spouse suffers through PTSD. The active duty military members are thoroughly engaging characters, with their weaknesses exposed as well as their strengths. The main character, Harper Lee Wilcox, is a magnetic portrayal of a spouse who gives her all to being a military wife and mother. Her friend Allison Teague, with three small children, was the one with whom I connected, since I had three children when my husband was deployed. Wow! The memories that this book evoked were amazing! For those who are not military spouses, this book offers a mesmerizing look at what it’s like to be a military wife as well as active duty member of our armed forces. The story is one of hardships, struggling though the hardships and survival. I fell in love with the characters and the story and look forward to book #2 in this series!

A young widow embraces a second chance at life when she reconnects with those who understand the sacrifices made by American soldiers and their families in award-winning author Laura Trentham’s The Military Wife.
Harper isn't married long to Noah before she is widowed. To top things off she is also pregnant with their child.
Step forward in time....
Harper crosses paths with Bennett Caldwell, Noah’s best friend and SEAL brother. A man who has a promise to keep, entangling their lives in ways neither of them can foresee.
This poignant tale is an emotional roller coaster read. There is tragedy, hope and love around every bend. Look to both laugh and cry as the author takes you through every emotion possible in this well written read.
This is not my first time reading this author's work but it is the best that I have read by her. Although it is still a contemporary she has dipped her toe into a new sub-genre of romance.
Being essentially a historical romance fan I don't read many contemporary titles but this is one I would re-read.
I gave this book 4.85 of 5.0 stars for storyline and characterization. The intimacy while mostly sweet is a key ingredient in this can't put down tale.
I received a complimentary digital ARC of this book to read. This in no way affected my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

How would I describe The Military Wife by Laura Trentham? A light, easy read with a side of heavy issues.

Harper Lee Wilcox has been marking time since her husband, Noah’s death, nearly five years earlier and is growing restlessness. Her friend, Allison Teague, is dealing with struggles of her own. In an effort to reenergize her own life, Harper sees an opportunity to help not only Allison but a network of other military wives. In pursuit of this venture, Harper crosses paths with Bennett Caldwell, Noah’s best friend and SEAL brother.

Told by alternating between the past and present, readers have the opportunity to see the relationship between Harper and Noah. But readers are also given the chance to see the budding relationship between Harper and Bennett. I liked seeing the relationship growth between both couples. I do have to admit it was hard knowing that Noah was dead. I found myself eager for the relationship between Noah and Harper but knowing he doesn’t make it was hard. On the flip side, Bennett hasn’t had a great life and I found myself cheering for him because he needed and deserved a happy ending.

Readers will also get a glimpse at how soldiers and their families deal once the solider returns home from deployment. I thought Allison’s story was well done. As with other books that I have read that touched on this subject, I walk away with a new appreciation for our military.

Trentham certainly created believable, interesting people and stories. I cared for and was eager to see what the future held for this cast of characters. The Military Wife is equal parts romance and heartache. It is a story of second chances. It is a story you should read. Sound interesting? Keep reading for a sneak peek at Chapter 1.

Advanced copy provided by St. Martin’s Press for the purposes of review and participation in the blog tour.

I am some where between 3.5-3 stars.
A Heart of a Hero, a new series by the author. This first book is about family loss, and to be a military wife. Its about moving on, courage and love.

It was a pretty draining novel, with all them feels. Emotional is one word that comes to mind.

I received a copy of THE MILITARY WIFE from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!

Five stars and here’s why:

I loved it. This book nailed the gut-wrenching sacrifice military families face, and then added a tender-hearted story that not was filled with twists and turns, but kept me reading all night long. I simply started reading it and couldn’t put it down. While I am not a military wife, I could certainly understand the struggles and hardships these families face when their loved ones re-enter the normal world after enduring a lifetime of service for their country. The characters are engaging, relatable, and honestly, that made the book refreshing. Total book hangover.

If you love exceptional writing, relatable characters, and an intriguing plot that explores what it truly means to love someone, then this book is for you. Highly recommend!