I’ll be Home for Christmas (Coming Home #2.6) Jessica Scott

There’s nothing in the world Army Sergeant Vic Carponti loves more than his wife and his country. Smart-mouthed and easy tempered, he takes everything as a joke . . . except his promise to come home to his wife, Nicole, for Christmas. As he prepares to leave for his latest deployment into Iraq, Vic will do everything he can to shield his beautiful, supportive wife from the realities of war . . . and from his own darkest fears.

As a career army wife, Nicole Carponti knows just what to expect from her husband’s tour of duty: loneliness, relentless worry, and a seemingly endless countdown until the moment Vic walks through the door again. But when the unthinkable happens, Nicole and Vic’s bond is tested like never before and changes everything they believe to be true about the power of love and the simple beauty of being home for the holidays.

Vic was first introduced in Because of You and I fell in love with him from the very start. He was a snarky, sarcastic jokester who pulled no punches and had a heart of gold. The more I got to know him, the more I loved him. When I found out that Jessica Scott planned on giving him and Nicole their own novella I was ecstatic. I’ll Be Home For Christmas was everything I expected from Vic and Nicole and more.

I’m not sure why, but I wasn’t expecting this story to go back to the beginning. That’s okay, but I would have been better prepared for exactly how intense this book was going to be if I had realized that from the start. If I would have been paying attention, I would have realized that this book would have had to have taken place at the same time that Because of You did, but in my excitement to get more of Vic and Nicole I missed it. That’s what happens when you get wrapped up in a character so much that you don’t care what the circumstances are that gives you more face time with them, you just want it. NOW! 😉

If anything, I’ll Be Home for Christmas made me fall even more in love with Vic and Nicole. Their love for each other was palpable. Their respect and love for their friends was just as intense and Jessica Scott brought the realities of family, war and sacrifice front and center like no one but someone who has experienced it first hand can. I was warned by a blogging friend that I should keep a box of tissues handy while reading this book and she wasn’t exaggerating. The emotions were intense and the feelings that these characters experienced were raw and that’s just part of what made this such an amazing read. In this book readers were given a sense of who Vic really was, not just the snarky character that we’d been introduced to previously. Don’t worry though, he’s still his funny, practical joking, lovable self. (If you’ve read any of the other reviews floating around I’m sure you’ve seen the term ‘Man Dress’ mentioned more than once… enough said. 😉 )

If you haven’t started Jessica Scott’s Coming Home series, I suggest you start with Because of You. This was one of the first Military Romances that I picked up and I haven’t been disappointed yet. Enjoy!