Sophia has lost everything to the war – her home, family, & fiancé.  Her story is heart-wrenching and really brings home how truly horrific the time was.  She has a strong will and refuses to give up even as things only continue to get worse.  I really enjoyed her character and the strength that she possessed, however, at times she came across as selfish & spoiled.  Although it was not an aspect that I felt detracted from the story.  She is torn between the love that she should feel for her fiancé and what she actually feels for Gavin.  Her struggle helps propel the book forward and keeps you turning the page.

Gavin has loved Sophia ever since saving her at 13 yrs old.  He could barely stand to watch as his best friend, Jesse, was promised to the girl he loved.  He is such a strong lead character who struggles with what he should do and what he wants to do.  He is tired of always hiding his feelings and decides to go after what he wants.  His character was my favorite because he had the ability to love completely, protect without suffocating Sophie and he was able to take her tantrums in stride and not give in.  He along with Sophie’s dog, Ricochet, exude a fierceness that makes the book so worthwhile, and it leaves you feeling such satisfaction at what they accomplish.  The secondary characters help round out the cast and added such an authentic aspect to the story.  The ending was great, however, I wish that we would have seen more of Sophie & Gavin after they returned home.  An Epilogue would have been wonderful and would have completed the book, IMO.  So often in romance we get the angst & tumultuous road leading up to the HEA, which is great to turn the page, BUT I want to see them together too

If you love Historical Romance genre books then this should definitely go on your TBR list.