(Thousand Moments Series #2)
by Connie Ann Michael
by Connie Ann Michael
Adult Christian Romance
ebook, 285 Pages
March 15th 2016 by Anaiah Press
Summary
Only weeks back from the war, Emme “Doogie” Sawyer is in trouble. She struggles to fight the war in her head while also trying to build a relationship with Raven – who has recently returned from Afghanistan and taken up temporary residence in her house. Unfortunately, it’s hard to lock down the bad without cutting off the good. Soon, Sawyer begins to slip deeper into the darkness of the war she thought she left behind.
Running from his own mistakes, Raven tries to be the support Sawyer needs to move forward, but he soon discovers that in order to heal, they must rely on their faith more than they rely on each other. Raven takes Sawyer back to his childhood home, to where he hopes they both can find themselves and the faith they left behind.
Will they be able to find their way back to each other, or will the horrors of war and past mistakes destroy them for good?
Running from his own mistakes, Raven tries to be the support Sawyer needs to move forward, but he soon discovers that in order to heal, they must rely on their faith more than they rely on each other. Raven takes Sawyer back to his childhood home, to where he hopes they both can find themselves and the faith they left behind.
Will they be able to find their way back to each other, or will the horrors of war and past mistakes destroy them for good?
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My Review
A THOUSAND SILENT MOMENTS was an emotional roller coaster about two soldiers trying to deal with their demons while also building a relationship of love with each other. They both struggle with trusting in God and opening up to be healed - to move forward toward something better. With themes on forgiveness, regret, anger, and love, the inspirational elements moved throughout the story. It was heartfelt and inspirational, while also being full of romance. If you enjoyed the first book, A Thousand Stolen Moments, you'll enjoy seeing where Emme's and Moses' (AKA Raven) story leads.
There was so much heart in this story as the characters, especially Emme, try to deal with what happened when they were deployed now back stateside and trying to move on with life amid the nightmares. The emotions and struggles felt realistic. It helped me understand more what so many in the armed forces go through. I liked how there were friends, both old and new, who tried to be there and help Emme and Moses through. It was also interesting to see how the characters changed and how their perspectives shifted as the story moved on.
I really liked these two in the first book. My perceptions of them didn't always mesh with them in this story. I was actually a little frustrated with them at different points too. There was quite a bit of romance in this one with lots of parts where a character or both characters hashed things out or unloaded their feelings. Some of it felt really stretched out to me and made it overdone so that it came across not as meaningful as it should have. The romance and sections like this also made the story drag a little. If you like the more mushy romances, then you won't have a problem here. Same with the inspirational elements. They were good, but in places it dragged for me here too.
Overall, an enjoyable story with a good message, especially reminding us that we can't control everything and must forgive others and ourselves when there are mistakes made.
Content: Lots of adult subject matter and innuendo, references to violence, and some swearing.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not affect my review in any way.
There was so much heart in this story as the characters, especially Emme, try to deal with what happened when they were deployed now back stateside and trying to move on with life amid the nightmares. The emotions and struggles felt realistic. It helped me understand more what so many in the armed forces go through. I liked how there were friends, both old and new, who tried to be there and help Emme and Moses through. It was also interesting to see how the characters changed and how their perspectives shifted as the story moved on.
I really liked these two in the first book. My perceptions of them didn't always mesh with them in this story. I was actually a little frustrated with them at different points too. There was quite a bit of romance in this one with lots of parts where a character or both characters hashed things out or unloaded their feelings. Some of it felt really stretched out to me and made it overdone so that it came across not as meaningful as it should have. The romance and sections like this also made the story drag a little. If you like the more mushy romances, then you won't have a problem here. Same with the inspirational elements. They were good, but in places it dragged for me here too.
Overall, an enjoyable story with a good message, especially reminding us that we can't control everything and must forgive others and ourselves when there are mistakes made.
Content: Lots of adult subject matter and innuendo, references to violence, and some swearing.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not affect my review in any way.
Trailer & Excerpt
© 2016 Connie Ann Michael
Chapter 1
The sun was slowly lighting the horizon,
turning the edges of the ocean a light orange. Sawyer reached her hands above
her head and stretched, then walked to the deck to grab her running shoes.
Shoes on and tied, she hopped down the steps leading to the beach and began a
light jog along the shoreline. Once her muscles warmed up, she ran faster,
embracing the strain it put on her as she pushed herself. Her mind traveled
back to the concert Vanessa had convinced her to go to in a ruse to meet up
with Raven. It had been her first real attempt at immersing herself in a large
group of people. Luckily, she hadn’t needed to stay long, since Raven appeared.
A warm feeling filled her at the thought of his hand holding hers. She reached
the five mile marker and turned around to retrace her steps back home.
The sun was fully up when she
reached the steps. She took a minute to stretch before heading up.
“Did you have a nice run?”
Raven’s voice startled her.
Stopping mid-step, Sawyer looked up to see him sitting in her chair. She
finished her assent and leaned against the railing.
“Come here.” Raven held a hand out
to her. What little hair he had was sticking up on the crown of his head. The
light stubble of a beard had begun on his jaw line.
“I’m sweaty.”
“I think I have been with you at
your worst. I can handle a bit of sweat. Come here.” Raven waved her towards
him.
Sawyer placed her hands in his and
let him pull her into the large chair next to him. He rested his arm across her
shoulders and pulled her close. “I missed you. I couldn’t find you when I got
up,” he said into her hair.
“Not everyone is a lazy bones,” she
teased.
“I don’t consider sleeping until
five in the morning a lazy bones. Some of us are still on middle eastern time.”
He ran a hand down her hair. “So you’re a runner now?”
“I’m sorry if I woke you.” Sawyer
pulled a blanket off the back of the chair to cover her legs.
Raven made a sound deep in his
throat. “It killed me getting the unit settled and not letting you know I was
back. Two hours away and not being able to see you.”
Sawyer giggled as he lowered his
head to rub his beard across her cheek.
“I missed you so much,” he mumbled.
Sawyer turned to kiss him. Raven’s
lips were warm and soft. “I’ll make breakfast.” She pulled herself out of his
arms and pushed herself up from the couch.
Raven’s eyebrows drew together.
“Hey? You okay?”
A knock on the door interrupted
Raven’s concern and gave Sawyer a reprieve.
With a moan, he tilted his head
back. “I want to say a profanity, but I told the men they needed to clean up
their language before going back to their families.” He got up and kissed her
forehead. “I better try to be a good example.”
Sawyer slid past him. “I’ll get
it.”
Raven grabbed her around the waist
and pressed his lips to her temple before pushing past her to answer the door.
“No, I got it.”
“Sir.” Thommy, one of the men from
the crew, stood on the porch in a T-shirt, cargo shorts, and flip flops.
“Thommy.” Raven stood to the side
to let him in.
“Holy sh…”
Raven slapped Thommy across the
back of the head, interrupting his vulgarity.
Thommy glared at him, then lifted
his sunglasses, his gaze trailing over Sawyer who stood in the hall in her
running shorts and sports top. “Holy smokin’ rockets.”
Sawyer draped the blanket she still
held, over her shoulders.
Raven’s gaze darted from Thommy to
Sawyer and back again. “What the hell, T?”
Sawyer raised an eyebrow. “So the
less profanity directive isn’t working.”
Raven smacked Thommy upside the
head again. “She’s with me, dude. Get your eyes off her.”
Thommy shook off Raven’s strike.
“Dude.”
Raven lifted his hand to hit him
again. “Off limits.” Raven swept an arm around Sawyer’s waist and pulled her in
to his side.
“Hmm,” Thommy hummed.
Sawyer laughed when Raven let her
go and attempted to smack Thommy in the head again.
Thommy ducked in surrender. “Sorry,
Chief. Eyes off Doogie. Got it.”
Raven’s familiar smirk returned. He
glanced Sawyer’s way and winked. “Mine.”
Sawyer felt her cheeks warm at his
words. Raven wasn’t much for romance, or at least he hadn’t had much chance for
sweet words in Afghanistan. This softer side was new, and she wasn’t sure what
to do with it. Moody, grumpy Raven was easier to understand.
“What are you guys up to today?”
Sawyer returned Raven’s gesture by wrapping her arms around his waist, resting
her cheek against his side.
“Thommy is giving me a ride onto
the base to get some stuff out of storage.”
“Yep. Taxi service.”
“Are you bringing it back here?”
Sawyer hesitated to ask. She wanted him here, but wasn’t sure it was a good
idea. Vanessa warned her the two of them together might end up being what she
liked to call a “total Afghanistan mind trick.” Sawyer knew having him under
the same roof held a ton more issues than simply two returning soldiers. She
was fooling herself that exiling him to his own room wasn’t living in sin. She
was tempting her beliefs and Raven’s restraint.
It wasn’t a good idea.
“I thought that was the plan.”
Raven dropped his arms. “Wasn’t that the plan?”
Sawyer shook her head no, but her
words said, “It’s fine.”
“Fine?” Raven stepped back. “If you
don’t want me here, I can go with Thommy. Tell me if you don’t.”
This was her chance to make the
right decision, figure out where they stood. Create a relationship. A relationship
away from the war…away from her nightmares.
But she couldn’t make herself do
it. The nightmares tapped at her brain. Night after night, she cowered in the
corners of her apartment, gun held tight in her hands, waiting for the
insurgents to return. Raven’s presence could chase them away. He could be the
presence she needed to sleep without the fear of waking with a knife to her
throat. Even though that possibility was slim in the states, it was very real
once the sun went down. At least in her brain it was. She raised herself onto
her toes and lightly brushed her lips against his. “I want you here.” She’d
hash it out with God later.
Raven stared into her eyes before
his smirk returned, and he lowered his mouth to hers in a more possessive kiss.
“See.” Raven looked over Sawyer’s head to where Thommy stood. “Mine.”
“Roger that, Chief.” Thommy
saluted.
With a pat on her shoulder, Raven
left Thommy and Sawyer standing in the living room while he went to change.
Sawyer moved to sit on the edge of
the sofa.
“So, what have you been up to?”
Thommy asked, leaning against the wall.
“I’m working at a Branch Medical
Center on Pendleton.” She shrugged.
“How’s that going?”
Sawyer gave him a tight smile.
“Boring. Trying to get to the Hope and Care Center. Work with the guys coming
back. Do some rehab.”
“Yeah I can imagine.” He raised an
eyebrow. “You doing okay?”
“Doing great,” she said with too
much fake enthusiasm.
Thommy stared at her until she
began to squirm. Sawyer glanced over her shoulder to see if Raven had moved
back to the bedroom. She shrugged.
Thommy lowered his voice. “I talked
to Vanessa.”
Sawyer narrowed her eyes. “Don’t.”
“I thought she was staying with
you… here.” Thommy walked around the room touching knick-knacks Sawyer had set
around the room.
“She has her own place. She was
only staying until I got settled.”
“Hmmm. You think it’s a good idea
he moves in?” He picked up a shell casing she had set on the window sill.
“Are you my mom?” Sawyer walked
over and grabbed it from him.
“Vanessa said you were having some
issues readjusting.” Thommy raised an eyebrow, nodding toward the shell as if
the memento was a sign of crazy.
Sawyer sat back on the couch,
picking at a loose seam. “Vanessa shouldn’t have told you anything. It wasn’t
her place.”
“This isn’t my first rodeo. I know
it can be rough. If you’re having a hard time, you can talk to me.” He put his
hand up to touch her, but seemed to think better of it and dropped it again.
“You can talk to the Chief, too. He’s always there for the men.”
“I’m fine.” She glanced over her
shoulder again. “Everything is fine. I’m fine. I don’t want you telling Raven
anything different. ”
“Apparently you’re fine. What would
I tell him?” Thommy said sarcastically.
“Why don’t you just not talk about
me at all to Raven?” Sawyer stood up and turned to leave. “And while you’re at
it, why don’t you not talk about me with Vanessa either.” Sawyer dug her
fingernails into her palms. She was furious Vanessa had talked to Thommy about
her.
“Yeah, how about I do that,” he
muttered. “Back less than twenty-four hours and I’m already counting down the
days.”
Sawyer’s head jerked up. “What do
you mean?”
Thommy’s expression fell, the blood
drained from his face, leaving him looking a little green. “Uh, nothing?”
Sawyer positioned herself in front
of him. “When?”
Thommy shook his head, refusing to
look at her.
“When?” she said louder, giving him
a shove.
Thommy took a step back, refusing
to answer.
“Tell me.” She pushed him again.
Thommy’s gaze went to the ceiling, avoiding looking at her. “Forget it.” Sawyer
stalked off to track down Raven. She heard the shower going and began pounding
on the bathroom door.
Raven yelled from the other side of
the door. “What?”
Sawyer continued to pound and kick
at the door, yelling for him to get his lying, stinking self out into the hall.
Raven finally opened the door, his
T-shirt stuck to his still wet chest, water dripping from his hair. “What are
you doing? What’s wrong?” When he noticed the expression on her face, he closed
his eyes and muttered a few choice words.
“When?” Sawyer clenched her jaw. A
plethora of emotions were building inside, and it seemed anger was the one
winning the battle.
“Let me explain,” he started.
“You had twelve hours to tell me
the team’s waiting for orders, and you didn’t say a word. Two minutes ago,
you’re talking about moving in and then…” her voice caught. “You were just
going to ship out and leave me here… again!”
Raven pulled Sawyer into his arms,
wrapping her up tightly as she struggled to get away. The dampness from his
shirt stuck to her cheek. “Yesterday was about us being together. Baby, I
wanted there to be nothing between us… no military hovering over our heads, no
redeployment dates, just us and nothing else. I didn’t want to say hello and
oh, by the way I may be leaving in a week or two.”
The anger she wanted to wield
turned instantly to grief in a head spinning emotional roller coaster, and
tears began to flow. “That soon?”
Raven took her face in his hands.
“No. Not that fast, but I don’t know for sure, three months at the least.
Probably closer to six months. I was going to tell you…”
“You should have.” Sawyer rested
her forehead against his wet chest. “I’m coming with you.”
Raven started to shake his head.
“Put me back in your unit. I’m not
staying here while you go back.” Sawyer shoved away from Raven. “If you go
back, I will too. With or without you. You can’t expect me to stay here and
work in a clinic.”
“Don’t.” Raven ran his hands down
her arms, grabbing her hands. “Don’t ask me that.”
“You promised me you were coming
home,” she whispered.
“I am home. With you. And I want to
spend every minute with you. I don’t want this hanging over our heads. I’m here
now.” Raven pulled her into his chest. “I’m here.”
“You aren’t here. You’re on a
vacation. You won’t even have time to unpack. If you don’t add me to the unit,
I’ll put in to go with another.” Sawyer placed her hands on his chest and tried
to push away.
Raven held tight. “Are you
threatening me?”
“No.” She pushed, finally getting
the space she needed. “If I’m needed, I’ll go.”
“Not if I have anything to say
about it.” He took a step toward her.
“What are you going to do, call the
Pentagon? Tell them you like me so it would be better for me to stay in the
states? You’re being ridiculous. I’m a sailor, not a nurse maid.”
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep
you safe.”
“Some things you just can’t
control, and one of them is me. Just go.” She waved him off and headed down the
hall.
“With Thommy or back to Afghanistan?”
“Both.”
“Sawyer,” he barked in his
commanding officer tone.
Sawyer wanted to walk out the door,
leaving him to ponder her words, but shoot if his tone didn’t make her feet
obey and have her turning back to where he stood. Her anger and fear and whatever
other crazy emotion ran through her dissolved at the vision in front of her.
Raven’s expression broke her heart.
Sawyer’s shoulders drooped. She didn’t want to fight.
“Are we okay?” Raven’s voice was
quiet.
Sawyer sighed. “If you don’t add me
to your unit, I’ll be assigned to another. I’ll get orders. You only had
control when I was with you. You don’t anymore.”
She left him standing in the hall.
Raven’s fist connected with the wall, and a slew of words that would make a
sailor blush filled the air. Yeah… so much for no more swearing.
Other Books in the Series
(Thousand Moments Series #1)
by Connie Ann Michael
Adult Contemporary Romantic Suspense
March 3rd 2015 by Anaiah Press
Summary
Can you choose between fighting for your life and fighting for your heart?
When twenty-two year old Emme Sawyer joins a Marine unit heading into Helmand Providence, she focuses on what she does best: keeping her men safe. But, when the unit is hit by an IED, Emme realizes she can’t save everyone. With her humanity on the line, and her faith in question, she seeks comfort from Raven, her commanding officer. Soon, Emme develops feelings that don’t belong in a combat zone, where each step could be your last.
Raven keeps his emotions locked up tight, never allowing the men to see him sweat. But when Emme joins his unit, all bets are off; and the feelings he thought he left stateside begin to emerge. Knowing that the deserts of Afghanistan are the last place to start a romance, and the United States military’s view on fraternizing; Raven tries to deny his heart. Emme and Raven learn you can’t always choose where love finds you. And that sometimes, you just have to trust in God’s plan.
See my review here.
Connie grew up in Seattle but moved to Central Washington to be closer to all things outdoors. Married, with two college boys, she keeps busy kayaking, mountain biking, skiing, and hiking through the beautiful hills of the Wenatchee Valley. Growing up with a love of reading, the transition into writing seemed natural, and she can be found on summer days writing under the tree in her front yard, surrounded by her three dogs.
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