ABOUT THE BOOK:
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 Lee Wilcox has been marking time in her hometown of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina since her husband, Noah Wilcox’s death, nearly five years earlier. With her son Ben turning five and living at home with her mother, Harper fights a growing restlessness, worried that moving on means leaving the memory of her husband behind.Her best friend, Allison Teague, is dealing with struggles of her own. Her husband, a former SEAL that served with Noah, was injured while deployed and has come home physically healed but fighting PTSD. With three children underfoot and unable to help her husband, Allison is at her wit’s end.In an effort to reenergize her own life, Harper sees an opportunity to help not only Allison but a network of other military wives eager to support her idea of starting a string of coffee houses close to military bases around the country.
In her pursuit of her dream, 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. As her business grows so does an unexpected relationship with Bennett. Can Harper let go of her grief and build a future with Bennett even as the man they both loved haunts their pasts?
READ AN EXCERPT:Chapter 1
Present Day
Winters in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, were temperamental. The sunshine and a temperate southerly breeze that started a day could turn into biting, salt-tinged snow flurries by afternoon. But one thing Harper Lee Wilcox could count on was that winter along the Outer Banks was quiet. The bustle and hum and weekly rotation of tourists that marked the summer months settled into a winter melancholy that Harper enjoyed. Well, perhaps not enjoyed in the traditional sense . . . morelike she enjoyed surrendering to the melancholy. In fact, her mother may have accused her of wallowing in it once or twice or a hundred times.In the winter, she didn’t have to smile and pretend her life was great. Not that it was bad. Lots of people had it worse. Much worse. In fact, parts of her life were fabulous. Almost five, her son was happy and healthy and smart. Her mother’s strength and support were unwavering and had bolstered her through the worst time of her life. Her friends were amazing. That was the real issue. In the craziness of the summer season, she forgot to be sad. Her husband, Noah, had been gone five years; the same amount of time they’d been married. Soon the years separating them would outnumber the years they’d been together. The thought was sobering and only intensified the need to keep a sacred place in her heart waiting and empty. Her secret memorial. She parked the sensible sedan Noah had bought her soon after they married under her childhood home. Even though they were inland, the stilts were a common architectural feature up and down the Outer Banks. Juggling her laptop and purse, Harper pushed open the front door and stacked her things to the side. “I’m home!” A little body careened down the steps and crashed into her legs. She returned the ferocious hug. Her pregnancy was the only thing that had kept her going those first weeks after she’d opened her front door to the Navy chaplain. “How was preschool? Did you like the pasta salad I packed for your lunch?” “It made me toot and everyone laughed, even the girls. Can you pack it for me again tomorrow?” “Ben! You shouldn’t want to toot.” Laughter ruined the admonishing tone she was going for. As Harper’s mom said time and again, the kid was a hoot and a half. He might have Harper’s brown wavy hair, but he had Noah’s spirit and mannerisms and humor. Ben approached everything with an optimism Harper had lost or perhaps had never been gifted with from the start. He was a blessing Harper sometimes wondered if she deserved. “Where’s Yaya?” She ruffled his unruly hair.Of course, her mom had picked an unconventional name. “Grandmother” was too old-fashioned and pedestrian. Since she’d retired from the library, she had cast off any semblance of normalcy and embraced an inner spirit that was a throwback to 1960s bra burners and Woodstock. “Upstairs painting.” Ben slipped his hand into Harper’s and tugged her toward the kitchen. Bright red and orange and blue paint smeared the back of his hand and arm like a rainbow. At least, her mom had put him in old clothes. “Yaya gave me my own canvas and let me paint whatever I wanted.” “And what did you paint?” Harper prayed it wasn’t a nude study, which was the homework assignment from her mom’s community college class. “I drew Daddy in heaven. I used all the colors.” The matter-of-factness of his tone clawed at her heart. No child should have to grow up only knowing their father through pictures and stories. Her own father had been absent because of divorce and disinterest. He’d sent his court-ordered child support payments regularly until she turned eighteen but rarely visited or shown any curiosity about her. It had hurt until teenaged resentment scarred over the wound. Noah would have made a great dad. The best. That he never got the chance piled more regrets and what-ifs onto her winter inspired melancholy. “I’m sure he would have loved your painting.” Luckily, Ben didn’t notice her choked-up reply. He went to the cabinet, pulled out white bread and crunchy peanut butter, and proceeded to make two sandwiches. It was their afternoon routine. Someday he would outgrow it. Outgrow her and become a man like his daddy. She poured him a glass of milk, and they ate their sandwiches, talking about how the rest of his day went—outside of his epic toots. His world was small and safe and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible. Her mom breezed into the kitchen, her still-thick but graying brown hair twisted into a messy bun, a thin paintbrush holding it in place. Slim and attractive, she wore paint-splattered jeans and a long-sleeve T-shirt that read: I make AARP look good. Harper pinched her lips together to stifle a grin. “How’s your assignment coming along?” Harper asked. “I’m having a hard time with proportions. It’s been a while, but I’m pretty sure my man’s you-know-what shouldn’t hang down to his kneecaps.” Harper shot a glance toward Ben, who had moved to the floor of the den to play with LEGOs. As crazy as her mom drove her, she was and would always be Harper’s rock. The irony wasn’t lost on her. As hard as she’d worked to get out of Kitty Hawk and out of her mother’s reach when she was young, she’d never regretted coming home. “It’s been a while for me, too, but that’s not how I remember them, either.” “A pity for us both.” Her mother pulled a jar of olives out of the fridge and proceeded to make martinis—shaken, not stirred. She raised her eyebrows, and Harper answered the unspoken question with a nod. Her mom poured and plopped an extra olive in Harper’s. “How was work?” Harper handled bookkeeping and taxes for a number of local businesses, but a good number closed up shop in the winter. “Routine. Quiet.” “Exactly like your life.” Harper sputtered on her first sip. “What’s that supposed to mean?” “I hate seeing you mope around all winter.” Her mom poked at the olive in her drink with a toothpick and looked toward Ben, dropping her voice. “He’s been gone five years, sweetheart, and you haven’t gone on so much as a date.” “That’s not true. I went to lunch with Whit a few weeks ago.” “He was trying to sell you life insurance. Doesn’t count.” Harper huffed and covered her discomfort by taking another sip. “What about you? You never date.”“True, but your father ruined me on relationships. I have trust issues. You and Noah, on the other hand, seemed to get along fine. Or am I wrong?” “You’re not.” Another sip of the martini grew the tingly warmth in her stomach. Their marriage hadn’t been completely without conflict, but what relationship was? As she looked back on their fights, they seemed juvenile and unimportant. It was easier to remember the good times. And there were so many to choose from. She touched the empty finger on her left hand. The ring occupied her jewelry box and had for three years. But, occasionally, her finger would ache with phantom pains as if it were missing a vital organ. “You’re young. Find another good man. Or forget the man, just find something you’re passionate about.” “I’m happy right where I am.” Harper hammered up her defenses as if preparing for a hurricane. “Don’t mistake comfort for happiness. You’re comfortable here. Too comfortable. But you’re not happy.”“God, Mom, why are you Dr. Phil–ing me all of sudden? Are you wanting me and Ben to move out or something?” Her voice sailed high and Ben looked over at them, his eyes wide, clutching his LEGO robot so tightly its head fell off. “You and Ben are welcome to stay and take care of me in my old age.” Her mom shifted toward the den. “You hear that, honey? I want you to stay forever.” Ben gave them an eye-crinkling smile that reminded her so much of Noah her insides squirmed, and she killed the rest of her drink. She was so careful not to show how lonely she sometimes felt in front of Ben. “Harper.” Her mom’s chiding tone reminded her so much of her own childhood, she glanced up instinctively. Her mom took her hand, and her hazel eyes matched the ones that stared back at Harper in the mirror. “You’re marking time in Kitty Hawk. Find something that excites you again. Don’t let Ben—or Noah— be your excuse.” Harper looked to her son. His chubby fingers fit the small LEGO pieces together turning the robot into a house. She had built her life brick by brick adding pieces and colors, expanding, taking pride, until one horrible day she’d stopped. Maybe her mom was right. Was it time to build something new?
MY REVIEW:
The Military Wife by Laura TrenthamMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Military Wife by Laura Trentham is a 2019 St. Martin’s Griffin publication.
A moving story with a beautiful and emotional love story!
Harper is a war widow, raising her son, Ben, alone. Noah has been gone five years now, and Harper is hoping to start her own business by opening coffee shops located near military bases, which also helps to provide jobs for military wives.
Allison is Harper’s best friend, helping her with the new business, while also coping with her husband’s dangerous and terrifying PTSD.
Bennett Caldwell was Noah’s best friend, and SEAL brother. Noah used to read portions of Harper’s letters out loud to Bennett, giving him a certain image of Harper, and an idea of the type of woman she might be. Bennett must now make good on a promise he made to Noah before his death, but he is also weighed down with a heavy heart. Bennett wants to help Harper, but, preferably from a distance. Harper, however, wants to know what really happened to Noah and only Bennett knows the whole truth.
While this story is categorized as a military romance, this is not your typical contemporary romance featuring an inked, alpha male with cartoonish muscles. This novel is much more mature than that, with well- drawn characters and very realistic dialog.
This is a very well constructed story, examining the various challenges military wives and families face and the way they support one another through thick and thin. I loved Harper’s and Bennett’s bittersweet romance and the way their feelings grew over time and the very understandable mixture of emotions they brought to their new relationship.
All the issues addressed in the story are emotional and realistic, spotlighting the very real struggles military families face. The sacrifice and honor of these soldiers and the lingering effects that haunts them long after their service is complete is handled with sensitivity and respect.
These characters are memorable, sympathetic and even inspirational. Although there is a very special romance thread, the secondary threads are just as compelling, making this a story that could easily cross over into other genres and would appeal to a broader audience.
Overall, this is a very touching story, with a wonderful blend of romance, family, and friendship with a hard won and long overdue happily ever after.
GET YOUR COPY HERE:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250145536
https://www.amazon.com/Military-Wife-Heart-Hero-ebook/dp/B07DZZ69N5
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-military-wife-laura-trentham/1128526353
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
-- LAURA TRENTHAM is an award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance. She is a member of RWA, and has been a finalist multiple times in the Golden Heart competition. A chemical engineer by training and a lover of books by nature, she lives in South Carolina.
