Reading Between the Wines Book Club

Author Jessica Scott has a flare for putting her readers right in the middle of army life, whether it be in the middle of a firefight, or on-base dealing with the aftermath.

Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli's life is the army. Preparing his men and women for what's ahead, shipping out with them, and leading them through the sand. His only problem with deployments though, withdrawal. Reza is an alcoholic. But after being grounded and confronted by his superior; either sober up for good or be discharged, Reza decides to give up the booze. Because without the army, what does he have? Easier said then done. Especially when everything and everyone around him is going to hell in a hand-basket. Half of his troop is suffering from PTSD but they can't get the care they need and deserve because the base clinic is too overwhelmed. But when Reza goes to confront to situation he runs into the spitfire psychiatrist, Captain Emily Lindberg. Not only does she test his patience and good intentions, but she also tests his beliefs, the strength of his demons and his commitment. He's failed everyone around him though and he won't let her name be added to that list, no matter how tempting it is to open up to her and allow her closer.

All For You is not a light story. It deals with the affects of war on our servicemen, battling alcoholism and parental abuse, and coming face to face with your failings, despite giving something your all. The story dives head first into the mental health issues facing our servicemen. Which is a real issue that is not only incredibly sad, but disappointing that our country can fail at something so important. It's a heart-wrenching story.

While I enjoyed that aspect of the book and thought it was masterfully written, I did feel like it overshadowed the romance happening between Reza and Emily. The intensity that Reza showed in previous books and I thought for sure would be front and center when it came to love, seemed be to lacking. There was no denying the chemistry between these two, the romance just didn't punch me in the gut like the previous books in this series did. However, I did like bother characters. Emily was a commendable character, dedicated to her work and possessing a huge heart. And while Reza was a strong character battling many inner demons, the thing I enjoyed most was watching his character grow as the story progressed.

All For You might not have ended up being my favorite of the series, but it was still a good read packed with the emotion that I have come to expect when reading Jessica Scott's books.