Book Review: Here With Me by Heidi McLaughlin

Here With Me
The Archer Brothers #1
Author: Heidi McLaughlin
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance | Military
Release Date: October 23rd 2014
Review Source: Author
 

Ryley Clarke has grown up with the military in her blood, with both parents serving their country. Ryley knows the risks of being married to the military. But when the unthinkable happens, and her future husband is killed in action, Ryley can barely survive... until Evan's twin brother, Nate, helps her pick up the pieces.

After serving on a special mission with the military for six years, Evan Archer returns home to find the unthinkable - the love of his life, Ryley Clarke - engaged to his brother, Nate. With Nate on deployment, Evan needs to figure out what happened in his absence, and more importantly, how to win Ryley back from the man he once considered his best friend, but now thinks of as his rival.

THIS IS A MUST READ!!! 

One of the toughest reviews I have had to write since I started this site. Not because of how horrible the book was, on the contrary you can tell that it was the opposite by just looking at the amount of trees I gave it. It's because of that exactly why I took hours and not minutes to reflect on what I felt. Here With Me was amazing. The story itself, the characters, the setting, the voices, the background, everything about this novel just fell into this perfect synchronization. 

I knew McLaughlin was a great writer from past books I have read but this novel just took her to a whole other dimension. I will now tell everyone that Heidi McLaughlin is truly an exceptional author. Great would not do her justice anymore. Negative side to that now, is that she raised the bar and future books she publishes have competition to beat in Here With Me. Possibly the sequel to Here With Me, will have to wait to find out. 

Before getting deep into the story, I want to go to the end. I was fortunate enough to read an early manuscript of Here With Me, so at some point in time, McLaughlin did not disclose this was a planned series. I though what I was reading was a standalone. Boy was I wrong,  and McLaughlin is lucky we don't live in the same states. I probably would have attacked her (in a friendly way) after I stop repeating, "No she did not just end the book like that" a million times.  Put it this way, Here With me has made my top ten list of books with jaw-dropping cliff hanger endings. Bravo! And this is a great thing for me FYI. 

Alright now on to the story that cause all the feels while reading. Here With Me follows the lives of Ryley, Nate and Evan. Ryley is now a grown women that both parents served the military and she grew up surrounded by all that. As fate would have it, Ryley's boyfriend ends up enlisting along with his twin brother. Riley just couldn't get away from the military life and its risks. Ryley's boyfriend she met by chance is Evan and his brother is Nate. These three were inseparable until the day they enlisted and it was time to go serve their country. Before leaving Evan does propose and turns out Ryley is pregnant. So the plan is when Evan gets back they will marry and live as a happy family. 

If life was that simple most of the time. Tragedy strikes and Ryley is informed that Evan has been killed in action. Her world is devastated, if it isn't for Evan's brother Nate, Ryley would probably not have survived the tragedy while raising her son. Nate always had stronger feeling for Ryley, but he knew she was completely devoted and in love with his brother. But with times, Ryley and Nate do become closer as they help and support one another through the years after Evan's passing. Ryley and Evan's child even knows Nate as his daddy. Now Nate has taken it to the next step and that is to marry Ryley. They will be wed. 

Do you believe in ghost? Well you might when you start to see the person you were madly in love with walking up to you that has been dead for years. This is the case with Ryley and Evan. Turns out Evan was not killed after all, it was all a lie. Apparently the military fed lies to both Ryley and Evan during those years. And Evan basically freaks out when he understands why Ryley was not waiting for him with balloons for his long homecoming and instead wears a rock on his ring finger from his brother he left taking care of her while he was deployed. Yea it just got real and add to it all that Nate is not deployed and has no clue that his brother is alive. 

These life changing events will set off even more life changing events and throughout the whole journey, Evan will not give up on Ryley and he will play dirty if he has to to win her back and his son. Then add to all this finding out "Why?" this even happen and why the military seems to be hiding or something worse what went on with Evan's special mission. 

This is one sequel I will be desperately awaiting for. I need to know what happens next, so many things are left open at the end including one big moment, that I need to know the reactions to it all. I can't wait!!! 

People I really meant it, read this book. Its amazing and will set off every emotion in the dictionary. Everything was just great from start to end. So I really hope I did it justice with my review and explain why its a must read.