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 under foot 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?
This was a fantastic story of love, loss, and friendship. I was surprised to discover that the author is not a military spouse herself because the depth of her understanding is spot-on. The format of the book is also unusual, alternating chapters between the present and the past. The present chapters are linear, but the past chapters bounce around, dependent on whatever event in the present brought that memory to mind. I very much enjoyed those flashbacks as they fleshed out the characters' stories and showed what made them the people they are today.
Five years after her husband's death, Harper was still haunted by questions about what really happened. She has mostly moved on, raising her son Ben and working for several local businesses. She also felt a growing restlessness and dissatisfaction with her life. Encouraged by her mother to look for her "passion" Harper found inspiration while helping an old friend.
Allison was at the end of her rope. Her husband returned from his last mission a changed man, fighting PTSD but refusing to ask for help. Trying to keep the family on an even keel while presenting the image of the perfect family, Allison also needed help that she was reluctant to ask for.
I loved the friendship between Harper and Allison. It is indicative of the bonds that form among military wives who understand the stresses and unique challenges of being married to a military man. When Harper realized that Allison needed her, there was no question about dropping everything to be with her friend. I liked how Harper drew on her own experiences to help Allison. The scene at the wives' meeting was deeply emotional as Allison opened up about her problems and the other wives told their own stories and offered their support. It was during this meeting that another challenge of military wifehood was brought up. The lack of career opportunities for military wives is a real problem, as employers are reluctant to hire someone who will probably leave within a few years. With a brainstorming session among the wives, Home Front Coffee was born, and Harper found her passion.
In the planning process for the coffee house, Harper discovered that not everything about Noah's death was as straightforward as she thought. Looking for answers, Harper confronted Bennett Cardwell, Noah's best friend, and fellow SEAL. Unknown to Harper, Bennett had made a promise to look after Harper if anything happened to Noah. His method of doing so blew up in his face when Harper showed up to confront him about it.
I loved the development of the relationship between Harper and Bennett. Bennett thought he knew Harper pretty well, though he'd never met her, thanks to the letters and emails that Noah had shared with him during their deployments. He didn't expect the reality of the feisty, stubborn, and sexy woman who confronted him. Harper was taken aback by the attraction she felt for Bennett, a feeling she hadn't experienced since Noah's death. Though he refused to enlighten her about Noah's death, Bennett did offer his help in setting up the coffee business. As they spent time together setting up the business, they began to fall for each other. Though Harper knew that Noah wouldn't want her to be alone for the rest of her life, there was a part of her that felt guilty about her growing feelings for Bennett. Meanwhile, the emotions that Bennett first noticed, and squashed, years ago, grew stronger the more time he spent with Harper. Haunted by Noah's death, Bennett was sure that Harper would want nothing to do with him if she knew the truth. With emotions stirred up by a crisis with their friends, both Harper and Bennett were finally able to get past the final barriers that kept them apart. I ached for Bennett as he prepared himself for the worst, and cried tears of happiness for him when those fears proved unfounded.
The secondary story of Allison and Darren was heartbreaking. You could see that Darren knew he was struggling, but could not bring himself to ask for help. Allison loved her husband but had no idea how to help him. I loved the support that Allison received when Harper encouraged her to share her troubles. I liked how Harper brought Bennett into the equation. There was some regret there as Bennett realized that he had put distance between himself and his old teammates, but his determination to help was immediate. There was a very emotional scene at the end that showed how deep the struggle was.
I loved the chapters that dealt with the pasts of Harper and Bennett and their relationships with Noah. Harper's love for her husband was unquestionable, but there was also the reality of the ups and downs of their married life. Resentments were realistically portrayed, as were the happier times. It was fascinating to see how the friendship between Bennett and Noah was formed and grew. I especially liked how the irrepressible and optimistic Noah got past Bennett's barriers. The scenes from their SEAL training were especially enlightening. The final chapter from the past was the most intensely emotional and left me aching for Bennett.
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