Saturday, November 22, 2014

Even Heroes Cry by Hildie McQueen




"McQueen is an intense and emotional storyteller that will keep you turning the pages all night long." (NYT and USA Today Bestselling author Liliana Hart) 

Hildie McQueen's Even Heroes Cry will melt your heart and take your breath away. My new favorite romance author. (USA Today Bestselling author Jamie Lee Scott) 

Military vet Adam Ford returns to his hometown a damaged hero—the war stole his best friend and left him with severe PTSD. Every day is a challenge as he struggles to reconstruct his life. When a tempting beauty moves in next door, Adam’s world is turned upside down and he doesn’t appreciate it. 

After losing the love of her life in Iraq, Tesha Washington runs away from everything she’s ever known and escapes to a small town where she takes on the challenges of restoring an old Victorian house. Out of options, she turns to her reclusive neighbor for help. 

As Tesha slowly draws Adam out of the shell that used to be a man, she also learns there really is such a thing as starting over. Together they discover the healing power of love and a bond to last a lifetime.

Published & Release Date: Self published, November 11, 2004

Time and setting: Present day, Lovely, Tennessee

Genre: Contemporary/Military Romance

Heat Level: 2

Reviewer rating: 4.5 Gold Crown

Reviewed by Vikki

I thoroughly enjoy this emotionally-charged story of a military vet returned from Iraq who suffers from a very severe case of PTSD. Ms. McQueen obviously did a lot of research on this subject and it shows in her vivid descriptions. When Adam experiences an attack, it’s as if I were living through it with him. His pain is palpable and affected me deeply. This disease is real and affects a great many young men and women who have fought for this amazing country we are so blessed to live in.

Hildie McQueen’s writing flows smoothly, and her pacing is excellent. Her dialogue is sharp and crisp, and very much as people talk in real life. I love her character building, not just the hero and the heroine, but the secondary characters as well. I loved Mrs. Miller and the tidbits of her life interwoven in this story. This author is able to pull on my heart strings to the point that tears came to my eyes during one of Adam’s episodes.

When grieving military widow, Tesha Washington, decides to run away from her well-meaning family and in-laws, she never expects to find true love, and certainly not with a military vet suffering from PTSD. However that is exactly what she finds when she moves into an old Victorian home, badly in need of renovations.

Adam Ford is hanging on by a rapidly unraveling thread. He is weighed down with grief over the loss of the buddy he could not save to the point he is trying to fulfill all the buddy’s dreams. He remodels the friend’s house and his Ford Fairlane. Next on his agenda: A wife. Unfortunately, even though he has met the woman of his dreams, his PTSD has gotten so bad, he’s afraid to enter into a relationship with Tesha.

Can love be enough to conquer all, or will his past keep him from fulfilling not only his buddy’s dream but his as well?

This is a very well-written story, and I am so glad I decided to read it. I particularly liked the title of the book because it fits the story so well. This is the first book in the Nashville series, and I quickly became vested in learning more about Adam’s brother who will have a book of their own. Jenson and Cassie’s story is next, and I can’t wait to read it.


If you are a lover of military romances with a truly tortured soul and an intricate love story, then this is a book you will definitely want to read. Happy reading!

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