It’s Always Been You (Coming Home, #5) by Jessica Scott
Romance Contemporary/Military
March 4, 2014
Forever

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Do you need a hug?”

Captain Ben Teague lost his faith in everything the Army teaches when his best friend and mentor is unjustly accused of disobeying orders during an intense firefight that left Ben scarred and wary of the Army’s objectives. Four years later, he is forced back into command when a military sanctioned witch hunt makes Ben part of a battalion wide clean up to get rid of the malcontents.

Already at his wits end, Ben’s frustrations reach an all time high when his mentor is once again accused of a crime that Ben can’t and won’t believe he committed. Ben knows the lawyer pursuing the case is wrong and no matter how much Ben is attracted to her, he will do anything to prove it.

Major Olivia Hale is on base to help with the legalities involved in the mass exodus. She can’t let her emotions and own personal demons weigh in, but that is easier said then done. One particular case brings forth some painful memories that affect Olivia’s impartiality and pits her up against a sexy captain whose sly humor hides some heavy demons of his own. Olivia doesn’t normally mix business with pleasure but Ben makes her want to break all the rules she has set for herself.

Ben and Olivia can’t stop the attraction that builds between them and soon they embark on an emotional affair that tears down all their barriers. But when the case that brought them together comes to a head, Olivia and Ben will have to decide what’s more important…their orders or their hearts.

Once again, Jessica Scott brings us a heartfelt and bittersweet romance that digs deep beneath the surface and addresses the issues that affect battle fatigued soldiers who serve their country. Scott not only writes of the emotional, physical and mental pain but also the politics that often hinder more than help. This topic is the main theme that runs throughout the entire series. We have seen men and women come home from war with a myriad of problems that are not being properly addressed. Drug and alcohol abuse, physical abuse, and PSTD are only the tip of the iceberg. The problems multiple and we learn that the military often adapts the mentality to push them out if they can’t “shape up and fly right.” Though each story revolves around one couple and their journey to romance, the arc advances slowly with each installment. The romance is written with a heavy emotional hand though Scott does a fabulous job of integrating the conflict and ongoing arc into it. Steady pacing,well plotted storylines, a heart melting romance, and Scott’s exceptional military insight gives readers a book they won’t want to put down till the end.

Those who read All For You will remember meeting our protagonists, Captain Ben Teague and Major Olivia Hale. Best friends with Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli, Ben is a sly practical joker. An unrepentant rule breaker. He doesn’t care much for rank or military regulations. Olivia, a lawyer,works at the hospital along side her best friend and Iaconelli’s girlfriend, Captain Emily Lindberg. Olivia, like Ben, grew up in the military, however, she is far more a stickler for the rules then Ben could ever be. Rules are easy. They are clear, concise, and you always know where you stand with them. Though Olivia and Ben seem complete opposites, as the story progresses, we learn they are far more alike than first thought.

Ben and Olivia both have issues from their pasts that cause them to champion for the underdog. The tensions that have been building since the beginning of the series finally blow and the battalion is at the center of the explosion. The powers that be are finally dealing with the incompetence and drug problem that has been plaguing the base for years. This places Ben and Olivia into situations they really don’t want to deal with. Ben doesn’t want another command. The events that happened to him four years ago left him lost and broken. He doesn’t want to be judge and jury of the men he has fought and bled next to.

This is the burden of command: to balance the needs of the Army over the needs of the individual. A tightrope he had to walk alone.

Olivia knows that the battalion needs to be purged in order to free up much needed resources. She pushes Ben hard to accept his his duty. Her actions are intensified by a past case where she feels she failed a family when she accepted the Army’s verdict to protect it’s own and the results were tragic.

“It’s so much more complicated than that… The Army protected him when they should have protected her.”

Ben and Olivia ignite sparks from their first meeting; the chemistry starting out as antagonism and morphing into something combustible as they find themselves going to head to head. Ben knows Olivia doesn’t understand his defense of certain men the Army wants gone ASAP.  She in turn feels he is hiding behind the Army’s protect our men motto and not doing what he has been ordered to do. As they get to know one another better, both realize that they have strong protective instincts and each truly want what’s best overall for their charges.

The main conflict blends well with the romance. Sexy edgy love scenes convince you that no matter their external issues, no one deserves an HEA more than Olivia and Ben. Their romance builds slowly with a careful balance of physical and emotional tells. I loved how gentle both protagonists are with each other. Forged in violence and in neglect, they each have such a deep wells of compassion.

He wanted her mindless. Needed to lose himself in her passion, her drive, the blinding pleasure of her orgasm. He straightened between her knees, parting her, loving the way she looked spread on his desk. Wanton and wild and with complete abandon. He stood for a moment, his hands framing her hips, looking down at this woman who’d believed in him when he’d wanted to give up.

Familiar secondary characters join our lovers; each with their own story of tragedy and hope. Scott shows us that people are more than just a name and rank on a sheet of paper. Some can be saved and some cannot; the hard part is knowing who.  Plenty of humor permeates the story as Ben and Olivia have a wonderful banter between them that brings a smile to your face even when they are at their lowest points.

“Wow, you’re going all caveman. I’m not sure if I should swoon or wring out my panties.”

Some of Scott’s choice on the endings for the multiple plotlines was unexpected and that made them all that more heartbreaking. I did like that she includes a short epilogue that shows us this couple has a more than a good shot at making it.

Scott’s skill and knowledge continues to enchant me. It’s Always Been You is a wonderful installment that speaks to the heart. Ben and Olivia’s story is an emotional read but the journey is well worth it. I look forward to reading more of the Coming Homes series, titles and release dates to be announced.

 RATING: B+

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