Review – Seducing Mr Right by Rebecca Rose

Publisher: Forever Yours
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley

Only love can heal his wounds . . .

Gunnery Sergeant Jake Sanders made it through the war in Afghanistan, but he’s struggling to survive the peace at home. Still scarred by his experiences overseas, Jake now spends most of his time working out and tending to his brother’s bar and grill. He’s not looking for a girlfriend and avoids intimate relationships . . . until he meets the bar’s gorgeous new manager.

Ex-ballerina Sophie Agnés couldn’t take her eyes off Jake the moment she saw him-he was, after all, sleeping half-naked in her new office when she arrived on her first day of work. The chemistry between them is immediate, and soon it’s not clear who is seducing whom. But Sophie fears that something is keeping Jake from opening his heart to her. And a man with dark secrets may not be the right man for her after all.
*Blurb from Goodreads*

I’m always on the lookout for stories that deal with service men and women coming home and having to deal with PTSD. It’s a big issue that I don’t think gets enough time in the spotlight, so I like to read authors that are working to tackle it head on. I think Rose did an amazing job in that regard.

Jake has been struggling ever since he got home from the war. He saw things that he can’t get out of his head, and although he’s scraping by, it’s a battle every day. Working at the bar he owns with his brother gives him the chance to interact, without having tons of responsibility. That is until Sophie walks through the door.

Sophie wants a simple life, out of the spotlight of her parents and former career. Working as bar manager is something she loves, and getting to work closely with Jake is more than she expected. He’s surly and sexy and everything she wants, but shouldn’t have. Their relationship is an uphill battle, but one that Sophie is ready to fight for.

I think Rose did an amazing job dealing with the side effects PTSD has on the little things in everyday life. I love the way that Jake struggled, day in and day out. Sometimes he had trouble getting out of bed, other times he would be good until some noise or word sent him spiraling out of control. It felt very realistic, very intense, and Rose didn’t hold back with the trauma that Jake suffers. For readers, beware that some of the scenes may be extremely graphic in detail, and difficult to read.

Although I thought Rose did an incredible job with dealing with Jake’s PTSD, I had a hard time connecting to the romance. While I wholeheartedly believe that Jake and Sophie would have struggled like this if they were real life people, I just couldn’t connect to their story. I didn’t really understand why Sophie wanted to stick it out with Jake, especially since he was a jerk at times. I also didn’t really see why they were so passionate and devoted to each other. I think the PTSD issues were so intense and so real, that the romance really fell to the wayside for me.

That being said, I liked Jake and Sophie as individuals, but again, I felt like their character development took a bit of a backseat to Jake’s emotional state. I did like getting to see the way Jake grew into more of a person and less of a shell-shocked soldier. However, I didn’t feel as if Sophie had as much of an opportunity to grow. I would have liked to see a little more from her on the page, instead of having so much of it happened before the book even started.

All in all, I thought Rose did a wonderful job with shining light on the hard issue of PTSD. However, it did feel as if at times other aspects of the book suffered because that one issue was so intense, so flushed out, and such a heavy aspect of the plotline. I would have liked a bit more exploration into other areas of the book. That being said, what Rose did, she did tremendously.
I give Seducing Mr Right a B-

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