A Soldier's Family

Cheryl Wyatt is a gifted writer who draws you immediately into her story! "A Soldier's Family" picks up after "A Soldier's Promise" ends, this time with Manny Pena and Celia Munez as the main characters in our story. Neither is a stranger to loss - Celia's husband, a police officer, was murdered by a drug dealer; and Manny's son drowned while he and his wife weren't watching, causing such guilt and remorse that they divorced and she killed herself. Can Celia get over her fear of a relationship with Manny because of his dangerous work? Will Manny forgive himself for his past mistakes and step into Celia's family - where he really wants to be? I love a series where I can develop relationship with new characters and keep tabs on old ones that I've grown to love. This is that type of series. It is also populated with heroism and patriotism and Christian family values. Cheryl beautifully captures the fire of the Latin persona. I enjoy experiencing her stories as they develop: how she addresses such sensitive issues as murder and suicide with great care and sensitivity. Her insight into recovery after hip surgery is priceless. How she dramatizes the struggle with forgiveness brought me to tears. I can't wait to read the stories of the other PJs on the wings of Refuge team!

Manny Peña is a pararescue jumper who is used to saving others. But he's in need of a rescue himself when his parachute won't open on a training jump. Good thing Manny made his peace with God. Too bad he didn't have a chance to tell his good friend Joel Montgomery about it. Manny wakes up in the hospital to find an angel in his room. At least he's pretty sure Celia Munoz is a heavenly body. But... Manny didn't make such a good impression the last time he saw Celia. In fact, he propositioned her. Can he convince Celia he's a changed man? Single-mom Celia has enough on her hands between working two jobs and taking care of her rebelling teenage son. But how can she refuse her friend Amber Montgomery when Amber asks her to help tote the injured Special Forces soldier to his doctor's appointments? Now all Celia has to do is keep her heart intact. That shouldn't be too hard considering how she feels about Manny. Right? Cheryl Wyatt charms readers in this second installment of her Wings of Refuge series. Her humor is so natural that the reader will find themselves laughing out loud often, without even realizing they're doing it. In addition to doing humor well, Cheryl does romance in her own unique and believable way. Celia and Manny not only get off to a rocky start, but both have their own demons to overcome from their pasts. And Cheryl uses both main characters to bring out the other person's concerns, but also help them overcome the thing that is blocking them from true happiness. If you enjoy laugh-out-loud humor and romance with a bang, this book is right up your alley.

I really enjoyed this book, its the story of Manny and Celia. At the beginning of the Manny has an accident which grounds him, he wants to make amends to Celia for his last encounter. I love the way this story pans out. I enjoyed seeing how Manny befriend Celia's son and helped him. Celia and Manny have alot of emotional baggage which we see them work through. I loved seeing Celia's son and the issues he deals with and the way he deals with them both good and bad. This book really moved me in many ways and hopefully you will find the same when you read the book. I would love to tell you more but I don't want to spoil the story for you, but I am sure you will understand when you read this great story.

I was hoping Cheryl Wyatt's second book would be about Celia and Manny. I wanted those two to be together from the minute they met in A Soldier's Promise, Book #1 of her Wings of Refugse series. I got my wish. Of course by the end of A Soldier's Promise, Celia and Manny had managed to go to war with each other. What more could you hope for in a good love story? A Soldier's Family is funny and intense and wise by turns. I loved the way Manny interacted with Javiar, Celia's trouble son. And the deft touch Wyatt has to show how desperately Javiar needed a male role model in his life. The three of them, Celia, Manny and Javiar make up one of the best families I've read about in a while. And there has GOT to be a book three, I can't wait!

I really enjoyed Cheryl Wyatt's A Soldier's Family. Wyatt brought the characters alive on the page. Her description of the hero Manny's suffering and therapy could only be written by someone who's experienced such pain themselves. Manny and heroine Celia grow and change as they deal with the need to forgive, not only others, but themselves. I rooted for Celia as she came to terms with her fears and accepted her teenage son for who he was. Most mothers can identify with her struggles. Wyatt shows the toil violence takes on both the victim's and the felon's families. Though the issues are intense, the book is uplifting. I highly recommend A Soldier's Family.