The Soldier

Rhonda Nelson's "The Soldier" brings readers back to the sleepy little town of Bethel Bay, South Carolina, for the continuing story of Winnie Templeman and Adam McPherson. Winnie and Adam were first introduced in Nelson's Blaze romance "Letters from Home" (which told the story of Winnie's best friend Natalie Rowland and Adam's older brother Levi McPherson), and "The Soldier" gives them a story all their own. In the wake of Levi and Natalie's wedding and departure from Bethel Bay, Adam has retreated into himself with no interruptions or distractions to keep him from facing the full damage done by a roadside bomb in Iraq that took half his leg. Struggling to accept how he - and his body - have changed, Adam has a hard time just getting out of bed in the morning. Erotic dreams of making love to Winnie Templeton (his gal pal for more years than he can remember) isn't helping, especially when he knows he doesn't have anything lasting to offer her. Winnie's the forever kind of marrying woman who wants a home with roots and babies. Adam? Soon as he's fit for duty, he's determined to go back into the service and leave his hometown behind again. He's a soldier through and through. Winnie, on the other hand, has loved and wanted Adam for as long as she can remember. She knows he's retreating into himself, worries about him, is totally clueless about how much he really wants her, and assigns herself a one-man-wrecking-crew to get him out of that bed and back into life. As usual with Rhonda Nelson's books, her hero and heroine compliment each other in AND out of bed. Far too many romances hinge only on the sparks created between the sheets, leaving readers to suppose that lust = love. Nelson, on the other hand, pays wonderful attention to the sparks created whenever her characters are *anywhere* and Winnie and Adam are certainly no exception. Whether they're bantering in his bedroom with nothing covering his privates than a blanket or standing in a baseball field surrounded by teen girls, in the front seat of Adam's car or at the sales counter of Winnie's bakery, sexual tension brews between the two... and it's wonderful. You understand why she's attracted to him, what she finds in him that she cant find anywhere else and why loving him is a condition she can't break or just move on from. You understand why Adam, who slowly grew to love Winnie over time, fell for her... and why he's determined to stay away. (knuckleheaded men! Geez!) As Winnie tries to get Adam to take what time they can have together and enjoy it (and her) in and out of bed, Adam keeps resisting. By the time the affair starts, the clock for Adam's departure is already ticking, making each moment together more important. And painful. The emotional showdown when it's time for Adam to leave it a game of pure Love Chicken and Nelson does a wonderful job being true to each character, leaving Adam strong and determined and struggling with his identity beyond his injury as