A Love to Call Her Own

Starred review from July 21, 2014
Pappano’s background as a military wife lends considerable authenticity in her deeply satisfying third visit to Tallgrass, Okla. (after A Man to Hold on To). Jessy Lawrence, whose husband was killed in Afghanistan, has hit rock bottom. A flirtatious encounter leads her to a one-night stand with rancher Dalton Smith, whose wife took her own life after being injured on an Afghan battlefield. Jessy and Dalton try to deny their chemistry at first—Jessy because she doesn’t feel she deserves love, Dalton because he refuses to be vulnerable again—but they slowly realize that they may have a future together. Pappano’s characters are achingly real and flawed, and readers will commiserate with and root for the couple. While many authors of military-themed romance focus on action in the field or the sexiness of the uniform, Pappano is bold enough to dig into far more painful territory: what happens after the casualty calls. This deeply moving tale will remind everyone who reads it of the great sacrifices made by those who serve and the families they leave behind.