It’s Always Been You by Jessica Scott

Series:  Coming Home #5

Publish Date: March 4, 2014 by Forever

Captain Ben Teague has gotten a promotion that he does not even want.   This promotion has him being in charge of his friends, not being able to protect them.   His job also entails getting rid of the riffraff and trouble makers in his group.   While cleaning house he has to work closely with Major Olivia Hale, a by the book lawyer hired to help him.  

 

Olivia has to deal with the demons of her past.    Helping Ben with a mentor and colleague who has been brought up on charges, charges Ben cannot believe, puts this past front and center.  With Ben’s compassion and understanding they will work together and get what has to be done done. 

My Review:

I feel like I say the same thing with every review of Jessica’s books that I read.    But they are all absolutely amazing.   Everyone of them touches on hard subjects with a tenderness and understanding that not many authors are able to handle.   Each book can stand alone, but as a series they are even better.

Ben, oh Ben.   He is so tough.  He has not had the easiest life and it shows.  Between the military and war, his mother being military and losing his father young, and the toughness of his new job, things are just not going the way he wants.   From the very beginning you could feel how huge his heart is.  He would go to the ends of the earth and do whatever is in his power to help his fellow soldiers.  Ben is the man who would give you the shirt off his back if that was what was needed. 

Olivia is the perfect match for Ben.  She is tough and can stand her ground when Ben starts his BS, but she is also understanding of all the troubles Ben is dealing with.   She has the matching huge heart to go with Bens.   I enjoyed watching the two of them circle each other, when they finally give in to their feelings the heat is absolutely amazing. 

This is probably my most favorite military series.   Jessica Scott is a great author.  I highly recommend you check out this entire series or at least this book from the Coming Home Series.

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Here is information on the rest of the Coming Home Series

Book 1:  Because of You

Keeping his men alive is all that matters to Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison. But meeting Jen St. James the night before his latest deployment makes Shane wonder if there’s more to life than war. He leaves for Iraq remembering a single kiss with a woman he’ll never see again—until a near fatal attack lands him back at home and in her care. 
 
Jen has survived her own brush with death and endured its scars. And yet there’s a fire in Shane that makes Jen forget all about her past. He may be her patient, but when this warrior looks her in the eyes, she feels—for the first time in a long time—like a woman. Shane is too proud to ask for help, but for Jen, caring for him is more than a duty—it’s a need. And as Jen guides Shane through the fires of healing, she finds something she never expected—her deepest desire

Book 1.5  Anything for You

Sergeant First Class Shane Garrison has spent a year recovering from his combat injuries. A year spent in the arms of the woman of his dreams. But loving Jen comes with a price: every time he touches her, he faces the uncertain fear that loving her might mean losing her forever. 
 
Jen is a breast cancer survivor and with Shane, she’s found a man who loves her despite her scars. But her scars may be too much for their love to survive. 

As their love grows, so does the risk to Jen’s life. And Shane must make the toughest decision any man can make to save the woman he loves.

Book 2:  Until There Was You

A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. Since that brief lapse in judgment, Evan has been at odds with her. But when he is asked to train a combat team alongside Claire, battle-hardened Evan is in for the fight of his life.
 
Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to achieve her high military rank. In Evan Loehr, Claire sees a spoiled commander who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. Army orders force them together and Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye. He too has dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

Book 2.5:   I'll Be Home for Christmas

Army captain Trent Davila loved his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. He couldn't explain the emptiness he felt or bridge the growing distance between him and his family—so he deployed again. And again. And again . . . until his marriage reached its breaking point. Now, with everything on the line, Trent has one last chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs . . . if she'll have him

. . . to win back his only love.

Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family, and she's just beginning to put the pieces of her shattered heart back together. But when Trent faces a court martial on false charges, only Laura can save him. What begins as an act of kindness to protect his career inflames a desire she thought long buried—and a love that won't be denied. But can she trust that this time he's back to stay?

Book 3:  Back to You

Army captain Trent Davila loved his wife, Laura, and their two beautiful children. But when he almost lost his life in combat, something inside him died. He couldn't explain the emptiness he felt or bridge the growing distance between him and his family—so he deployed again. And again. And again . . . until his marriage reached its breaking point. Now, with everything on the line, Trent has one last chance to prove to his wife that he can be the man she needs . . . if she'll have him

. . . to win back his only love.

Laura is blindsided when Trent returns home. Time and again, he chose his men over his family, and she's just beginning to put the pieces of her shattered heart back together. But when Trent faces a court martial on false charges, only Laura can save him. What begins as an act of kindness to protect his career inflames a desire she thought long buried—and a love that won't be denied. But can she trust that this time he's back to stay?

Book 4:  All for You

Can a battle-scarred warrior . . .

Stay sober. Get deployed. Lead his platoon. Those are the only things that matter to Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. What he wants is for everyone to stay out of his way; what he gets is Captain Emily Lindberg telling him how to deal with his men. Fort Hood's newest shrink is smart as a whip and sexy as hell. She's also full of questions—about the army, its soldiers, and the agony etched on Reza's body and soul.

. . . open his heart to love?

Emily has devoted her life to giving soldiers the care they need—and deserve. Little does she know that means facing down the fierce wall of muscle that is Sergeant Iaconelli like it's just another day at the office. When Reza agrees to help her understand what makes a soldier tick, she's thrilled. Too bad it doesn't help her unravel the sexy warrior in front of her who stokes her desire and touches a part of her she thought long dead. He's the man who thinks combat is the only escape from the demons that haunt him. The man who needs her most of all . . .