{Review} If I Return by Sawyer Bennett

Title: If I Return

Series: The 12 NA's of Christmas

Author: Sawyer Bennett

Published: 1st Nov 2013

Age Group: New Adult

Genre: Contemporary Romance

Source: eARC provided by author for fair & honest review

Rating: 4/5

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BLURB:

If I Return is proud to be a part of The 12 NA's of Christmas

12 New Adult Novellas. 12 Best Selling Authors. November 2013.

Would you wait?

College student, Hope Camden, is relentlessly serious, awkwardly shy and in complete need of taking a walk on the wilder side. At least, that’s what her sister tells her when she drags her off for an impromptu Christmas getaway in the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Hope’s plans to keep her nose in a book the entire vacation are thwarted when she meets Jack Freeman, the gorgeous and enigmatic Army helicopter pilot staying at the same resort. What was supposed to be a quiet Christmas holiday turns into a life changing event for Hope and Jack. The only problem? Jack is headed off to war, and there is no guarantee he will come back.

REVIEW:

The story:

After being persuaded into accompanying hers sister on Christmas vacation at a snow lodge, Hope has no intention of picking up any men - much to her sister's disappointment. But that was before literally stumbling into the arms of sexy army pilot Jack. The initial attraction between them is fiery, but it's nothing compared to the intense connection they share as they get to know each other better over the next week.

Jack doesn't want to make her wait for him to return after a year of service, even though he's never felt this kind of connection with a woman before. But is one week of passion enough for them or can their relationship last a year apart? And only if Jack returns from war.

The characters:

Hope is the sweet 'good girl' who always plays it safe. She would rather stay at home reading a good book that have a night out on the town. And she's certainly not the kind of girl who would pick up a one night stand - she more of a committed relationship kind of girl. But when Jack enters the scene he unleashes a side of her even she didn't know existed.

Jack has never really been interested in a relationship, partly because of his life as a solider and partly because the right girl has come his way. He's confident and charming, but he also has a sweet and slightly insecure side to him. He's not sure how to deal with the unexpected romance with Hope, but knows that's she's a lot more than a one night stand.

The romance:

The romance developed quite quickly over the course of the one week holiday, however at no point does it suffer from the dreaded curse of insta-love. They have a strong connection from the beginning, and although they both go into it believing it will be holiday fling, they soon realise that they may want more. After their initial attraction, they get to know each other on a deeper level and their relationship develops from lust to love.

The Writing:

Sawyer was very clever in the way the timeline of events occurs. Although the majority of the novella takes place over the first week, the entire story (including the epilogue) spans 2 years, which helps make their relationship so much more believable & beautiful.

FINAL WORD:

Overall If I Return was a sweet and sexy little novella that is sure to warm you up this Christmas season! If you loved Sawyer's Off series, then you sure to enjoy this short and steamy read too!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium-strong / sex scenes

Violence: none

Language: mild-medium / occasional f word

Drugs & alcohol: mild-medium