For years now our troops have been walking foreign domains and fighting a cause that most of us don’t understand. Those soldiers, young men and woman as young as 18 years old go into war with no guarantee that they will walk out of it again.
This book captures the reality of this circumstance skilfully and empathetically. It’s refreshing to read a ‘chick lit romance’ or NA novel which isn’t all roses and rainbows with happy endings. Mila Gray portrays ‘This Is One Moment’ with an honesty and grace that as a writer I wish I possessed.
Didi thinks she has it all sussed out. A psychology degree under her belt and she’s dating the gorgeous Zac. A fact that would make most people green with envy. She has normal ‘girl worries’ and have very understanding parents whom she has a great relationship with. I really like Didi as a character. She is loyal and down to earth. Zac not so much, who is pretentious and quite frankly in love with himself.
When she takes up a work experience placement in a military rehabilitation hospital her life is about to irrevocably change forever. We meet a range of young men who have been wounded in war. Sanchez who has lost an arm and a leg in a blast but has a fantastic outlook on life. Dodd’s who had both of his legs blown off and who struggles to come to terms with this fact and to adjust to life as he now knows it. And then of course there’s Walker who has been left blinded and is bitter with guilt and anger.
Walker and Didi soon notice a connection between them and the story is beautifully told about how they soon become more than simply patient and doctor. What they have is unique and lovely and the story takes you on a journey of love, acceptance and desire as the two try to keep things professional but fail and soon they are all that each other will ever need.
Will Didi be able to help these young men? Can she help Dodd’s when he is so in need. Can she rescue Walker from himself? The story flows so well and I liked the way each alternate chapter was from Walker and Didi so as a reader I was always getting the point of view of each character. The sexual tension between them was like reading a timid fifty shades and was very believable and addictive.
This is the second book of Mila’s (a pen name for Sarah Alderson) that I have read and I loved it just as much as I enjoyed ‘Come Back to Me’. I enjoyed the twist and turns and the tragedy within the book makes it all the more readable and believable as a reader. It was a simply stunning piece of writing and reflected the life of many a person haunted and wounded by war. Praise for this glorious book.
Thank you to Pan Macmillan Publishers and Netgalley for my advanced reading copy of this book.
Pre order you copy here…
http://www.amazon.co.uk/This-One-Moment-Mila-Gray-ebook/dp/B00UXKJ0BC/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8
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