Huntsman

by Jaycee Ford

Having just finished Huntsman by Jaycee Ford, I would like to say that when it comes to laying the groundwork and building anticipation for a new series, this one might just have hit the nail on the head because I for one cannot wait for the first book to hit my kindle next year!

This had everything I could have every wanted it was engaging, descriptive and romantic but it also had something more, that it had heart, it had feeling and it had understanding…that I hadn’t anticipated that… well not to this extent.

Covering a topic such as PTSD is not for the faint hearted, it is a sensitive subject matter in as much as it touches so many and each in their own unique way. But I think with this book the author showed that she got that importance, she understood the depth of feeling and the almost unimaginable battle that many fight on a daily basis.

Mike’s battle was far from over because after 4 years of war he is finally heading home to fight not only to overcome the past but to also reclaim his future.

His life is not easy, his internal struggle is far more complicated than any of us that have not been through such events could ever fathom, the pain in his heart and soul was almost too heavy for him to carry, the guilt that he was tormented by may have seemed difficult to understand for many of us but for him, it was impossible to forget and that was the problem.

I could feel my heart break for him on more than one occasion, his pain was truly tangible and that was a great credit to the author because she didn’t show him as a weak man, she gave him strength, she allowed him to carry his pride but she opened up his pain and suffering in order that as a reader I might for just a moment begin to comprehend how he felt.

The horror of losing his friend in war was so raw, and capable of being emotionally debilitating on its own but he also has to deal with the people he had left behind, the woman he loved and his child, that parental bond that wasn’t shattered because it never had a chance to forge in the first place, could this Marine fight his nightmares to find his future?

I thought the author was very astute, she gave me details that picked out the minute points of clarification that I needed in order to see how Mike was feeling, she made reference to the fact that physical events, something that to us would be almost insignificant…a smell, a sound was enough to trigger such devastating responses in him, and on reflection was enough set the tears trickling down my face.

Such beautifully poignant but momentary glimpses of a litany of pain that marred his every moment.

Please don’t imagine that this is too sad to read, it isn’t, just the opposite…this needs to be read.

It is a story of determination, of sheer willpower and application. It filled to the brim with not just love but hope and understanding. It took the enormity of the situation and gave it humanity, gave it character and gave it a chance…she left his future out there within his grasp and encouraged him to take the steps he needed to get there.

This was a beautiful battle and is one you will not want to miss.