The Grunt 2

The Lonely Hearts #6

by Latrivia S. Nelson, Latrivia Welch

“Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.” Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis

Staff Sergeant Brett Black is a decorated, Force Recon Marine dedicated to Country, Family and God. Married to the colonel’s daughter, Courtney Black, the father of two and prepping for a promotion, his world is finally on track after a long history of unfortunate events.

However, while on a special op in in Afghanistan, Brett is severely wounded. Immediately, he is shipped back to the U.S. with the expectation of being medically retired for injuries sustained in the line of duty. Only for a man who has only known one way of life his entire adulthood, the prospect of being kicked of out the Marine Corps creates an internal crisis and an external family conflict. Will he be able to fight back to the man he was in order to stay in his beloved Corps or will he have to take a new path?

Courtney Black is a new bride with an adorable stepson and a brand new baby girl; however, she doesn’t want to just be a military wife her entire life. So, when her husband is injured, she sees an opportunity for them to leave Camp Lejeune and start a new adventure, especially when Brett’s son’s biological father comes out of the shadows and threatens to take away the little boy that brought Brett and Courtney together. It’s her job to keep her family together despite everything that is tearing them apart. Will she be able to find the balance between personal aspirations and family obligation?

Read the love story about two young hearts as they discover that wars are not only fought on the battle field but also at home and marriage is nothing about convenience but everything about sacrifice and unity in The Grunt 2, the sixth installation of The Lonely Heart Series, by USA TODAY, Amazon and National Bestselling Author Latrivia S. Nelson.

Genres: Romance, Interracial Romance, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Drama, Disability

548 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 2, 2016

About the author

Latrivia S. Nelson (Latrivia Welch) is the author of Ivy's Twisted Vine (the largest modern interracial romance novel in its genre) and Dmitry's Closet, President of Nelson Pressed, Inc. (small marketing firm that strategically promotes self-published authors) and Public Relations Senior Specialist for the award-winning, highly-acclaimed firm, The Carter Malone Group (the largest female Public Relations firm in Memphis).

Nelson graduated from LeMoyne-Owen College (Memphis, TN) with honors obtaining a Bachelors Degree in business administration with a concentration in management (2003), Strayer University (Washington, DC) obtaining her MBA with a concentration in marketing (2007) and is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Criminal Justice at Capella University with a concentration in organized crime.

As an observer of life, Nelson has enjoyed the numerous opportunities afforded her and writes about the wonderful and interesting people and places that she has encountered in her novels. She has been highlighted in Ebony Magazine, Elite Magazine (Memphis, TN), RSVP Magazine (Memphis, TN), the Commercial Appeal Newspaper (Memphis, TN) and numerous online publications.

Ivy's Twisted Vine first debuted in February of 2008 and has since been featured by over 500 bookstores, book clubs, individual reviewers, online publications and blogs. It has sold thousands of copies in the states and has become very popular in Europe and Japan.

Nelson is the proud mother of two beautiful children (Jordan and Tierra) and the wife of decorated US Marine (Retired) Adam Nelson. They live in suburbs of Memphis.

Go to www.latrivianelson.com , www.dmitryscloset.com , and/or www.dmitrysroyalflush.com to learn more.

Reviews

[DeeReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read Grunt by Latrivia Nelson years ago and felt it really didn't need a Part 2. On the contrary, The Grunt 2 let us look further into Staff Sergeant, Brett Black (Force Recon Marine) and his loving wife Courtney's lives as an injury and change including a custody battle that altered their family life and made them so much stronger.

“Marines don’t know how to spell the word defeat.”
-Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis


So HIP HIP HOORAY FOR GRUNT 2!

4 Semper fidelis stars ****** oorah!

[Mspraise50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

*** I received an ARC of this story for my honest review. I have not been paid for my review. ***

I have read all the books in the "Lonely Hearts Series" and enjoyed them all. Grunt 2 was another enjoyable read.

The story starts off very fast paced action with Brett in the field with his men. When Brett returns home the pace slows down from that high intensity and he has to deal with the battles that need to be fought on the home front. These require more of his emotions and his vulnerable side gets more exposure.

Well worth the read!

[Rosie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it! There was a very long 4-year wait for this book and it was worth it. The Grunt 2 is even better than The Grunt. We get a in depth look into the lives of Brett and Courtney Black and family while they go through the highs and lows of everyday life. We also get all unanswered questions from Book 1 answered, more characters are introduced and the mystery and excitement level is amped-up. We're also introduced to new characters (possible future love triangle of Gavin, Mae & Benson?) that will get their own story in the near future. I'm looking forward to reading this future story and hopefully it will give us a peek inside the lives of past characters we already know and love.

[Elle1986 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book overall.. it had been a while since I had read Brett and Courtney's story... so it took a few pages before everything came back clear.

While I was excited to read about their journey together and any new updates... I personally could have done without it.

On one hand it was nice to see them work together and figure out things as a couple with children. On the other hand...I could have done without Leo and everything surrounding him (Trying to keep it spoiler free). I think in this book we saw them grow as a couple, we also saw more of her parents and how they navigate... I think the sour taste is the Riley's and Leo... Yeah I cared zero about Amy Black and her parents... I think it was pretty safe to say she was a bit of a whore... we learned that in the first book.... this book just...well read it and find out :)


So overall nice read.. ending seemed as if there was more to come for a different set of characters which will be nice for some...I am not a fan of secondary books with different characters (this is just a personal thing)

Lata

[Deeva05 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Errors galore

I enjoyed the story, however the errors were so distracting. In multiple instances the characters were referred to by the wrong name. He when it should have been she... I'm not talking once or twice.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED LOVED this series.... I am hoping Gavin gets a book soon.

[Dishari Sinha · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first part was better.

[Rachel Pratt · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was a big fan of the first book and was so happy and eager to see that there was a second book written. However it didn't really do it for me as much as i thought it would. While i enjoyed Brett and Courtney's story i felt like half the time reading the book i was being shifted into another perspective longer than i needed to. The majority of the time it related to the story, however there were some things that really didn't need to be in the book. For example the sexual life of background characters....no body was really checking for them. The marital problems between court and brett i feel could of had a more dramatic feel to it. It was kind of like they would argue and then let it go once and then all of sudden there would be a "big" blow up. In my opinion there should have been more tension and arguments between them especially with the stress of everything they were going through during that time. It was still a good read and a great conclusion but i was somewhat expecting more of them and less of background characters.

[Heather E · Rating 5 out of 5]

Latrivia Fucking Welch is one bad ass writer my goodness! I cried, laughed and awww'd all throughout this book. I loveeeeeee every-thing she writes. I'm not sure what I love most about her romance novels. It could be her ability to beautifully write about a unconditional love between husband and wife, the theme, the values, unpredictability, good mechanics and a bomb ass happy ending. One of my favorite stories everrrrrrr. I already loved Brett and Courtney but I fell even deeper in love with them in Part 2 than the first. I really enjoyed Gavin as well. It was a great balance between all the characters while still being about Brett, Courtney and the kiddos. I am praying for another Grunt 3, I want more babies for Brett and Courtney. And! I hope there is a romance in the works about Gavin finding himself love bitten by a brown sugar sistah. Great read.

[--karen Green-berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emotional Rollercoaster

I read The Grunt sometime ago and was concerned that I would have to 're- read that book; fortunately that was not necessary. The author did a great job of resurrecting the characters that the reader doesn't miss a beat.

Courtney and Brett are as adorable as ever and their story is just as touching with all their trials and tribulations. It was just heartbreaking to see the emotional upheaval that Brett had to endure, but the love of Courtney brought him out of the darkness that threatened to envelop him.

The cast of secondary characters was just as interesting, those who deserved it, got their comeuppance. I really enjoyed reading this long awaited book.

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I read The Grunt last weekend and finished it in a day and immediately purchased the second book and jumped into it. I connected with all of the characters, I laughed a lot, I cried... Just had all the feels of every moment and felt like I was really there :-)... Judy really gave me strength with her resilience, her sailor mouth had me cackling and I instantly wanted to be her best friend! :-)... I hope to come across a woman like Diane as a mentor, I hardly see women like her anymore and every time she advised Courtney, I felt as though she was reaching me as well. Gavin... Man, that’s a friend! Period! He and Joe are so special in their own unique way and I admire the brotherhood all three had together with Brett. The courtroom event... Phew! Just read the book lol! There were some editing errors especially as it for towards the end of the book, but over all, bravo author!!

[Diana · Rating 5 out of 5]

A perfect ending for Brett and Courtney

I wish I could give this story 10 stars it's just that Good! How do you to a Latrivia Nelson book..... another Latrivia Nelson book. This story was part two of The Grunt. Still full of the passion of Brett and Courtney with some great side character stories. Great start and great ending!

[Haywood · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute masterpiece, this sequel really packs a punch and is alot more interesting for my taste. Part 2 really brings forth a ton of emotions and hurt(I maybe cried during some parts, can not confirm tho). If you read part 1 you should read this and if you haven't you should read part 1, you definitely enjoy it.

[Ann Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Grunt was complete. The Grunt 2 was superb. I absolutely love the continuation of Brett and Courtney's story answering the question of just who Cameron's father is. Latrivia delivered. This isn't the first time I've read this series. It is the first time I felt compelled to leave a brief comment. I will return to it in another year or two when I come across it again.

[Mildred Carter Grueninger · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just completed Grunt 1&2. The duet was recommended online as one of the best military romances. I agree 110% and am grateful for it. Grunt reminded my of how talented a writer Latrivia Nelson is and how much I miss her writings. I wish her success in all new endeavors she has chosen. But hope that one day she returns to writing IR action romance

[Ebony Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved it

I liked both Grunt Books, they were great. It reminded me a lot of my own life since I originally come from a military family born and raised and I’m a black woman living the south who dates outside of her race a lot.

[Vivian Byfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent

I do so love this author's work. This book was no exception. A great story, and I would have to say she kept it real. The only reason that I did not give f ice stars is due to editing, that said it does not detract from a great story. I can't recommend enough.

[Teddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5

[Mela]

Without spoilers, this book show's raw marriage lifestyle. It's what happens after happily ever after...

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it

[Sophie Jayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the grunt book 1 and 2. I do have a question whether Gavin will get his own book? And also Judy, and the lawless family?

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars and a resounding applause for a stellar job well done.

Latrivia hits the ball out of the park with the conclusion of one of my favourite IR couple's story.She had this in the works for a while and it was indeed worth the long wait.

USMC Brett and Courtney Black are back . As Brett goes on another tour, Courtney holds down the home front with the lovable Cameron and the latest addition to their growing family.
Brett may have thought that he was done with all the drama in his last marriage but he never knew that they were in for new a surprise. Even beyond the grave, Amy seems to be causing trouble.

We get a front row seat to what military families go through, the distance, the sacrifice and the mental issues they face in the course of their service.

The Grunt 2 like it's predecessors is wonderfully written and emotionally charged spellbinding story.You were hooked from the first page in . Latrivia once again demonstrated why she is one of the best in her genre. I'm sad to see this story end but it ended on a high note. I look forward to the stories of the other secondary characters that were introduced. Gavin's story from the little we got promises to be good.

[Monique Spicer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow!!!!

Well worth the wait...Who knew that a person could cause so much drama in their grave? I loved Brett and Courtney love the had a bond like no other. Hopefully David will find his special someone. Courtney mom was most definitely the patriarch of the family with her husband by her side. Latrivia really put us on the other side of the military with this one. She told how real it gets over there, she told it so well I was reading and yelling "move it move it move it". I liked how she gave us the ups and downs ( poor Joe and Judy) of the military. Leo and Amy parents got everything they deserved and a bit more that they didn't ask for. If you enjoyed The Grunt 1 you will most definitely enjoy part 2. I hope we get to read about Gavin and Mr. Benson in the near future.

[Antoinette · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 really.
Certainly more mature than the first book and in many ways, better. Some of my problems with the first one carry over to this half of Brett and Courtney’s story. (1) The grammatical issues, oh the grammatical issues. It's not that there were grammatical issues that upset me; it's that all of them were on basic things no good editor would have missed. (2) The stream of good fortune/coincidence that seems to come out nowhere. If this is all I could find to gripe about, it was a damn good story.

However, it does a good job of contrasting falling in love & getting married with being married.

The plot development reads/feels different from the other books in the Lonely Heart series. Much of the plot had a "Theodora Taylor-esque" vibe. Maybe Nelson/Welch has been reading some of the other author's work.

[Crystal Franklin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm so glad that there was a continuation of Brett and Courtney's story. I love them as a couple. Brett has been through so much and to finally find love in Courtney and getting the life that he deserved was great and I didn't think author Latrivia Nelson could make this story any better but she did. It has love, violence, conspiracy, and an ever after. I just wanted to jump through the book and hurt some people that were messing with this couple. Military life is already hard on a family but when you add in a life altering injury, recovery and someone trying to take your kid away then you have a couple that stand together to make sure that no one is taking advantage of their family. The old saying that a praying family stays together is very true and Ms. Nelson showed you how in this book. I didn't want to put the book down, but I had to get sleep sometime.

[P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really 3.5 out of 5 stars. I would have tick 4 stars if it were not for all of the errors. This book had a lot more errors in it than I'm used to reading by this author.

The storyline was good. It dealt with how a couple deals with back to back tragedies while trying to maintain the love they share between each other, raising a young family and dealing with outside haters. Bret and Cort really had a lot on their plates it's a wonder how they each didn't have a total meltdown. Brett dealing with no longer having the military career he thought defined who he is as a person. Cort with having to deal with her husband's denial of the lose of his military career all the way trying to be considerate of his feelings and offering some different alternatives they could move as a family.

[Sonya · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought the eBook because I absolutely could not wait one more day to read this book. I went back and bought the paperback because I have to have this on my bookshelf and in my romance library it is great! I love the old characters and the new ones. Brett and Courtney are awesome even when they are dealing with real world issues that would and could threaten and split any couple up. They are dealing with real challenges. The book made me laugh, cry, feel the love and when it ended I wanted more books... I would love a prequel and to see Courtney’s parents love story. I also want to see David, Gavin (who I love) and Mr. Benson find the love that they deserve. This was the perfect follow up and still a great love story!

[M.J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Follow-up!

I don't know what to say except WOW! It's no secret that The Grunt is one of my favorite books and I was a little worried that part 2 would not be as good, I was sooooo wrong! I love this book, what a wonderful follow-up story for Courtney, Brett and the entire Lawless clan, not to mention the introduction of some new characters, and a very cryptic ending that lets us know there is more to come. There were so many layers to this book, I don't want to give anything away but if you are a fan of the original or just a fan of Mrs.Welch, this book is a must read, I can't wait for more!

[Lynda Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Happy Valentine

Oh what an ending...TG2 will not disappoint..or bore you...everyone is here,the Blacks,Lawless,Bensons ....it's a who's who...all present to give just desserts to Amy's Klan parents masquerading as decent upstanding Conservative Southern Baptist...aka...racists....anyway as titillating as the love is between Brett and Courtney...I am more intrigued with Gavin...
I hope he's next...he's a conundrum wrapped up in a quagmire with a hint of unbridled desires..waiting for the right woman to be his salvation.... can't wait Mrs. Welch...Will miss Nelson though...love u

[Kethia Hubbard · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEST STORY TELLING EVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This author can weave a story! I am so in love with this book! Couldn't put it down! Loved the first book & when searching for new books to buy, didn't even realize that what I was seeing was book #2 because cover was same as the 1st book. This book had me on an emotional rollercoaster...I cried crocodile tears & had to put the book down to compose myself in order to finish it. I stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to finish it. Luckily I was off work the next day. Just one thing....please don't make me wait too long for book three, because I don't know how long I can hold my breath!!!!!!