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What happens when what you need could cost you everything you’ve ever wanted?

What Dmitri Greenman wants is out - out of debt, out of his rundown farmhouse, and out of Red Deer, Colorado. Salvation beckons in the form of a job opportunity in California.

What newly-discharged army veteran Troy Johnson wants is simply to lay down - lay down his weapon, lay down some roots, and lay down the memories that haunt him. Red Deer sounds like the perfect place to do it.

Sparks fly when their paths cross one hot Fourth of July weekend, and suddenly they find that what they need is each other.

But the memories Troy is running from are hot on his heels and, whether Troy wants it or not, Dmitri is determined to save him from the demons he hadn’t even realized he was fighting.

250 pages, ebook

First published November 20, 2016

104 people are currently reading
425 people want to read

About the author

A.E. Wasp

42 books619 followers
After time spent raising children, earning several college degrees, and traveling the world with the U.S. State Department, she is returning to her first love - writing.

A dreamer and an idealist, Amy writes about people finding connection in a world that can seem lonely and magic in a world than can seem all too mundane. She invites readers into her characters’ lives and worlds when they are their most vulnerable, their most human, living with the same hopes and fears we all have. An avid traveler who has lived in big cities and small towns in four different continents, Amy has found that time and distance are no barriers to love. She invites her readers to reach out and share how her characters have touched their lives or how the found families they have gathered around them have shaped their worlds.

Born on Long Island, NY, Amy has lived in Los Angeles, London, and Bangkok. She currently lives in Fort Collins, Colorado for who knows how long.

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5 stars
138 (24%)
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212 (36%)
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170 (29%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 129 reviews
Profile Image for Christelle.
808 reviews
November 6, 2017
Not going to make a lot of sense, here. I didn’t really enjoy the book at first. It was OK, but not more.
Dmitri is a vet, in the "animal" sense and is quite introvert, even though he has quite a lovely family, nice colleagues and a great best friend. Troy is quite the contrary : he doesn’t mind socializing and helping his friends. And he is a vet, in the military sense. But being in the army made him wary of his past. Add that he’s scared to come out. So, after his release from the army, he left his home town to start his new civil life in Colorado. And meet with Dmitri.

Either my brain was mush during the first part or the issues Troy was facing were too poorly described, I don’t know. But it’s only around 70% of the book that all the pieces started to get into place for me and I emphasized a lot for Troy and what he went through.
”He cried for his lost friends, he cried for lost innocence…”

By the time I got to that point, it was already over. Too bad for me, but I know I will try the next book in this series.

PS : so, so many errors in this book. I hope a new edition will be released : it was atrocious at times :-(
Profile Image for Antisocial Recluse.
2,711 reviews
November 16, 2019
Two hot vets!

Well, one veteran and one veterinarian, anyway. I liked a lot of this story. Troy's character was great, as a returning veteran and rather typical in his denial of having PTSD. After all, he never even got shot, he just lost some friends that way. Dmitri was a character that was harder to like. He wasn't a practicing Veterinarian but worked in a research lab, trying to develop cures for cancer in dogs and other animals. He's very introverted, socially inept and quite self-centered at times.

The story focuses on Troy and Dmitri's building relationship with POV switches within the chapters. It wasn't hard to follow, just occasionally needing to look back a sentence or two to make sure of the switch. There were some editing errors but they weren't excessive. I enjoyed the little touches of humorous dialogue as well. My greatest issue was understanding why Dmitri behaved as he did sometimes, and that wasn't completely answered before the ending. I did appreciate Dmitri's friend Angel, who had no problem telling him he was a little b***h. It certainly wasn't insta-love but there was the dreaded lack of communication issue. Such a guy thing! It was resolved well enough although I'd have liked a bit more in the epilogue about Dmitri volunteering, and it connects to the issue I didn't see being answered about him.

Still, I'll be reading the next book, since I liked this enough and I'll hope some of my questions are answered.
Profile Image for Cadiva.
3,977 reviews433 followers
December 2, 2016
Niggling errors stop this from having a higher rating

One thing which irritates and is relatively easy to check, is that you're referring to your character by the right name.

Unfortunately, there are quite a few such errors in this, along with typos and the wrong tense being used in a sentence, and that is what stops me giving it a higher rating.

This is a real shame as there are a lot of great things going for this book. The main characters aren't perfect by a long stretch and they have real world issues that are both believable and treated well, switching from the adrenalin rush of early relationship fears and lusts, through to the emotional connection which comes when feelings get deeper.

The secondary characters were also a big plus point, well grounded in reality and acting in a completely believable way.
The cover is a beautiful work of art though.
Profile Image for Fani.
182 reviews24 followers
February 7, 2017
“I feel so manly.”
“Oh, you're all man, baby.”

I loved the fact that the relationship between the main characters in “Incoming” was not over-dramatic, the protagonists of course as any other couple had various obstacles that they had to overcome and there was conflict, but they handled it together, without the usual over the top drama we see in romance.

I think there was a nice chemistry between Troy and Dmitri, I really liked Dmitri’s introverted personality, the way he tried to help Troy with his healing process and when his personality kept him from making any friends, Troy’s more social character helped him socialize more. There was also the fact that throughout the book, they were both creative when it came to find a place to spend some time alone
“I < 3 your truck. I get a boner every time I see one on the road now. Awkward.”

Now when it comes to romance books, there is a time when the reader just wants to jump into the book and yell at the characters so they can pull themselves together. In this book, we don’t need to do that because there is an amazing secondary character named Angel who will do that for us, honestly I don’t know how Dmitri and Troy would survive without having Angel telling them to stop being stupid all the time.
“Shut it. I’m not done. We’ll talk about why you’re a little bitch soon enough.”

The story overall was good, but I think with a little more editing we would have seen an even better, more polished version of it.

I voluntarily reviewed the free copy that I received.
Profile Image for The Reading's Love Blog.
1,340 reviews184 followers
August 21, 2018
RECENSIONE COMPLETA QUI: https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/...

img src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Z1JCyUBAVw..." width="600" height="585" alt="description"/>
All'inizio della lettura di "Sotto attacco", la parola ricorrente è stata: adorabile. Protagonisti e personaggi sono stupendi, delineati accuratamente, Red Deer in Colorado è la cittadina ideale, con le sue montagne e scenari naturali, molto gay friendly e con l'università che aiuta i veterani di guerra. Troy e Dmitri iniziano a conoscersi ed instaurano un rapporto di complicità e attrazione, tra momenti divertenti e molto sensuali entriamo nelle loro vite e in questo rapporto appena nato ma molto intenso. Ripeto, il pensiero costante fino ad un certo punto è stato: sono adorabili insieme, che bella storia dolce e divertente. Questo perché fino a metà ero tutta sorrisi ed occhi a cuoricino, dopo di ché l'introspezione dell'animo di Troy e Dmitri, il passato e l'incertezza sul futuro hanno cambiato lo scenario rendendo la storia più profonda, molto psicologica e mi si è stretto forte il cuore. La Wasp è un'autrice di grandi storie d'amore tra uomini a cui piace far conoscere i suoi protagonisti nei momenti di fragilità e massima vulnerabilità e in questo romanzo non si è smentita. Troy è un veterano, dopo soli due mesi dal congedo si trova ad affrontare la sua nuova vita lontano dalla guerra, prova un passo alla volta a tornare ad una normalità che non gli è mai appartenuta, tutto fila liscio, il lavoro, nuovi amici e la prima storia alla luce del sole con un uomo. Dmitri è un ragazzo che è nato e vissuto sempre a Reed Deer, si barcamena tra i debiti, ha una sola amica ed un carattere chiuso, è molto particolare e probabilmente porterà qualche lettrice a non amarlo fino in fondo o a non comprenderlo totalmente.
description
Vivono entrambi questo rapporto con sintonia e un po' di timore per ciò che può rappresentare nel lungo periodo, ma i traumi del passato ritornano e la paura del futuro incombe, destabilizzando completamente i due giovani. Il DPTS, disturbo post traumatico da stress, è come una spada di Damocle per Troy che non solo non si accorge di quanto è rimasto segnato, ma nega persino a se stesso di avere dei problemi e di aver bisogno di aiuto. La rabbia strisciante, gli incubi ricorrenti e la depressione latente lo spingono sempre più giù fino al punto di desiderare di essere morto. La paura di vivere aprendosi totalmente al mondo di Dmitri lo porteranno a decidere se continuare ad autocommiserarsi e restare solo o ad alzare la testa e iniziare a crescere, prendendosi anche la responsabilità di poter sbagliare o soffrire. I personaggi secondari sono fondamentali in questo romance ai fini della storia e sono meravigliosi. Questa è una storia che come uno schiaffo arriva al lettore, aprendo gli occhi e facendo riflettere sulla vita di chi torna dalla guerra, di quello che devono affrontare non solo loro ma anche chi gli è vicino. "Sotto attacco" mi ha completamente conquistata. Se si ha una buona rete di sostegno, gli amici, i famigliari e lasci prenderti per mano da chi ti ama non sei solo, i problemi anche i più insormontabili si possono affrontare ed il futuro diventa non una cosa da temere ma qualcosa da abbracciare con gioia. Bello, intenso e profondo. Lo consiglio vivamente.

CONTINUA SUL NOSTRO BLOG. VENITE A TROVARCI
https://thereadingslove.blogspot.com/
Profile Image for Patrice Leonard.
Author 1 book15 followers
December 16, 2016
1.5 stars
I feel really bad that I just couldn't in good conscience, give this a higher rating. The trope here was a very important one and should have been an emotional journey that we took with Troy and Dmitri. Unfortunately, Dmitri was a complete jerkface. I just could not find myself liking him at all and was hoping to see Troy dumping him and finding someone who wasn't a selfish, immature, asshole.
But, the biggest reason for the low rating is the complete an total lack of editing. I can easily forgive a few spelling errors, or weird sentences, etc. But here, there were WAY too many issues. MC names being mixed up making it sometimes hard to follow what was going on and with who, random words showing up in sentences and dialog that shouldn't have been there, tense issues, words being left off the end of sentences and dialog...you name it, it was happening. It made the story almost unreadable and I almost made this one a DNF. But, I really loved Troy and I wanted to see it to the end, for him. NOT Dmitri. He sucked.
I wouldn't recommend this book until after a good round of editing takes place.
Profile Image for Pati.
872 reviews
February 5, 2017
I was given a copy of this book from the Author through the DBML program in exchange for a fair and honest review. However, that copy was so riddled with errors that I got it from Amazon as a freebie thinking that it would be better edited and proofread. Tonight, seeing on Amazon a note that it was a newly edited and proofread book, I double checked in my account to make sure that I did, indeed have the newest version.... sadly, I do and it is still riddled with every type of error imaginable.

Beyond all of the numerous errors....

I did like Troy & Dimitri to a lesser extent. However, there was no believable explanation as to why Dimitri is the way that he is and that bothers me. Furthermore, some major things were just left dangling with no resolution or further mention of. We get the coming out story of a secondary character but have big questions left unanswered about the main characters.

Ultimately, I am left feeling that I have read part of a story instead of a whole book and that is very disappointing as I have liked the previous two books in this series.
386 reviews23 followers
January 27, 2018
There were parts of this book I really liked. I liked the characters for the most part. I would've rated this higher but for one reason. Dimitri is really closed off, and he knows this about himself. However, there is no explanation why. 😟There is usually a reason, or multiple reasons someone is that cynical. Sometimes it's shitty families, relationships, or both. He has a great family, and there is very little to nothing said about his past relationships. They are mentioned with little to no details. It really was a conundrum for me. It made no sense. This threw the whole story off for me. I just couldn't get past it. However, I did like it enough to continue the series.
Profile Image for Kirsten.
1,882 reviews91 followers
February 1, 2022
Don’t love the genre.
Didn’t much like the MCs.
Plus, typos and sex.
Profile Image for Shelba.
2,693 reviews99 followers
May 26, 2019
DNF @ 7%.

AE Wasp is a new-to-me author and if this is the level of editing that can be expected, this will be a doomed relationship. There have been so many wonky sentences and I only made it to Chapter 2. And there is no break to indicate a switch in POV. The story seems cute, but I can't excuse such poor editing.
Profile Image for Rachel Emily.
4,437 reviews378 followers
November 7, 2016
A.E. Wasp is another new author for me, and honestly I don't often read stories that have a military background with one of the characters. But I was glad I decided to try this because I really, really enjoyed reading about Dmitri and Troy, as well as their friends and family.

Troy is looking for a fresh start after being discharged from the army, and looking forward to starting school and trying to start a new life and put the past behind him. Dmitri, on the other hand, is trying to find a way out from his current situation because he feels like everyday life, his student loans, everything is piling up on him. I liked how they first met, thanks to Dmitri's friend Angel (seriously, I loved her!), and I thought they had wonderful chemistry together as we see their friendship quickly turn to more.

I also really appreciated how the author dealt with Troy and his PTSD, how it was affecting him with life, then school, and his relationship with Dmitri. I haven't had first hand experience with PTSD in any of my friends or family, but it felt very real reading about Troy's reactions to sounds like fireworks and his nightmares, and how Dmitri wanted to help but it came off as trying to just "fix" Troy, which upset him even more. Not gonna lie, I got a bit weepy for the two of them as both Troy and Dmitri had major things to work through emotionally and mentally, and I just needed that happy ending for these two!

My only complaint about this was that there were some typos and wrong words (maybe incorrect auto-corrects from a spellcheck?) that kinda threw me from the story. There were also a few tense changes in the same paragraphs, and also there was one spot where I'm pretty sure the characters names were swapped? I read an ARC copy so ignore this! :D

I highly recommend this! If you like contemporary romance, some hurt/comfort, a character with a military background, and a couple of adorable dogs!, I think you should try this out.

I received a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Calila.
1,178 reviews102 followers
February 6, 2017
I really enjoyed this! It's humorous without being "wacky", serious without being melodramatic, weighty without being preachy. The characters felt real, like actual human beings. They reacted like actual human beings. Troy and Dmitri were sweethearts. I really liked both of them. I liked Angel, though it was a little confusing and she seems to have magical transportation powers because she managed to help both of them get ready for their first date and no one was late. I liked the little we saw of Dmitri's parents. I wish we would've seen more of Troy with his family, and even his coming out. I think Troy's PTSD was handled well, if a little too smoothly. I noticed a few typos here and there but nothing too major. Over all this was a sweet happy read.
Profile Image for Daphne .
715 reviews1 follower
July 10, 2017
Troy and Dmitri were so sweet, flawed and realistic characters and it was so satisfying watching them find their HEA. Good story, baaaad editing. Between the characters' names being interchanged and the continuity issues (was Leo shot or beaten to death?), the (good) story was drowned out a bit. Not sure if this was a first book but it read a little like one.
Profile Image for Manfred.
797 reviews48 followers
February 5, 2017
I love veterans stories, how they struggle to get their civil life back on track again is usually very interesting, endearing and heartwarming. Troy`s story was like this and I really enjoyed that part.
Dmitri on the other hand, a "vet" as well but as in veterinarian was a rather difficult character.
From time to time he definitely ruined my reading pleasure, being such a stupid idiot or a self-centered asshole that it became quite difficult for me to read on.
The story how those 2 found their HEA was quite rough and during my read, it really varied from a 2 star to a 4 star read. Fortunately, the end was quite good and had me forget some of the flaws (and boring parts) in between. So overall this was a good story and a 3.5 star read for me!
Profile Image for Alisa.
1,893 reviews201 followers
July 9, 2017
I enjoyed this a lot. It was a well written story about two very different guys who fall for each other. Their relationship though is complicated by Troy's pretty severe PTSD. I liked the way the situation was handled and I liked that the author had him seek out real help not "healed by the magic of love". I also enjoyed their friends and the little community they live in.
Profile Image for Laura.
900 reviews
June 27, 2019
3.5 una bella lettura! Mi è mancato soltanto qualche dettaglio in più...
Profile Image for Melissa.
631 reviews4 followers
April 12, 2017
I enjoyed this story. I liked the chemistry between Troy and Dimitri. The problem I had was lack of proofreading. There were a lot of grammatical errors. The errors didn't take away from the plot but they were kind of annoying.
Profile Image for Giada.
843 reviews13 followers
June 17, 2021
3,5 stelline

Non so quasi cosa dire... Come descrivere la mia delusione :( dopo aver letto "Spezzati" ero rimasta parecchio triste e depressa dal risultato, ero delusa da una storia ricca di spunti interessanti ma di fatto... carente sotto mille punti di vista.
Speravo dopo lo shock di potermi consolare con questo primo volume della serie, etichettando la novella come "esperimento creativo". Le premesse erano incoraggianti. Quando si parla di PTSD semplicemente... ci vado a nozze. Amo i libri che affrontano l'argomento mostrandoci la fragilità dei protagonisti e la loro battaglia per non farsi sconfiggere dal dolore e dalla disperazione. Inutile dire che per me in questo caso Veterano incasinato + PTSD + dolce e supportivo veterinario = capolavoro! Doveva essere super intrigante, mi aspettavo una storia introspettiva e speciale come quella di Melissa Collins e invece nulla è andato bene. O meglio... solo la seconda parte è andata come mi sarei aspettata ma è così sacrificata da togliere qualsiasi altra emozione positiva ma...facciamo un respiro profondo e andiamo con ordine. Questa è la storia di Dmitri Wellington e Troy Johnson. Dmitri è un veterinario un po' incasinato, ha un carattere chiuso e solitario che lo porta a cercare di evitare i contatti con le altre persone, sogna il vero amore ma difficilmente riesce ad aprirsi. Ogni volta che vuole intraprendere una storia seria questa sembrava naufragare, nessuno sembra capirlo fino in fondo e dopo varie esperienze negative ha deciso di darci un taglio. L'unica prospettiva concreta per il futuro che gli è rimasta è quella di poter presto andarsene da Red Deer. Pensa che l'opportunità di lavorare in California possa portarlo via da quella vita così noiosa e pesante. Proprio prima di partire però tutto cambia drasticamente. In un bar incontra Troy, un cameriere magnetico e divertente che lo colpisce subito per la sua sicurezza. Troy si è avvicinato a Dmitri spinto da una sua amica e collega e la prima volta che si presenta al suo tavolo è convinto di parlare con un altro veterano, non si è reso conto che Dmitri non è proprio quel tipo "vet" bensì.. un veterinario. Un malinteso che porterà comunque entrambi a voler proseguire quella bizzarra conoscenza e a sviluppare con il passare dei giorni un sentimento sempre più profondo. Una cosa però...non così semplice. Dietro la sua maschera pubblica infatti Troy è tutt'altro che sicuro di sé, è tornato da una situazione insostenibile per la maggior parte degli esseri umani, ha visto orrori tremendi durante la guerra, ha perso amici e il ricordo di quei traumi lo perseguita quasi ogni notte. Il disturbo post traumatico non gli dona un attimo di tregua e il vet non sa cosa fare. È abituato a essere indipendente, a combattere sul campo e pensa di poter tranquillamente superare tutto da solo ma con il suo atteggiamento, con il suo inutile orgoglio, rischia di ferire le persone che gli stanno accanto e che lo amano. Dmitri si innamora di Troy, della sua dolcezza e bontà ma è preoccupato per il compagno. Sa di essere in una situazione delicata, ogni fibra del suo animo gli dice di scappare come fa sempre, di mollare quel caso disperato prima che tutto degeneri ma il suo cuore proprio non vuole arrendersi, vuole dare al compagno tutto il suo aiuto, vuole stargli accanto per superare insieme quel momento duro. Un amore e un supporto indispensabile per aiutare l'innamorato. Una situazione delicata che porterà Troy a dover fare quella scelta che per troppo tempo ha rimandato. Il veterano dovrà decidere se combattere da solo o accettare finalmente un aiuto concreto per riuscire così a costruire un futuro degno di questo nome. Sulla carta come storia poteva essere perfetta. Un veterinario solitario e con pochissimi amici che si lascia coinvolgere in una relazione con un ragazzo molto più incasinato di lui, un veterano che sfugge ai suoi problemi cercando di nascondere la polvere (in questo caso i traumi) sotto il tappeto. Una storia che prometteva scintille ma che ahimè non è stata per niente strutturata bene. La prima parte del libro per me infatti è stata un mezzo disastro. Dopo la presentazione convincente dei due protagonisti e dei loro mondi mi sono ritrovata a sopportare la Noia più totale. Contro ogni previsione Troy e Dmitri sembravano già essere una coppietta sposata dopo pochi giorni di conoscenza, contro ogni previsione non c'è stato alcun dramma, alcun dolore, alcun confronto dettato dai loro caratteri così diversi. I due semplicemente si sono conosciuti e hanno deciso di stare insieme... Punto. Assistere alle loro uscite noiosissime e al simpatico campeggio nei boschi è stato... Meh! Mi sembrava di seguire una di quelle storielle slice of life che raccontano momenti di vita quotidiana senza però creare alcun coinvolgimento emotivo con il lettore. Sinceramente? Ero annoiata a morte e non ero ancora riuscita a capire la portata delle ferite di entrambi i personaggi tanto da vederli fin troppo anonimi e scontati, mi sembravano due adolescenti alle prese con il primo amore piuttosto che uomini con un passato complicato alle spalle. Sono arrivata al 40% a fatica e ogni secondo mi sembrava di impazzire totalmente. Ero ferma e bloccata da quasi una settimana e nulla sembrava volermi smuovere. Se non fosse stata per la mia ostinazione e voglia di dare un senso alla lettura l'avrei senza alcun problema interrotta lì, lasciando il libro nell'inferno dei DNF ma ho voluto continuare ed è qui che, superato il 50%, mi è salito il nervoso. Questo perché dopo la metà il libro... Funziona perfettamente! Finalmente i due smettono di comportarsi come due bimbi innamorati, di atteggiarsi come due uccellini in amore per affrontare FINALMENTE la realtà, la loro vita, il disturbo di Troy e l'insicurezza cronica di Dmitri. Affrontano la differenza abissale del loro stile di vita rendendosi conto di dover fare qualcosa per sistemare i loro mondi senza farli collassare inevitabilmente. Da una parte troviamo un ex soldato che è incapace di andare avanti, si arrabbia con il compagno pensando che quest'ultimo sia il nemico, che voglia sistemarlo per "vergogna", che non possa accettarlo per quello che è, che non riesca a capire il suo dolore, lo attacca pensando di poter fare tutto da solo, sfoga su di lui tutto il suo tormento e la sua incapacità di reagire. Dall'altra parte troviamo un ragazzo che è spaventato da una situazione più grande di lui, non conosce il disturbo di Troy, tutto quello che sa lo ha imparato da Google, deve fare i conti con la sua vera natura, con il suo istinto di scappare dalle difficoltà, deve trovare il modo di aiutare l'innamorato mentre fa pace con i suoi demoni, con il suo terrore di impegnarsi, di essere lasciato, di finire per l'ennesima volta con il cuore spezzato. Un doppio percorso che si intreccia perfettamente mostrandoci la debolezza e le fragilità di entrambi i protagonisti ma anche la loro forza, il loro desiderio di felicità e la potenza del loro amore. Una bella evoluzione che mi ha finalmente fatto legare con entrambi, che me li ha fatti vedere per la prima volta nella loro interezza. Una situazione che purtroppo è sacrificata. Il problema è che questo percorso di crescita e cambiamento doveva essere lento e percorrere l'intero libro, doveva essere graduale portandoci pagina dopo pagina a seguire quella guarigione, invece mi è sembrato che la prima parte fosse tutta fluff, coccole, dolcezza, umorismo e cose belle e che solo nella seconda l'autrice abbia detto "ehi... Ho scritto la storia di due personaggi spezzati...siamo alla fine...mettiamoci il trauma che ci doveva essere fin da subito". Questo per me è stato un doppio dolore, una doppia pugnalata. Lo sviluppo della seconda parte ha dimostrato che l'autrice è perfettamente in grado di affrontare argomenti delicati e complessi senza ridicolizzarli o trattarli con superficialità, ha mostrato di saper raccontare con dolcezza e sensibilità l'animo umano in tutte le sue sfaccettature eppure non lo ha fatto come si deve. Ha ridotto tutto a pochissime pagine, a metà libro, rovinando completamente l'atmosfera che poteva e doveva creare fin da subito. Se nella prima parte troviamo noia, noia, noia e...ancora noia. Nella seconda abbiamo il mondo intero! Abbiamo colpi di scena, caos, dolore, amicizia, salvezza...abbiamo tutto, abbiamo tutta l'evoluzione dei personaggi e dei loro amici e questo per me... non va. Se non fossi stata tenace, non ci sarei mai arrivata alla seconda parte e io davvero fatico a credere che tutti i lettori decidano di arrivare alla fine ed è un peccato. Purtroppo la maggior parte delle persone mollerà, arriverà a metà e prima della parte veramente forte lascerà perdere e quando un libro arriva a farti mollare la presa, quando non riesce a portarti fin dove vuole per me... è un piccolo, grande fallimento. Ci sono rimasta malissimo. Ho sofferto tanto perché meritava. Perché era una bella idea, una bella storia. Sinceramente non mi sento di consigliarlo. Ci sono storie come quella di Melissa Collins che riescono a portarci in una vicenda che mixa dolcezza e tenerezza a dolore, morte, disperazione e speranza. Ci sono libri che ti prendono e portano dentro la storia facendotela vivere dall'inizio alla fine mentre questa... No. Leggerò sicuramente anche la novella natalizia per scoprire nuovi dettagli sulla coppia e sulla loro famiglia ma poi... Credo mi prenderò una piccola pausa dalla serie perché per ora... Proprio non va. Proprio non mi sta coinvolgendo. Mi sembra solo di aver buttato i soldi e mi dispiace un sacco perché davvero ci avevo creduto e sperato tantissimo.
Profile Image for Lisa.
3,471 reviews139 followers
January 21, 2017
I was given a copy of this book free by the author in exchange for an unbiased review.
Set up by a mutual friend, Dmitri and Troy begin a friendship.
Troy, out of the service for 3 months is suffering PTSD. Dmitri really doesn't have a lot of social skills.
I enjoyed this story. PTSD was there and was foremost for some of the story but not all of it. I liked that Troy got help in the end and started to work through.
After the nightmare section, I though Dmitri was a bit of a douchebag. He seemed self centered and unable to have relationships. Thank goodness for Angel who was able to talk sense into him.
I liked that this wasn't insta-love and everything wasn't cured overnight.
A good group of secondary characters who helped our MCs.

A few editing issues for me. Especially as Angel and Dmitri were talking alone but Angel put her feet under Troy's thighs.
I will certainly be reading more in this series.
922 reviews7 followers
November 13, 2016
3.5*

I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book.

I enjoyed this story. It kind of deserved more stars but the copy I got was quite full of wrong grammar, misspelled words and character names wrong. It did distract from the story but hopefully before the release I hope some of this gets sorted.
I thought the MCs were strong and had a good connection.
The supporting characters didn't detract from the book they actually helped with the story telling.
I'm glad not everything went smoothly and things weren't too instant love. There was development of the characters and moments of revelations that changed how the story went.
I will be looking for more books by this author
Profile Image for Mitch Reynolds.
Author 37 books40 followers
August 28, 2020
Incoming (2016) by A.E. Wasp is the first book in the author’s Veteran’s Affairs series.



The plot revolves around the love story between veterinarian Dmitri Greenman and ex-army veteran Troy Johnson. Set in Red Deer, Colorado the two meet when Troy moves there to try to settle in one place but Dmitri on the other hand is trying to get out after never taking the leap to do so before. Early on we realise that one of them will probably have to compromise on that score in order to get their happy ever after.

They meet coming up to the Fourth of July and as the story progresses and they get to know each other, we as readers get to know them too. There is definitely great chemistry between the two of them and they help each other and look out for each other which is lovely to read. The dialogue is great, very natural and often very funny.

I liked both characters too. They are very different but similar in a lot of ways and I think that is why they get each other. There is something I love about this author’s writing and it is given the limelight to personality types which do not always get the limelight in books and especially the way the writer writes these personality types positively and true to life and not mockingly or rudely. I found it really cool how one of the main characters was introverted and hadn’t any major reason for being so like past trauma. It was nice to see introvertedness being written as just someone’s personality and not as that there is something wrong with being introverted so obviously he had to have been really hurt to be like that. And I liked that Troy was mature to help Dmitri with socializing more because it wasn’t Dmitri’s forte as opposed to making it into a big deal or being patronizing.

The book also has a very important issue throughout with the theme of mental health. Troy has PTSD. The scenes broke my heart but I was also incredibly glad they were there. Mental health issues are very close to my heart for many reasons and I love to see mental health issues being discussed openly in books because it takes away the stigma more and more that is often there and makes readers feel less alone. Whether it is PTSD or any other mental health illness you face or have faced, it is easy to relate to the emotions involved in the struggles and demons Troy faces. And likewise with the way Troy helps Dmitri, Dmitri is equally on hand and adorable in helping Troy without making it a big issue or patronizing Troy.

Finally, I think there is many great secondary characters in this book. There is a whole host of fabulous animal characters such as Sweetie the Service Dog. In the human vein there is also great secondary characters like Angel who while I like the main characters and a lot of the characters in this book I did like Angel the best. She made me laugh, her dialogue was brilliant, she was totally unpredictable, not afraid to speak her mind and as mad as a box of frogs in the best possible sense.

An excellent read.
Profile Image for Jenny Wood.
Author 26 books309 followers
March 6, 2017
Troy is new in town, fresh out of the Marines. He's going through some things and figuring out where he wants to be and what he wants to do. Until he can figure it out, he gets a job as a bartender a pretty close knit bar. His boss is great and understanding of his situation and I was glad that he had someone like him to care about him.
Angel, a chick he works with, plays matchmaker with her best friend Dimitri, that was cute how she played them both to get them to meet and I thought that they had awesome chemistry together.

Dimitri is a veterninarian, not a Veteran, but still... he and Troy agree to a date that turned into a relationship. Like I said, they had awesome chemistry and Dimitri helped Troy get out of his head a lot. As a sufferer or PTSD and not having it treated, of course things got ugly.
PTSD is serious and I thought it was handled in a very real way. I see people come back with so many psychological problems and for one reason or another, they think they don't deserve the help or that others deserve it more. Because they may not be physically hurt that they don't require medical attention... I hated it for Troy and his struggle with it was a very real thing. I liked that, I like reading situations that real people can relate to... It's what pulled me into this story.

Now, in saying all that, Demitri kind of flip-flopped out of nowhere for me. I didn't see it coming. Maybe I should have, but I didn't and I thought it was kind of ridiculous. I was glad that Angel called him out for being a little b*tch because that's what he was being.
He was self-centered and a little selfish. I didn't like that side of him. He had seemed so perfect up until then and then BAM 180. I didn't like him.
Between Angel and being forced with a very real situation, he pulls his head out and things work out, but it was really frustrating getting there lol

I was kind of hoping that we'd see more with Troy and his family, namely his sister whom he seemed to be close with but after one phone call, we didn't hear anything else about it. I feel like Troy wouldn't feel so weighed down by so much crap if he'd come out to his family. Afterall, he talked Ravi into coming out to his family but he still hadn't came out to his?
That's frustrating too.

Overall, though, I enjoyed this story and I'll more than likely read the next one.
3 stars for me!
Profile Image for Feel The Book.
1,739 reviews55 followers
September 19, 2018
Recensione a cura di Raksha per Feel the Book

Troy è un vet, nel senso che è un veterano, un ragazzo appena tornato dalla guerra che sta cercando di rifarsi una vita lontano dalle bombe, dal rumore provocato degli spari e dalla morte dietro ogni angolo.
Anche Dmitri è un vet, nel senso che è un veterinario, non di quelli con lo studio e i pazienti animali, ma uno con il camice bianco, i vetrini e tante cellule da guardare attraverso un microscopio.
Troy è dolce e gentile, sempre disposto a fare del bene, un angelo in terra, ma ha anche molti problemi e accettarlo, per lui, è molto difficile. Gli incubi, la rabbia, il sentirsi diverso dagli altri, lo stanno portando troppo vicino a un punto di rottura da cui sembra impossibile tornare indietro.
L’attrazione fra Troy e Dmitri è dirompente, l’affinità tra loro è qualcosa di adorabile e sorprendente. Diversi, quasi opposti, eppure compatibili. Troy cerca di integrarsi, di farsi degli amici, d’instaurare relazioni; Dmitri fa di tutto per non apparire simpatico o disponibile o interessato perché vuole mantenere più distanza possibile tra lui e il resto delle persone sul pianeta.
Troy, con la sua gentilezza, dimostra a Dmitri quanto è bello avere delle persone accanto e che l’amicizia non è un accordo con benefici e obblighi, è qualcosa di fantastico che ci permette di vivere con il sorriso.
Ma sono soprattutto i problemi di Troy, i suoi ricordi, le sue necessità, che svegliano Dmitri da questo letargo relazionale e lo costringono a farsi avanti, a togliere la testa dalla sabbia per affrontare la vita di petto e non solo attraverso la nebbia dell’alcol.
La storia è molto bella e la narrazione, nonostante le tematiche non semplici, è piacevole e molto scorrevole.
I due protagonisti sono descritti nel dettaglio e sono estremamente amabili proprio perché rappresentano uomini veri, con vere debolezze. Anche i personaggi secondari entrano perfettamente nella storia, facendo la parte degli aiutati come nelle fiabe; non portano doni magici ma ottimi consigli suscitando profonde riflessioni.
Una lettura piacevole; un mix di tristezza, dolcezza, passione e amicizia. Una storia che merita di essere letta.

Editing della recensione a cura di Lilith per Feel the Book
Profile Image for Francesca I..
355 reviews3 followers
August 26, 2018
Questa è la storia di Dmitri, un ragazzo molto introverso, pieno di debiti e senza amici a parte una... Angel, che è come una sorella. Ed è la storia di Troy, un veterano di guerra affetto da DPTS. L'inizio è molto divertente con una Angel che fa da Cupido. Troy è nuovo della zona, ma ha la capacità di fare amicizia subito, diversamente da Dmitri. La loro storia cresce piano piano tra scene sensuali e soft. Ma nel momento più critico si vedono i difetti di entrambi. Dmitri che non si sente capace di affrontare la situazione che affronta Troy e non ha fiducia in se stesso sul portare avanti una relazione. Troy invece non vuole ammettere di avere un grosso problema e che non è solo e ha bisogno di aiuto. Riusciranno a risolvere i loro problemi? Dovete leggerlo per scoprirlo. Non ho apprezzato in pieno Dmitri ma Troy l'ho adorato e tanta commozione nel momento in cui stava crollando di fronte alla sua vicina di casa. Ho sentito la sua solitudine e la voglia che aveva di braccia amorevoli che lo confortassero. Molto ma molto bello con un tema importante come il DPTS ma trattato con molta delicatezza.
Profile Image for Earlyn.
664 reviews2 followers
October 8, 2017
4.5I really enjoyed this book.
Dmitri and Troy had hot chemistry since before they were introduced.
As much as they hit it off and found a companionable relationship, they needed to work on their self esteem if the relationship was to work.
Troy a veteran just months out of the army and has not processed why he feels the way he does. Meeting a hot guy only temporarily band aid the problem.
Dmitri has so much issues with trust and believing with other people and his self that he is almost friendless.
The easy friendship that occurs with Troy was thrown him and he wants to believe that it would last. however he will have to work hard if he wants any type of relationship him.
Profile Image for 〰️Beth〰️.
814 reviews62 followers
July 31, 2019
Good read with some issues.

Overall this was an enjoyable story. Troy’s arc was better developed then Dmitri’s. The whole idea of him being a veterinarian who grew up in Colorado but was ignorant about bears was a poor plot ploy. There was one small time line issue in chapter 2 that any beta reader should have noticed. This is my first story by Ms. Wasp and I will definitely try another.
Profile Image for Zee♥.
307 reviews
June 24, 2018
This was an enjoyable story with MCs dealing with real problems and emotions. Dmitri was a little difficult to warm up to, not because he was an introvert but because he seemed to have odd hang-ups about people and friendship and he was a bit self-absorbed. Troy was the opposite, very social and friendly yet he had a lot of PTSD issues dealing with that he was hiding even from himself. His denial was heartbreaking and I was so happy when he finally got some help. The friends and Dmitri's family were nice additions to the story but Troy's family issues were left unresolved. 3.5 stars
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