Five Years Gone

Five Years Gone #1

by Marie Force

The most brazen terrorist attack in history. A country bent on revenge. A love affair cut short. A heart that never truly heals.

I knew on the day of the attack that our lives were changed forever. What I didn’t know then was that I’d never see John again after he deployed. One day he was living with me, sleeping next to me, making plans with me. The next day he was gone.

That was five years ago. The world has moved on from that awful day, but I’m stuck in my own personal hell, waiting for a man who may be dead for all I know. At my sister’s wedding, I meet Eric, the brother of the groom, and my heart comes alive once again.

The world is riveted by the capture of the terrorist mastermind, brought down by U.S. Special Forces in a daring raid. Now I am trapped between hoping I’ll hear from John and fearing what’ll become of my new life with Eric if I do.

From a New York Times bestselling author, Five Years Gone, a standalone contemporary, is an epic story of love, honor, duty, unbearable choices and impossible dilemmas.

Genres: Romance, Military Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook, Fiction, Emotional

Kindle Edition

First published September 25, 2018

About the author

Marie Force is the New York Times bestselling author of contemporary romance, romantic suspense and erotic romance. Her series include Gansett Island, Fatal, Treading Water, Butler Vermont and Quantum.

Her books have sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, have been translated into more than a dozen languages and have appeared on the New York Times bestseller more than 30 times. She is also a USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestseller, as well as a Speigel bestseller in Germany.

Her goals in life are simple—to finish raising two happy, healthy, productive young adults, to keep writing books for as long as she possibly can and to never be on a flight that makes the news.

Join Marie’s mailing list on her website at marieforce.com for news about new books and upcoming appearances in your area. Follow her on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/MarieForceAuthor and on Instagram at www.instagram.com/marieforceauthor/. Contact Marie at marie@marieforce.com.

Reviews

[➦Paulette & Her Sexy Alphas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: ➳ ❤- Five Years Gone
Series: ➳ Navy Captain John West
Author: ➳ Marie Force


Publication:, Publication: October 9th 2018

💖💖💖


Five Years Gone is my first read by Marie Force! Idk if I want rate this book at 3 stars or 4 so don’t be surprised if I change it afterwards


Ava Lucas story is so sad & also so devastating, 21-year women finds herself in new city & not really knowing anyone, somehow finds the love of her life. Or so her young heart things! Ava is also that girl who is seeking independence from her overbearing family at college the farthest away from home…… Lil does she know that decision of being so far from home might come back to bite her

John is special forces & is deployed overseas due to severe tragedy cuz by terrorists…John willing or unwilling leaves Ava living in torturous state of limbo for just over 5 years

Eric Tilden, is the son of the New York governor & saint in my eyes…
Eric also has very devastating sad past, & due to that fact insecurities issues with women

How can I put this so that I don’t discourage people from disliking this read? 📖
My dislikes: ⬇

Few times I had to put the book down & just walk away, Cuz at times Ava was a bit annoying with her content crying & whining … if not for so many pages lost to Ave’s whining, I would have scored this book higher

Another thing that bug the shit out me about Ava was, she had amazing man right next her & she was luck as heck that man didn’t walk away, but yet she?
Now with all that said & done about me feeling on Ava – Yes I’m whining about whining- Lol I really am curious about reading more about John West & his side of things ….. So don’t be surprised to see me reading (One Year Home)


Would I recommend this book: Maybe
Would I re-read this book: Maybe later.
Would I read future books by this author: Yes.

Reading Order
1. Five Years Gone
2. One Year Home- Published August 6th 2019
📚 Hope you enjoy this read & also always keep in mind this is just my opinion + Also I wouldn’t never discourage anyone from reading this book.


----------------------Happy Reading ---------

💕 ✎Paulette Review ❤💕

[Dilek VT · Rating 3 out of 5]

3,5 stars

The Plot:

Two broken people… broken in their own twisted way.
The guy by his fiancé, the woman by her boyfriend...

Both of them loved their exes so much that their ghosting upon them ruined them… they couldn’t move on for a long time. It took him, Eric, 8 months to move on because she was a cheater but it took her, Ava, 5 long years because she never had closure as her boyfriend John was a soldier and he went one day and she never heard of him again.

Grief is a feeling that is hard to deal with. Grieving over someone you lost all of a sudden and not knowing if he is dead or alive is like living in purgatory. You are in limbo, not being able to move on. Grief is the hardest when there is no closure. And among all those sh*tty books where the heroines needed therapy but writers cured them with hot sex, I want to thank the writer of this book for the therapy sessions the heroine went through. This was a realistic and professional approach to it.

***********************

This book is a painful read. All along the book, Ava suffers from something related to her ex, John, while she is with Eric. The new boyfriend, Eric, is too good to be true – the most perfect of all boyfriends ever! Whatever she goes through, he is there with her, being patient and holding her hand.



And when the plot twist happens (I think you might guess), the book becomes more and more painful. It really is unbearable to see innocent people suffering from things that happened kinda out of their control. My heart ached for each of them. I couldn’t find any of them guilty because everything that happened in the book was so very realistic… something that would happen in real life. Only maybe, such a perfect guy like Eric wouldn’t exist in real life?
Or would he? Well, maybe 😊

***********************

As in all love triangles, there cannot be a happy end for everyone. Whereas there is a happy couple, there is always someone left behind and heart-broken. And the happy couple is not totally happy because of the one left behind, it will take time for him to fade away totally from their lives.

Therefore, love triangles always leave me with a bitter taste in my mouth.

Now I wish a happy end for the one left behind and he will have it in the next book. I don’t think I will read his book, though.

***********************

Writing:

* Mostly dual point of view but here and there, there are chapters written by side characters and I don't know why, it was weird.
* Successful writing that makes you feel but a painful situation like this should have made me ugly cry but it didn't. I cried a bit towards the end, though.
* There is some unnecessary drama related to family members; I don't know why it was there, what was the purpose of it? Maybe it was there as a filler???
* Side characters have more than necessary scenes - again, a filler? I would have preferred to read more about the love blossoming between Eric and Ava than the problems of side characters or the new romance the side characters are experiencing. And don't let me talk about the law suit. Those parts were really boring. This book should have focused only on Ava, Eric and John; however, there were too many people parading in it!
* There is an Epilogue but it is not satisfying, if you ask me.
* At the end of the book, there is a sneak peek to the next book that belongs to the guy left behind. And the heroine of that book is a HORRIBLE choice. Awful / terrible / disgusting choice! Made me crazy!

***********************

Safety:

- No cheating between the main couple but obviously, there is OM drama all over the book
- Both guys are good at heart, neither of them is an as*hole or a man-wh*re

***********************

Here are some QUOTES from the book...

Five years ago today, we watched the horror unfold on live television. US-based cruise ship blown up by suicide bombers. Four thousand lives extinguished in a heartbeat. Our world permanently changed once again, our country declaring yet another war on terrorists.
“I have to go,” he said, grabbing the duffel that stood ready in the front hall closet. He called it his “go bag.” I’d thought nothing of it.
“Where’re you going?”
“I don’t know.”
"When will you be back?”
“I don’t know that either.”
He held my face in his hands and gazed at me, seemingly trying to memorize my every feature. “I love you. I’ll always love you.”
Then he kissed me as passionately as he ever had and was gone, out the door in a flash of camouflage.
I never saw him again.

***

My new life is falling into place. I have no reason to be anything other than thrilled by my new apartment, new job and new friends, all of which were the goals when I left San Diego. But I’m learning that even though I left our old life behind, I brought John with me. There’s no leaving him behind, as much as I wish I could.

***

With Eric sitting so close to me and his touch setting off fireworks inside me, the woman in me is reawakening to things I haven’t wanted in years. While I’m not sure I’m ready for a new relationship and everything that goes with it, I can’t bring myself to stop something that feels so damned good.

***

“What do you want me to say? That I’m freaking out over the thought of you taking one look at him and forgetting about me?




If I stay focused on the details, I won’t go mad trying not to ask her a hundred questions she won’t want to answer. Instead, I do what I do best. I hold her and I love her and I take care of her. I’ve never been better at anything in my life than I am at loving Ava.

***

He turns to me and caresses my face. “I’d go to the ends of the earth with you.”

[Melanie A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 STARS!

I'm learning that even though I left our old life behind, I brought John with me.

Unbiased rating: rounding up to 4 stars

Unbiased review: the writing style was effortless and very engaging. If I had to complain about something it's that too much of the story was told instead of shown through dialogue.

HOWEVER, if you're interested in my biased opinion:

Petty, cranky-pants rating: rounding down, down, down

Petty, cranky-pants non-review: All it would have taken was a gander at the synopsis and this could have been avoided.

What could have been avoided, you ask? Me, feeling like this: 😑

There's a freaking love triangle, people! Ugh. And not the kind where everyone knows who's going to come out on top, but the kind where everyone gets hurt, including the reader.

I thought it was about a guy who comes back after being Five Years Gone and then having to work shit out with the heroine. No, that's not it - at all. If you want to know what the book is really about, just read the synopsis . . . like I didn't, lol.

Anyway, if you're into angst of the highest order, this is for you!

My petty, cranky-pants self will be pouting in the corner debating whether to read the sequel or not. :D

[Nicola · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t deny I was tad nervous going into this after reading the blurb, but Marie Force wrote it—this is the 37th book I’ve read by her so it’s no secret she’s one of my go to authors—and true to her style she has written a heartfelt, emotive story of learning to love and be loved again.

I found out what happens when dreams come true and how painful it is when they blow up in your face.”

Told from multiple POV’s, although primarily Ava’s, we’re soon privy to the torment she’s experienced having lived years in limbo after the love of her life was deployed and went MIA without trace. To all intents and purposes Ava’s relationship with John never ended—there’s been no answers or any closure for her—and then, at her sister’s wedding, she meets Eric, a man who reignites feelings she thought were buried forever.

...you don’t owe anyone an explanation for how you chose to deal with this.”

Five Years Gone is one of those books you pick up and don’t tear yourself away from until you’ve finished because you need to know how the story ends for these characters. And whilst I loved the characters, flaws and all, and their handling of what is thrown their way, at the same time certain aspects had a slightly utopian feel due to the privileged lifestyles they lead. But that doesn’t detract from the feeling of hope that this story brings or the uplifting, passionate and poignant romance the characters create.

I’m right here with you, and I’m not going anywhere.”

And with a preview of what’s coming next year for Eric’s sister, I’m looking forward to One Year Home landing on the Kindle.

[Jennifer Kyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars !

[Syndi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remember fondly of the sequel of this book,One Year Home. It was so beautiful. I finally get my hand on Five Years Gone. I have to say, it is as almost as beautiful as One Year Gone.

Miss Force wrote such powerful story. I was heart broken and in despair when Ava had to stay limbo for 5 years not knowing what happened to her John. She is at the end of her rope when Eric comes down and barrelling down on her life. And this is their story.

At the first 40%, I can feel the agony and the loneliness that consumes Ava. After she met Eric, she was on the path of recovery when a shocking news rocked her world. Again she is fumbling.

This is wonderful wonderful story about grief and hope. Love and forgiveness. There is so much depth in the story and the characters. So much plot and twist that makes the story alive.

What I do not like is Ava herself. Her self pity sometimes just so annoying and frustrating. There is really time when I want to bitch slap her.

Overall this is still wonderful read.

4 stars

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Years Gone

Marie Force


FIVE YEARS GONE absolutely shredded my heart! Marie Force speaks to my heart with each and every novel she has written and FIVE YEARS GONE is no exception. What a beautiful story of love, guilt and fate. All Ava has known for the past two years is John. She met him in a military bar and she has spent every day with him. She eats, breathes, and sleeps JOHN. Her life is glorious and she loves him unconditionally until one day when a terrorist attack takes him away from her. Oh my goodness, please have at least two boxes of tissues with you while you are reading this heart breaking story.


Ava tries to go on with her life but she always feels like a part of her is missing. For five long years she has been waiting to hear anything from or about John. She never does. She has given herself and him, five years. If she learns nothing she must find closure and move on. Here is where my heart starts breaking all over again. Her not knowing is killing her and how much more can she endure? I have been married to a soldier and I know what it feels like when they leave and how you know there is a chance that they might not come home, but FIVE YEARS GONE? I can't even imagine what that must be like. You won't be able to hold back the tears as you read all that Ava goes through. What an emotional and heartfelt story!


FIVE YEARS GONE will surely pull at your heart strings and make it very hard for you to put down. If you are like me, you won't be able to stop until you know what happens to Ava. What would you do if God finally brought you your soulmate and then took him away? Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea get your favorite blanket and get on the couch. FIVE YEARS GONE is an awesome way to spend the afternoon or evening. Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down and will find yourself cheering for Ava and her new man, Eric, as they try to navigate their way through a very different and unique situation. Marie Force will pull you in from the very first page and never let you go! How a woman can write such emotional and heart tugging contemporary romance is beyond me, but I have loved all of her books and she is forever one of my auto buy authors!

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Years Gone is a wonderful story of love and loss.
This is the story of Ava, a young woman haunted by the loss of her first true love. On the day of a horrific attack John was deployed not knowing if they would ever see each other again.
That was five years ago.
At her sister's wedding Ava meets Eric and her heart becomes alive again. Not hearing from John for five years she must find closure so that she can move on and love again. But something is missing.
Ava's journey is inspired by tragedy yet empowered by strength.
A very emotional read!

[1-Click Addict Support Group · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kept me guessing all the way to the end…

Torn between two lovers may be cliché but that fits Ava’s dilemma perfectly. She has been in limbo for years, not knowing the fate of the man she loved. When waiting ‘long enough’? Never? That state of not knowing, not being able to move forward, is portrayed in heart-aching clarity as Ava struggles to live her life. She is stuck in a relationship that is no longer there, hasn’t been for a long time, but without answers, without closure, she is just that… Stuck. Until a man gives her something to look forward to….

“I’ve walked this journey alone…”

I loved this heart-touching story of love found and lost and found again… Ava struggled so hard, so hard, to do the right thing until she realized that whatever way she chose had to be right for her. That clarity was hard won, helped along with family and new friends who provided the right advice at the right time. Ava was strong even as she wrestled a lot with the choices made and yet to make. Eric was a man who had been hurt himself, but found in Ava his own possible future. He could help her break free of the indecision as they both found in each other more than just a friend. John, however, was not to be discounted and the mystery that surrounded him drove the entire story, from start to finish.

While I found the drama stretched thinly in spots, as the same questions were posed over and over, that didn’t diminish the need for answers. For Ava, Eric and John. And for me, the reader, now too! The author knew how to pluck the heartstrings and the difficult decision that Ava faced had butterflies in my stomach through much of the read…

The ending was bittersweet as closure meant heartbreak as well. Knowing what comes in the next story, however, made it a happier ending. All is not lost… I hope that story is soon! ~Diane, 4.5 stars

[Anne OK · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new standalone from Marie Force coming in October 2018. One that packs a punch and leaves you a bit breathless and heartbroken, while at the same time happy and filled with hope and new beginnings.

FULL REVIEW CLOSER TO RELEASE DATE.

[Cami · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars!!!

This book will make you feel like you have a split personality. I went back and forth to what I thought was “right” or “best” for these characters.

This story will rip at your heart and cause you pain and then it will warm your heart and fill you with love.

Maybe that is why I liked it so much, because it evoked so many different emotions. I won’t say I always agreed with decisions made by the characters but I think possibly everything was for the best.

I’m glad I didn’t read the synopsis ahead of time because it was interesting to go in blind. The title makes you think that you know what it will be about but it wasn’t what I personally thought it would be about.

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5. Livro que me prendeu a atenção até o final!
Não dei 5 estrelas, porque achei que a personagem principal demorou muito para colocar a cabeça no lugar e com isso seu par sofreu imensamente ( o que não deveria, pois ele adivinhava os pensamentos dela).
Mas um excelente livro.
Vale a pena a leitura!

[Candace Tidwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will start by saying, this book will have glued to every word written until the end. Now that I've said that I'm going to be honest and say this book just wasnt my cup of tea. It's a really interesting storyline. It will make your heart ache for the characters. I think mine was breaking through the entire book. (Sorry for being a Debbie downer)
Honestly it's not full of gloom. New relationships are formed and bloom, old relationships are revisited and strengthened.
Soooo... buy the book. It may be your next all time favorite.

[Bookphenomena (Micky) · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I am in the mood, military romance (if that’s a sub-genre) can really float my boat, I’ve had some profound reads in this category that are totally memorable. With this title and the idea it conjures, I was looking forward to an angsty, emotional ride and guess what, that’s exactly what I got.

What surprised me about this book is that I expected this to be about the missing soldier but really it was about Ava, the women he left behind. It was a unique situation, John had kept her in the dark in their two year relationship, encouraging her not to share her connection to him and keep it a secret. Is this ringing any alarm bells for you? It did for me, but not Ava and in retrospect, she put this down to her age and naivety.

I blame myself for not paying closer attention, but mostly I blame him for leaving me in this torturous state of limbo.

Five years later, Ava had to move on. The story really concentrates on her new start in a new city and her friendship with Eric. Eric was a good guy, not unrealistically so but I did so like him; he won my heart. The slow development of something more between Ava and Eric was great to read, I’m here for the slow burn always. Ava was definitely a work in progress, a heart-repair project and I came to like her very much.

There were elements of this story that were predictable, it’s pretty obvious with the title that John, her first love returned but that didn’t take away from the reading experience at all. Whilst I didn’t cry, I can tell you that this is the kind of read that had all the feels and I enjoyed rolling with the emotions and occasionally closing my kindle for a breather.

This is my first book by Marie Force and I enjoyed her writing style and the story she crafted. There’s another book to this series, but FIVE YEARS GONE is written so that it can stand alone. That said, I think I’m going to have to pick up with the other character soon.

This review can be found on A Take From Two Cities here.

[Melissa ❤️ bookaddict_fanatic · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was truly an incredible, gripping, all-consuming TOP READ for 2018! I was so immersed in this story about loss, grief, finding love again that it was unputdownable. I was so consumed, page after page, chapter after chapter, I couldn't stop because I NEEDED to know how this story ended. This read will take you on an emotional journey that will have you crying, laughing and on the edge of your seat with hope, hope for two broken people to find that once in a lifetime love. This book, this read is one that I highly, highly recommend. If you read anything the remainder of this year READ this heart-wrenching, soul searching, amazing beautiful love story!

[Sandra Hoover · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh my goodness...what a heartbreaker. Bring your tissues to this one readers. This is Marie Force at her best - manipulating readers and characters' emotions with a heart wrenching plot line of a love torn apart by one man's dedication to secretly serving his country and a woman's attempt to move on with her life after hearing nothing from the man she loves for five long years. There's really no way to talk about this story without spoiling the ending and the plot of the following book so I won't. I'll just say Force delivers a gut-wrenching, emotional story with an ending that sent me straight into book 2 One Year Home, and I'm loving it even more than Five Years Gone. Highly Recommended!

[T. Rosado · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

This wasn't anything like I thought it would be. I was expecting a tortured love triangle after a military hero returns from a 5 year deployment. There's definitely a bit of that, but it's really a multiple POV exposition of how Ava and ____ try for a second chance at love with a few subplots of those closest to them.

Considering this author's back list, it's obvious that she is well-loved and one I've been curious to try. Now that I have, I'm not sure I’m a fan of her writing style. First person is not my favorite, but when done well, I don’t even notice. In this book it was glaringly obvious and full of exposition that felt too conversational, rather than immersive. She also broke the fourth wall occasionally, which was jarring. Especially in a dramatic romance with multiple POVs.

As for the story, I liked the idea behind it, the characters, and even the attempt at multi-POVs. There were a couple of tangent sub-plots that felt unnecessary or unfinished, but maybe they’ll be fleshed out in a future book. While I wasn't in love with the book, I was interested in finishing and seeing how the love triangle resolved itself. At this point, I can't be sure if I’ll continue with the next.

[✦ Ellen’s Reviews ✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

<4.5 Stars

“I love you. I’ll always love you.” Then he kissed me as passionately as he ever had and was gone, out the door in a flash of camouflage. I never saw him again."

John, the love of Ava's life, was deployed 5 years earlier and she has not heard one word from him. She can't locate any trace of him. It's almost as if he never existed! Desperately needing a fresh start, she leaves San Diego for New York City and meets an amazing man at her sister's wedding. Eric is handsome, smart, loving...all in all, the perfect man. Yet Ava is afraid to go "all in" with Eric, still dreaming about John and what might have become of him.

"It’s time now to set new goals, to start over, to begin a life that doesn’t have John at the center of it the way it did here. It’ll be nice to be back with people who love me and care about me, even if they tend toward smothering at times. That’s looking rather good to me after years of loneliness and grief."

Ava knows she must meet new people, re-connect with her family and forge new bonds. And Eric, who was also left brokenhearted when his ex-fiancee ghosted him, seems like the perfect match for her. They fall in love and their relationship is sweet, tender and passionate. But Ava is still haunted by her memories of John and agrees to seek professional counseling.

This book is incredibly emotional and timely. The sacrifices by our military men and women are immense, and are honored by this book. I was waiting for the other shoe to drop the entire time I was reading this very engrossing and passionate story. I could not stop reading and loved the very unique, multiple POV's of Ava, Eric, John and their families.

"He’s loyal and devoted and adorable and sexy. I know his family and his secrets, which means so much to me. With Eric, what you see is what you get, and considering my past, there’s a lot to be said for that."

OMG ERIC! I loved him and desperately wanted everyone to have a happy ending. This was my first book by Marie Force and I was completely invested in this story. And the ending was not AT ALL what I expected! Highly recommend for all fans of military romance.

“I’m right here, sweetheart, and I’ll always be right here, no matter what. I love you so much. Nothing will ever hurt you again, not as long as I have a breath left in me.”

[Pam Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am left wanting; I really quite enjoyed the not knowing. Rooting for both, but mostly for Ava and everything she was put through. I always say I am not a fan of drama and this was more angst and limbo than drama.

I loved the back and forth, I even enjoyed the different POV’s I couldn’t stop listening I wanted no NEEDED to know what was going to happen.

I am left with an unsettling feeling of hope, loss, and understanding. I love that Marie made me feel so much.

The narration is FANTASTIC, I did get overloaded on Andi for a while and she is a great narrator don’t get me wrong but it was starting to be where all the books she narrated were blending. So I am glad I took an Andi break and I feel like I forgot what a great narrator she is and so is Joe oh lord that man’s voice. I swear.

[Caz · Rating 4 out of 5]

A- for narration / B for content; 4-and-a-bit stars in all.

Five Years Gone is the heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting story of a young woman whose life is ripped apart when the man she loves says goodbye one day and then disappears without trace. I tend to be a fan of angsty stories, so this one sounded right up my alley; and for a lot of the time it was – although a few things about the set-up didn’t quite convince, and there were a couple of times early on when I felt the story was stretched rather thin and needed to move on. I’ll say now that there are obvious (and presumably deliberate) parallels to 9/11 and its aftermath in the novel, but Ms. Force doesn’t belabour the point and there is nothing at all in the story which is gratuitous or insensitive.

Ava Lucas is twenty-one when she meets John West, a Naval officer stationed in San Diego where she’s just finished college. They literally bump into each other one night at a bar and hit it off straight away – and for two years, they’re blissfully happy together… until the day that a terrorist attack on an American cruise liner – The Star of the High Seas – kills four thousand people and John is immediately deployed.

And then… nothing. Ava hears nothing from or about John. She checks the news reports and online sites several times a day, she tries calling the naval base – all to no avail. Nobody knows him or anything about him. It’s as though he never existed.

Ava makes a pact with herself; if, after five years, she hasn’t heard from John, or he hasn’t returned, she will accept it and move on with her life. And that’s what she does – or tries to do. Her sister Camille is getting married in New York (where Ava and her family are from), so the timing is a (sort of) happy coincidence, and Ava decides to move back to New York and make a new life for herself there. What she hadn’t expected was to find that the tragedy still resonates so strongly in her life; not just because of John, but because almost every day, she meets someone or comes across something that was – directly or indirectly – affected by it.

And she hadn’t expected Eric.

At Camille’s wedding, Ava, as maid of honour, spends a lot of time with the best man, who is also the groom’s brother, Eric. He’s good-looking, charming and funny, and when Ava has a bit too much to drink, he takes care of her, staying with her overnight to make sure she’s okay, and behaving like the perfect gentleman. He’s obviously smitten with Ava – as is she with him – although Ava doesn’t see it like that; she likes him and Eric has proven himself to be a great friend, so when he asks if he can see her again, she agrees without too much soul-searching.

Eric, too, is trying to tell himself that he’s viewing this new relationship as friendship. He’s still smarting from the way his ex-fiancée ‘ghosted’ him, completely disappearing from his life without explanation almost a year earlier, and certainly isn’t looking for any new romantic entanglements.

This is a romance novel, so it’s not a spoiler to say that Ava and Eric slowly begin to fall for one another. The author does an excellent job of building a friendship between them and showing the depth of their feelings for one another before they admit – and act on – their mutual attraction. It’s not an easy progression though. The night after she and Eric first kiss, Ava is wrecked by confusion and guilt, and for the first time opens up to someone – her flatmate, Skylar – who encourages her to seek therapy. As a result, Ava is able to find the courage to tell Eric about John and what happened; and with no secrets between them any longer, she feels ready to move forward and to open herself up to the possibilities of a future with the man she is falling deeply in love with.

This is one of those stories that puts listeners through the emotional wringer. Ava’s bewilderment over John’s disappearance, her need for closure, her growing anger, her guilt over being attracted to another man – all of it is very well done and the emotional roller-coaster that Ava is riding feels very real. And Eric, too, has his own issues to deal with – his ex really did a number on him and he can’t help feeling somewhat insecure about Ava and whether she will ever be able to truly let John go.

These conflicting emotions – Eric’s insecurity, Ava’s guilt and her tendency to shut down emotionally when things get too difficult for her – threaten the new relationship growing between them, even as both of them know, absolutely and completely, that they want to move forward together. The ending is incredibly bittersweet and I suspect that even the toughest of us might shed the odd tear in the last part of the story, as Ava is finally confronted with the knowledge for which she had been waiting so long.

I did have a bit of a problem with accepting that Ava and John were able to keep their relationship a secret from everyone for two years. The author gives reasons for this – Ava suspected he was likely in the sort of job where he wasn’t supposed to get involved with anyone, she liked that it was just the two of them – but they didn’t ever double-date or go out with friends? She’s in her twenties and she WORKS IN PR – she doesn’t have a Facebook or Instagram account? They never had friends over for dinner? I couldn’t quite buy it. And there were moments in the first part of the story that felt repetitive, but once Ava decided to seek professional help, the pacing picked up and I became much more invested in the story once that happened.

The events of Five Years Gone are related mostly from Ava’s point of view, with some parts from Eric and a few from some of the secondary characters, so the narration is split sort of 65/35 (I haven’t counted, it’s just the impression I got) between Ms. Arndt and Mr. Arden, who you’ll hear more from in the second half of the book than the first. Both narrators have been reviewed positively here at AudioGals, and Ms. Arndt is a firm favourite with pretty much everyone I know (!) – for a very good reason. She’s terrific. Her voice sits nicely in a kind of mezzo range, which means she’s able to portray young women very positively; one of my pet peeves when it comes to narration, especially in contemporary romance, is that some female narrators have voices that are too highly pitched for my taste (and I realise this is down to personal preference) so I can never take them seriously as adult women. Ms. Arndt’s smooth tones are youthful but not girlish; she makes the emotional lifting this story requires seem effortless, giving Ava exactly the right degree of strength and vulnerability and isn’t afraid to pull out all the emotional stops when she needs to. Her male voices are good all round, and she differentiates well between Eric and his brother in scenes in which they both appear.

Joe Arden is someone I’ve been meaning to listen to for AGES (and now I have to ask myself why I waited so long!) and although I was a little disappointed that he doesn’t get to do an equal share of the narration duties, I enjoyed his performance very much. Eric is warm, funny and sexy, and Mr. Arden does a great job of conveying his sterling qualities as well as the insecurities he tries to keep buried. His voice has a slightly gravelly note to it that is very attractive, and while he doesn’t raise his pitch very much to portray the female characters, he does enough to differentiate them clearly for the listener.

Enhanced by wonderful performances from both narrators, Five Years Gone is a poignant and ultimately engrossing story of loss and love that will break your heart and slowly put it back together again. Make sure you listen to the last few chapters with a box of tissues handy.

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Cheese Pizza Stars

This was my first Marie Force book. I was immediately drawn to the cover indicating it was a military romance—which I’ve become a sucker for!

I went in blind, not having read the blurb. My heart went out to Ava, immediately after reading about all she’d endured in the name of hope, love, and loyalty. Not long after did I come to realize this elusive man at the heart of this story, may very well make an appearance at some point. Low and behold he did, and this suspected love triangle became just that. There were chapters when a few side characters, had their own POV’s, so I was left waiting for the other shoe to drop, and to wonder when exactly this man would make his appearance. When it happened I knew my heart would take a beating. In this HEA, I really feel like the right man got the girl. He was such a good man start to finish—loved him!

Thank the Lord, there will be a sequel for the one left behind, who was also a good man, if not slightly misguided! The sneak peak chapter I read was juicy—
I can hardly wait!!!

[Meegz Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3 Star Audio Review*

I got the audio for this book through the Romance Read Club audio monthly newsletter. I haven't listened to a tonne of audio books, and have been getting into them a little more lately. I listen when I'm walking for exercise, so sometimes I find myself missing bits because I'm focussing on other things around me (for safety, such as crossing roads and such).

I did like listening to this one, and the narrators were both good. It was a very interesting concept for a storyline, having a relationship with someone in the military and then they're suddenly gone for such an extended period of time. Now, there's way more to it than that in this story, and it really explores the notion of what people do to each other, and what they keep from each other in relationships. Leaving you wondering how well you really know some people.

I also found it interesting that we got more than just the POV of the main two characters. There were a couple of others thrown in that helped the story along at particular points.

I liked both our main characters, but I was more of a fan of our hero than our heroine.

The book also ends with what I believe is a lead up for who the next couple will be, and I would definitely be interested in either reading or listening to that one too.

[Jeannine Colette · Rating 5 out of 5]

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT
It’s been a long time since I picked up a military romance so when I saw the cover for Five Years Gone I was excited to dive right in!
This is not your mother’s military romance. It’s a love triangle with a twist! There’s angst, suspense, humor and a soul-touching love story in Five Years Gone. I loved it so much I had to ask New York Times and USA Today Best Selling Author Marie Force for an interview. Not only did she agree right away, she replied with her answers the very next morning. (Fan girl, down!)

Jeannine Colette: In Five Years Gone, Ava is torn between two lovers, but this isn’t your typical love triangle. Her boyfriend, John, has been gone for five years — never to be heard from after leaving for war — when she meets Eric at a wedding. How is the memory of her days with John, and the hope of his possible return, enough to keep Ava in romantic limbo?

MARIE FORCE: The love Ava shared with John was one of those once-in-a-lifetime things we read about in romance novels and see in movies. It was the real deal, and as such, it was almost impossible for her to walk away from it even years after he deployed. When she meets Eric, theirs is a fun friendship at first because Ava still can’t imagine being with anyone but John. But over time, Eric becomes much more to her, forcing her to confront her unresolved feelings for John. Ava’s conflict was fun to write.

JC: After five years without contact, Ava decides it’s time to move on. How long would you have waited?

MF: One of the things I love about writing fiction is the ability to put myself in the place of the characters. I don’t think I would’ve waited as long as she did, but everyone has to make those decisions for themselves. I would’ve been a lot more angry at him than she was, but she came at it from a place of love and loyalty and devotion, which was admirable to me. She kept that candle burning for him for a very long time when he had given her absolutely no reason to do so. I admired her strength and fortitude and her courage when it came time to start over.

JC: There is a beautiful message of life after loss...any kind of loss. How does that message help drive Ava and Eric’s love story?

MF: Ava and Eric have both been through a LOT before they meet, and I think that common experience helped them to bond first as friends and later as romantic partners. While their past experiences were very different, there was a commonality to it that gave them a place to begin building their relationship.

JC: Ava and Eric’s romance is a well-paced build-up with a very rewarding climax. Do you plot out your stories or do you let the characters dictate what happens next?

MF: I never plot anything in advance. I am a seat-of-the-pants girl all the way with my character driving the narrative. However, I definitely was going for a slower burn with these characters, and I am glad you found the climax satisfying.

JC: The life events in the novel are fictional but hit close to home with their similarities to 9/11 and the arrest of Osama Bin Laden. How did these events inspire this story and you as a writer?

MF: Yes, there were similarities to those events, but I purposely decided to fictionalize mine because I wanted there to be no emotional attachment to the events portrayed in the book that would take away from Ava’s story or her journey. I will confess to be fascinated by the idea that a SEAL team could bring down the world’s most wanted man and remain entirely anonymous in this day and age. So having the terrorists “out” the SEALS in the book really added something new and different to the plot for this book and the sequel.

JC: Have you been personally affected by these events?

MF: Like everyone, I was deeply affected by 9/11. On that day, I was in Jacksonville, FL, with two young kids, and my husband, who was in the navy, was deploying to Puerto Rico for training onboard the USS John F. Kennedy aircraft carrier. On the CNN trailer, I learned that his ship was being sent to NYC. Later, he told me was the one who received the message from the Pentagon, directing the Kennedy to the NYC area to “protect the US motherland.” Those words still give me chills all these years later. In twenty years in Navy communications, he had never seen a message quite like that one.

JC: Ava and Eric’s families play significant roles in this story driving the humor and angst with each scene. Who was your favorite to write?

MF: I loved them both for different reasons, but Ava was truly the heart and soul of this book and more of the scenes were written from her point of view. So if I had to choose one of them, I would pick her, but I truly loved what Eric and his siblings brought to this book, too.

JC:There is a follow-up book but I won’t give away any spoilers!!! Did you know there would be a spin-off when you started writing Five Years Gone? When will it release?

MF: No, I didn’t know there would be a follow-up, but I’d like to think I’ve learned a few things in ten years as a published author. I know my readers would freak out about what happens to character X, so I did a preemptive strike by including a first chapter of the sequel in the back of Five Years Gone so they’d know it was coming. I am aiming for summer 2019 at the latest for the sequel. I’m glad you’re looking forward to it!

Read more SPOTLIGHTS from your favorite authors!
https://www.subscribepage.com/Jeannin...

[Simply Love Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marie Force’s Treading Water series is one of my favorites, and something about the blurb for Five Years Gone reminded me of the first book in that series. It wasn’t the plot or characters that seemed similar, but the ‘love triangle’ component. I expected the same emotional wallop from this new book as I experienced with Treading Water. Ms. Force does an excellent job of conveying the emotional devastation experienced by both Ava and Eric, while entertaining us with their budding romance and friendship. I enjoyed all the characters in Five Years Gone, especially Eric and Ava. They’ve both been through the emotional wringer in prior relationships—Eric’s former fiancée left him and John, Ava’s boyfriend was suddenly deployed five years after a terrorist attack, leaving her to wonder if he is dead or alive. Ava still has unresolved feelings for John, but is determined to move on. The fact that Eric and Ava’s relationship moves slowly , starting with a friendship worked well for me, as did the random setbacks she experienced. I loved them as a couple, but I also loved Ava and John as a couple. When John suddenly reappears after five years of radio silence, Ava’s emotional turmoil was similar to my own. I didn’t know what she would do, nor did I even know what I wanted her to do. It’s one of those choices where, as a reader I would have been happy for the man she chose and devastated for the one she didn’t, no matter her decision. There are no bad guys, and this wasn’t an easy choice. As a reader, I was right there with Ava, completely torn about what to do and how to process all the emotions. Eric and Ava’s story is very romantic and, for the most part, glamorous. But there is a depth of emotion to keep it from being too ‘easy’. I didn’t feel the same level of intensity I experienced with Treading Water, but Five Years Gone is an emotional story that kept me guessing up until the end. I’m looking forward to more in this series.

[Ula'ndi Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall book rating: 3.5
Audio Book: N/A
Book Cover: 3

I should start by saying that I only read this book because I wanted to get to the second one. I read the burp about John’s book and I wanted to read it. That’s about it.

That being said. I enjoyed this read. Boy oh boy I can’t even imagine the emotional minefields in something like this. My imagination painted vivid colors on the heartache surrounding this poor girl.

I LOVED Eric. He was just an all round nice guy but not overly so? He most certainly had much more gumption with this situation than I might have had. Even knowing the history behind it all.
I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed the journey.

I think the thing with the parents was totally unnecessary. Just my humble opinion.

And well. That’s about it.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was a speed read for me. I hate angst and this was full of it. I hate the love triangle. I just wanted to get this over with and see who Ava chose. Didn't care for Eric...whiney, needy and insecure. Ava was always crying. I was rooting for John who also becomes needy and insecure. Sure, sure, everyone had their reasons for their pain. But sheesh, too much damn drama. If I'd known in advance what this book was really about I would have passed on it.

Now Miles and Skylar sound like a good story for a book...only if they don't end up being...you guessed it...needy, whiney and insecure. All these characters just need years in therapy.

HIGH DRAMA! :-/

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ava Lucas didn’t lose someone in the tragedy that rocked the country five years ago, but she loved a man who never came back after he left on deployment. That was 5 years ago, but until the fifth anniversary of the attack, Ava has lived in limbo. Five years is the limit she set for herself when it became clear he wasn’t coming back. Five years and it’s time to move on.

But even though Ava moves on, meets a new man, and tries to put her past behind her, she lives in constant fear that she’ll have to choose between the new life she is building for herself, and the life she once dreamed of, if John ever does come back.

Ava has always been private, quiet and reserved. When she moved to San Diego, she didn’t fill her family in on much of her daily life, preferring to keep her own little world on the other side of the country. When she moves home again, she chaffes at having everyone so involved in her life. She keeps secret the entirety of her life in San Diego, though her family knows something happened, they don’t know what.

When she meets Eric at her sister’s wedding, they hit it off immediately. Ava is still hesitant to start anything, especially with her decision to move on so fresh. Eric is the perfect gentleman, expressing his interest and desires, but allowing Ava to set the pace entirely. He is so devoted, even from those early interactions that it was easy to fall in love with him and to feel the depth of his feelings for Ava.

This book gutted me in the best possible ways. It was so full of emotional ups and downs from all the characters. I loved the way the side characters were intertwined not only with the main story, but with the events of the attack in the past. There are little reminders all over in Ava’s life to that fateful day. There were aspects that I predicted and was able to see coming, but they still caught me. I know, that sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s true. I was fully involved in Ava’s journey from start to finish, because that’s really what this was -- her journey to create a life that she could live to the fullest no matter where or with whom.

I received a copy for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

[Ptiteaurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

J'ai connu la plume de Marie Force grâce à sa saga Quantum donc je suis ravie de la retrouver dans un genre complètement différent et très touchant. L'histoire d'Ava est très émouvante et une fois qu'on en commence la lecture, on ne peut que succomber et appréhender de tourner la dernière page.

j'ai adoré lire cette romance de Marie Force qui a su me conquérir et me faire vivre de très belles émotions. Le sujet est sensible et rarement présent en romance donc j'en ai d'autant plus apprécié la lecture. J'ai à présent hâte de lire le tome sur John car je pense qu'il saura aussi m'attendrir et m'émouvoir.

Chronique complète :
https://thelovelyteacheraddictions.bl...

[Shannon Ferguson · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!!

Wow! What an amazing read! The heart ache that Ava and Eric felt was so real, so emotional. Seeing them heal together was amazing. The twists and turns had me on an emotional rollercoaster that I wasn’t sure I would survive. A fantastic book that I would definitely recommend!

[ash (itsashtaylor)]

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