Meet the lovable smart ass who can always crack a joke and the woman who loves him more than life itself.

Vic Carponti always has a joke — no matter how bleak the situation might be. He’s the guy who can make jokes in the middle of a firefight in Baghdad or when he’s getting sewn back up after getting blown up. But his sense of humor hides a fierce loyalty to the men he serves with and a devotion to his wife who he loves more than life itself. But there’s nothing funny about war…

But as he prepares to leave on his latest deployment into the violent throes of the Surge in Iraq, his jokes don’t seem as funny to his wife. Nicole forces herself to laugh at his redeployment antics but behind her laughter hides the darkest fear of every Army wife — that the knock on the door may be the news that destroys her world.

They both try to make the best of the deployment but when the phone doesn’t ring for a few days, Nicole starts to worry. And when the dreaded call comes telling her he’s been hurt, she’ll move heaven and earth to be there when her husband wakes up.

Being deployed over the holidays is always hard, but this deployment has been different from the start.

Vic Carponti and his wife Nicole have been through deployments before, this year he’s trying very hard to be home for Christmas since it’s her first one since her dad died. He has some misgivings though, with some of the changes in hierarchy he doesn’t want to leave his men.

Keeping the home fires burning is harder for Nicole this time, she really misses Vic and can feel the difference through their Skype calls.

This is a powerful and emotional read. Bringing the reality of war and the home front to life in a way that you won’t be able to put the book down.

A page-turner with laughter, tears, sizzle and a story that will have you begging for more.

5 Contented Purrs for Jessica!

Jessica Scott

Jessica Scott is an Iraq war veteran, an active duty army officer and the USA Today bestselling author of novels set in the heart of America’s Army. She is the mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, and wife to a retired NCO.

She’s also written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF)/New Dawn and has had the honor of serving as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas twice.

She’s holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from Duke University and she’s been featured as one of Esquire Magazine’s Americans of the Year for 2012. Jessica is also an active member of the Military Writers Guild