THE TWISTED ROAD TO YOU

THE TWISTED ROAD TO YOU                      BARBARA LONGLEY

Struggling with both PTSD and the trauma of his ex-wife’s infidelity, retired Marine Wesley Holt seeks a simple civilian life. His favorite waitress at the Perfect Diner secretly stirs his heart. Yet Wes—scarred by betrayal and racked by guilt over his fallen comrades in Afghanistan—stays quiet, convinced he can never love again…or be loved.

Waitress and single mother Carlie Stewart hides fear behind her smile. Her ex-husband has escaped from prison and wants their son—and revenge. When the fugitive arrives to wreak havoc, Wes insists Carlie and her son stay with him for protection. Finally daring to let her guard down, Carlie divulges her dark past to Wes, and to her surprise, Wes appreciates her strengths and longs to trust her with his tattered heart. The safer they feel with each other, the more trust and passion grow. But can they overcome the demons in their pasts—and the heartbreak they’ve carried into the present—to build a lasting future together?     

MY REVIEW:

     Twisted is a good way of putting it.  Because all the roads for every person in this story was twisted one way or another.  Thanks to their service to the USA.  You see all the guys are US Vets who worked at L&L (Langford & Lovejoy) custom handmade wooden furniture designed by the company.  They are owned by Noah Langford and Ted Lovejoy.  Most if not all were in battle together or served together in some form.

     One of the reasons for this type of crew is that one, it’s hard for guys coming out of service to get jobs but if you are visibly injured or have PTSD forget about it no one wants to touch you.  In this they all encourage each other to make it to PTSD meetings etc… They not only have this brother in arms bond but now it is a real type friendship of choice.

     One of the men that works there is an ex-Major in the Marines.  Due to not only injury which was minor to his PTSD but also stemming from first, losing his wife to another man by a Dear John letter.  Second, soon after like hours later he was deployed to missions where he felt his mind was more on what was going on at home than what was in front of him.  His team was ambushed and a guy was shot dead in the middle of it he could see the surprised expression of shock on his face as he died.  Major Wesley Holt felt if he was paying better attention he would have been able to tell him to get down that the Taliban set them up it was a trap and to take cover.

     The only relief he has had over the last year or so is at the end of his day, which is everyone else’s breakfast, because he works graveyard to keep the nightmares and flashbacks at bay.  He walks to the diner down the way from his work and where he lives above L&L so he can see Carlie Stewart.  Carlie is a single mother who works the morning shift.  She is gorgeous.  A voluptuous full figured young woman.  From the day he saw her he could not take his eyes off her.  Every time he even thought of her as anything other than his kind waitress or in his fantasy dream he would start to lose it.  Relationships and love was wrapped up in his PTSD.  All due to his ex.

     Carlie had ended up in Perfect, Indiana a little over 2 years ago.  Yet, no one really knew her.  Then one day he goes into the diner for his breakfast and the table that Carlie usually saved for him had someone in it.  She was nowhere to be seen.

The owners see him and direct him over.  They know he had eyes for her well as everyone else does, and they ask for his help to check on her.  At that moment his heart take on extra beats.  The owner not only an ex-Marine but the retired Sheriff for Perfect had a bad feeling and so did Wes.

     After a look between husband and wife he gets the nod and tells Wes that Carlie had moved to Perfect after her husband was put in prison for putting her in the hospital after he beat her halfway to death.  That’s all he needed and directions and he ran back to L&L where his apartment is on the 3^rd floor pulls out his gun and ammo from the safe.  The guys at L&L are on alert by the short arrival back from the diner, his abrupt actions, him retrieving his gun, and his 3 legged ex-military dog, Rex.  They block his departure to get the 411.  Asked if he needed back up he says no and they said call if he needs them.

     When he gets close he sees all the open field where her ex could hide in waiting.  And where he can park to hike in on foot.  He and Rex do, they see her, and Tyler hunched on the couch in fear.  There is a man with a knife yelling at them.  He does notice bruises and black eye on Carlie.  He sneaks around back to the hope it’s unlocked like everyone else’s in Perfect but it’s locked.  When he hears him threaten to kill her he kicks in the door and…

     Sorry you will have to read it and see.  You will not regret it.  This writer has a great way of making your emotions go in so many directions.  There’s suspense, humor, romance, sadness, fear, and hope in this 274 pages.  I give this 5 ++++ stars.  Provided by Netgalley.com.

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