Title: Vivid
Author: Jessica Wilde
Release Date: Oct 11, 2015
Release Blitz Oct 12, 2015
Hosted by: Always Behind A Book
Merrick Thatcher went through a hell that no one could possibly imagine. He fought to protect his country, his family, and the men standing at his side, but it wasn't just being a soldier overseas that changed him. He watched his friends die in front of him, felt indescribable pain, and lost his sight in the very same moment.
Badly injured, blind, and angry, he's done with war, but now he’s fighting his own battle. So, he’s waiting for it to end, spending his days and nights in a thick darkness no light can penetrate. Until Grace walks into his life and his broken eyes open to a woman that changes everything for him.
A story about two flawed souls finding love amidst the grief. A love that shines vividly, even in the dark, and discovering that sometimes being broken is how the light gets in.
For readers 18+ due to language, violence, and sexual situations
EXCLUSIVE AUTHOR INTERVIEW & CHAPTER REVEAL
Like many other foundations, the Special Operations Warrior Foundation provides assistance to injured soldiers as well as their families. SOWF also focuses on one of the most important challenges those families face; 'getting to their hospitalized loved ones as quickly as possible'. With grants immediately provided to the family, they can travel to be bedside with their loved one, especially for those crucial first days. SOWF also provides a scholarship program, family services (including clinical social workers, scholarship counselors, and family services counselors). With on-going support and helpful counseling to all families of fallen members in every branch of the military, they are able to help in all the ways that count. The SOWF was highly recommended to me by a recent veteran who served in Iraq. Therefore, I am thrilled to be able to help them in any way possible. Every little bit counts.
~~Review~~
**I was lucky enough to be given an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review-- Only happy to hold up my end of that bargain! Thank you so much, Jessica!**
From page one, I knew I was going to love this book. I had decided to do something that RARELY happens in my world: I was reading multiple books at a time. I'm usually structured and focus on finishing one, then moving on. Not this time. I had started another two books, which aren't bad books at all, but I started Vivid and all else went on hold. I was instantly captivated by Merrick's story. My husband is in the Army National Guard and I have a passion for serving and helping veterans. So, Merrick's story...definitely tore at my heartstrings! While this specific story may be fiction, there are SO many veterans who have gone through very similar things: blindness due to war/injuries, severe physical injuries from battle, and of course, PTSD. Some of the worst wounds soldiers come back with, can't be seen. I think that was the case for Merrick. His physical body would heal, albeit slowly, but without Grace and everything she did for him, I don't know that his soul would've healed. He was so angry, so filled with hate and self-loathing. It breaks your heart to see, when Merrick was a war hero and loved by so many. He was so stuck in his trauma and in all the bad, it could've been easy to miss the good that was coming his way, especially through Grace.
Before I go into more detail, I want to point something out and I don't know if I'm the only one who noticed this and/or feels this way, but if so... well, yay me! I love that the female character's name in this book is Grace. It SO makes perfect sense. I have to believe the author was intentional in that. Grace gave Merrick grace. She showed him what grace truly is. She's calm. She wasn't reactive when she first began working with Merrick and his angry attitude. She continuously saw the good in Merrick and fought for him to see the good in himself as well. I loved that. I always find the names interesting in books, always take note of them, but really enjoyed the names for Vivid! I also really liked Grace's character. She has had her own trauma, but is able to work on herself as she helps Merrick. She carries a heavy weight and burden, and has been beaten down by a guy who was totally not worth her time or tears. She carries the greatest loss and a lot of complicated emotions with that, and yet- she is strong and she empowers Merrick in a way that no one else could. They both build each other up and display what a relationship should really be: love, acceptance, hope, and loyalty. Grace can bring him comfort and peace through the nightmares by her touch and her voice, and Merrick shows her everything she deserves to have and helps to restore her faith in herself. I love this couple and I loved this read. Once again, Jessica Wilde doesn't disappoint. Wilde has a way with words that truly can make you feel like your inside this imaginary character's world and feeling all of the love and emotions that they are feeling. I can't wait to read her next story!
I felt her hand rest on my arm, stopping me from rolling away and getting the hell away from her before I said something stupid.
"I know you don't remember me from before, but I ..." Her words trailed off, her fingers constricting against my skin.
God, if I could just touch her, I wouldn't need to ask questions. I would be able to feel every soft curve and edge, and I wouldn't need anything more than that. If I could just touch her.
"I was never one of those girls that you found yourself with all too often."
I frowned and leaned forward, waiting for an explanation. I had no idea what she was talking about. Of course she wasn't one of those girls. She was real and sweet, compassionate and smart. Those other girls were just fake. The pretty was only on the outside.
"I was never really pretty. At least not the pretty that everyone would have seen. I was kind of awkward and nerdy, but rounder in areas where other girls were flat. Still am. Does that make sense?"
I hesitated before nodding my understanding, grinning when I envisioned her. "So you're telling me that you look like a real woman and not a stick?"
She gasped and pulled her hand away from my arm. "I didn't say that."
I waited for her to continue. Anything that would give me a better picture of her. She stayed silent. I was starting to feel like the air around me was too thick to breathe.
Grace cleared her throat and shifted in her chair. I wanted to know what she was doing with her hands. Was she wringing them together? Were they in her lap? In her hair? Was she looking at me or trying to avoid that?
"I'm just me," she said, quietly.
"You're beautiful." The words left my mouth without my prompting, but there was nothing inside of me that wanted to take them back.
She released a self-deprecating laugh and, again, I wondered what she was doing with her hands.
"I may be blind, Grace. But I can still see some things."
I live in Morgan, Utah with my husband, beautiful daughter, and a couple of spoiled pups. If I'm not deeply involved in writing my next book, then I'm probably reading in the safety and quiet of my closet. I love yoga – which I now practice regularly – playing hide and seek with my daughter (only to have my hiding spots revealed by one of the pups), and I love Fruit by the Foot, Twizzlers and Peace Tea. These are great ways to bribe me into revealing secrets about what's to come.
I have an unhealthy obsession with Supernatural, The Walking Dead, and The Big Bang Theory. I also enjoy talking about them, so if you like them, too, come find me.
Writing has become an enormous part of my life and every book I write holds a special place in my heart. If you read one of my books, I hope you have the same experience.
