#WOTR22 #NewRelease #ReleaseDay #Military #2ndChance #BestFriendsToLovers #ARC #DoubleReview – The Ones He Left Behind by H. D’Agostino

Title: The Ones He Left Behind
Author: H. D’Agostino
Genre: Second Chance Military Romance
Cover Design: Cassy Roop, Pink Ink Designs
Photographer: Golden Czermak
Model: Charlie Gaddis
Release Date: May 31, 2022
BLURB

Ethan has been my whole world for most of my life. From our childhood antics to our promise to love each other ‘til death do us part’. I’ve never known life without him— until now.

 
When the soldiers knocked on my door, my life forever changed. They stood there in their dress blues, and their words shattered my world.
 
Ten years have passed, and not much has changed. The pain is less, thanks to the gift Ethan left behind— our son. I’ve found happiness in the small things in life. Everything was good until Ethan’s best friend, Cooper, showed up.
 
They enlisted together, went to battle together, and then he disappeared. I haven’t heard from him in ten years. Why is he back now, and what does he want with me?

I received this book from the author for free for an honest review.

This is a story about a love triangle of sorts.  Ethan, Cooper, and Hope.  Ethan and Hope are the young couple who fall in love while Cooper watches from the sidelines.  Cooper would never do anything to ruin what his friends have but he loves her from the sideline. The three are always together.  Ethan and Hope get married while Cooper and Ethan leave for the military together.  As you can guess, Ethan doesn’t make it back leaving a devastated and guilty Cooper, a widowed Hope, and a son named Jake.

Hope and Jake had made a great life for themselves when Cooper enters their life.   He is guilty for still loving Hope and not being there for her and Jake all the years since Ethan’s death.  He is a mess but can’t not be near her.  We learn about his past and slowly he reveals what has happened to him since Ethan died.  We see the hurt, sadness, and guilt over Ethan’s death.

Slowly Hope and Cooper start to realize things between them is more then friends.  They have some emotional baggage to figure out and then tackle how Jake will feel about Uncle Cooper being a bit more than just an uncle.

The story was about a 2nd chance between these 2 old friends. Will the past allow them to move forward and will they take the chance their hearts want or will they continue to hide from the happiness that is right in front of their faces.

I received a copy of this book from the author for an honest review.

Ethan, Cooper, and Hope have been friends since they were little. Cooper has had a thing for Hope but Ethan and her struck up a relationship and Cooper would never hurt his friendships by breaking that apart. Hope’s life was changing quickly. Ethan and Cooper when off to the military. Ethan and Hope got married and were going to have a baby. This is when tragedy struck. Ethan was killed in action leaving behind a wife, child, and a best friend. Hope lost not only her husband but best friend also. Cooper is fighting demons from watching his best friend die and could not face Hope. Hope had to push though and raise her son, Jake.

Both have issues they have to overcome. Cooper is a very complicated person and confusing at times. He wants to stay in the background not to upset what Hope and Jake have going in their life. Then he wants to be in their life like he promised Ethan before he died. Cooper gets into his head and hurts Hope again by disappearing into the background again.

I liked seeing the scenes of Ethan, Cooper, and Hope growing up. I also enjoyed seeing Jake grow and finding similarities with Ethan.  This Second Chance story will take you on a journey of highs and lows.

  LINKS
AMAZON US / UK / CA / AU
AUTHOR BIO

Heather D’Agostino is an avid reader turned Bestselling Author of the Contemporary Romance Series The Broken Series, The Shattered Series, The Second Chances Series, The Cook Brothers Series, and Romantic Suspense series The Witness Series.

 
She attended the University of North Carolina at Charlotte where she received a Bachelor’s of Arts in Elementary Education with a minor in Mathematics.
 
She currently lives in Central New York with her husband, two children, dog, and two cats. When she’s not writing she can usually be found at the track, soccer field, or one of the many other places that she plays ‘Supermom’
AUTHOR LINKS

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