I received an arc from Netgalley. What a refreshing Romance that will touch your heart. While I was waiting for Dex to screw up big time he didn’t and adored Aria so much. Great read.

I am so conflicted about this book. Things were going along fine – nothing great, but basically a good book – then BAM! A bizarrely abrupt ending, and no epilogue. I’m left wondering what the author had to leave to do instead of finishing out the story. Was she under deadline? Was there a family emergency? Because I seriously can’t believe the book ended the way it did.
Aria Greco is an aspiring professional pianist. When her father arranged for her to play at the wedding of a soldier who was formerly under his command, she is more than happy to oblige. It’s at this wedding where Aria catches the eye of Jason Dexter, who also happens to be under her father’s command. They spend the night dancing and talking, and by the end of the evening, Jason (also known as Dex) is smitten and asks to spend the next day with Aria, before he has to head back to his base in North Carolina. Aria is equally as smitten with Dex and agrees.

But they soon discover that a long distance relationship between the two of them will be extra challenging. Dex could leave on a mission at any time, to an undisclosed location, for an undetermined amount of time, and Aria has an opportunity for a professional pianist position that is her life’s dream, but will require a lot of additional practice time with a former professor. The times they do get to spend together are great, but when Aria’s practice times start to compete with the scare time they are able to scrape together, both are forced to evaluate what is most important to them.

For the most part, this was a well written book. Occasionally the dialogue was stilted and clunky, and several times I thought “no twenty-something is going to say that!” (This was particularly an issue when they were having more serious conversations.) But overall the dialogue was cute and sweet, and I loved how Aria and Dex’s relationship progressed and how they dealt with the challenges they faced. Dex is a good man, but family issues hurt him deeply and cause him to behave in a less than honorable way, and Aria is young and not quite sure of her footing in life just yet. When the majority of today’s new adult romances are built around an alpha-male hero and an insta-love relationship, it was refreshing to read a story about a chivalrous man and a couple who is more interested in getting to know each other emotionally, rather than just physically.

There was a line in the synopsis about the faith they share, and I was expecting more of the characterizations and storyline to include some faith-based discussions. They attended church and talked about God a couple times, but otherwise I wouldn’t consider this a Christian romance. Although there isn’t really anything objectionable in it – maybe a few swear words – kissing is as physical as Aria and Dex get, and I would have liked to see them have a discussion about that since it’s pretty clear Dex has been with plenty of women while Aria has not even really been on many dates, let alone have a serious boyfriend. I feel like it was a missed opportunity by the author to add some more depth to both the hero and heroine, as well as their relationship. If the synopsis says that their faith will have some bearing on who they are and the decisions they make, I want to see how that actually plays out in the story!

My rating for this book would have been a solid three, maybe even three and a half stars, had it not been for the sudden end to the story. I won’t describe what all happens because I don’t want to spoil anything, but there is a very intense, serious situation, and everything is wrapped up in about two pages. I touched the side of my eReader to go to the next chapter, and there wasn’t one. I about threw my Kindle across the room. I am glad everything worked out and all, but I can’t remember the last time I felt so deflated at the end of a book. I want to feel happy and complete at the end of a book, not frustrated and feel like I’m missing the last chapter.

* thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books/Lyrical Shine for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

Just finished reading this one! This a a story about the romance of a handsome army sergeant named Dex and a beautiful gifted musician named Aria. It was a sweet love story. Aria is the daughter of Dex's boss which surprisingly didn't cause any drama at least not as first. Despite use to be being a ladied man, Dex was a gentleman with Aria and quite protective of her. He did use to also have a drinking problem. It was annoying that Aria was constantly jealous of any attractive woman that communicates with Dex lol. Aria was quite naive as well especially when associating with the professor. Nonetheless, I did liked that the author showed flaws of the main characters. Both characters were able to mature. The secondary characters were just as great especially Pop, Libby, Aria's mom & more. The spiritual thread was present but wasn't extreme. I just wished what happened at the end could have happened much sooner and I also wished that there was an epilogue. I felt like the last chapter happened too fast. Nonetheless this was a good read and I'm looking forward to reading more f this author's work!

In this book Jason "Dex"Dexter is home for a friends wedding when he meets Aria. He would like nothing more then to get to know her mom. He also is faced with dealing with some family drama which doesn't seem to be going away no matter what is done. Aria has such a sweet spirit but when she meets bad boy Dex it seems like she is drawn to him and wants to get to know him. Can they get to know each other even from a distance and see where life takes them or will it be to much for both of them?
This is my first book in the series and with this author and I am so ready for more. I really enjoyed this sweet love story. They were faced with some trials and some fun times. I felt like I was truly catching up with a friend not reading a fiction story. I also enjoyed how this story truly sucks you in and you find your self having a hard time putting it down. I was disappointed to see the book end. I loved Pop's and Aria's parents I loved the relationship that Aria, her sister and her parents had and I love Dex's relationship with his Pop's. The relationships in this book are not easy but will touch your heart in some way.

Jason Dexter never expected to meet his dream woman at the wedding of a friend. Determined to get to know her better, he does everything he can to spend time with her, even if it means going head-to-head with his commanding officer to prove he can be the man Aria needs. However, life isn't fair and if they can't learn to trust each other, then their relationship will never work. Will Jason and Aria be able to overcome the obstacles that are keeping them apart, or will they lose their chance at happy ever after?

Although this story started off a bit slow and didn't hook me immediately, I really enjoyed it in the end, as the main characters face some tough obstacles to be together including whether they can trust each other, whether the hero can prove he's good enough for his commanding officer's daughter, and whether the hero can come back from his mission in one piece. Will everything work out for the best? However, it was from the moment the hero and heroine came face-to-face for the first time that had me reading quickly, determined to discover what direction this couple's relationship would take since he's a soldier on break for a few days and she's his commanding officer's daughter.

Both the main characters had me enjoying this story due to their back stories and their growing relationship. Moreover, I couldn't help but sympathize with the hero because of his relationship with his father, which is tense because the man is disappointed in him because he became a soldier and didn't follow the path his father wanted for him. I also liked how persistent he was in his pursuit of the heroine, because they have a strong connection and he wants to see where it goes. While the heroine, she's resilient, a little naïve when it comes to trusting someone she knew years ago, and I liked the close relationship she has with her parents because her mom offers her great advice at a time when she needs it.

Overall, Ms. Onorato has delivered a really good read in this book where the chemistry between this couple is strong and gets stronger the more these two interact; the romance was delightful; and the ending had me worried for one of the main characters, but had me liking how everything worked out for the pair because they need each other. I also liked how the hero's family issues were resolved. However, I felt the ending was a bit rushed. Why wasn't there an epilogue? I would recommend A Soldier's Song by Irene Onorato, if you enjoy the mysterious strangers trope, the opposites attract trope, or books by authors JM Madden, Janet Dailey, Nancy Mehl and Susan Stoker.

Thank you for allowing me to read your book. The review will be posted on our blog, good reads, Facebook, twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest. Thanks once again.

This book was pretty bad. The dialogue was so stilted and awkward, and the writing included the strangest details. The professor subplot was stupid and unnecessary, and there was not enough conflict to keep me interested. She was jealous of all the girls that came up to him (constantly, by the way) but forgave him immediately, even though they only knew each other for about five seconds. Meh.

Sergeant jason Dexter/ Dex told his mother he couldn’t stay as he just couldn’t get along with his father. Dex was a Special Ops soldier and his dad didn’t accept this as a good job and slammed Dex’s job. Dex was going to stay with his grandfather-Pop- as he usually did when home. Dex was in town to be at Hank and Cindy’s wedding . Dex’x boss was Aria’s father- Major david Gecco. Aria was to play the piano at the wedding. Dex was sitting with Dave, his wife, and Aria. He danced with Aria and spent time with her. Dave warned his daughter that Dex wasn’t her type. Dave further added dex was one of the best men on his team but he had a bad track record with women. Aria said she just wanted to have some fun. Dex had been forced to take piano lessons when he was younger but Aria played beautifully. Dex encouraged her not to give up on her dream of making a career out playing the piano. Jasmine was dex’s ex who had really hurt hi. Dex had been going back and forth between fort Bragg and NY for almost six ,months then the last time he went back to be with Jasmine as he had been doing she wasn’t at the airport to pick him up but instead called Dex and said she was now with a local fireman and it was over between them. Dex had felt all that time that he and Jasmine really had something between them but obviously he was wrong. That was almost a year ago. But now Dex met Aria and he asked her to spend the next day with him. On the way to the farm Pop had asked Dex to stop for desert in the grocery store Dex ran into Jasmine and she told him she was wrong for ending things and she wanted him back, but Dex said he had moved on and wanted nothing to do with her and Aria walked over to him. Then they went to his grandfather’s farm and had lunch with Pop, went for a walk found a Christmas tree cut it down and the brought it home to Pops and decorated it.Dex already knew he liked Aria and wanted to see her again and she agreed. On the plane ride back Dex told Dave he wanted to see his daughter and he would be honorable.
I loved this story. I loved the pace and plot. It was an easy, quick yet great romance. I loved dex and Aria together. I loved how the Special Ops team was close and Aria’s father Dave was like a second father to Dex. I loved Aria and Dex together. I loved how protective of Aria Dex was. I was so glad Dex was with Aria the first time she met with the Professor. I loved how it showed the mission the guys went on. I felt this was well written and realistic. I couldn't find anything to criticize in this book and that was great. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I highly recommend.

A Soldier's Song is the third book in A Veteran's Heart series by Irene Onorato. I have no read any of the other books in this series, but was able to jump right in this one and not be lost.

Jason is a Special Forces soldier that is attending the wedding 0f his team mate in New York. Little does he know that he'll met Aria the eldest daughter of his commanding officer of his unit. Jason soon figures out that Aria is his soul mate and takes her to meet his Pops (Grandfather). Jason's Pops was always there when he had problems with his dad. His father still can't accept that he is a Special Forces soldier.

Aria has dreams of being a concert pianist. For now though Aria settles for working in her uncle's music store and giving lessons until her big break finally happens. When Aria meets Jason at a wedding they both attend, things start to look up for Aria and her love life. Aria and Jason are soon taking long walks together and discussing their future together when an old professor of Aria's shows up with an offer that she has been waiting for.

Will Aria go for her dreams and leave Jason or will Aria and Jason overcome this obstacle and make plans for their future? You have to read this one to find out. This was such a good read that kept your attention from beginning to end and left you longing for more. I am anxious to see what is next in this series from Irene Onorato.

This is my first book from Irene Onorato and I was instantly in love with her writing. The book has a wonderful story line about the instant attraction between Jason and Aria but is not rushed and it allows us to see how their relationship progresses that included the up and downs of most relationships like jealousy, parental approval and so on. I received a complimentary copy of this book from Netgalley and I'm voluntarily leaving a review.

A Soldier's Song is the third book in this military series by Irene Onorato that I have read. This is Christian romance fiction with a realism approach. The couple struggles with common issues such as jealous, differences in career goals and parental issues but deployment is also part of the mix.

One of the strengths of this book is the character development of the two main characters, along with the development of their relationship. The story is never hurried as Jason “Dex” Dexter and Aria Greco meet at a wedding, then start to see more of each other. Before the story had progressed very far I was rooting for these two make to together. However, Dex has his own demons that with God’s help he is conquering. I always enjoy how the author tells it like it is but does so in a sensible and sensitive way.

** I got this book from NetGalley for my honest review **

I’m balling my eyes out. I’ve been crying since about 94%. I’m crying so hard. This book.

It’s not perfect by any means but it’s so good. There were points that seemed like, maybe, the author was trying too hard to fill in every little plot hole. Like the main character mentioning that she has the keys to the car. Not necessary to mention. But that didn’t take from the story.

The story itself was good. It was a nice breath of relief from the young adult romances and new adult smutty romances I’ve been reading. This was a good one and I plan on recommending it to my mom, if not buying it for her. I will be continuing on (backward) with the series.

**I received a copy of A Soldier's Song from Kensington Books and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

A Soldier's Song by Irene Onorato is the third book in her A Veteran's Heart series. I haven't read any of the previous books but was rather surprised how good the book was specially as its shelved under Christian Romance. But it's well worth reading and I'd give it a smashing 4 stars.

Jason Dexter is attending the wedding 0f his team mate in New York but little does he know that he'll met Aria Greco the eldest daughter of his commanding officer of his unit. Dex soon realizes that Aria is his soul mate they hit it off quickly as well as when he takes her to meet his Pops (Grandfather) who has always been there when things were tough with Jason's father. He wishes that his dad would accept his choice of careers as a special Forces soldier. When a former girlfriend and then a smarmy teacher of Aria cause both of them to question their love for each other, will they go their separate ways or love each other unconditionally?

Aria Greco dreams of being a concert pianist but for now she'll settle for working in her uncle's music store and giving lessons until her big break finally happens. When she meets Jason "Dex" at a wedding they soon are taking walks in the snow and looking at a possible future together. But when her former professor (The author really does a wonderful job making him sleazy) shows up with an offer to play in a well known conductors orchestra is the offer to good to be true? Will Dex and Aria be able to overcome their issues to become a forever couple?

A Soldier's Song is the third installment from A Veterans' Heart series. I thought it was good and give it four stars.

A heartwarming story that gives readers a glimpse into the military life. The story shows the closeness of the brotherhood along with challenges they are faced. Dex, a Special Forces soldier has a rough family life with a father that does not support his career choice. Aria, a gifted pianist is the daughter of the head of the unit that Dex serves. Aria and Dex meet at a wedding and this is their story. Recommended!

So, ever since I was a little girl, I dreamed of marrying a military man. The love for the country and selflessness were both values I admire in a significant other. Of course, Jason (Dex) Dexter happened to contain these qualities, while also showing chivalry and respect. Who wouldn’t love a guy like that?!

With how many young people act today, it almost seems unbelievable that this story could happen in today’s time (although, I hope it happens similarly for me). Despite this, I know that there are relationships out there just like this! My friend, for example, found a military man just like Dex (but better!) and didn’t know she could be treated as well as she is now. It was a refreshing read and I enjoyed every single minute of it, although I was a little jealous of Aria. Chivalry is a quality that is dying in this generation.

By far, my favorite character was Pops. He is the sweetest grandpa that I wish I had (mine are no longer with us 😦 ). He knew exactly the right things to say and you could just feel the love emanating off of him. I just wanted to give him a big bear hug!

It seems like at every turn, Dex runs into some girl from the past. Aria is willing to put aside boyfriend time in order to practice for her concert audition, while at the beck and call of her ex-professor. After a break, will the fire reignite and will Dex and Aria live happily ever after, realizing what is truly important in life?

Will Dex’s past create a toxic relationship? Will Aria’s dreams of becoming a concert pianist (with the help of a sketchy teacher) come in the way? Can they overcome these difficulties for the sake of love?

A poignant and tender tale of a soldier's struggle to find peace, love, and balance in his life with troubled father relationship, alcoholic tendencies, and a wounded heart from the past relationship.
This series has been an inspiring and uplifting experience. Each story is unique yet every one of them testifies to the fact that we can overcome the hurdles of life, that faith in God gives a solid foundation to build a life upon, and all things are possible for those who believe so.
Jason Dexter is a hero easy to like. He is charming and fun, his compliments come from the heart and he is not shy about sharing them. Everyone loves him and wants to be around him, and that might be a problem to a budding relationship. His former girlfriend cheated on him, yet is vindictive and goes out of her way to ruin any possibility for Dex to be happy with someone else. His father had other plans for Dex's future than the army and wants to remind him about that every chance he gets. I don't blame Dex for wanting to stay away from him and his belittling and admire Dex for the willingness to give new chances to his father.
Aria Greco is a sweet, kind, and thoughtful heroine. Her music career has been in the center of her life until she meets Dex and falls hard for the handsome soldier from her dad's team. To balance the career, the budding long-distance relationship and the drama Dex's career, family, friends, and addiction bring to them is a new kind of challenge to Aria and test her patience, understanding, and perseverance.
The author has a uniquely realistic and life-like way to tell a story that still has the magic of a romance tale yet portraits characters that are far from perfect yet willing and able to work on their issues and search for solutions in the battles their face.
The tale pulled me in and kept my interest cause I was emotionally invested in the story, and cared for the characters and wanted to cheer them on with the constant hurdles life was throwing at them.
A sweet and clean story, yet filled with deep, churning emotions of passion and love and well as life hurdles and challenges that had the characters growing both personally, in their relationships, and in the faith in God.
~ Four Spoons with a teaspoon on the side

More of a 3 star for the older crowd
This book was a story about a young man who has dedicated his life to the military, and about a young talented musician who dreams of playing in an orchestra. She is the daughter of his commander and when they meet at a wedding, the attraction is instantaneous. Though he has some issues to overcome
But it’s more than a romance. It’s a story about family dynamics and support , or lack thereof. While Aria’s family is a military family and proud to be one, Dex’s/Jason’s father seems not to have forgiven him for not following his steps and becoming a lawyer. The situation is such, that Jason has given up on his father’s love.
It’s also a story about trusting those of authority, with some suspense thrown in.
It’s a good book, especially for YA/readers in their 20s and maybe early 30s. Being older, I found it entertaining but not memorable. As a mature individual , I would give it a 3 star, but if I were in my 20s ,it might rate a little higher. I respect the dedication of authors, so for that , it gets a 4 star.
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

All Special Forces sergeant Jason Dexter ever wanted was to serve his country—with his father’s blessing. Although the elder Dexter has yet to make his peace with his son’s decision, Jason has no regrets. Still, he has mixed feelings about returning to his upstate New York town. But his perspective changes at a friend’s wedding, where he meets a lovely, gifted musician. Now Jason has a new mission: to get to know Aria Greco better.

The daughter of Jason’s commanding officer, Aria dreams of becoming a concert pianist. Meeting the handsome soldier transforms both their lives. But Aria’s ambition, Jason’s unresolved family conflicts, and jealousy over rivals on both sides soon threatens their blossoming relationship. As Jason prepares for a dangerous deployment, will the mounting tensions tear them apart, or is their love—and the faith they share—powerful enough to heal the past and embrace the future?

This was a nice clean romance story. Jason is a new Christian trying to live his new life alcohol free. His commander is well aware of Jason's problems and attempt to live a Christian life. But he's not sure he wants his daughter falling in love with Jason.

A good example of how difficult our military families have it when their loved ones are called away at a moments notice. I would recommend this book for everyone.

I received this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The romance of Dex (Jason) and Aria, who is the daughter of his commanding officer. A good story overall, and I enjoyed it for the most part. The one thing that got old quickly though was her jealousy. Granted, a lot of women came up to him, and many kissed his cheek, but still, his actions didn't warrant her insecurities. Other than that, I enjoyed it, and wanted to see through to the HEA. Would recommend.