Harper Lee Wilcox struggles with the loss of her Navy SEAL husband, Noah. Left widowed and raising their young son Ben, Harper wonders how Noah died. What were the circumstances of his death? Did he suffer? What were his final words? The answers to her many questions play out endlessly in her mind, without the blessed comfort of knowing the truth.
Caldwell Bennett, a fellow SEAL and close friend of Noah’s, was with him when he died. Bennett knows the answers to Harper’s questions, but he just can’t bring himself to tell her. It isn’t until Harper locates Bennett on the internet and encounters him face to face that the truth begins to unfold. Now, as the two of them grow closer, his revelations will either mark a new beginning for them, or a bitter ending.
Trentham’s portrayal of PTSD and the psychological effects of war, on both soldiers and their families, is done with care and respect. And Harper’s personal mission to ease their pain is a worthy tribute to their service. The story alternates between the past and the present, which intertwine seamlessly as the story unfolds. Trentham has crafted an important, poignant, tale of military life and a legacy of love.

I've enjoyed all of the books I've read by Laura Trentham. The Military Wife, I totally love! Ms. Trentham has given readers a phenomenal book loaded with a stellar cast of characters. Harper is a young mother and widow, living with her mother. Her husband was killed in the war. Bennett was injured at the same time and left the military after losing his best friend, Harper's husband Noah. Harper and Bennett's story is loaded with drama, humor, sexy bits and the horrors of PTSD. The Military Wife is book 1 of the A Heart of a Hero Series but can be read as a standalone. I can't wait to read the next book! This is a complete book, not a cliff-hanger.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book that I received from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely loved this book.
The heartache, sorrow and pain in this book, coupled with friendship, love and redemption makes it a can't put down until finished story.

With Laura Trentham's trademark style, the story seeps into your soul.

A must read

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was not just a book but an emotional journey that delved into some heavy subjects such as PTSD, suicide, being a widow, and loneliness. If the reader enjoys a second chance romance this is the book for them.
I did feel like it was a bit slow at times and the pace of the plot didn’t move quickly for me. But I would still recommend this book and author.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

The Military Wife by Laura Trentham is an amazing look at military life in real time. There is so much going on in this story. The book bounces back and forth between life in the past with the main character, Harper and her husband, Noah, before he is killed in action (Noah is a Navy SEAL) and the present with Harper, her son 5 year old Ben, Allison, Harper's best friend, Allison's husband, Darren and Ben, a former SEAL, Noah's best friend. The story runs the gambit of Noah and Allison's romance and marriage, Noah, Ben and Darren going through SEAL training, Noah's death, Darren's problems and what Ben is doing after leaving the military. There is also great insight into what a military wife goes through on a daily basis. There is a lot of action and a romance. I loved reading this story and will recommend it to friends as a good book to read.

This is a POWERFUL story!!! Keep the kleenex close!
This is a story about Harper Lee, who with her 5 year old son Ben, has been living with her mom and, becoming increasingly frustrated with her life. Her husband Noah, a Navy Seal, died 5 years ago, before Ben was born and, she has never found out the true story of his death. She decides to go back down to the Navy compound where her friend Alison has been worrying her whenever she calls. She sees that her friend is gaunt, has lost weight and, for the first time ever, seems at a loss as to how to deal with her husband returning home. Alison's husband was Noah's commander and, also looks like a shadow of his former self. The kids are very confused why their parents are acting so differently and, arguing so much.
Harper also decides she has to meet and speak with Bennett, her husband's best friend. Maybe he can tell her what really happened when Noah died.
Bennett is a man who grew up in foster care and believes that emotion makes you weak, until he meets Harper, the woman he was secretly fascinated by, while listening to parts of the letters Harper wrote to Noah. He now realizes that becoming part of other people's lives is, not only important but, necessary..
This story pushes you into the world of the military, military wives, their boyfriends and husbands and, how horribly difficult it is to deal with this type of life EVERY DAY!!!!!

I loved this book, even though the pace was a bit slow sometimes. I thought it had a great message and it dealt with important issues. A military widow is living a blah existence, just working at a blah job, living her life for her little boy. She lives with her mother, who seems to be having a more exciting and fulfilling life than she is. She goes to visit her friend Allison, another military wife, who was her support when she lost her husband, and finds that other military wives are also living unfulfilled lives, just like hers. Discussing options for a business that could improve the lot of military wives, she realizes that she received a huge amount of money from Bennett Grant and learns from Allison that there is no such award as he stated.

When she goes to confront the guy, she finds the one man who can jump-start her life, make her existence the fun and exciting life that she should be enjoying. Problem was, there are guilt feelings, loyalty to a wonderful husband who died serving his country, the needs of a little boy who never met his dad and needs a father figure, and just plain distance. He lives hours away from her town, and she needs to establish her business near the base in order for it to work.

The book touches on two issues that I thought were important. One is the emotional state that soldiers are left in when they return from battle. Wives try to help their husbands but these soldiers are proud, trained to withhold information and feelings, and just plain stubborn. It’s not an easy job, on top of keeping their children emotionally stable facing a father who is losing it.

The other issue that was new to me and no less important is the limbo that professional women get into when they marry military men. As a necessity, they have to relocate where their husbands are assigned. Then sometimes they won’t find a job that caters to their qualifications. Oftentimes, they’re not given the job they want because the employer don’t want to waste time and resources on an employee that may relocate soon. There is a lot of discontent because the wives can’t fulfill their career ambitions, and many times are relegated to housewives because they are overqualified for the jobs available.

In this story, we see Harper setting up a business with other three wives, and plans to broaden the scope to other bases so other wives will have an outlet for their talent. She also helps her friend Allison face her marriage problems due to a troubled husband. And all the while, falling in love with this taciturn, quiet man with a poker face that seldom smiles but makes her skin tingle every time she touches him. I loved that he found love, after years of having no one. Harper brought him to laughter and happiness and Bennett brought Harper to the lively and decisive woman she used to be.

It was an entertaining and informative story, with important issues and a lovely love story.

A sweet story that made me cry of both sadness and happiness. Un-put-down-able! Emotionally charged, this story puts you on a wave of emotions!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of The Military Wife (from NetGalley). All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Wow! What an emotional rollercoaster! I read this novel in about two days' time. Once I was invested, it was near impossible to put down. Not at all the narrative I was expecting, this weave of tragedy, determination, and hopefulness had my full attention. The desire to fully know the turn of events for all characters involved kept me up late, yet falling asleep with this one in my hands several times. From what I can tell, this was a fairly realistic sampling of many military wives'/families' experiences. Though it had me in (or near) tears on several occasions, I thoroughly enjoyed this heartwarming novel. I will actively be searching for other books by Laura Trentham--whose work I will gladly read again anytime!!
A big thank you to NetGalley and Laura Trentham for the ARC!

This book was a heartwrenching tearjerker. As a child of a military man I knew what it was like to tell him goodbye not knowing if he would come back alive. He was not in special services.
The story is very well developed. I felt all the emotions of Harper, Allison, Darren and Bennett. There were times I held my breath, times when I cried and times when I smiled. I couldn't put it down.

Laura is an amazing writer. She makes you feel like you're part of the story.
Harper and Bennett was strong, resilient, real characters. They would be people I'd hang out with in real life.

Wow - what a gripping book. At first I didn't love the past and present jumping back and forth, but then I started to want it. What happened with Noah, etc. Harper was a widow of a Navy Seal who finally tracked down one of her husband's team mates who had given her $100000 to help with life in general. She had Noah's baby after he was killed, so it was welcome but she hadn't used it yet. The story very much brought all the issues that service men and their wives. It was wonderful how they wives got together and helped each other. I loved how Harper and Bennet worked their way through learning to love again. This book was very very good.

This book stole my heart. A beautiful story of loss, grief, growing and immense love. There were a few times I found myself tears in my eyes both happy and sad. I loved the feeling of realness the story had with wives how they feel after their families have gone threw so. much and feeling of need something of their own, like the coffee shop.

Thank you to Netgalley, The Author, and Publisher for the copying exchange for an honest review.

I have not previously read any books by Laura Trentham so I am unable to compare to her previous work, but I found a depth to this book that makes it far more than a romance. It also won't be the last book I read by Laura Trentham!

The book focuses on Harper Lee Wilcox, whose husband Noah, a Navy SEAL, was killed in action five years earlier, shortly before the birth of their son Ben. As time moves on following Noah's death, Harper increasingly feels that she has put her life on hold. She goes to visit another military wife, Allison, whose husband Darren is battling PTSD which is putting a huge pressure on them and their three young children.

Together Harper and Allison decide to use money that Harper was given after the death of Noah, and set up a business to provide work for military wives who find it difficult to find work or an identity beyond that of a military wife. This brings Harper into contact with her late husband's best friend and team mate, Bennett Caldwell, an ex-SEAL and now owner of a survival training business.

Harper and Bennett feel an instant attraction to one another that instantly raises feelings of guilt because of their mutual love for Noah.

The book very cleverly moves between the past and the present, allowing the reader to fully understand the connection that both Harper and Bennett had with Noah, and allowing a better understanding of Noah who is no longer a part of their lives.

In addition to the complex feelings and developing romance between Harper and Bennett, the book also looks at the friendships made between military wives, but also between the men who risk their lives to fight for their country. In addition it looks at the physical and mental scars the men return home with, and the impact that has on their families. The depth of emotion in this book makes it a very compelling story.

I was given a copy of this book to read via Netgalley and St Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

I have previously read a couple romance books by Laura Trentham. This is a different genre in my opinion. This book was more "Women's Fiction" to me. The story did have a romance in it, but that was not the main focus of the plot.

The plot focused on SEAL personnel. One character is still in the Navy (Darren), one has returned to civilian life (Bennett) and one was killed in action (Noah).

Harper Lee (named with meaning by her librarian mother) , was married to Noah for a short time and was pregnant when he died. She struggled to come back to the living, but knew she had to, for her son.

Harper is very close friends with Darren's wife, Allison, who helped Harper deal with Noah's death. Darren is home but not dealing with the memories of his last mission very well. While Harper is still trying to make peace with Noah's death and contacts Bennett for answers, she sets in motion a path to healing for her, Bennett and Darren. She also has a plan for military wives to use their skills to help each other and keep busy while their partners are on duty.

The romance part of the book was very touching. Noah and Bennett were great friends in training and in action as SEAL members Bennett was drawn to Harper through Noah reading her letters to him. When Harper went to Bennett for answers, all the feelings were brought to the surface. Reading about their romance was an emotional journey.

While the book has many plots going on, they are all interconnected and it flows smoothly. The story is revealed in "past" and "present" chapters and that always puts me on edge a little bit. I feel as the characters do, in not knowing the complete past, as they do not.

I want to thank Netgalley.com and the publisher St. Martin’s Griffin for giving me the pleasure of reading the ARC. I am giving my honest opinion, in hopes other readers will pick up this book and enjoy it also.

her husband is in the military while he is deployed he is killed in action and its so sad. She is head strong. and she wants to help.
She meets this man who is awesome and he wants to be with her and its a great read

**I received a copy of The Military Wife from St. Martin's Press and Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

The Military Wife by Laura Trentham is the start of her A Heart of a Hero series. Ms. Trentham is a new author for me and this book is well worth reading. The story does go back to when Noah Wilcox and Bennett Caldwell start Navy SEAL BUD/s plus when Noah and Harper Lee first meet in Kitty Hawk, NC. Half of the story is Harper Lee, her young son Ben and her mother affectionately known at Yaya and finding love again with Bennett Caldwell when Noah dies leaving too many questions that no one will give answers and Allison and her husband Darren's battle with PTSD and guilt from the op that took Noah's life.

Harper Lee is just trying to finish up the summer working at a ice cream shop when she meets Noah Wilcox. He's very persistent that she's going to be his wife but first he has to complete BUD/s. She's due to leave for University of North Carolina so they write letters frequently which Noah reads to Bennett. When Noah is killed on a SEAL Team mission Harper Lee is pregnant and due to have their fist child she searches for way to carry on without Noah. When she decides to invest the money from Bennett into a business that will give some of the military wives a job that will give them a job to take to each new home she meets Bennett again. They will soon find out that the survival school that he runs can also be a outlet for the veterans to be around others who are trying to cope with PTSD. Their burgeoning love will be very slow and sweet.

Bennett Caldwell grew up as a foster kid moving around frequently until he finally finds a home with Sarge his case workers uncle. Sarge gives him a home and when he's old enough he joins to Navy BUD/s. But when his buddy Noah starts sharing his letters from Harper Lee he yearns for a life like Noah and Harper Lee. When Noah makes him promise to watch over his family if he doesn't come home it's a promise that will become love five years later when she comes to him for how Noah dies.

The Military Wife is a sweet love story between Noah and Harper Lee, Adele (Yaya) and Ben, Allison and Darren who fight to understand the toll of PTSD on their lives plus the new life for Harper, Ben and Bennett.

"The Military Wife"
By Laura Trentham
Macmillan

Family Life -- Release Date: February 5, 2019

ReaderToReader.com review for NetGalley download

Five years after losing her military husband, Harper Wilcox is still grieving. After Noah's untimely death overseas, Harper moved back to her hometown in Kitty Hawk, NC with her son, Ben. Now, her somewhat eccentric, yet loving mom insists she should get on with her life. But can she?

Harper wants to know how Noah died—did he suffer? Did he die quickly? What actually happened? The only person who can answer that and offer closure is Noah's best buddy, Navy SEAL, Bennett Caldwell.

Harper decides to visit Allison with whom she bonded when their husbands were deployed. Allison's upsetting emails have Harper needing to find out what is happening. She arrives at Ft. Bragg, realizing Allison's husband has PTSD, and Allison is anxious about what she can do to overcome the stress she and her children are suffering.

When Allison mentions how difficult the other wives are having finding jobs, they implement a plan to start a coffee shop which will help suppress the loneliness and give them a sense of purpose.

Harper tells Allison of her qualms about Noah, and how she received a hefty check as an honor award, delivered by Bennett. When Allison states there's no such thing, Harper wonders . . . why did Bennett do this? Is he hiding something?

A trip to Bennett's survival camp brings her face to face with the last person to see Noah alive, but Bennett is adamant, refusing to talk to her. Harper does not give up and she pursues Bennett hoping for answers, but they both find more than expected.

A sweet tale of love and heartache, with the inevitability of war, proves there can be a second chance for happiness.

What a lovely story. This one deals with a military wife, Harper who loses her husband. She has been living with her mother and has a young son.
She has a friend who is a military wife whose husband comes back with PTSD. She goes to help. This book shows a clear and accurate picture of what our military faces today.
Harper is there for her friends. She decides to start her own business. She runs across Bennet who was her husband Noah's seal team brother.
The story is about PTSD, being a military wife and starting over. The writing is very good, and the story is worth a read This is the second book by Laura Trentham and it will not be my last. Thank you so much for giving me a copy to review. I really enjoyed it.