Tucker and Dennis met while they were away at war.  But the war raging inside them is something they live with every day since they came home.  
   One lost his leg and his wife.  The other lost his hearing.  Both are suffering from post traumatic stress disorder. 
   Andria Large takes these topics and handles them in a subtle way.  The book is not for the faint of heart.  It is a roller coaster of emotion including some graphic scenes of violence and sex.  
   Dennis and Tucker live together and explore dating with the obstacles in which they returned from war.  They struggle with jealousy and old relationships alone and together as well as becoming closer.  The emotion between the men grows with every page and truly we see an undeniable care that ultimately pulls each one from the internal war with which they struggle.  Aptly titled, At War creates a physical realm of war as the foundation of the relationship between Tucker and Dennis as well as an emotional war they must battle alone. 
   The book is written in first person and moves in and out the perspective of the two main characters.  The voices got muddled sometimes and if it was not for the reference to the physical disabilities, I would have had a difficult time with confusion while reading.  That being said, the characters are rich and developed with enough foundation to sturdy their development throughout their growth.
   At War is a quick read and may be helpful in broaching some discussion about need for human contact as well as the true nature of love with some folks who have had trauma pushing them from people who truly care for them.  
   Large successfully closes the book with not only a cliffhanger making me want to read on further with these characters, but ends the chapter of their lives to satisfy me in closure if I want to end my relationship with Tucker and Dennis.  

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Saving Amy, by S.M. Harshell is a story, as the title suggests, of a college student in need of saving. She needs saving from some physical actions as well as some emotional ones. Helping to form vivid and believable characters, Harshell provides a beautiful fluctuation in the point of view. This technique is rarely done with such ease. However, each story point is only shared as it pertains to Amy's story. In short, the perspectives to which we are privy do honor the title. The book is chock full of sexy scenes – definitely not for the prudish – and at some points using vocabulary that borders obscene. It is a quick read for a young reader. (Not under 21 yrs.) That is to say that I believe the reader to feel most connected to the characters and the trials they experience will be of a younger age: somewhere around 21-30 yrs. A mature reader can also draw from the experiences and growth if they reflect on the love of friends and the lust of bodies before their bill-paying and exhaustion. (I speak from my own experience, not as a judgment to anyone over 40 still rich with love and lust.)

Having said that about the technical bits, Saving Amy makes some twists and turns with internal and external struggles of love, lust, fear, anger, friendship, loss and compassion. The ending may not be too much of a surprise for the reader by the time the journey reaches the final chapter, but it can be likened to a right shagging on the floor. There are moments in the book that are uncomfortable with words hitting the reader as exposed nerves wanting to get on with it. There are others where the reader wants to linger a bit longer. And even more moments occur that are touching enough to have the reader sigh with relief. It seemed to me to start in slow like the accidental touch of skin, leading to a lingering stroke, followed by a whisper in the ear of something that could occur with an explosion of action, descending to the reasonable sigh of resolution.

When turning the final page, I thought the title easily could have been Saving Everyone, with the growth occurring for each character. And then after consideration, I realized that this was truly Amy's story. Perhaps Harshell will write other books in a Saving... series alluding to more details for Jess, Brandon, Ryan and even CJ. But for the story she has presented, Saving Amy is an appropriate title. 

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