Five Years Gone

by Marie Force

The most brazen terrorist attack in history. A country bent on revenge. A love affair cut short. A heart that never truly heals.
 
I knew on the day of the attack that our lives were changed forever. What I didn’t know then was that I’d never see John again after he deployed. One day he was living with me, sleeping next to me, making plans with me. The next day he was gone.
 
That was five years ago. The world has moved on from that awful day, but I’m stuck in my own personal hell, waiting for a man who may be dead for all I know. At my sister’s wedding, I meet Eric, the brother of the groom, and my heart comes alive once again.
 
The world is riveted by the capture of the terrorist mastermind, brought down by U.S. Special Forces in a daring raid. Now I am trapped between hoping I’ll hear from John and fearing what’ll become of my new life with Eric if I do. 
 
From a New York Times bestselling author, Five Years Gone is an epic story of love, honor, duty, unbearable choices and impossible dilemmas.

• ISBN10: 1420149032
• ISBN13: 9781420149036
• Publish Date: 25 September 2018
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 25 March 2021
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Zebra Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 325
• Language: English

Reviews

[Canadian Girl Book Blog]

Ava has been waiting for five years for any information about the man that she loves who just seemed to disappear off the face of the earth. John is military and had to leave on a mission after a terrorist attack but Ava can not find any information on him anywhere. After finally having enough and wanting to try to restart her life she moves to New York just before her sisters' wedding. At the wedding, she meets the best man and brother of the groom, Eric, who is also dealing with his own issues after his girlfriend up and left him without a word. Eric helps Ava the night of the wedding cure her indulgence in alcohol with his cheese pizza cure. Eric and Ava start a great friendship which grows stronger after they confide in each other about their pasts. After video surfaced about the takedown of the terrorists, Ava is shocked to see John in the video and the past comes back to her in a rush. Ava finds out that John is still alive and he wants to see her. Eric is worried that Ava going to see John is going to ruin everything that they have built together especially after she shuts down after seeing John.

This was the first ever audiobook that I listened to and I am hooked on audiobooks now. Five Years Gone is the first book in the Navy Captain John West series by Marie Force, which can be read as a standalone or as the first novel in the series and is told in the first-person point of view by multiple characters. I really enjoyed Five Years Gone and I am looking forward to more Marie Force books. This was a truly heart-wrenching story of love and sacrifice that takes you on a complete rollercoaster ride of emotions and keeps you hooked on the story to see what is going to happen next. Although I felt bad for John in the end, I am glad that Ava was finally able to get closure and find her HEA with Eric!

I gave this book 5 stars for story and overall and 4 stars for the performance by Andi Arndt and Joe Arden as I was not completely sold on Joe as Eric but enjoyed him as all the other male characters.

[leelu92]

I really wanted to like this one more. Before this one, I read a Gansett book that I loved, so I assumed I'd get the same qualities in this book. Wrong.

The premise is fascinating, the execution was disappointing.

My issues?

Too much inner monologue. I skimmed the last 60% b/c there was too much rehashing of feelings, saying the same thing but in different ways.

Characters. Blah, boring and generic. One thing I can count on with Force is interesting and unique characters. Their voices are different, their personalities are unique and interesting. Eric is one of the most one-dimensional characters I've ever read. Ava isn't much better.

So yeah, those are my issues. I'm unhappy b/c I want to know what happens next with Eric’s sister but after reading this one and the preview of the next book, I'm not sure I can do it. :(