Until There Was You by Jessica Scott (Guest Post/Giveaway)

Today I would like to give a warm welcome to a fabulous new military romance author, Jessica Scott! Make sure to check out my 4-Wine-Glass reviews of her books, Because of You & Until There Was You (coming soon). 

Thanks so much for having me here at Reading Between The Wines!

Crystal asked me to talk a little bit about the rank structure of the army because so many folks don’t really understand it. Honestly, when you first join up as a private, it’s a little confusing. I remember standing at parade rest (for those of you that don’t know, it’s a position where your feet are spread shoulder width apart, hands are folded at the small of your back, right over left and head and eyes are straight to the front) when I was still at Basic Training and I called a Sergeant First Class well, Sergeant First Class. He corrected me and said that the only sergeants that are not called Sergeant were First Sergeants and Sergeant Majors. 

There are three categories of rank in the Army: Officers, Enlisted and Warrant Officers. Warrants, as they’re often called, are our technical experts, the ones who are specialised in their specific areas. Officers are commissioned and legal authority under US law and the Uniform Code of Military Justice (something we could go on and on about for days). Enlisted soldiers are just that: they enlist in the army, which is not the same thing as commissioning. 

When you read a book that says a sergeant was in command, someone has it wrong. While there are cases where both warrant officers and enlisted soldiers can command, the most commanders are officers. Command involves specific legal authority and responsibility over soldiers. It’s sometimes said like this: officers come up with the plan, sergeants execute the plan. Sergeants are what we call Noncommissioned officers or NCOs. They are known as the backbone of the army and trust me, a good NCO is worth their weight in gold because nothing happens in the army without the NCO corps. 

So in UNTIL THERE WAS YOU, we meet Captain Evan Loehr and Captain Claire Montoya. The book focuses on their backgrounds because Evan commissioned through West Point and was never an enlisted soldier. Claire, however, enlisted in the army when she was fresh out of high school and as a result, has strong ties to the primary other character in the book Sergeant First Class Reza Iaconelli. There are rules against relationships between officers and enlisted and it’s one of the key sources of conflict between Evan & Claire. Claire refuses to give up her friendship with Reza and that loyalty will cost her dearly. It is that loyalty that Evan is drawn to and eventually, they figure out a way to save their friend. 

I hope that clarifies the rank structure a little bit! And thanks again so much for having me here today. 

I’ll pick 2 winners today to receive a digital eARC of UNTIL THERE WAS YOU.  

Jessica Scott returns with an all-new contemporary eBook original romance, following last fall’s release of her sizzling debut novel Because of You. 

He plays by the rules, she’s not afraid to break them. Now these two strong-willed army captains will prove that opposites attract . . .
A by-the-book captain with a West Point background, Captain Evan Loehr refuses to mix business with pleasure—except for an unguarded instance years ago when he succumbed to the deep sensuality of redheaded beauty Claire Montoya. From that moment on, though, Evan has been at odds with her, through two deployments to Iraq and back again. But when he is asked to train a team prepping for combat alongside Claire, battle-worn Evan is in for the fight of his life.
Strong, gutsy, and loyal, Captain Claire Montoya has worked hard to earn the rank on her chest. In Evan, Claire sees a rigid officer who puts the rules before everything else—including his people. When the mission forces them together, Claire soon discovers that there is more to Evan than meets the eye. He’s more than the rank on his chest; he’s a man with dark secrets and deep longings. For all their differences, Evan and Claire share two crucial passions: their country and each other.

You can order UNTIL THERE WAS YOU at these ebookstores or wherever ebooks are sold! 

B & N | Amazon | Powell's| iBookstore 

BIO:

Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats, three dogs and two escape-artists hamsters, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She has commanded two companies, served in Germany, Korea, Fort Hood and Iraq, and been lucky not to get fired. She is a terrible cook and an even worse housekeeper, but she’s a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

You can find her online at:

Website - Facebook - Twitter - Goodreads

~*GIVEAWAY*~
As Jessica mentioned above, she is giving away an eBook of Until There Was You to two readers readers. To enter, just leave a question or comment for Jessica on this post and then fill out the rafflecopter below. Additional entries are available but not required. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

*image from freedigitalphotos.net and Maggie Smith