Where to begin?

Scott's life reads like an action movie. And this isn't even a full memoir, it deals with the time right before he met Jessica. How...I can't....this is one hell of a story.

Entrapment by the ATF. Fighting because you refuse to admit guilt for something you clearly did not do. Serving time, losing your family right before. Getting out with a bad taste in your mouth for people in general, woman specifically. Hitting the lowest of lows. Losing your possible soul mate because you won't take a chance on commitment for it might mean getting hurt. Discovering your "calling" and having a second chance at winning your true love.

If it wasn't for the fact Scott is known for being a straight shooter and we witnessed some of the happenings you could be tempted to call him a liar. It just sounds so unbelievable. But we see the love affair between him and Jess everyday on FB. We see his live videos where, if you ask him, he might tell you about some of his experiences. Let's face it, he doesn't need to relive all of it, all the time.

You get to see that underneath those full sleeves and bad ass glare is a man of faith, full of love and genuinely humble and grateful. Some of the littlest things he does are some of the sweetest I've ever heard. Jess has to walk on his left at all times. Why, because his right side is his dominant side so if he ever needed to protect/defender her he needs to have his right side free. Right, you just sighed and melted a little didn't you? The talking of the abuse Jess suffered at the hands of her ex....I wanted to kill him. I don't know what his brothers did but whatever it is I'm glad he stayed away. Oh, and the miscarriage, start the water works again.

We also see Jess grow and bloom with Scott. Her kids, Lily and Landon, seem to thrive having a strong male figure in their lives. I like that he didn't sugar coat the fact that his kids, his eldest son, had issues that weren't magically solved overnight. It real, the struggle to be happy while not everything in life in falling into place when you want it to.

His parents....OMG I love his father. Straight shooter and funny as hell. His mom, talk about selective hearing!

A character in another book that I love once said, "Truth, honesty, perseverance, strength, love of all kinds and forgiveness are all beautiful. The most beautiful stories ever told are often the most difficult to take." (Thanks KA for writing such a wonderful line.) It fits here. Some of what goes on is difficult to read, you feel for them and want nothing but goodness yet real life isn't like that. I'm just glad they found each other and he let us in on their courtship. I'm not even going to talk about their first time together or one of their favorite positions, that's for you to read and enjoy all on your own.

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Memoirs are difficult to review, you can review the writing style and the general content, but you can't really judge that person's life and experiences. Well, I suppose you could, but you'd be sort of an asshole. (Someone remind me to delete that part when I submit this to Amazon.) In this case, Lover Come Back isn't all rainbows and butterflies and you may not agree with or connect with some of the parts of Scott's life, but I think, upon reading, we can all agree that Scott and Jess' romance is one for the history books. In terms of the market, the book is unique, as it is a memoir that is more of a personal tale and sort of a secret glimpse into the life of an author who, in my opinion, really has led a significant change in the romance market. It's part tell all, part romance novel and I think that's the reason why it will be a hit.

As a long time fan of Scott Hildreth, I'm lucky to have previously heard some of these stories. It was the detail behind it, the glimpse into how Scott the Author came to be, how his relationship with Jess evolved from friend to lover, how his life experiences and choices really do play such a large part in his character building, that made this book so interesting. I loved reading about his time in his motorcycle club, about that first year with Jess that left such a significant impact on both of them, and about his time in prison for a crime that he did not commit. (Even my man got fired up about that part of the book and I've told him the story before!) My favorite parts though? Scotts interactions with his dad, a man whose words in this novel are unforgettable, a man whose life is larger than the memoir can contain, and his time with Jess. I liked seeing Scott as a son, as a father, and as a life partner. For so many of us he's an author, a male author in a female dominated industry at that, and for some he's a friend and/or an idol. He's personal with his fans, the effort he and Jess make is apparent in every single live feed or silly post they make, but this book takes it a step farther. Lover Come Back lets us see those behind closed doors moments, the affection they share, the fights they had, the sexual relationship that is private to their relationship. I think we can all agree after reading this novel that we all feel like we know them, like we're fortunate to know so much about the man and woman behind some of our favorite novels. Scott Hildreth takes it even further from the special moments we may have shared at signings and makes it personal, with Lover Come Back he makes it so we feel like we are part of all these moments.

I'll admit, just for transparencies sake, that I knew I was going to love this book from the get go. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that this would be a five star read for me, but that's a personal five star rating and I want to highlight how fantastic the book is beyond that as well. The writing in Lover Come Back is on point; the prose, the dialogue, the descriptive detail, and even the character development of these real people is so well done. There are incredibly important secondary characters in this novel and these are the people who carry the book forward, who helped support Scott's life moving forward. Even they feel familiar, to the point where I could hear them as I read. The book is packed with emotion, the kind that you can actually feel while you read, and I'll be the first to say I cried through nearly the entire damn book. There was meaning to everything in this novel and finally it is revealed to us readers just how important right from wrong really is to Scott Hildreth. Well known for the powerful messages in his fiction novels, we get to see how far that hope for right to always prevail goes in Scott's life. It is what he lives and and will die by and the respect I already had for the man grew even larger by the time I read the last word of this memoir.

Lover Come Back is filled with warm and fuzzies, made better by the fact that we know the man and woman in this love story. It's also filled with crass language, some unsavory run ins, and some difficult, yet powerful moments that tugged at my heart. It's a memoir that will please all Hildreth fans and maybe some non-fans, because it's the sort of romance you read in books and in this case, it's all true. Thank you, Scott and Jess, for sharing with us, for giving us everything and then some, and opening the front door of your home to us. It was, and still is, a beautiful life that you share.

*fist bump* ( )