Kellie Maddox-Ward's Reviews > Wounded

What a beautifully heart wrenching devastating real love story.

”The greatest thing you will ever learn is to be loved, and to be loved in returned.”

Set in Iraq in 1993 – 2003.

1993

Rania has lost her parents to the war. Killed by American Soldiers.
She has lost her Uncle to the war. Killed by American Soldiers.
Her Aunt is next to go, from a broken heart for her husband who was killed by American Soldiers.
When trapped and shot at herself, Rania kills an American Soldier.
Her brother Hassan decides he wants to kill American Soldiers. So he runs away to join the war.
Leaving her alone.
A 14 year old girl, alone, scared and helpless in war torn Iraq.

She is determined to survive.
Dying of malnutrition after not eating for a week, first time she begs a man, Malik for food she realises her mistake.
Nothing is free in this world.
As a 14 yr old she is forced to have sex with the drunken Malik, for payment of the one mouthful of food he gave her.

She hates every minute of it.
Afterwards he gives her food and money.

It jumps to a month after and she is once again starving. With no other options she returns to Malik.
He advises that what he did was wrong but he does it again. He takes her to an abandoned house and fixes the electricity for her giving her somewhere to live. He tells her after this time she is on her own. He will not be back, he will however send someone to her if this is the choice she wants to make.
True to his word he sends people to her who give her money in exchange for sex.

Because of this Sabah the whore is born.

10 years later…….


We meet Hunter Lee when he is home from the Army on R&R.
He has had a hard life, his parents died when he was 14. He was an only child. His closest friend Derek and his parents are the only family he has.

Hunter has been with Lani since high school.
He has always been faithful to her, and when on leave stays with her. He has bought a ring, but this trip home feels different. He doesn’t know why but has his suspicions.

3 days before deployment back to Baghdad, Hunters suspicions are confirmed. He catches Lani in the middle of sleeping with someone else.

Jump to Baghdad.

Rania has only seen Hassan once in all these years.
He was sent to Sabah as a “client” once.
She told him she has to do what she has to do to live as he left her and sent him away and to not speak of it nor mention her real name to anyone.

As the cruel world would have it the next time sees Hassan he is about to ambush the American soldiers in the middle of the street.
The fight comes out of nowhere and she hides in a doorframe.
She watches the bloodshed.
Iraqians killing Americans.
Americans killing Iraqians.
She also watches as the Americans kill Hassan.

All she can think about is the American that she killed all those years ago.
She sees one American boy and something about his eyes call to her.

Before she knows what she is doing she is dragging him away from the ambush and to her house where she tends to his medical needs with what little she has.

When Hunter regains consciousness he can’t believe the beautiful poor girl that is helping him is risking her life.

Hunter is very badly hurt. He can hardly move with broken ribs, bullet holes etc, So as he floats in and out of consciousness he can’t stop thinking about Rania.

She doesn’t speak English.
He doesn’t speak Arabic.

He does learn that she is a prostitute as he sees and hears the men come and go.
He doesn’t like it.
In fact he hates it.
Hates that he is too weak to do anything about it.
Hates that she has to do it to support herself, and him.

As he starts to slowly mend they start to form a relationship. What starts out as a game of charades and mimes trying to understand each other soon turns into them learning each other languages.
A beautiful relationship blossoms between these two.

Hunter needs to heal quickly as it is too dangerous being there, especially since most of Sabah’s clients are Iraqi Military Men.

But if he heals, he will have to leave her.
Surely he will be sent back to the USA to heal. He can’t leave her, can he?


MY HONEST OPINION

AY-MAZE-ING!

Beautiful characters
Beautiful story
Beautifully written.


Just beautiful.

A love story between two very different people.
An Iraqi whore and an American Soldier.
For moments in this story you forgot that they were in war torn Baghdad and they were in danger, you were just so into this book.
Then when you were brought back to reality. You were REALLY brought back.

Hunter was very much and Alpha male.
When seeing him from Raina’s POV we saw that he was patient and kind and sweet and nurturing, although we saw the fire in his eyes. The same scene from his POV?
He was RAGING on the inside! Swearing his head off at things, holding himself back as to not scare Raina.
I just fell in love with the writing.

I basically just fell in love with these two.

Hassan redeemed himself in my eyes and I’m glad to Raina grew to be Raina again and banished Sabah, and learned to love Hunter. And Hunter showed her the difference between love and sex.

"I love you, Hunter. Please do not stop. Not ever."
"I won't, I promise. Never. I'll love you forever. I'll make love to you until there is no me and no you, only us together like this forever."


The first time they hook up?!

BOOOOOMMM!!! It goes for like 8% or something like that. AND.IT.IS.WOW!

The phrase of his, to come in reference to orgasm, it is perfect, so right the experience of reaching orgasm with the man you love. You are not merely finding a physical release, you are coming into a new realm, coming into heaven, coming into him, becoming him.

Highly recommend!