Synopsis:

War has taken everything from me. My family. My home. My innocence. In a country blasted by war and wracked by economic hardship, a young orphan girl like me has very few options when it comes to survival. Thus, I do what I must to live, to eat, and I try very hard to not consider the cost to my soul. My heart is empty, and my existence brutal.

The one impossibility in my life is love.

And then I meet HIM.

~ * ~ * ~

War is hell. It takes a chunk out of a man’s very soul to do the kinds of things war demands of you. You live with fear, you live with guilt, and you live with nightmares. If you haven’t been through it, there’s no understanding it. War leaves no room for love, no room for tenderness or softness. You gotta be hard, closed off, and ready to fight every moment of every day. Lose focus for a split second, and you’re dead.

Now the only thing that can save me is HER.

Review:

Please don’t shy away from this book due to the war-time setting. Wounded is an emotional, satisfying story of two souls brought together by the harsh realities of war.

Rania is a beautiful Iraqi woman who had to resort to prostitution at a very young age in order to simply survive. She is shut down emotionally until by chance she meets Hunter, an American fighting in Iraq. They cannot communicate at first due to the language barrier but learn to communicate in other ways.

“He is asleep. So handsome. I do not understand what is happening to me. From the first moment I saw him, something in him called to my blood and made it sing.” – Rania

Ms. Wilder delivers some very lush and explicit sex scenes between Rania and Hunter which were an unexpected surprise.

“Rania. Her name is music. Her eyes are veiled pools of expression. She hides behind anger, behind toughness. It’s all an act. I see the pain. See the fear. See the need. She’s lonely. She hates what she does. ” – Hunter

The author is a gifted writer with a a sensitive voice. Wounded is not filled with light-hearted scenes, but it is ultimately a story of love and understanding that will leave you fulfilled at the end.