Title: Crashing Waves
Author: Kelsey Kingsley
Publication: July 16, 2025
Publisher: Independently published
Genre: Romance, Military Romance
Pages: 361
Amazon | Goodreads | Author Website
SYNOPSIS: (From Goodreads)
Every child deserves to be loved.
Every child deserves parents who love them.
Yet, for as long as I can remember, I’ve harbored an insatiable craving for that one simple thing.
Love.
I was desperate for it. Through years of mistreatment and degradation, I longed for the affection I saw others receive. And I was willing to do anything to prove myself to the people I wanted it from—including going to war.
Yet it was never enough. Nothing ever was.
Except when it came to Laura, my high school sweetheart … and I pushed her away.
Over and over again.
Because how could I possibly deserve love from her—or anyone—if my own parents couldn’t find me worthy of theirs?
Maybe I’m just not worthy of anything.
REVIEW:
**A copy of this book was provided by the author and their publisher in exchange for an honest review.**
Crashing Waves is the first book in a duet, but not my first book by Kelsey Kingsley. The story follows the MMC, his POV, the only one from beginning to end. As always, please read your trigger warnings. This book explores heavy themes, including physical and emotional abuse, war, the events of 9/11, alcohol abuse, suicidal thoughts, and death. There is also an animal death that happens off-page.
I really enjoy feeling the story as I read it and that was accomplished in this book. We follow Max from his childhood to his adult years. The things that this man has to endure and go through is astonishing, but the author puts us right there in the moment with him. The emotions are heavy, but so well written. He makes so many questionable choices but with the amount of trauma he’s faced, that makes complete sense.
There are a lot of holes/time jumps in the story so it felt like we missed quite a bit and were rushed along. There is no HEA in this book but I didn’t expect it to end so abruptly. I’m okay with no resolution but it felt unfinished.
I loved reading this story from Max’s POV and I cannot wait to read Ebbing Tides.
