This Heart Of Mine (Whiskey Creek, #8)

by Brenda Novak

www.BrendaNovak.com

First love. Second chance?

As the daughter of a hoarder, Phoenix Fuller had a tough childhood. So when the handsome, popular Riley Stinson became her boyfriend in high school, she finally felt as though she had something to be proud of. Phoenix was desperate not to lose him–especially once she found out she was pregnant. Yes, she might have acted a bit obsessive when he broke up with her. But she did not run down the girl he started dating next.

Unfortunately, there was no way to prove her innocence. Now, after serving her time in prison, Phoenix has been released. All she wants to do is return to Whiskey Creek and get to know her son. But Jacob's father isn't exactly welcoming.

Riley doesn't trust Phoenix, doesn't want her in Jacob's life. He is, however, ready to find someone to love. And he wants a good mother for his son. He has no idea that he's about to find both!

• ISBN13: 9781474031028
• Publish Date: 1 April 2015 (first published 31 March 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Mira Books
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 400
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[Cocktails and Books]

I have to confess to being a little nervous when I started this book. I have enjoyed the previous entries of the Whiskey Creek series and I wasn’t sure how I felt about Phoenix being a heroine. While I haven’t read all of the books in the series (I want too), I have read enough to know the back ground of Phoenix’s situation and that made me leery of her.

It didn’t take me long to discover that I really liked Phoenix! She’s had a raw deal, but is willing to put up with absolutely anything to get to know her son, Jacob. I appreciated that Phoenix’s focus was on building lasting relationships with both her mother and son and that she tried to avoid anything romantic with Riley, Jacob’s father.

Riley is a good guy and hard not to like. It doesn’t take him long to figure out that he’s been unfair to Phoenix and in the process of supporting his son’s getting to know her, he figures out his own feelings. This is a couple that you definitely root for throughout the book.

There is an element of “too good to be true” in the Phoenix-Riley-Jacob relationship and interactions, but it works in the context of the story. The big conflict in the book is Phoenix and Riley vs outside forces and Ms. Novak did a great job with handling it. We get the expected happy ending, but it isn’t exactly perfect and that’s what makes it just right for the story.

Overall, This Heart of Mine is a well written and strong entry into the Whiskey Creek Series. It also works well as a stand-alone novel. The characters from previous Whiskey Creek stories make an appearance in the book, but are not central to the action.

 

Reviewed by Elizabeth B.This review was originally posted on Cocktails and Books.

[Linda]

*I received a free ARC of This Heart of Mine from Harlequin via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*

I started reading This Heart of Mine expecting to not enjoy Phoenix's story all that much - from all I had learned about her in the prior Whiskey Creek books, I just didn't think I'd like her. Boy, was I wrong! Her story just might be the best in the series yet, and her second chance at love was beautiful!


Full review to come soon.

This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews

[kimbacaffeinate]

This Heart of Mine by Brenda Novak is the eighth book in her Whiskey Creek series. I love small-town romances and I have always wanted to try one her novels. I was delighted that this worked as a standalone and was even more excited to meet Phoenix Fuller. An unusual heroine and a second chance romance gave me all the feels.

Phoenix was not a popular kid in high school, in fact most thought her an oddball. She lived in a trailer on the outskirts of town with her mother but Riley noticed her and the two fell in love. Family pressures led to their break-up and Phoenix found herself alone, heartbroken and pregnant but a tragic car ride sealed their fate. Phoenix was accused and found guilty of running down a classmate and sentenced to jail.

The story picks up seventeen years later when Phoenix is released and returns to Whiskey Creek hoping to establish a connection with her young son. Novak did a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters and making me connect. It is a story of forgiveness, truth and most of all love.

The romance was sweet, tender and made my heart skip a beat. I adore second chance romances and this one was fragile and filled with heartache. I was so glad to see Riley and Phoenix get their chance. Phoenix is such a strong character and her story will have you swallowing a lump in your throat. I would have imagined she would be bitter, but her journey has been remarkable and the scars she carries are a testament to her strength. Yet, beneath it all she is still that hurt young woman with a tender heart. Her son, and townsfolk made the tale feel genuine allowing us to feel the impact her return has made. We see the stigma of living on the wrong side of the tracks in a small-town and the helping hand of neighbors.

Novak stated that Phoenix’s story just flowed from her and you can feel it in the writing. The characters are genuine and their interacts realistic. If you have not tried Novak, yet I encourage you to try This Heart of Mine. Low angst, realistic characters and low-heat make this a perfect Sunday afternoon read. Go, go visit Whiskey Creek, I promise you will want to stay awhile.

Copy provided by publisher. This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Book Reviewer