Jack
For the last ten years, I've roamed the globe, captivated by the world around me. I've seen the seven wonders and admired sunsets from every continent. I'd lived and loved and that was enough for me. It would have to be.
I was content, satisfied with my collection of experiences . . . until a phone call led me down a road less traveled.
If I'd known my fascination would pique and be forever quenched only a few hundred miles from where my curiosity had been born, I may have never set sail.
Rose
Stripped of the future I'd planned with the love of my life, my family and my career were now all that mattered. I'd lived and loved and that was enough. It would have to be.
I struggled to move forward, to discard the part of me that held out hope for my obliterated heart. But I was bred a romantic, so it was easier said than done.
The chances of being struck by lightning are 1 in 960,000.
The odds of being struck twice are 1 in 9 million.
I risked those odds every minute, often cursing the dark sky, praying for static and a rumble of thunder, but it never came.
No, that second bolt hit me on a clear day.
The Heart can be read as a stand alone but it is HIGHLY recommended you read the first two books in the series first.
The Reluctant Romantics Series
The Fall
The Mind 1.5
The Heart
Books that compliment the series (Room 212, Never Me.)
Explicit Sex and Strong Language
My Review
There are times when a series grabs you and makes you feel all the things you never knew you could feel. The Reluctant Romantics is that series for me. I fell hard for the angsty journey Dallas and Dean took in The Fall. I laughed and sobbed my way through Rose and Grant's heartbreaking journey in The Mind. And I laughed, cried (happy tears, mostly), and smiled in pure happiness in The Heart while Jack helped Rose rebuild her life. This book is everything I love about reading. Once I started, I could not put it down. It may be Kate Stewart's best work yet and I'm still riding the high from this emotional and beautiful journey.
Rose has suffered unimaginable heartbreak. She lost her best friend and fiancee Grant in a car accident one week before their wedding. For the next three years she's focused on finishing her training to become a surgeon, her niece and nephew and trying to keep Grant's memory alive. But what she's finding is that she's stagnant. She can't let go even, though, she's starting to realize it's time. But true love doesn't end just because the other person isn't there anymore and she still mourns what was so tragically taken from her. Yet the knew contractor helping build her and her sister's dream cancer center finally makes her realize what she hasn't had in so long.
Jack has put his past behind him. He, too, has suffered tragedy but has taken steps to get past it. He traded in his suit and collar job for working with his hands and traveling. When his mentor Seth, Rose's dad, asks for his help designing and building his daughters' medical practice, he gladly lends a hand. It doesn't hurt that he meets Rose and is instantly taken by her. But Rose's obvious reluctance to start anything more than friendship and his deep affection for her dad make him wary to delve too deeply into his feelings. However spending time together proves a catalyst that neither can ignore. Rose and Jack fall into a comfortable, quiet relationship that only builds in intensity as time moves on. Yet neither has been completely honest and old demons never stay buried.
The Heart is a standalone yet is a continuation of a series. I think you'll get the most out of it by starting at the beginning but it can be read on its own. While this really starts years after Rose's story first began, we're given a look into her life with Grant with chapter breaks and chapter headings. I loved those. I smiled and swallowed the lump in my throat each time but it was a perfect way to transition the story. Plus even with such sad subject matter, I found myself giggling and laughing out loud on several occasions. Kate did a fabulous job of balancing this story and making me really feel like I was on Rose's path right alongside her. Her heartbreak and guilt and joy at falling for Jack was honest and true to her story and her character.
And Jack. Oh my sweet Jack. He was the light that shined throughout the whole story. You'd think it would be hard to follow in Grant's footsteps but he was so perfect for Rose and her growth. Just like Rose, I didn't love Grant less, just differently. Jack had his own struggles but he was always so open and honest and just so real. He had a quiet intensity to him and a depth I found refreshing. He was also so sexy and take charge. Absolutely yummy in the car, in the bed room, the hall way, you get the picture. While both he and Rose made mistakes, by the end I was just so in love with them and their full circle love story.
I also cannot forget to mention that epilogue. It was TO DIE FOR. Seriously. Best series ending ever. Now I just need to go start at the beginning agin because I just cannot let these characters go yet. They have become some of my very favorite and I won't soon forget them.
Reviewed by Paige
★★☆ 5 "You Own Me" Stars ☆★★
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A native of Dallas, Kate Stewart now resides in beautiful Charleston, S.C. She lives with her husband of 9 years, Nick, and her naughty beagle, Sadie.
Kate moved to Charleston three weeks after her first visit, dropping her career of 8 years, and declaring the city her creative muse. Since the move in 2010, Kate has written and published four novels including Room 212, Never Me, Loving the White Liar and The Fall.
Kate writes messy, sexy, angst filled romance books with 'hard to get' happy endings because it's what she loves as a reader. She has a scary addiction to chocolate milk and a deep love for rap music specifically the genius known as Marshall Mathers.
In addition to her addiction to romance, Kate also lets her alter ego take over on occasion and writes erotic suspense under the pen Angelica Chase.
Check out Kate's works as Angelica
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