Book Review: Heart Words by Nora Everly

Heart Words: Released TODAY, January 31, 2020
Order: mybook.to/HeartWords
Add to Goodreads TBR: http://bit.ly/HeartWords

Synopsis:
She believes being alone is safer.

The last person Rose wants to see is the man who broke her heart.
Unfortunately, his daughter is the newest and most adorable kindergartner in her class, and he is the newest, hottest, and most annoyingly determined cop in town.

He believes she’s his dream come true.

Trevor knows how it looks. He screwed up. He has to make her understand and he’s willing to grovel to make it happen.
Unfortunately, Rose buries feelings like it’s her job, she’s an expert at avoidance, and he is number one on her list of people to hide from.

With the flame that never died still flickering between them and Trevor’s past resurfacing to haunt him, can he win Rose’s heart?

Is it possible to get a second chance when it felt like you never really took the first one?   

My Review:

Small Towns & Second Chances

Heart Words is an absolutely amazing, steamy, swoony second-chance romance that I DEVOURED in one sitting (well, 1.5, since I had to go pick up my kids from school about 2/3 of the way through). Trevor and Rose have a history (from Book 1), but you don’t need to have read In My Heart in order to read this one. The relevant backstory is doled out to you in perfect time to understand what’s going on in present day/Book 2. Rose and Trev met in Book 1 and had an amazing connection with sizzling soul-mate level chemistry. For a laundry-list of reasons – all centered around his children- Trevor ended up “taking back” his estranged wife/his children’s mother at the end of her life. This didn’t sit well with Rose (they may have had some failures to communicate here as well…) and their blossoming relationship ended badly and before its time. Now, Trevor and his kids have moved to Sweetbriar for a fresh start, and his adorable daughter is in Rose’s kindergarten class. Ignoring the parent of her favorite student proves to be more difficult than Rose could have ever imagined.

Trevor knows he handled things badly with Rose, and is determined to make up for lost time and show her how much he loves her. Trevor is the yummiest!! He puts his children first, but his goal is to make a life for all three of them in Sweetbriar, and that life IS going to include the town’s sexy and stubborn kindergarten whisperer. Throw in a HUGE and lovingly intrusive family on Rose’s side, and you have a story that’s truly not to be missed. There is quite a bit of drama and even a few parts that had me on the edge of my seat as the past catches up with Trevor very unpleasantly, and I fully admit that the final pages had me in tears (I get oh-so-invested in “the good ones”) IN A GOOD WAY.

I absolutely love the way that Everly writes the children into this story, making the HEA about the family and not just the H&h. This seems to be a theme for her, and it’s something that I’m really enjoying about her storytelling. Rose’s inner dialogue is hilarious throughout this book, and I do hope that that “romantic comedy” feel is something that persists with future couples.

I voluntarily received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. My first “meeting” of this author was through SmartyPants Romance (Crime and Periodicals), and then moved into this Sweetbriar Hearts series. I’m thrilled beyond words that Everly has set us up for many more Sweetbriar books in the future, and I can’t wait to see what else this wacky, amazing, loyal, fun, and meddling family has in store for us!