Late one snowy winter evening, veterinarian Justin Hart
is doing his accounting when he sees a car sliding.
There's been an accident, and the pregnant woman who was
driving is nearly hysterical because she's positive she
hit a dog. Justin goes looking for the dog, who is also
pregnant. He is alone and he must ask the woman, who is
actress Alyssa Cole, to help him if they are going to save
the dog's life. Alyssa was kicked out by her famous agent
husband; she has no money, no place to go, and soft-
hearted Justin takes her in.
CLOSE TO HEART is book 3 in the amazing Healing Harts
series, and although characters encountered in the
previous instalments appear, CLOSE TO HEART can easily be
read as a standalone. In spite of Ms. Kline's tremendous
writing skills, I was a touch apprehensive at the idea of
a romance featuring a pregnant woman; it would have been
without counting on the author's storytelling genius.
CLOSE TO HEART is again different in tone from books 1
and 2, and it is an extremely compelling read because of
the remarkably complex characters that are Justin and
Alyssa, and the depth of character development throughout
the book.
The rescued dog and her puppies play an important part in
the relationship between Julian and Alyssa, albeit
inadvertently. Alyssa is very reserved and reluctant to
reveal her past to Justin, but as she does, we learn that
the movie star's personal life was far from glamorous.
One plot twist took me completely by surprise, and
seriously complicated Alyssa and Julian's budding
romance. Alyssa and Julian's love bloomed gradually,
growing from their mutual attraction and their
friendship, but Julian's stubbornness threatens to
destroy everything they started to build and it's painful
to witness.
CLOSE TO HEART is a carefully constructed story,
beautifully written, and Ms. Kline handles sensitively
the rather delicate subject of a couple falling in love
while the woman is expecting another man's child. And I'm
very much looking forward to Bailey's story!
It only took an instant for her world to come crashing
down…but Heart Fire Ranch is a place of new beginnings, even
for those who find their way there by accident
As the only veterinarian in town, Justin Hart doesn't have
time to think about romance. So when A-list actress Alyssa
Cole crashes her car outside his clinic, it's entirely
unexpected when there's a spark between them he can't
ignore. Still, she's a movie star, and he's just a small
town cowboy.
Alyssa has learned the hard way not to believe first
impressions, especially not in Hollywood. But, 400 miles
from her former life with nowhere to go and no one to turn
to, she places her trust in the handsome vet who comes to
her rescue.
There's no denying the connection between them, but when
Alyssa's past shows up at the door, will their new
relationship be able to withstand the storm?