Book: Open Hearts
Series: Heartland #3
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Publication Date: November 25, 2016
Length: 276 pages
Reviewed by Meredith
Synopsis
Firefighter Asim Bishara knows it’s time to start living again. For years he’s avoided dealing with his estrangement from his Muslim family and the loss of his first love in the 9/11 attack. Through therapy, Asim begins to heal and combat his own self-loathing. He’s ready to leave his loneliness and isolation behind and find love again.
Moving on is proving more difficult for Ángel Stanford. When Ángel’s husband Zach died, Ángel’s dreams of a home and family perished along with him. He always wanted to be a stay-at-home husband and father, but he never imagined he’d be raising Gracie alone. The closer he gets to the handsome firefighter—and the more Asim becomes a part of his and Gracie’s life—the more Ángel feels like he’s betraying Zach. Ángel has to give himself permission to be happy and realize that while nothing will ever replace the life he had before, the future for him and his daughter can be full of happiness… if he’s willing to reach out and take it.
Buy Links
Review
I have actually only read this one and book 2 of Logan
Meredith’s Heartland series. Both are standalones but all the characters
mingle so reading from book one might be a good idea.
Open Hearts is crazy emotional! There’s parts of this story
that are heavy on the angst. Other parts are angering and frustration. Some
areas are utterly beautiful and so full of love. My heart absolutely and
completely broke for Asim. I won’t lie and say I was unsympathetic to Angel’s
situation because I was. But something about Asim struck a chord with me.
Asim is a firefighter. When the book starts he’s not out of
the closet. He has been barely living since the man he loved more than any
other died.
Angel is a nurse and a father to beautiful Gracie. He is
very much out of the closet. But, he is also mourning the loss of his husband.
Both men with horrible guilt and a desperate need to love
having to overcome so much just to be together. It was highly moving.
The frustration I had was of course all the stuff Asim ended
up having to deal with. With his colleagues, Angel, his friends, all of it. How
he didn’t just explode with anger is beyond me. He’s so patient with Angel to
the point even I was like, “Stop. You deserve better.”
Angel has a lot on his plate too but it was the jerking Asim
around that was the big anger button for me. I knew Angel was going to have to
do something huge to get Asim to want him in his life.
We deal with a lot in this book. Loss, acceptance, love,
culture clashes, family, friends, and most of all living.
Logan Meredith has absolutely written a book that will hit
you smack in the heart. Lots of tears, some laughs, angst, and reflection.
Giveaway
Enter the monthly review giveaway!
Contest ends November 30th
Thank you!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I've been waiting for Summer Lessons! =)
ReplyDeleteI love to read Summer Lessons by Amy Lane
ReplyDelete