Release Blitz + Review: "Hideaway Heart" by Melanie Harlow

I'm happy to participate in the release blitz celebrating "Hideaway Heart" by Melanie Harlow, book #2 of the Cherry Tree Harbor series. Characters from the previous book make appearances in this one, but it reads as a standalone.

After several years working in personal security, former Navy SEAL Xander Buckley moves back to his Michigan hometown to open a sports bar. He's scrambling to get everything ready for the grand opening when he receives a call from his old friend, fellow Navy SEAL Kevin Sullivan, asking for a favor. Kevin's sister Kelly Jo, better known as country music star Pixie Hart, is taking a much-needed vacation following a long, grueling tour. She insists she's fine on her own, but her brother disagrees. She's constantly stalked by paparazzi and overzealous fans, and Kevin worries that Kelly Jo won't be safe in the vacation home she's rented near Cherry Tree Harbor. He asks Xander to take a temporary position as her bodyguard. It's terrible timing, but Xander owes Kevin for saving his life years ago, so he agrees. Kelly Jo, however, is none too happy to see Xander when he shows up unannounced as she's stepping out of the shower; she tries to fire him, but he refuses to leave. It's only the beginning of their battle of wills - and maybe something more if she can let her guard down enough to trust him.
 

Sparks flew between Xander and Kelly Jo from the moment they met, setting up a fantastic slow burn romance with a payoff that was more than worth the wait. Kelly Jo had good reason to be mistrustful, but there was more to flirty Xander than it seemed. He was cocky, but he had the goods to back it up, and he did a great job of helping her gain the confidence she needed to stand up for herself and what she wanted. They made a wonderful couple and I was rooting for them the whole way. 

Overall, I very much enjoyed this funny, sweet, and perfectly steamy story. I highly recommend "Hideaway Heart" for all contemporary romance and romantic comedy fans and look forward to the next book in the series.

 

*Review copy provided by the author via Valentine PR. All opinions expressed are my own.   

About "Hideaway Heart"

She's a country music star trying to escape the spotlight. He's the scorching hot bodyguard she doesn't want on her vacation. And there's only one bed.

Hideaway Heart by Melanie Harlow is now live!

All I wanted was a break—two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.

But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded bodyguard.

And guess what? There’s only one bed.

Well, he can couch it.

Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.

But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.

Instead, I end up kissing him.

I don’t even know how it happened—one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.

But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.

Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.

Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.