Hideaway Heart
No Reason to Hide How Good This Book Is
Forced Proximity with a country music star desperate for some independent quiet time and a fearless, protective, former SEAL just trying to do his job? Yes please!!! I knew Xander Buckley was going to have an amazing story, and when Melanie Harlow paired him up with Kelly Jo Sullivan, their story amped up into more than I could have ever wished for. Yep, Hideaway Heart has all the steam and small-town feels I love about Harlow’s books, but it has more heart than I was prepared for, and I absolutely love it!
Hideaway Heart is a prime example of how a fantastic storyteller can take a theme and tropes we’ve seen hundreds of times before and pull readers into a tale that’s new and fun and heart-melting and engaging. Low on angst and high on steam, Xander and Pixie/ Kelly Jo fight their attraction for about a millisecond, and readers will take even less time to be all in. I adore how Harlow focused this story on their relationship, exploring their feelings of uncertainty for a future together while still allowing them to enjoy the present.
This book has all the small-town feels and fun I’ve come to love in Harlow’s novels, and features characters I loved from book one on in the Cherry Tree Harbor series. I love the little element of suspense worked into the paparazzi storyline. And can we talk about the heat between Xander and Kelly Jo? Whew!!! Yep, growly, dirty-talking, grab-the-fan-and-a-cold-glass-of-water seggsy time amps up the relationship in this one! But it’s about so much more, too. And that element of understanding what you really want, and recognizing it’s right there in front of you, yeah, 100% seals the deal on this one for me.
I know I always say Melanie Harlow’s newest book is my favorite, but this one really really found a permanent place in my heart. I can’t wait for the next one in the series, but I also know I’ll come back to Hideaway Heart often in my journey through Cherry Tree Harbor.
