Title: The Heart Knows What The Heart Wants
Genre: Contemporary / Adult/New Adult Romance
Author: Lori L. Clark
Expected Release: March 6, 2014
Genre: Contemporary / Adult/New Adult Romance
Author: Lori L. Clark
Expected Release: March 6, 2014
Synopsis
Estelle "Star" Falconé, a thirty-year-old tattooed bartender, was once a free-spirited dreamer who dabbled in astrology for fun and secretly dreamed of becoming a rock-star some day.
Twenty-one-year-old Shane Harper was once the star of his high school basketball team. With a full ride scholarship, his dream was to play college basketball and study planetary science. When a tragic car accident permanently sidelines his basketball career, college is out of the question.
Sparks fly when their two worlds collide.
Can a relationship survive between a thirty-year-old starry-eyed woman who's on the run from an extremely dangerous man, and a twenty-one-year-old science guy who's hell-bent on protecting her at all cost?
***Caution*** for mature readers. Contains graphic violence including rape. This is a complete, standalone novel.
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Twenty-one-year-old Shane Harper was once the star of his high school basketball team. With a full ride scholarship, his dream was to play college basketball and study planetary science. When a tragic car accident permanently sidelines his basketball career, college is out of the question.
Sparks fly when their two worlds collide.
Can a relationship survive between a thirty-year-old starry-eyed woman who's on the run from an extremely dangerous man, and a twenty-one-year-old science guy who's hell-bent on protecting her at all cost?
***Caution*** for mature readers. Contains graphic violence including rape. This is a complete, standalone novel.
Find on Goodreads
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Review
This book is a very sweet, but semi-dark tale of a girl running from her current life and finding something so much better where she least expects it. The writing was great. The character development was good. The problem is, I just didn’t LOVE the story. I liked it. I didn’t dislike it at all or otherwise I wouldn’t have finished it. But I just didn’t fall head over heels in love with it, and I really wanted to.
Estelle/Star is in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend, Derek, is an alcoholic who makes her life a living hell. She wants out but has always come back. Her mother supports the relationship. It’s just…not a great life. And that’s awful for a woman who deserves a great life. Estelle is sweet, but witty. Fun, but can’t express herself like she wants because of Derek. She finally makes a break for it and gets out. When her car breaks down, she didn’t expect to find a whole new family that would love and protect her. But that’s exactly what she found, plus a new love interest, Shane. Shane also has a past. A scarred, tragic past that still haunts him. They end up working and spending a lot of time together. Through this, as you can imagine, they fall in love. Her past comes back to find her, and you get to experience all of those twists and turns with them.
For me, their relationship seemed too quick. Star didn’t want to tie him down because of their age difference of 9 years. She felt he had more life to live before he would need to settle. He wants her, she wants him but won’t let it progress, so she suggests being friends. It felt like a few pages later, they were in a full blown relationship. It seemed like the transition just happened too suddenly for my taste. It wasn’t instalove which is very nice, but it was close.
It felt very predictable to me. Even without the mystery of what will happen, it’s still an interesting story. I just couldn’t get 100% into it. It also felt like the ending was much too rushed. Through all of the battles she endures, I wish it had drawn out more on the epilogue.
That’s not to say that you, as a reader, won’t disagree with me entirely. I liked it. I didn’t love it. I didn’t feel drawn in or connected with the characters, and it didn’t really pull out the emotions like I usually expect a book should. I do want to point out that the writing itself is great. Lori is obviously talented. I would be more than happy to read anything else by Lori, because I really feel like she is a great writer. This story in particular just didn’t really do it for me. I hope you do go pick it up and give it a try though.
<3 Erin
Estelle/Star is in an abusive relationship. Her boyfriend, Derek, is an alcoholic who makes her life a living hell. She wants out but has always come back. Her mother supports the relationship. It’s just…not a great life. And that’s awful for a woman who deserves a great life. Estelle is sweet, but witty. Fun, but can’t express herself like she wants because of Derek. She finally makes a break for it and gets out. When her car breaks down, she didn’t expect to find a whole new family that would love and protect her. But that’s exactly what she found, plus a new love interest, Shane. Shane also has a past. A scarred, tragic past that still haunts him. They end up working and spending a lot of time together. Through this, as you can imagine, they fall in love. Her past comes back to find her, and you get to experience all of those twists and turns with them.
For me, their relationship seemed too quick. Star didn’t want to tie him down because of their age difference of 9 years. She felt he had more life to live before he would need to settle. He wants her, she wants him but won’t let it progress, so she suggests being friends. It felt like a few pages later, they were in a full blown relationship. It seemed like the transition just happened too suddenly for my taste. It wasn’t instalove which is very nice, but it was close.
It felt very predictable to me. Even without the mystery of what will happen, it’s still an interesting story. I just couldn’t get 100% into it. It also felt like the ending was much too rushed. Through all of the battles she endures, I wish it had drawn out more on the epilogue.
That’s not to say that you, as a reader, won’t disagree with me entirely. I liked it. I didn’t love it. I didn’t feel drawn in or connected with the characters, and it didn’t really pull out the emotions like I usually expect a book should. I do want to point out that the writing itself is great. Lori is obviously talented. I would be more than happy to read anything else by Lori, because I really feel like she is a great writer. This story in particular just didn’t really do it for me. I hope you do go pick it up and give it a try though.
<3 Erin
Excerpt
"What did you dream about becoming when you grew up?" he asked as he studied her face intently. "You know, like a ballerina, or nurse, or something?"
Without hesitation she replied, "A singer."
"You're a good singer?"
She snorted, "Oh God no. I can't carry a tune...which is probably why I never became a famous rock star. What about you, what did you want to be?" she asked.
Besides hot.
All traces of happy drained from his face and he sighed. "A rocket scientist."
Star's eyes widened. His flippant answer wasn't a joke -- his face was void of humor. "Actually, I was supposed to go to college to study planetary science."
"What happened? Why didn't you go?" she asked.
He stared silently for a few seconds. "Skip. Besides, it's my turn. You aren't allowed to ask two in a row."
She picked up her pen and added that question to the bottom of the list. "Okay, next," she told him.
"How many tattoos do you have?" he asked.
"Two," she said. She pushed up her shirt sleeve and pointed to the blue planet on the back of her hand. "You've seen Neptune."
"Okay, look. This doesn't count as one of my questions. But I'm dying here. What's the other tattoo, and where is it?" he asked leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"It's over my heart and it's just a saying," she said, patting her chest with her right hand.
"What saying?"
She bit her lip and replied, "The heart knows what the heart wants."
"Beautiful." He spoke the word so softly, she wasn't sure he'd said it at all. He pushed back his chair and stood. He rubbed the back of his neck. She fascinated him and he couldn't get enough of her. "I've got to go home and clean my apartment. I've got company coming over later, and I don't want her to think I'm a complete slob."
Star felt as though she'd taken a sucker punch to the stomach. "Oh. Well yeah. You wouldn't want her to think that," she said. She hoped the disappointment she felt over him having some other female in his apartment didn't show on her face.
He reached out, cupped her cheek with his hand, and brushed the pad of his thumb across her skin. "What time should I expect you?" he asked.
Pleased with his response, she raised her eyes to meet his, and smiled. "Six?"
He nodded. "Six it is." He smiled and dropped his hand to his side before turning to leave.
Without hesitation she replied, "A singer."
"You're a good singer?"
She snorted, "Oh God no. I can't carry a tune...which is probably why I never became a famous rock star. What about you, what did you want to be?" she asked.
Besides hot.
All traces of happy drained from his face and he sighed. "A rocket scientist."
Star's eyes widened. His flippant answer wasn't a joke -- his face was void of humor. "Actually, I was supposed to go to college to study planetary science."
"What happened? Why didn't you go?" she asked.
He stared silently for a few seconds. "Skip. Besides, it's my turn. You aren't allowed to ask two in a row."
She picked up her pen and added that question to the bottom of the list. "Okay, next," she told him.
"How many tattoos do you have?" he asked.
"Two," she said. She pushed up her shirt sleeve and pointed to the blue planet on the back of her hand. "You've seen Neptune."
"Okay, look. This doesn't count as one of my questions. But I'm dying here. What's the other tattoo, and where is it?" he asked leaning forward, resting his elbows on the table.
"It's over my heart and it's just a saying," she said, patting her chest with her right hand.
"What saying?"
She bit her lip and replied, "The heart knows what the heart wants."
"Beautiful." He spoke the word so softly, she wasn't sure he'd said it at all. He pushed back his chair and stood. He rubbed the back of his neck. She fascinated him and he couldn't get enough of her. "I've got to go home and clean my apartment. I've got company coming over later, and I don't want her to think I'm a complete slob."
Star felt as though she'd taken a sucker punch to the stomach. "Oh. Well yeah. You wouldn't want her to think that," she said. She hoped the disappointment she felt over him having some other female in his apartment didn't show on her face.
He reached out, cupped her cheek with his hand, and brushed the pad of his thumb across her skin. "What time should I expect you?" he asked.
Pleased with his response, she raised her eyes to meet his, and smiled. "Six?"
He nodded. "Six it is." He smiled and dropped his hand to his side before turning to leave.
Author Bio
Lori L. Clark was born in Iowa, where she spent the first forty-six years of her life. In 2007, she loaded up a moving van and relocated to Missouri, where she currently resides. Lori's only child is a very spoiled Min Pin named Barkley. When not writing, she reads and runs. She completed her first half marathon at the age of fifty.
In 2009, after participating in NANOWRIMO, she began to take seriously the voices in her head. Two New Adult contemporary romance novels, Different Roads, and I Breathe You, were published in 2013, and showed early success. The Heart Knows What the Heart Wants is set to release in March 2014, and has her venturing into the realms of Romantic Suspense.
Lori is a member of Savvy Authors, the St. Louis Writers Guild, and Romance Writers of America.
Find Lori on Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest
In 2009, after participating in NANOWRIMO, she began to take seriously the voices in her head. Two New Adult contemporary romance novels, Different Roads, and I Breathe You, were published in 2013, and showed early success. The Heart Knows What the Heart Wants is set to release in March 2014, and has her venturing into the realms of Romantic Suspense.
Lori is a member of Savvy Authors, the St. Louis Writers Guild, and Romance Writers of America.
Find Lori on Facebook | Twitter | Blog | Amazon | Goodreads | Pinterest