I’ve only read one book by Dixie previously (Rescued by the Ranger) which I enjoyed, so when I saw Heart pop up on Netgalley I requested it immediately. Unfortunately this ended up being kind of a mixed bag for me. I’ll start off with what I loved-Luke, of course! The book starts off with him in captivity in a POW camp in Afghanistan. The only thing he has to keep him anchored to his former life is a picture of Sally and remembering the times he spent with her and her daughter. I don’t feel like I’m spoiling anything when I say he is rescued and to the US for treatment of his multiple injuries.

Sally has not had an easy life, and is running from something in her past. She thinks she may have finally found a man she could trust, but when she tries to see Luke at Bethesda, he refuses to see her. Hurt, she returns to Idaho and her daughter and tries to build a stable life without Luke. Of course, he eventually follows her and they start to get closer while danger approaches them from all sides.

I really enjoyed the storyline-lots of action and romance, and I adored Luke and his friends (especially MacGyver!) even if as expected, they sometimes act like men. I even understand why he pushed Sally away to begin with after his rescue, because he wouldn’t want to be seen as incomplete, or maybe less than a man. And Sally definitely was sympathetic, her background makes it easy to understand why she would react the way she did but at as this is a romance, we all know how it’s going to end!

Now, you’re probably remembering that I said this one was a mixed bag for me, right? And I will admit, what bothered me was small but it just threw me out of the story a couple of times. Let’s talk about sex, baby! Or in the case of this book, some REALLY odd word choices. Sure vagina seems clinical, so some prefer pussy or the c word (just not my fave, so I’m not going to use it) or you can go the old purple prose way and say love canal. But I must say, in all my years of reading romance, I have never seen the phrase ‘hot, tight receptacle’ used instead. Unfortunately that makes me think of a trash can, and caused an immediate giggle fit, only to be followed up a little later by ‘swollen kernel’ for clit. The actual scenes were hot which made the word choice seem even odder, but as I said it was a minor issue.

Overall, I would definitely recommend this book for fellow lovers of romantic suspense, just be prepared to laugh a little at the intimate moments! I’m definitely looking forward to reading more in the series and from Dixie in general. Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Lyrical Liaison for the chance to R&R the book early!

The title of this book drew me to it, and since it was by an author I was not familiar with, I decided to give it a try.
I am so glad I did!!
Former Navy SEAL Luke Harding and single Mom, Sally , met a few weeks before deployment. Neither foreseeing the horror Luke would endure as a POW in Afghanistan. When he returns to a hospital in the USA almost dead, he refuses to see Sally. Devastated, she left thinking she would never see him.
They meet again when Luke goes to check on her , and ends up rescuing her from a date gone wrong. Along the way, danger follows them .
These two have lots of baggage. Luke due to the results of his imprisonment and Sally because she has secrets .
It was an engaging story with strong , complex characters. A plot filled with suspense , bad guys as well as honorable Navy SEALS . At times heartbreaking, but also heartwarming.
In addition to a story that holds your attention from page one, it was also a reminder that we need to honor and thank the courageous men and women who are willing to sacrifice their lives to keep us safe, not only abroad but also at home. For that , kudos to the author.
I foresee future story for the other former Navy SEALs that were part of the plot.
I was gifted this copy by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

DNF. This one just didn't work for me.

a good solid suspenseful romance story. I liked how the story unfolded. Didn't want to quit reading until the end. Luke and Sally were an interesting couple. Good overall writing.

3.25stars
The only thing that is keeping Luke alive in his darkest hours of a SEAL is thinking about Sally. But he makes a mistake and pushes her out of his life. After healing and seeking help, he comes to ask her for forgiveness. There are secrets around Sally's past and the night that they make a decision about talking push them into running and hiding. In all the drama Sally comes to the conclusion that she still has strong feelings toward Luke, but enemy comes knocking on the door and they have more than to fight for their love but for their life too. The story was ok, interesting and I like that it wasn't predictable. It just for me the special spark had been missing in the whole story. Both Luke and Sally were ok characters but I didn't fell in love with them, especially Sally was not convincing to me. The story just didn't blow me away, but it was ok to read I read even worse.
I volunteered to review an ARC of this book for Netgelly

** I received a copy of Heart of a SEAL from Net Galley in exchange for a voluntary and honest review**

Heart of a SEAL by Dixie Lee Brown is the first book of the Hearts of Valor series. If Mack and Coop's book are as good as Luke's then you'll be in for a wild ride through the series. This is Luke and Sally's story and worth all 4.8 stars trust me on this.

Luke Harding survived a helicopter crash that took the lives of his three teammates and landed him and his teammate Ian into a POW camp run by a splinter group of Al-Qaeda. But after six months he's not only been beaten but he's survived because of a photo of Sally and her daughter Jen. They met before he deployed and hope that she'll be there if he ever gets out of this prison. But luck is on his side when the SEALs swoop in for a rescue and hope he'll survive his injuries. Can he convince Sally Duncan to give him a second chance because he said he didn't want to see her while he healed both his mind and body? He hopes so because he loves little Jennifer like she's his own now if he can convince Sally.

Sally Duncan has secrets but what she doesn't count on is her boss literally hitting on her. Little does she know that after he takes her home from their date that Luke will be waiting and able to do what he does best rescue her. What Sally doesn't want is excuses from Luke or the fact her house will catch on fire but he's able to get them out safely before you guessed it an explosion finished the job. So once again they are on the run from not only the same person she's running from but also a person who wants Luke dead and if Sally, Jen and a few of Luke's buddies so be it.

This is a fantastic book with lots of action, a bad guy who turns out to be good, US Marshall's and WITSEC. Add in a group of terrorists that will need Luke's former SEAL team and Daniel's need for vengeance for his brothers death to stop an attack that could be worse than 9/11.

3.5 stars.
A story with a wounded hero and a heroine who’s on the run with her daughter.
While I enjoyed the concept of this book, I found its execution a little simplistic at times. The idea of the fiercely loyal and devoted hero (to the heroine and her daughter) is captivating, even if repetitive and a bit sugary, and I liked the characters and the romance, but the sometimes careless couple attitude towards the persecution lacked common sense and was at odds with the characters (a former SEAL, a mother).
I found the suspense part weaker than the romance, yet the wording and descriptions about sex sometimes felt a bit sappy or weird.

I received an arc from Netgalley. This romance has trouble threatening Luke and Sally from all sides of their former lives and just when you think the threats are done one more comes to try to ruin the day.

Luke and Sally have a rough start to their relationship but through all the obstacles that threaten them they make it out together.

Good read and a 4 star book for me.

Wow! A Must Read!

Get ready to get lost in this SEAL filled, page turning, action-packed, plot twisting, suspenseful, romantic adventure that you will enjoy from beginning to end!

Dixie Lee Brown has done it again! I couldn't put it down once I started reading it!