Greer Hadley flees home to Madison, Tennessee after a failure in Nashville.  Her arrival home, though, leads her to find her boyfriend involved with another woman.  Her world is crushed and she acts out in a drunken fit.  The story opens with her in court, waiting for the judge’s decision.Ally Martinez, at age 15, is trying to hold her household together as her mom is spinning out of control on the loss of her military service husband.  The two (mother and daughter) are in danger of losing one another. 
The third main character is Emmett Lawson, a high school classmate of Greer's, who is back home after he lost a leg in the service.  He is trying to cope with a new type of future, and he's not sure that he wants one.  
Author Trentham spins a believable story about these struggling souls who might be able to build one another up, if they can find glimmers of hope.

This is a story about second chances and healing from trauma. Greer finds her life in shambles after a night of poor choices due to finding out her bf is cheating. She's tasked with community service helping Vets and their families. Ally is a young girl who loves music but is hurting beyond measure from the recent loss of her father because of the war. Emmett is a war hero with ptsd and a bad case of survivor's guilt. When the 3 meet up beautiful things happens and the healing begins. Pick this book up, you won't be disappointed. 

Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced PDF so that I can share my opinions with y'all

Heart of a Hero #2, A heartfelt emotional romance about healing, grieving, learning to move on, and music. Greer left Nashville and came back home to find her boyfriend cheating on her, instead of feeling inspired to write she felt more dejected than before and thought she'd never pick her guitar up again. But after a night of drinking and getting in trouble with a perverted cop she winds up with community service helping out a local place where they use music to help with veterans and their family. Her first assignment is a young teenager, Ally, who lost her father overseas and her mother isn't handling it any better. Greer's second assignment is a little bit more personal. Emmett was the popular one in high school and he even stood up for Greer once and she never forgot the incident so when she heard what happened she easily took the assignment.

Emmett blamed himself for what happened, he may have lost part of his left but several of him men lost their lives. He plans to just sit alone in the cabin and just drink the pain away until a feisty little spitfire named Greer calls to his senses, brings music back into his life and shows him he still has something to live for. Ally hates her new school, she hates that her mom acts like her dad's not dead, she doesn't want to do the music therapy but Greer shows her a way to vent through her lyrics. Ally and Emmett also help Greer get out of her funk, show her that she deserves better than her last boyfriend and that the music never left her she just needed the right person, or persons, to push her where she needs to be.

Overall, this was a beautiful story. Laura Trentham wears a coat of many colors when it comes what she can write and she writes emotional, not to angsty, romance just as well as she writes the funny stuff.

Greer Hadley really mucked up. She can’t even remember all the things she did that night – but her uncle, Judge Duckett, is happy to remind her: “Disorderly conduct. Public intoxication. Resisting arrest.” She’s all dressed up for her court date, willing to pay a fine, and do some community service. Litter pickup is fine with her. Not so fast—her uncle, for the first time not wearing his “jolly-uncle smile,” has another plan.

“You have talents that would be wasted on the side of the road picking up trash, Ms. Hadley. You will spend your fifty hours working at the Music Tree Foundation.”

Greer is so taken aback: “the mention of music set her stomach roiling.” She’s a failed singer-songwriter and at thirty, “she was resigned to finding a real job” and all that entails. There’s absolutely nothing she would rather less do that be put in a situation that tears at her insecurities. But her uncle is adamant. The Music Tree Foundation needs her. “Military veterans and their families” need help—they’ve been traumatized in the service of their country. As a volunteer singer/songwriter, Greer will be a vehicle to help veterans through her “gift of music.” To me it sounded like her uncle was channeling poet Mary Oliver: he was asking her, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

I hope I’m not making An Everyday Hero sound too dour or serious—it’s anything but. Even the night Greer goes wild has a dark, hysterical side to it—she was minding her own business, nursing a drink at a bar, until she hears “Carrie’s revenge anthem”—sing along folks, “Before He Cheats.” Her ex had cheated on her and somehow, coming back home to her little Tennessee hometown from Nashville with her tail between her legs just got to her.

Seeing Greer turn her life around—helping herself through helping others—is beyond inspirational. Highly recommended.

This was a book that I didn't know I needed. The story is wonderful and the characters very much in need of the fresh start that their involvement with each other brings about. Greer and Emmett are so great together and I loved witnessing their connection, how much they developed as individuals and together! I finished this book, within 24 hours of starting it, and with a big dopey grin on my face and I couldn't recommend it more.

Was late in reviewing,  will definitely go online and review there.   But excellent;   I liked how the character was made more “human” for want of a better word,

Wow!  Powerful story of life, of love and war and the fallout.  This book pulled me in and made me laugh and made me cry.  I highly recommend.  I will be looking at this author's back list.  lley

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review.

Two broken people can see the solution to each other’s problem but not their own.  Along with a young girl, Ally, they try to calm the hurts that have impacted them.

Greer is in serious trouble for trashing Rosie’s Bar and is sentenced to volunteer at the Music Tree Foundation.  The foundation was created to help veterans and their families heal through music.  

Ally’s father was killed during a deployment.  She is blaming everyone for her grief.  Her sullen attitude is met with Greer’s caustic words.  

To make matters worse, Greer is assigned to help Emmet Lawson, a veteran who returned from the war as an amputee and refuses any human contact.  The two exchange barbs that ultimately make them do the thing that will help them deal with their devastating loss.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as The Military Wife.  This book felt a bit stagnant.  While Emmet had to accept his amputation, Lily her perceived end of a musical career and Lily’s devastation over her dad dying, it seemed to struggle to get to the climax.  

The writing is good, as all of Laura Trentham’s books always are.  The quips are witty – some will cause the reader to laugh out loud.  


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley.  This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book.  I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Her music dried up and her boyfriend cheated making her a country song cliche while his all-American red white and blue bled out leaving him broken.  Does life have a new chance for them?  I saw the heartfelt blurb on this one and thought it was long past time for me to try this new to me author who gets to the heart of what makes a hero in her romances.
Review

An Everyday Hero is the second installment in this series of standalone romances.  I started with this one and couldn’t even tell you if it had any connection at all to the previous book so it can definitely be read out of order.

An Everyday Hero opens with Greer Hadley standing before the judge shamed at her recent descent to rock bottom and shocked at the sentence she receives- fifty hours at a non-profit music therapy organization for working with military vets and families.  Her music and her dreams dried up in Nashville and she walked away from it all, but a troubling first session with a teen girl who lost her dad and she sees her own troubled teen self in the girl.  Then she gets assigned a reclusive military vet who is an amputee and struggling with survivor’s guilt.  He was once the most popular guy at school and her own secret crush.  She didn’t think she had anything to offer others, but finds her own brand of sarcasm and offbeat ways are just what these two people who don’t want pity or fake care need.  And, as she tries with them, she learns that Ally and Emmet might be just what she needs to find her way.

Emmet Lawson came back when others did not.  He should be grateful, but instead he doesn’t see the point and wishes it had been him who was left dead back in the desert.  He uses the old family cabin and sits in his rocker drinking his meals.  Then feisty Greer shows up and won’t be driven away by his snarl and shotgun.  She challenges him and he slowly starts taking an interest so that he is soon challenging her with her issues as well.  A shift happens in his mind as he starts taking an interest in his family, the family horse farm, and most definitely Greer.  Could she ever see him as more than a friend?

There is so much to absorb in this book.  It’s a romance, but it is also the comeback stories for three hurting people.  Loss and recovery is a huge pair of elements.  Finding one’s self and learning to allow others in the support is also there.  Military sacrifices both by a soldier and a soldier’s family.   A love for music and the healing it brings.  And, yes, romance.

Both Greer and Emmet are really wallowing when the story begins.  They have good reasons to feel beaten down and bruised of heart.  But then Greer becomes the catalyst for assisting Aly and then Emmet.  As they come out of their internal exiles, they turn it around and start pulling Greer out of her troubles.  It was neat to see them all helping each other and then seeing the supporting love of family and friends around them.  The emphasis on coping with grief and loss is huge and I liked how the author handled that with an intimate knowledge of the military life for soldiers and families.  I appreciated that she got them on the road to recovery before things shifted between Greer and Emmet into acting on their attraction and their feelings for each other.

It was gently-paced and very much so character-driven.  I found it full of depth and rich in thoughtful moments.  It was a heartwarming and eventually feel-good romance and come-back story.  I loved this first occasion to read the author’s work and it will definitely be followed up with more.  I can definitely recommend this book to military romance and small town romance fans who enjoy spicy, character-driven romance.

My thanks to St. Martin’s for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

An Everyday Hero is a wonderful novel by Laura Trentham. The story of two broken people who both thought their lives were over, it's a great story of healing.

Greer is back home, struggling to find her way. Everything is going wrong for her, leaving her unable to figure out the next step. Meanwhile, she's stuck doing some community service. Emmett is home, hiding away, since being injured during his military service. Greer showing up at his door doesn't make him happy, but she has a job to do.

Both characters are well established, with their pain and emotions clearly demonstrated. I enjoy the uniqueness of both them and their relationship. 

This is a wonderful story that is so much more than a romance. There are so many people who are suffering, and there's a whole lot of healing to be done. Not only do Greer and Emmett need to heal, Ally and her mother are also a large part of the story, with a heartbreaking backstory. 

The author does a great job with these multi-layered characters and their even more multi-layered storyline. The storyline is well crafted, easily drawing the reader into this world and keeping us invested. 

An Everyday Hero is a great tale of moving forward with the help of others; friends and family. Having enjoyed this one so much, I will need to check out the first book in the series, as well as remain on the lookout for future books.

This book was amazing! I don't know what else to say about it, other than I loved it so much! It has been a number of years since I read Laura Trentham and am kicking myself for not picking up books by her earlier.

This is the perfect book if you are looking for a heartwarming story that will make you smile.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Everyday Hero
Laura Trentham

Such an emotional story of second chances and a raw look at how you move on when life has shifted to a place you never would of expected. Such a thought provoking story, heartbreaking as well as heart warming story. . A powerful love story that makes me believe fate takes over when necessary. Greer and Emmetts lives intertwine at the perfect time, I have a new respect for families of military personnel and have a deeper understanding of how difficult it is at times to keep going.  An Everyday Hero pulled me in from the beginning this book was realistic, had well developed characters that I could connect with and the momentum that kept going at a fast pace throughout the pages. I strongly recommend this story. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in an honest exchange for my review.

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An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham is an incredible story. It is well-written and the emotions jump off of the page. I instantly felt connected to Greer and Emmett. This is one of those books where I picked it up to just read a few pages and found myself up past my bedtime for a couple of nights. The small-town setting, complex characters, and plot that pulls at your heartstrings make this one a five-star read for me. Absolutely wonderful.

I received this book from the publisher via NetGalley and I am voluntarily sharing my honest review.

This was a terrific story of starting over when your life has taken a disastrous turn. I loved Greer and Emmett. They were extremely well developed characters; I felt like I kept learning more about them and the more I read, the deeper I became invested in their life struggles as well as their growing respect for and attachment to one another. I loved seeing them support and encourage each other before they ever thought they might have a future together.
I requested and voluntarily read an advanced review copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley and I offer my honest opinion in response.

There is definitely a Hallmark-y vibe to this story. It's sweet and somewhat predictable. But it's also smartly written and told in a way that felt relatable and engaging and sometimes downright charming. It moved a little slowly for me sometimes, and other times it caused a grin to plaster itself relentlessly across my face. I laughed, I swooned, and my heart hurt for these fabulous characters. It's not super heavy on the romance, and the heat level is low, but it was heartwarming and lovely and I'm so glad I took a chance on it.

This book goes way beyond typical romance titles. The romance is there, and it is very sweet, but this author really nails the characters. She depicts an injured veteran with such grace and sensitivity that I have to believe she has first-hand personal experience. She shows such insight into the veteran's relationship with his parents, and with people from his small Tennessee town who expect him to act like the hero he truly doesn't think he is. This is a great read -- definitely one to recommend to romance readers, but it will have appeal to a wider range of readers, thanks to the author's handling of the very real issue of the challenges faced by our returning veterans.

3.75-4 ⭐️
Greer finds herself on a downward spiral and is ordered to serve 50 hours of community service. Emmett is a veteran who didn’t come home in one piece. After their unconventional first “session”, Greer is dead set on helping Emmett heal. I really have enjoyed both books in the series, while I love what these two bring out in each other, I just wanted to see more interactions while they fell for each other. I was hoping there would be a tie in to THE MILITARY WIFE with the business Harper started, but was disappointed it didn’t happen. I hope this series will continue. The author has a beautiful and honest way of showcasing what our country’s vets go through after they come home.

Wonderfully written, immensely emotional and gloriously uplifting, Laura Trentham’s An Everyday Hero is a terrific tale of love, loss, renewal, hope and second chances that will touch the heart and have readers reaching for their tissues.

Greer Hadley thought that she had left her life in Madison, Tennessee behind for good. Lured away by the big city lights and by an unshakeable belief that she could make something of herself in the big smoke, Greer thought that she had her future all mapped out. Unfortunately for her, fate had other ideas and when all of her plans had gone awry, Greer had made one bad decision after another and with her life and her hopes and dreams all smashed to pieces, she had found herself with nowhere else to go but back home. Having landed herself with community service, Greer has been tasked with helping at a non-profit organization that aids veterans and their families, but how on earth is she supposed to help anybody out when her own life is in tatters? Yet, little does Greer realize that she might just end up finding what she has been looking for all along…

When Greer meets fifteen year old Ally Martinez, who hides the pain of losing her father beneath a sarcastic and caustic veneer, she is immediately drawn to this young kid who has known such loss and heartache in her short life. Greer finds herself determined to help her out as best she can, but Ally is not the only person Greer finds herself intrigued by. Emmett Lawson is a man with plenty of demons in his closet and a plethora of emotional and physical scars that have transformed his life forever. Feeling useless and dejected, Emmett thought that he had a miserable and lonely future ahead of him – until Greer came into his life and turned it upside down. As Emmett feels the impenetrable barriers he had erected around himself crumble, he wonders whether a second chance is possible or whether all is truly lost.

When a situation with Ally requires the two of them to work together to rescue her from certain danger, Greer and Emmett realise they need to become a team to ensure that the girl is not harmed. But along the way, it turns out that Ally is not the only one who needs saving and that fate might just end up providing them with the happiness they never thought they would experience again.

A multi-layered and deftly written tale that is exquisitely poignant, brilliantly stirring and one that is impossible to forget, An Everyday Hero is an emotional tale about courage, starting over, letting go of the past and healing and moving on when all seems impossible that will strike a chord with readers everywhere. Laura Trentham is such a talented and powerful writer, she makes her readers feel every single emotion her characters go through. Greer and Emmett are brilliantly realized characters readers will grow to love and cheer for and whom they will be reluctant to bid farewell to at the end of the novel.

A wonderful story written straight from the heart, An Everyday Hero is a tender, touching and terrific contemporary tale guaranteed to hold readers in thrall from beginning to end.

When Greer Hadley returns from Nashville, feeling as if her dreams were destroyed she faced even more heartache when her boyfriend was caught with his pants down. She ended up taking her anger out on the Jukebox at Becky's Bar, and wound up in front of her uncle Bill, who is a judge and who hands down a sentence of community service at a place that does music therapy with Vets and their families. Greer feels like her life will never improve again. She is paired with a teenager, Ally, whose father was killed in the war, who is sullen and challenging and has run off other volunteers. Then she is handed the case of Emmett Lawson, who was a golden boy jock in high school who she dreamed about during history class, who has come back from the war sans one of his legs. Greer wants to get her hours over with so she can move on with life, but she has no idea how life can be, until she gets involved with Ally and Emmett. 

While the ending of this book was a little too predictable for this reader, it was a well crafted story that kept my interest. Watching 3 miserable people's lives shift, is something that this reader lives for, and works for in her own life. I think that Trentham did a good job painting the pain of her characters in a very realistic way, and engenders the reader to these three and the other more minor characters throughout the book. The story weaves these separate lives together in a magical way. This is a wonderful blend of drama, romance and the ups and downs of complicated life. Individuals who enjoy the works of Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts and Susan Elizabeth Phillips will love this novel.

this emotional read finds three broken souls learning about how to open their hearts and trust that the world isn't out to ruin everything. greer finds herself back in her home town under less than glorious circumstances. forced to work with rebellious teen, ally, and compelled to help wounded veteran and former classmate, emmett, greer learns that success can come in many forms and what you think you want out of life can take unexpected paths.

connecting with others, helping them, actually might help her heal the broken pieces of her soul. and the comfort she finds in a family that she chooses is possibly the biggest comfort of all.

an everyday hero is a heartwarming story of new beginnings.

**an everyday hero will publish on february 4, 2020. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press in exchange for my honest review.