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.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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 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.

Spent a lot of the read thinking about my own life and how I would handle such changes. It wa such a beautifully written story of changes thru life

An Everyday Hero is another great story in Laura Trentham’s women’s fiction Heart of a Hero series.

Greer Hadley has tucked her tail and returned home after spending 12 years in Nashville seeking fortune and fame as a songwriter and musician. But a night of drinking at the local bar has her making some poor choices which land her in front of a judge, sentenced to 50 hours of community service - to be served at the Music Tree Foundation, a non-profit organization that uses music to help veterans and their families deal with trauma. She’d rather pick trash up off the road instead.

Greer’s first assignment is a surly teenage girl named Ally, who recently got into trouble for shoplifting in the aftermath of losing her father in Afghanistan. Her second assignment - one that will earn her double hours if she’s able to convince him to come out of hiding - is Emmett Lawson, the town’s former football star who returned from a tour overseas with as many emotional scars as physical ones.

Despite wanting to get in, serve her time, and get out, before she knows it Greer is invested. Despite having been beat down, chewed up, and spit out by the Nashville music scene, she finds her long-lost plucky determination to succeed at her assigned tasks. And before long, Ally and Emmett have helped Greer find her way as much as she did for them.

I enjoyed reading this story and know my rating doesn’t reflect how much I enjoyed it. An Everyday Hero is a sweet story about a heavy topic. It was low on angst and absent of contrived conflict. The dialog between the hero and heroine was engaging and witty. But for some reason, after being pulled in right at the start, I didn’t stay that way. The problem was that I wasn’t ever compelled to keep reading, and I didn’t have a hard time putting my Kindle down. I loved the characters, I loved their interactions. I really, really liked their stories and how the two storylines merged.

I truly think this time it’s a case of me being in a weird headspace. Normally I’m able to pick up a book and let go of all the stress in my life, leave my world behind and immerse myself into the book I’m reading. For whatever reason, I wasn’t able to this time. At the moment it has me pondering if this book wasn’t enough, or if I’m just really stressed right now… Nonetheless, there were plenty of moments during this story where I thought “There’s the Laura Trentham I’ve known and love!” And I’m definitely looking forward to more from this series!

* thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review

My heart was not prepared for this book. An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham is the second book in her series A Heart of a Hero that follows the lives of soldiers and those closest to them. In this installment, we meet Greer Hadley, Emmett Lawson, and Ally Martinez when they are at their lowest point. Dealing with grief, depression, and a glimpse of PTSD, An Everyday Hero shows what a little persistence and a lot of love can do.

Greer Hadley has officially hit bottom. Arrested for being drunk and disorderly at a bar in her hometown, Greer thinks it can’t get any worse. Then her uncle (who is also the judge) sentences her to community service at a local agency that provides music therapy to veterans and their families. After selling her guitar to make rent money, bombing her last performance, finding her boyfriend sleeping with another woman, and moving back in with her parents (in her thirties!), the absolute last thing Greer wants is to pick up a guitar again. Now she has no choice but to confront her newfound stagefright all while helping two people that do not want her help.

Ally Martinez is a fifteen year old who has just lost her father, killed in action. To say she’s acting out is an understatement. Yet Greer sees past her anger and attitude. She sees a girl who is hurting, and all she wants to do is help. The relationship between these two builds naturally. I wanted to reach through the pages and give Ally a hug. She’s a strong young woman that stole my heart as she stole Greer’s.

Then there’s Emmett Lawson, the golden boy that starred in many of Greer’s high school fantasies. Emmett is not the boy she remembers. Haunted and drowning his memories in Jack, everyone has written him off as a lost cause. But not Greer. Like with Ally, Greer sees what Emmett’s anger really is: a front for his insecurities. He lost a leg and friends, and he blames himself for not preventing it. A little tough love is in order.

I absolutely love Greer and Emmett. She doesn’t put up with his bull, and it’s exactly what he needs. Where he pushes, she bucks back. And it isn’t one-sided. Emmett pushes Greer, getting to the root of her anxiety and stagefright. It starts as friendship, and I love the progression the author shows in the book. It felt real and right.

Overall, An Everyday Hero will tug at your heartstrings and may even have you shedding a tear or two. If you enjoy contemporary romance, I highly recommend it.

Greer is a singer/songwriter and couldn't make it in the big time so she came back home to Tennessee and moved in with her parents. She ended up making a bad decision one night which ended up costing her community time. At an organization for veterans and their families, using her music. She ends up working with a surly teenager who lost her dad in the service. Greer tries to get through to her as she is heading down the wrong road. Ally was hurting after losing her dad and hanging out with bad kids and being mouthy and doing what she wants. But we also find out what her home life has been like since her dad died and your heart will melt.
Greer also ends up helping a veteran, who was injured and was the golden boy of the town. He is angry and doesn't want to live. Greer doesn't back down and keeps going back to help him. His defences start crumbling down.
I really enjoyed this book a lot and thanks to St. Martin's and NetGalley for the ARC, for review.

Unforgettably Good!

Laura Trentham writes an exquisite story about pain and loss and how love can heal.

An Every Day Hero is definitely a story that will pull at your heartstrings and make you feel EVERYTHING!! There are so many emotions while reading this book. These characters will absolutely tug at your heart. You become so attached and so invested in them. You laugh, cry, and bond with them. I loved being on this journey with them. I flew through the pages, but was completely sad when it ended. I hated saying goodbye.

A fantastic story filled with depth and raw emotion, I highly recommend this story! It is definitely one that will stick with me for a long time. Laura Trentham has a true gift! I can’t wait to read her next book!

While I absolutely AH-DORE Trentham’s small town romances, her women’s fiction books are some of the best reads out there. There’s so much believability in the characters, their situations, and the way they interact with one another. And whether it’s to make you laugh or to make you cry, she just knows how to get to the heart of things and drag the right emotions out of you without seeming to try.

I really enjoy Greer – she’s a little lost about what she’s going to do with the rest of her life. Her vision for her future is gone after it seems like her music abandons her and the last thing she wants to do is get involved in a music therapy group. Luckily, her first client is a young girl who just draws Greer to her … as does her second client, somewhat grumpy (but definitely sexy) Emmett.

Emmett is also at a loss for what to do with his own future up in the air. The loss of a leg means the loss of his career and with all he’s seen & done his feelings about himself as a good man is also in tatters. When a spitfire in a short skirt shows up at his door and doesn’t take much of his bull, Emmett slowly finds himself resurfacing from his pain and grief. And the more they go toe to toe, the more he finds himself feeling normal again … if only he can let go of the guilt.

The connections that Greer makes are so warming. I just felt myself pull for her as she slowly gets Ally to come out of her shell and start connecting to something other than anger & pain. And while it takes a different tone, her irreverent sense of humor and stubbornness also helps Emmett to start seeing more in the world than his front porch and the bottom of a bottle.

Exploring themes of healing, friendship, grief, and love, An Everyday Hero is one of the best reads of 2020. Even if you aren’t a big romance reader, there is plenty here for you to enjoy.

(Part of a series, but stands on its own.)

I was sent an ARC via Netgalley from the publisher though all thoughts are my own.

This is the story of two people who have had their fair share of challenges to overcome, life hasn't quite gone the way they planned and are given another chance that neither expected. It's also a story of how much PTSD affects soldiers in a variety of different ways and the importance of having support as well as programs available to help soldiers transition from active duty to civilian life.

I loved the banter that Greer and Emmett had who weren't afraid to speak their minds to each other and essentially gave each other kicks in the butts to start following their dreams and offering support. Emmett is missing a limb from a routine patrol gone wrong which is something he feels self conscious about but Greer shows him that there's so much more to life than focusing on something he had no control over.

I love the bond that forms between Ally and Greer through a love of music and recognize kindred spirits in each other after some time.

My heart ached for Ally who is trying to deal with her Dad's death while he was on active duty, several horrible fellow classmates, stress about her Mom and the added struggle of being a teenager who wants to fit in but is so angry particularly with losing her Dad.

This book kept my attention from beginning to end and I highly recommend reading this story though be prepared to have your heartstrings tugged on!

Full of humor, the power of music, a glimpse into the military, small town life, romance and the importance of family whether blood or by choice.

Looking forward to reading more books in the future!

This is a very nice romance. I really enjoyed reading about Greer and Emmett and how they each help the other to solve their problem that they now have. Emmett has lost a leg and Greer lost her love of music. This made me laugh and cry. I received a copy of this book from St. Martin’s Press for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

This is a well balanced book. Greer,Emmett and Ally are flawed,stubborn people.Through the story one sees how how they grow and overcome their individual struggles.The supporting characters feel authentic to small town life and their relationship with the hero and heroine are too familiar.

This is a sweet romance with plenty of sexual tension but it fades to black.I highly recommend it.

This book is perfectly titled. Some heroes are lauded publicly, and some are walking among us that we never hear about. The title character Greer is one of the latter. The book opens as she is in jail for a drunken episode in a bar. Her uncle is the presiding judge and he sentences her to do volunteer work for a charity helping veterans and their families with music therapy. This is the last thing she wants to do as she has just given up her music career after leaving home for ten year to try to make it in that industry. She is given two of the most difficult clients, a surly teenager who has lost her father and a serviceman who returns home after the loss of his leg. All of these characters are well developed and the way they intersect was a joy to read.

Trentham has consistently torn my heart out with her heartfelt novels. There always seem to be a sense of intense emotion within the story that is always compelling. I really enjoyed this book a lot.