This is the fifth book in the Gina Harte series and reads well as both a stand-alone and as part of the series. While the book focuses on the police-procedural at hand and solving the case of a missing woman, Kovach creates an excellent character arc for our protagonist, DI Gina Harte. Veteran fans are sure to find resolve in a long-time issue that has plagued this character and obtain some finality in the recognition. The plot moves at a steady pace and holds just the amount of suspense. Excellent read. 5 stars.


Thank you to #NetGalley and @Bookouture for this ARC.
#HerDarkHeart was read and reviewed voluntarily by Tarrah Marie (@wayward_readers).
All thoughts and opinions are my own.

#waywardreader #wayward_readers #CarlaKovach

Reviews and mention can be found here:
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3598653135
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3006716330
https://www.instagram.com/p/B3md3jkHXrB/?igshid=hqiday2blyuz

Another great book in the Gina Harte series! Susan's mother calls Gina Harte to find out what has happened to her daughter. She would never just leave her children and run off or would she? There are so many questionable characters to her sister, her husband and her friend Dale. Who would have motive to do anything to this devoted mother or was she running from her seemingly abusive husband. So many twists and turns in this book . Loved it! I love a book that remains a mystery to the very end . The end had a shocking conclusion that you would of never figured out. Love this series and loved this book. A perfect suspenseful book to keep you up all night! Read it . You will NOT be disappointed.

I really enjoy the Gina Harte series, and this was a good read. This can be read as a stand-alone but really to get the best out of this you need to read the previous books in the series in order to know more about Gina and her team.

Must admit although I enjoyed this, I found this a harder story to read than the previous books in the series. I did like the conclusion though, without giving too much away I think by the end of this book Gina has finally fought some of those demons that plagued her in earlier stories.

Thank you to Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my review.

Another brilliant read from Carla, just love the Gina Harte series, a roller coaster of a read, full of twists and turns and I was gripped from the very first page.

All the characters were good, very descriptive and interesting, I just enjoy the way this author writes and I can thoroughly recommend this book and all the Gina Harte series. My only wish is that Gina meets someone, settles down and gets rid of her demons.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this excellent book, Well done Carla, I look forward to number 6.

Susan is a devoted mother of three trying to restart her life after the breakdown of her marriage. One day she doesn’t arrive to pick up her son Rory from pre school. Her mother is worried and her sister is furious that, once again, Susan is getting all the attention. Detective Gina Harte and her team start to investigate but then another crime occurs that is linked to Susan, is she as innocent as she seems.
This was a police procedural and family drama in one. This is a great series and I can’t wait for book six.
Thanks to Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
#HerDarkHeart #NetGalley

A mother’s disappearance was noticed when she doesn’t pick her children up from their schools. What happened years ago to lead to this disappearance? Other people begin to disappear. What is the connection? Her Dark Heart was a good crime thriller. There were a few twists in the plot that kept you guessing.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Her Dark Heart’, the fifth in the Detective Gina Harte series written by Carla Kovach, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.
Susan’s late to collect her young son from the day care centre which isn’t like Susan as she’d never be late for her children without warning them in advance. As her mother Mary waits for her to arrive home she knows in her heart that something’s happened to her youngest daughter and rings the police. Detective Inspector Gina Harte starts investigating and learns that it isn’t the first time Susan’s run away from home. Has she gone off enjoying herself or is there a more sinister reason behind her disappearance?
‘Her Dark Heart’ is a welcome addition to the Detective Harte series and just as enjoyable as those previously. The plot is well-written with plenty of drama, action and suspense. There are plausible characters, twists and turns, and the story gets incredibly exciting towards the end as they get closer to discovering the reason for Susan’s disappearance. I’ve enjoyed meeting up with Gina who still feels guilty for failing her mother towards the end of her life, and I had tears in my eyes when Gina finally shares her shocking secret with her boss and good friend DCI Briggs. Is there a chance of their romance resurfacing? We’ll have to wait for book number six to find out!

I love the Gina series so have been waiting the next instalment! Wasn’t disappointed either, I read it in one day I literally couldn’t put it down.

Gina investigates a local mum who’s gone missing, she’s not turned up to pick her kids up from school/nursery and it’s not like her at all! Is she running away from someone or has someone taken her?

Such a good read, it’s a must for anyone who likes Angela Marsons, Helen Fields and the likes! Highly recommend.

As usual I was left wanting more from Gina so I can’t wait for the next one.

Her Dark Heart by Carla Kovach is book 5 in the Detective Gina Harte series - a series that I am absolutely loving. And can we talk about that cover - gorgeous! I love the colours - so dark and intriguing. Gina is still battling her demons, she has had a rough life but that makes her a fantastic detective. She. cares about her cases, her victims and her colleagues. Anybody would be lucky to have Gina working on their case. There is not a lot of a personal .thread in this book, it focuses more on the case than Gina herself.

Susan Wheeler is reported missing by her mother when she fails to pick up her young son Rory from nursery. This is not the first time that she has gone missing and her sister Clare thinks she is just attention seeking. Her husband Ryan is the initial suspect. The couple are in the process of getting a divorce and it is not friendly. Clare's mother is scared for her daughters safety. Then more people go missing that have connections to Susan - who is targeting these people and why? And could the box from Susan's past hold the clues to finding her alive?

Thanks to Bookouture and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

This is book 5 in the Gina Harte series and a very good read. A woman goes missing and the team are called to investigate in this mixture of crime thriller and domestic suspense. I enjoyed the mixed genre and the character development, the plot was dark and it was fast paced and an easy read. I enjoyed the read and would recommend it. A very good series.Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

HER DARK HEART is the fifth crime thriller novel in the Detective Gina Harte Series, by author Carla Kovach. Having enjoyed the first novels in the series, I move on to book 5. The story is set in Worcestershire England.

The 5 books in the series include:
The Next Girl (Book 1)
Her Final Hour (Book 2)
Her Pretty Bones (Book 3)
The Liar’s House (Book4)
Her Dark Heart (Book 5)

Even though this novel worked well as a stand-alone, I would recommend other readers to read the previous books as they will be given background information on the characters in this book. A solid police procedural with engaging characters.

Rory is waiting at the door of the pre-school – a painted picture of his mother Susan in his small hand. But Susan isn’t going to see the picture, because she has vanished.

Susan Wheeler, recently divorced, is a devoted mother of three children. She drops them off and picks them up every single day. Until one day when Susan kisses them goodbye and then never comes to pick them up.

Susan’s mother Mary is worried. Mary doesn’t feel her daughter has runaway, like she did in her teenage years because she loves her children dearly. She would never leave them.

Susan’s older sister Clare is mad at Susan and feels she has always been the troublemaker, always seeking attention. Clare also knows that Susan has been hiding secrets from the family and sneaking out of her family home for weeks.

But then Mary finds Susan’s diary, and uncovers a dark secret from her childhood. Something no one in the family knew.

Detective Gina Harte follows the last entry in the diary, and it leads the police to a man who is discovered dead in a local park. But where is Susan? Is she a victim or a suspect?

This is a fast-paced enjoyable yet thrilling story that had me gripped to the last page.

Many thanks to the author, Bookouture, via Netgalley for my digital copy.

Another dark storyline in this series with a case of manipulation and abuse. Gina continues to be a troubled character trying to heal from her past.

Her Dark Heart is a fabulous crime thriller and another case for DI GIna Harte and her team.

Susan Wheeler aged 34 is reported missing by her mother Mary. Susan had failed to collect son Rory from nursery the day before.
Susan was going through an acrimonious divorce, there was certainly no love lost between her and her soon to be ex husband Ryan and she and her sister Clare didn't exactly see eye to eye either.

Could Susan have just run off , it wouldn't be the first time or had something far more sinister taken place.

Still struggling with her own troubled past Gina must try and put personal matters aside to solve the case.

So with plenty of action, suspense , a great mix of characters and a final shocking reveal I didn't see coming, Her Dark Heart is another brilliant addition to the already superb DI Gina Harte series.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC for my honest review.

Susan Wheeler goes missing. DI Gina Harte and her team investigate.
DI Harte has had a complicated family life which is weaved into the narrative.
Susan’s family life is also difficult- she has split from her husband who thought she was having an affair. Her mother and sister are at loggerheads as Clare feels her mother Mary has always favoured he sister Susan.
This is a story about relationships, secrets, hate and child abuse..
The book is well written but difficult to follow all the strands at times as it is a complicated storyline- and a little unbelievable - however I enjoyed it although it took me several days to finish and I had to re-read several parts.
Am not sure I particularly liked any of the main characters although Gina Harte grew on me towards the end.

Always a good day when Carla Kovach releases a new book ... this one was a bit of a struggle for me ...I did keep going and finished ... but I didn’t love this one like I have loved all of her other work.

dnf at 50%

This is the 5th book in the 'Gina Harte' series, but I heard from multiple people that this could be read as a standalone. And while I was by no means confused, I just felt disconnected from the characters. I didn't care about Gina or Susan or Mary or anyone.
I was promised a dark domestic thriller, but I just got a lot of random and unnecessary emotional musing from Gina about her mother (for some reason this lady reminded her of her dead mother and she would mention it CONSTANTLY. I just wanted to finish this book to see if maybe she had a twin sister or something? If you've read this let me know)
I was bored, and frankly, not thrilled.
I like books that explore police investigations and detective storylines, but even that wasn't enough to force myself to finish this book.. I don't even really care to find out what ended up happening and who the kidnapper/killer was.

I'm sad, I really wanted to love this.

This latest edition to the series is one of the best yet. Gina struggles a lot with her past but makes the most progress yet in that battle. The case is a multitude of mysteries. There are interesting characters. Just when I thought I had things figured out the author threw a twist. I couldn't figure it out until the reveal. That's the hallmark of a great mystery. I am ready for the next book.

I’m not a huge fan of book series (I do miss Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone) but there is something about books written by Carla Kovach that I like. Her latest is Her Dark Heart. The previous book, Her Pretty Bones, was very good and kept me interested from the first chapter until the last.

Here is the scoop on Her Dark Heart:

Susan Wheeler is a devoted mother. She would do anything for her three children. She drops them off and picks them up every single day. Until one day when Susan kisses them goodbye and then never comes to pick them up. Susan’s mother Mary is worried. Susan is recently divorced and has been finding things hard recently, but she loves her kids – she’d never leave them.

Susan’s sister Clare is furious. It’s just like her to go missing. It’s not the first time, either. Susan has always been a troublemaker. Always seeking attention. She knows Susan has been lying to the family for years. And she knows that Susan has been sneaking out of her family home for weeks…

As the hours turn into days, even Clare becomes fearful for Susan. And, when Mary discovers Susan’s diary, she begins to uncover a dark secret from her childhood. Something no one in the family knew. When the final diary entry leads the police to a man who is discovered dead in a local park, they’re left wondering whether Susan has vanished because she is a victim. Or because she is a suspect…

I think Carla’s books keep getting better and better. She is a hugely talented author and I find that I am looking forward to whatever she writes next! She knows how to keep the suspense tight and the pages turning, that’s for sure.

Pre-order here! Mark it down on Goodreads too.

The wonderful Detective Gina Harte series continues in "Her Dark Heart." Kovach has done a wonderful job crafting a great mystery with well developed characters and plenty of twists. Gina is once again investigating a violent crime that is first recognized in the mysterious disappearance of a mother, who fails to pick-up her youngest from daycare. When other dead bodies appear and one of the woman's children is kidnapped, the plot becomes as exciting as a roller coaster ride. Someone is working out a sinister plan that involves adults that shared a common experience in a youth activity center. While Natalie and her team search for the missing and investigate the dead bodies, secrets seem to surround the case and time is of the essence. How will Natalie manage to rescue the kidnapped and solve the case with no clear suspects? In the midst of the case, Natalie still wrestles with her personal issues and continues to wrestle with how to allow herself a personal life that includes her daughter and granddaughter, as well as romance. The book is excellent and leaves the reader learning to know what will happen next.

What a book! Let me take a moment to catch my breath! Book 5 is the first I’ve read in the Gina Harte series by Carla Kovach. Although I hadn’t read all preceding four books, Her Dark Heart acts as an excellent standalone to put me in the heart of Gina’s world. The title carries foreboding and I began to wonder if this book would be more a domestic suspense than a crime thriller, revealing a bond that has slowly deteriorated.

Susan is missing. But what is so tragic about her case is that she is also a mother of three. With a dark past that had all the hallmarks of a runaway teenager, her mother, Mary, is convinced Susan hasn’t run away this time. With a job that involves visiting people’s houses and a relationship on the rocks, something isn’t right and fingers begin to point at Susan’s husband, Ryan. As evidence mounts on both sides; a client with whom Susan has argued and dalliances that could be cited in a divorce case, things aren’t looking good. As Gina gets Susan’s image out to the local media and follows a runner who may have been eavesdropping, Mary does her own investigations into Susan’s blue box. Although it’s evident Susan misses her dead father, the musings and poems she has written incite a creepy mood and it’s at this halfway point, I wonder if Susan has been abducted by more than one person.

Different point of view chapters from family members transports the reader into the minds of each character. Clare, Susan’s older sister is one of the most interesting. She sees herself as downtrodden and less attractive. One of life’s multiple failures. Susan has been a project since childhood, an obligation if you will, and Clare’s focus throughout the story is her struggle to fit in. With friends turning up dead, the case gets murkier by the minute and there are simply too many suspects to choose from.

Fast-paced and easy to read, this is a thrilling, chilling tale which left me gut-punched at the final reveal!
Thank you to Bookouture, Carla Kovach and Netgalley for an ARC of Her Dark Heart in exchange for an honest review.