Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with this book and DNF around the 30% mark. I must have missed this was a dystopian romance and I found it to be a little odd. Personally, it wasn’t for me.

Emily and Tuck grew up next door to each other. When Tuck's mom dies, his life spirals and he ends up doing time in prison. Emily goes after her dream and becomes a pop star. Flash forward to now, Tuck is fresh out of prison and needs a job. He reaches out to Emily's parents and he ends up with a job as Emily's security. Then on a plane ride, they crash. Thrust into a post disaster world with no electricity, no Internet, and desperate people, they begin the path to get back to California.

I'm not sure why but I must've missed the part in the description about the post apocalyptic aspect of this story and it just isn't for me. The story is very predictable: bad boy with a heart of gold, girl who is a "sell out" to be famous who returns to her roots. They've always been in love and they find their way back to each other. I was bored reading, and maybe this just isn't my style of a story.

thank you netgalley for the arc !!

this book started and ended a lot differently. personally i do blame myself bc i don’t read synopsis’ i just know that i loved archers voice so i had to get my hands on this book

i’d like to preface by saying it is a very dystopian love story. it’s second chance and it has that romance in it but a lot of what it was, was also recovering from a natural disaster and trying to get back home / surviving

personally i just don’t think this book was my cup of tea. i think i could see people really liking that dystopian survival trekking across the country kind of book but not me per say

also i didn’t really connect w the characters both individually and as a couple i kind of felt like the pacing of their love story was so sudden even though they were trying to build it up throughout the book. i just didn’t feel like the payoff was worth it.

i also think i would have liked to see more about the characters individually like their life before everything had happened. i feel like we only got such brief snippets before everything (literally) came crashing down

i think ive come to realize that mia sheridan does write love stories but the books are very deep and a lot more fleshed out than just the romance and that’s always something that pulls me in

although not my favorite of hers i’d say this is my first dystopian sort of romance

- if the world was ending
- say don’t go
- till forever falls apart
- high tops

Heart of the Sun
This one was a wild ride. Tuck, an ex con needing a job gets a security gig with Emily; an old friend that is now a popstar. He is quickly thrown into a life of so many material things just being thrown at him. It's surreal. His first real assignment is when they board a plane to their first stop. The plane suddenly begins to lose control mid flight and crashes in an unknown area. The pilot didn't make it and Tuck, Emily and her boyfriend Charlie are on their own to find civilization. Things start to get weird when the realize their phones won't work at all. Like all the cell towers are down. When they come upon civilization a few days later they learn that no one really knows what is going on but this is a whole new world that none of them expected to happen so quickly.

Emily and Tuck have a past and it doesn't take long before they both remember that pulling feeling between the two of them.
Is this the time for a love story? Can they find safety? Will they figure out what is going on in their new world?

This was definitely a unique read for me. A love story, a post-apocalyptic world, suspense and romance. The story worked pretty well. It was a unique background for a love story. This will be a good read for people that like The Last of Us.

Sadly this book just didn’t grab as much as I hoped it would. I put it down and picked it up multiple times but I just couldn’t connect with it. Super bummed.

ia Sheridan blends second-chance romance with dystopian grit in Heart of the Sun. Emily Swanson, a rising star, and Tuck Mattice, her childhood best friend turned ex-con, reunite just as a solar flare throws the world into chaos. The emotional tension between them is raw and real, especially as past wounds resurface while they fight to survive.

Tuck’s character development was a standout, and I loved how the story balanced action with heart. Some pacing felt uneven and Emily’s arc could’ve used more depth, but overall, it was gripping, heartfelt, and totally unique.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I’ve loved every book Mia’s written, and Under the Sun is no exception—just a totally different vibe than usual! It’s a mix of slow-burn romance, best friends-to-lovers, and survival after the world basically falls apart. Tuck and Emily’s story pulled me in right away, and even though it’s a big shift from Mia’s usual books, I’m really into where she’s heading with it. Can’t wait to see what she does next!

For someone who loves all things Mia Sheridan, I was so excited to receive a copy of Heart of the Sun. This is a story of second chance romance and we even get a few twists thrown in. Slow burn, enemies to lovers- this one was so good!!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, & the publisher for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

What to expect from this book:
☀️ Dual first-person POV
☀️ Childhood friends, but now "enemies" to lovers
☀️ Pop star and an ex-con bodyguard
☀️ Dystopian timeline (similar to the likes of The Leftovers and The Last of Us [minus the scary creatures])
☀️ She's already in a relationship
☀️ Slow burn (1-2 open-door spicy scenes)

Tuck and Emily's families own beautiful orange groves in sunny California. They've grown up with family bonfires and game nights, and often nearly cross the line between friends and "more than friends." But when tragedy strikes, their worlds are separated, and they fall out of touch.

Thirteen years later, their paths cross again when Emily, who is now a pop star named "Nova," hires Tuck as a bodyguard. Tuck, whose life has not been sunshine and roses, is now looking for another chance to make more out of life, to make his future brighter than his past. That is until Nova's boyfriend, Charlie, accuses Tuck of something that he didn't do, but Emily believes he did, so she fires him a few hours into a flight from CA to NY...a flight that doesn't make it all the way to NYC.

The three of them find themselves in a truly bizarre situation. Sudden flares and fires pop up and scramble all technology leaving them without a way to comfortably get to safety. They set out for a cross-country journey that uncovers not only the materialistic side of humanity but also becomes a test of the survival of the fittest.

------------------------------------
(Possible spoilers ahead)
Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I just don't think that I am the demographic for this book? I have read a few of this author's books, but this book deviated from what I know of their work, and it wasn't for me. I don't feel that proper foundation was laid for either the relationship between Emily and Tuck nor the whole premise of the dystopian theme. The two genres clashed instead of played off of each other. I feel like, as a reader, I'm just dropped into the middle of a thought and basically told that these two had a connection as kids and now the world is going to crap and to believe that love will conquer all. Usually with a dystopian book, there is a moral of the story. In this book, I got that humans can be awful (and some can be wonderful), but aside from that, I didn't get any "lessons learned," other than I supposed it's possible to be randy while also fearing for your life and the lives of your loved ones.

I love a good take on how self-centered and selfish our society is and how awful it would be to be in this situation, but the cover literally says "A Love Story." I love a slow burn as much as the next reader, but this did not hit either mark for me. Again, I think it's because I don't feel like I got to really know or like either of the main characters due to lack of foundation. It lacked the yearning that makes a slow-burn romance successful *for me*.

All of this to say, however, that the book wasn't *for me* and I could see this being for someone else.

This was excellent. This seems very “futuristic”, but the reality is it may not be too far away. We like to think that we b and together when things happen, like the Swansons community does, but in reality I believe it’s more like the San Diego area and the Los Angeles area written about here.

Mia Sheridan did a great job with these characters and this subject matter. I’m a reader who likes to place myself in the story and truly experience it, and the way the author describes the things happening and the way the characters react, its exactly what I was able to do. I thoroughly enjoyed this and will read it again when it’s released. Mia Sheridan has a new reader here.

Heart of the Sun is a dystopian romance that was unique and kept me intrigued. It had a bit of a slow start, but once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down.

Emily and Tuck were neighbors and childhood friends. They’ve not seen each other in years, but Tuck is in need of a job after a hard time and Emily’s mother talks her into hiring him for her security (she’s a pop star). It’s the smartest thing she could have done. Without Tuck, she would have been a goner and I mean that in the kindest way.

I wish we would have gotten more of their romance earlier in the book and I definitely wish the Charlie thing would have been resolved earlier in the book, but as a whole, I enjoyed this!

Having never read a book by Mia Sheridan, I wasn't sure what to expect. The primase of the book caught my attention, so I gave it a shot. The first quarter of the book set up the back story and built the characters. The rest of the book was the story of the journey home, love and redemption. It was fairly fast paced and kept my attention. Though the path home was a bit predictable, the arrival was not. The characters were well defined and I found myself routing for them repeatedly, especially throughout the last half of the book. If I could unread it to read it all over again, I would. It was that good. Many thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

Tuck & Emily are childhood frienemies who grew up right next to each other. When they were young, they fell hard & fast for each other, but after a falling out, they hadn't spoken in years. Now, Tuck is hired to be the bodyguard of his childhood friend turned pop star. The two butt heads, but are forced to work together in the midst of a catastrophic solar flare that causes their plane to crash. In the midst of the world falling apart, they can only lean on each other.

this was an interesting book! i went into this blind, so i had no idea about the dystopian storyline. I think that it would be perfect for people who love "end of the world" type stories like Last of Us or Walking Dead! It is definitely important to note that even thought this is advertised as a "love story", the romance aspect definitely is a subplot rather than the main storyline. i was, however, pretty frustrated to read in the acknowledgments that this story wasn't Mia Sheridan's idea, she was just given an outline for the story. i feel like it made me feel even less connected to the story & characters. overall, this wasn't my favorite but i can definitely see it being a hit for fans of dystopian stories!

"The past was gone, the future was burning, but we had this, the here and the now, nestled in a desert hideaway."

🌶️🌶️

Thank you so much to Harlequin Trade Publishing, NetGalley & Mia Sheridan for an ARC of this book 🫶🏼

Heart of the Sun follows Tuck and Emily as childhood friends who ultimately go their separate ways due to unforeseen event only to cross paths once again in a post-apocalyptic world.

We live in such a privileged and technologically dependent world that we easily take for granted all of the resources and opportunities that nature has to offer in order to sustain life. This story goes beyond the superficial, it exposes each characters honor, integrity, determination and will to survive layer by layer and has us (the reader) questioning, “what would I do in that situation?”, “would I live by the code kill or be killed if the world was affected by a total grid wipeout?”. Tuck and Emily’s story had me asking questions, trying to decipher what “side” of the story I would be on in a real life Apocalyptic disaster and not so silently hoping that they made the right choices in this new world.
I was fully invested in their journey, I felt every hardship as if it were my own and I prayed that the good of the world outshined the evil within. Tuck was the perfect MMC and proved that even when “the world has gone to sh*t” one can still be honorable and do right by those they love. He is the epitome of the underdog who redeems himself through a hard earned second chance.

When Mia Sheridan graciously offered this ARC, I knew I had to read it! Mia Sheridan is the Queen of writing characters so beautifully and effortlessly that you don’t even realize they have cemented a permanent residence in your mind, heart and soul. Trust me, this isn’t a story you want to miss… Mia Sheridan has done it again-created a masterpiece that will make you thankful to have read it and grateful to be alive and able to do so.

•Childhood Best Friends
•Enemies to Lovers
•Second Chances
•Post-Apocalyptic
•Slowww burn

second chance is usually my bread and butter but tuck and emily fell a little flat for me. I LOVED archer’s voice and was so excited to start mia’s newest book, but unfortunately the pacing and lack of character development made it really hard for me to buy into this story completely. the dystopian setting was fun and the action scenes we did get were exciting.

thank you to harlequin trade publishing for the arc and chance to read this early!

I received an ARC from the publisher on NetGalley. I typically love Mia Sheridan and her books, and went into this one a little blind. I didn’t realize it would have more of a dystopian spin and that there really wouldn’t be much of a love story. I wouldn’t even consider the relationship as a slow burn. The story was intriguing, but slow at times and I found myself not excited to pick it back up. Overall, the writing was good, I think the story wasn’t for me.

This was my third book by Mia Sheridan and unfortunately it was not my favorite. I did really like the dystopian plot but didn’t like the romance plot. I sort of feel like the two genres were competing in this book and took away from the other, rather than working together as a dystopian romance novel. The MMC had a good character arc, but I didn’t care for the FMC quite as much. The MMC had character development but I didn’t really care for the FMC. Their romance didn’t feel all the believable to me, beyond reminiscing on their childhood love.

I still gave this 3 stars because I enjoyed the dystopian plot enough to want to see how it ended. Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

A gripping tale of what ifs. A unique storyline that will capture you from the beginning and intrigue you until the end. Definitely worth the read.

This is definitely different from her other books but I liked it. Charlie was so annoying and I wish he was gone sooner. Tuck and Emily were cute and I liked their chemistry. He has so much guilt from everything in his life and he just needs to learn to let go. Emily will be there through it all. I do wish the epilogue was a little bit longer though. I needed to know more about this world.

I received an arc through netgalley.

This is an emotional, slow-burn romance set in a world turned upside down. Mia Sheridan blends childhood friendship, second chances, and survival into a story that's both heartbreaking and hopeful.

Tuck and Emily’s connection jumps off the page, full of tension, longing, and the kind of love that feels both fierce and fragile. As society falls apart after a devastating solar flare, they have to fight for more than just their relationship, they have to fight for their future.

This story delivers all the feels: the angst, the tenderness, the raw moments of survival. If you love enemies to lovers, bodyguard romance, second chances, and post-apocalyptic settings, you’ll devour this one.