This is a gripping, slow-burn romance set in a world turned upside down by a cataclysmic solar flare. Emily Swanson, a rising pop star, and Tuck Mattice, her childhood best friend turned brooding ex-con, are reunited when she hires him as her bodyguard. Their reunion is charged with tension, and when disaster strikes, they must navigate a perilous journey back to California, confronting their past and rekindling their connection along the way.

Sheridan masterfully blends romance with dystopian elements, creating a narrative that's both heart-pounding and emotionally resonant. The chemistry between Emily and Tuck is palpable, and their journey is filled with moments of tenderness amidst the chaos. Fans of slow-burn romances and post-apocalyptic tales will find this novel to be a compelling and satisfying read.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for an eARC of this book!

Um i’m sorry, what was that??????

This book was all over the place, truthfully. Maybe I just went into this with the wrong expectations. I was actually excited about the security team X pop star romance trope. It had potential but frankly there was too much emphasis on “apocalypse” for me and also it was just…bad. In no particular order, my gripes:

The writing was dry, somewhat repetitive, and overall the book was way too long. The main characters were INSUFFERABLE (the amount of times I cursed Emily under my breath is unmeasurable). Emily and Tuck each had the emotional awareness of a scavenging sewer rat, and the times they intimately interacted (way less than a normal romance book) they had the chemistry of sandpaper. Charlie was in this for way too long, I mean 60% of the way through and she’s just NOW fallen out of love with him? The scene with the old truck and consequently the buggy — sure, I get why they were necessary but WHY WERE THEY LIKE THAT?! I don’t even want to get into the spicy scene(s) (but really?) What happened to all the bikes? Did nobody own a bike anywhere? I understand by nature of the final book that was produced why we dropped characters and never heard from them again but we don’t even know what happened to San Diego and that group after Merrick.

I think the wording the cover used was “A Love Story” which I guess isn’t wrong. It was also classified as a Romance, which again, isn’t technically wrong, but it should be qualified as a dystopian survival adventure romance.

I’m sure there’s more i’m missing but this was the main stuff. I should’ve DNF’ed this.

I’m a huge Mia Sheridan fan, but I just could not get into this one. I’m so sorry. 💔 There wasn’t really anything strong enough to hook me in so it’s a DNF for me.

Heart of the Sun was an interesting read where I should have closely read the synopses and not "A Love Story" on the pretty cover as this was far from a love story or a romance book. It closely aligned with a dystopian apocalyptical book with underlying romance. Sure, there were familiar tropes you'd find in a romance novel, but I felt more like I was watching episodes of The Walking Dead, just without the zombies. More survival than anything. Many instances that Emily and Tuck face throughout this second chance body guard/pop star "romance" as they tried to get home crossing the states after a solar flare hit the earth were entertaining and kept me engaged, but wasn't really the story I wanted to read and just wanted to almost skip to the end to find out what ended up happening.

This book is great for anyone who wants the familiarity of romance tropes but set in a dystopian world trying to survive in the unknown of the future of the world.

Thank you Canery Street Press for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Truth be told, I had no idea what I was getting into with this book. As a trusted author, I one-clicked without reading the synopsis. So at first, I thought this was just a generic love triangle romance (not exactly something the author is known for). Silly me, I should have known better, as what started out like many Hollywood/rock star stories, abruptly changed to a dystopian timeline. If you've seen the movie "The End of the World", it sort of has that same problem, only way worse.
But let me back track . . .

This story features two teens, Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson, who have a brief connection, but with their lives on different trajectories, end up separated and not on good terms. Emily is now a pop star on the rise, and Tuck is an ex con. Despite their differences, Emily offers Tuck an olive branch, hiring him as her bodyguard. But Emily's boyfriend ruins their reunion before trust was built. And then everything went to shit.

I won't go into too much detail, but just imagine if our country lost all electricity all at once. Fear, panic, desperation. It's all unavoidable. Somehow, Tuck, Emily and Charlie (her boyfriend) make the most of things, finding food and water to keep them going, making alliances where possible, and fighting threats when necessary. Parts of this story felt a bit dragged out as they make their trek across the US, but maybe editing it down would have made things less impactful.

While this is more a dystopian story than a romance, there are sweet moments that develop, but I won't spoil it due the aforementioned love triangle. I also think the end was a bit abrupt, with no clear resolution to what was next, but maybe that too was necessary since dystopian novels are all about survival and rebuilding.

Overall, another great read from this author. Her creativity knows no bounds.

ARC provided by the publisher - Harlequin Trade Publishing - in exchange for an honest review

i don’t even know where to start. i really loved archer’s voice—that book hit me so hard and made me fall in love with mia sheridan’s writing. so i was really excited for heart of the sun, especially with that whole post-apocalyptic twist. i thought it sounded so cool.

but honestly… i didn’t really enjoy it. i kept waiting to feel something, and it just never really happened. the world was interesting, but it didn’t feel super intense or dangerous, even though it was supposed to be. and emily and her boyfriend were seriously stressing me out. by the time she started actually seeing tuck for who he was, i just didn’t care anymore.

i hate saying this because i know mia can write beautiful, emotional stories. i’ve seen it!! i just don’t think this one worked for me. still love her and will 100% read anything she writes next—but this wasn’t it.

I loved this action packed sci fi romance! I admire the tenacity, strength and resiliency of the main characters as they navigated a changed world. There were many suspenseful and harrowing moments throughout the story which made it impossible to put down.

I was really excited for this read. In the beginning, I was intrigued and wanted to see where this book was heading. Then it kind of got weird and I just couldn’t get into it. I really wanted to love this but it kind of fell flat for me. I skimmed the book from halfway through all the way to the end.

Thank you to Harlequin Audio for the early access to listen and review!

I wanted to love this book. I’m such a fan of a good second chance romance, enemies to lovers type deal, but this was not it…

The story itself was super slow. I felt like it took forever to get to anything remotely interesting to me. The two main characters had like no chemistry the entire way through the book. Even when they reconnected I felt like it was lacking passion in any way.

I liked the overall plot of the book, the idea of this happening is wild to think about. The execution of the book was just a bit too dry for me. I kept walking away from the book and had trouble wanting to finish it, but in the type of reader who would just wonder if the ending brought it all together and made it amazing…it did not happen.

I have read several books by Mia Sheridan, and Heart of the Sun is the first one I can honestly say I haven't loved. She is such a wonderful writer and has a way with words and an ability to convey emotion, but I felt like that did not translate as much in this novel.

Emily Swanson and Tuck Mattice were childhood best friends in California. They were practically inseparable until life happened and they end up being separated. Now in the present day, Emily is a rising pop star and Tuck has just finished a six year sentence in prison. Tuck is trying to find his place in the world, but he's been hardened by his experiences and Emily has also been changed, but in a very different way given she is now the center of attention and has everything she could ever imagine right at her fingertips. Emily's mother sees that Tuck needs a break and she asks Emily to hire him to work for her as a bodyguard. The tension between Emily and Tuck is palpable and to add to this, Tuck also has to deal with Emily's boyfriend, Charlie, who happens to be a movie star.

When the plane Emily, Tuck and Charlie are traveling on goes down, the three of them are suddenly thrust into trying to survive as life as they know it is no more. They begin walking from Indiana where the plane went down in hopes of getting back home to California. They encounter many things along the way, both good and bad, as they try to navigate their new normal.

I really wanted to like this more than I did. I felt like we never really felt what any of the characters were feeling, which I believe would have helped the reader connect more. While I did find the premise of this to be very interesting, I just didn't connect with it the way I had hoped.

**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**

Mia Sheridan has been an auto buy for me, for years. I was thrilled to get this eARC from @netgalley and @harpercollins and @htp

Heart of the Sun was a very different read. If you like a bit of romance with a dystopian story, this one is for you. It definitely did its job in freaking me out and hoping this does not happen any time soon! I honestly don’t think I would be one of the survivors 😂

The story follows Tuck and Emily from their childhood frenemies years to their twenties. Then the main plot actually takes place over about a month of time. I loved the slow burn between the two, but I do not love a triangle which happens for more than half the novel. I was also a little curious about Charlie, as we don’t really know what happened to his sorry ass (the narcissistic movie star).

I was thankful for the epilogue, as my romance reader heart needed to feel the hope as only Mia Sheridan can deliver.

rating: 4
spice: 0.5

this was so different than any mia sheridan book i’ve read before, but i loved it! it has post-apocalyptic vibes and it was such a refreshing love story. 🥹 i loved tuck and emily!

- pop star fmc
- felon mmc
- childhood friends to lovers
- survival

I’m a huge fan of Mia Sheridan as an author. I find her so easy to read and overall just very enjoyable. This wasn’t my favorite of hers, but I also didn’t not like it either.

I don’t usually gravitate towards anything dystopian but I liked the overall premise of the book. I did find parts of their journey a little mundane and boring. I loved Emily and Tuck though and was rooting for them and survivors and a couple. The end gave the perfect amount of closure and I loved the epilogue.

Wow. 🤯 I mean.. this book was utterly fabulous, which was to be expected since it was written by Mia Sheridan, but I didn’t expect to have it engrained into my soul as deeply as it did. It was part terrifying for me - playing the ‘what if’ game and imagining if a massive solar flare actually happened, and so thoroughly well written that I almost felt I didn’t have to play the ‘what if’ game because it felt like I was there with them. Honestly an absolute perfect read. 👌🏻

Thank you, Canary Street Press, for an advanced digital copy of this book!

Heart of the Sun is not your typical love story—it’s primarily a post-apocalyptic survival novel with a romantic subplot that doesn’t fully develop until about 70% in. If you’re expecting something like Archer’s Voice, you might be disappointed.

The story follows childhood friends Emily and Tuck, once bound by first love but separated by tragedy. Eleven years later, Emily is a famous singer, and Tuck is unexpectedly assigned as her bodyguard. Their reunion sparks emotional tension just as the world begins to unravel. While the dual timeline was initially hard to follow, it eventually made sense and enhanced the story’s impact.

Tuck, with his dark past and need for redemption, was a standout character. Emily took time to connect with, but her growth was compelling. The slow-burn romance was heartfelt and well-paced.
What sets this book apart is its blend of action, emotion, and real-world relevance. It explores themes of privilege, status, and equality under crisis—reminding us that, in the end, we’re all just trying to survive. Despite a few flaws, it’s a gripping, thought-provoking read. I hope Mia Sheridan continues writing in this genre.

This is not a romance novel. Do not read this unless you like dystopian and thriller. I cannot overstate how this is a trauma bond story without the typically promised bodyguard plot line.

TW guns, crime, violence, famine

3.5 ⭐️

Mia Sheridan is not afraid to write about unique topics that are outside of the box, and I like that! This book was memorable for sure! I’ve read books about EMPs, and I’ve read romances, but never a book that focuses on both. If you like science-y romances then check out this book!

Thank you Net Galley and publishers for the advanced copy!

If you are expecting a contemporary romcom like me, this was a lot more than that. A romcom with dystopian settings as solar flare causes chaos and it becomes a matter of survival now for Tuck and Emily. Calling it an enemies to lovers situation and slow burn romance would be apt. I wish the pacing was better and more character development would have helped connect more.

You cannot go wrong with a Mia Sheridan book! Once again she did not disappoint! This is a great summer read that everyone should be adding to their TBR.

🔹Childhood friends to lovers
🔹Second chances
🔹Post-apocalyptic/ dystopian
🔹Slow burn

Heart of the Sun is about two childhood best friends who have grown apart in adulthood but are reconnected after our MMC Tuck is out of prison and in need of work. He takes on a bodyguard position for our FMC Emily who is a rising pop star!💫
Things go amiss when tragedy strikes the country and they are thrown into survival mode while the world around them comes crashing down.
This is an intense story of reconnection, self discovery, and longing set in a high-stakes and emotional background.
I loved the concept of this story but I did feel that the characters fell flat for me and I didn’t have much emotional connection to them or their relationship.
Still a good story that was unique and keeps you dying to know what’s going to happen!!

*I read this as an ARC read, thank you to The Hive & NetGalley for the opportunity ❤️