HEART OF THE SUN
Mia Sheridan
Available ( May 20/25)

Teenagers Emily and Tuck’s mothers are best friends and they live in the wonderful orange orchard land in California. Even though Emily and Tuck bicker, they secretly love each other. But when tragedy strikes, they are sent on different paths… Emily to find her voice with her singing and Tuck to a bad place that results in jail.

Several years later, Emily’s mother convinces Emily to hire Tuck as a bodyguard now that she has hit the big time singing under the name NOVA. As they are flying in a private jet from LA to NYC with Emily’s actor boyfriend, Charlie, solar flares hit the Earth leaving devastation everywhere. Their place crashes, killing the pilot, but the three are spared. Now they must begin their journey from somewhere mid USA to try to get back to California.

This apocalyptic thriller will have you on the edge of your seat until we determine their fates.

I went into this one expecting a romantic or emotional read (based on the author’s previous work, which I own but haven’t yet read), but it turned out to be more dystopian survival fiction—which caught me off guard.

Unfortunately, this one didn’t quite work for me, though I really wanted to enjoy it. The story follows Emily, a pop star feeling disillusioned with her fame and life, and Tuck, her childhood friend recently released from prison who is hired as her bodyguard. Along with Emily’s boyfriend Charlie, they survive a private plane crash—only to discover a world that’s descended into chaos: no power, no communication, and a growing sense of danger as society collapses.

Despite the promising concept, I found the characters dull and unmemorable. I struggled to feel invested in their journey or relationships. Much of the dialogue felt forced, and the pacing dragged in places.

While it didn’t resonate with me, I appreciate the opportunity to read this ARC and I know others may connect with it in a way I didn’t.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

QUICK GLANCE-
My format: e-book ARC
Other formats- 📖Physical (464 pages) 🎧Audio (14 hours and 47 minutes) Available on KINDLE Unlimited
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️(skip Chapters 24 and 25 for closed door modification)
Language: 🤐🤐moderate

MY THOUGHTS-
Heart of the Sun took me on quite the ride! From page one, I was hooked—Tuck and Emily’s backstory drew me in instantly. It took me some time to warm up to the FMC as an adult, but overall, the story felt raw and realistic.

While the romance almost played second fiddle to survival in a new world, that slow-burn pacing actually worked for me. There was depth, stakes, and an immersive journey that kept me invested. I will say the last 20% of the book kind of dragged on for me a bit and lowered my overall rating. Still, this one kept me flipping pages, and if you love slow-burns with high stakes, you should add this to your TBR!

READ IF YOU LIKE
🎤She’s A Popstar
🔫He’s Her Bodyguard
✌️Second Chances
🖤Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian Romance
😱Action & Suspense
🔥Slow Burn Romance

This was something that I normally wouldn't reach out for, but this was honestly an amazing book. I loved the storytelling and loved the characters.

If Mia Sheridan writes it, I read it, so I was all in on this one. I enjoy her ability to write about scenarios I don't often encounter in my typical romance reads, but this lost me a bit along the way. Had me a bit confused and I couldn't really connect with the characters. Cannot wait to see what else she has in store because I adore her writing style.

I’m a big Mia Sheridan fan, so this was an instant read. The dystopian/survival twist is different from her usual, but I was hooked from page one. Couldn’t put it down! This is one of the books that sucked me in from the action-packed introduction and kept me hooked throughout the journey. This was a journey, one of self-reflection, forgiveness, love, survival, and second chances. The writing was vivid and a story I could see playing out in my head.

☀️Heart of the Sun☀️
By Mia Sheridan

- Review posted to Amazon, Goodreads, BookBub, and TheStoryGraph on 6/2/25

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4 ⭐

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It’s been a bit since I’ve dipped my toes into the dystopian/apocalyptic romance space and holy moly, that was a trip! Heart of the Sun left me mega stressed, a little sweaty, and with my jaw flat on the floor. To my fellow suspense-obsessed queens, definitely take note of Mia Sheridan’s latest release!

Real talk, I did struggle to get into the story at the beginning. The pace is on the slower end but once Emily and Tuck’s relationship started to take form, I soon found myself utterly gripped and desperate to see what obstacles awaited them next. I am weak for a super angsty plot and this storyline left me genuinely breathless.

And that slow burn? Brutal! Despite a history of being close family friends, circumstances set them on totally opposite paths in life. Emily and Tuck’s journeys back to one another and their true selves were anything but smooth. But that just makes the story conclusion so much sweeter.

I'd recommend this story to anyone looking to for a unique, unconventional romance read and loves to be kept on their toes with big plot twists around every corner.

What you can expect in Heart of the Sun
☀️Slow Burn
☀️Dual POV
☀️Popstar/Bodyguard
☀️Enemies to Lovers
☀️Childhood BFFs
☀️Second Chance
☀️NA Dystopian

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for sending an early copy. These are my honest thoughts. 🖤

I love that this isn’t the typical love story. Everything starts out normal, but a catastrophe hits the planet and lives are literally turned upside down.

I had high hopes for this story as the beginning started off with a bang that captured my attention. Estranged childhood best friends Emily and Tuck come together in a romance with a dystopian twist. Tuck, an ex-con, is hired by Emily, a rising popstar, to act as her bodyguard while touring. However, a freak electromagnetic event causes their plane to crash and the story becomes one of survival where the duo, along with Emily’s movie star boyfriend Charlie (who is a self-absorbed prick), are forced to figure out where they are, survive the elements, and make their way to California in hopes of reuniting with civilization and their families. Along the way, Emily and Tuck grow closer as they realize what matters most in life. Like I said, I had high hopes for this story, but it fell flat for me. I appreciated the struggle for survival elements, seeing the desperation of strangers come out as they fight for their lives in a world unknown, the goodness in the few characters that helped Emily and Tuck, learning to forgive past mistakes, and the characters finding happiness after their world as it once was ceased to exist. However, as I kept reading, it felt more and more like I was on the Oregon Trail with just a dash of romance and a rushed ending. I have yet to read other of Sheridan's works like Archer's Voice, which I've been told is heartwrenching and wonderful; however, this story just didn't hit the right chords with me.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, for this eARC in exchange for my thoughts.

This was such a unique and interesting story! So very different from other romantic books, this one takes place during an apocalyptic event! Emily and Tuck, childhood friends who are no longer friends as adults, must work together to survive! I enjoyed this story, and it had me on my toes the entire book! It was so much more than a romance, and really makes you think about what you would do in a similar circumstance.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this story!

The plot of this book sounds so good. I was ready to dive into a natural disaster love story. However, it just didn’t grab my attention to keep reading. I DNF at 56%. I was tired of Charlie being annoying and I feel like Emily was repeating herself as she tried to define herself. I felt no connection between Tuck and Emily. The feeling shown feels kinda forced. Like cause they were childhood friends, they needed to fall in love as well. This was my first Mia Sheridan book and I just didn’t connect with it like I want to.

Such a rollercoaster of a story!

You wouldn’t be able to tell by the cover that this story will basically turn into a natural disaster movie where all hell breaks loose.

The start was a little confusing, as we meet the two MCs as teenagers and find out a little bit about their childhood and family dynamics. The story then jumps several years ahead: Emily is a thriving popstar and dating the hottest new actor in Hollywood, whereas Tuck is freshly released from prison and struggling to find a job.

Cosmic intervention means they cross paths and what could’ve been a cute popstar x bodyguard romance turns into a grim study of humanity when society rules no longer apply.

Once I understood where the story was heading, I really enjoyed the book and the group dynamics. This was a true slowburn romance that was painstakingly build up by making sure it made sense for these characters and their different backgrounds.

I did wish that the ending would’ve been elaborated a little bit as I was so swept up in the mechanics of this new world and wanted something to hold onto.

This was my first MIA Sheridan and I thought it might be my last until I read some other reviews. I guess this is a new direction for her, but it wasn’t for me. I was bored, and I found the characters frustrating

ARC review. 2 Stars! I have read and enjoyed Mia Sheridan works in the past. This feels different from her previous works being more fiction opposed to romance. I went in expecting a romance, and instead got a fiction story of survival. I really enjoyed Tuck’s character and character depth. I found myself annoyed with Em’s character at times due to her inconsistent feelings. I think as a fictional story of survival with some romance, this story delivers. I believe readers going into this with expectations of swoon worthy romance will be left disappointed.

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan

This was so not what I was expecting but I was hooked and couldn’t stop.

It has dystopian survival vibes that takes our main characters on a journey to trek across country after their plane crashes. Our FMC must survive with help of her ex childhood best friends, who now happens to be her bodyguard…and her movie star boyfriend.

If you love:
❤️‍🔥Childhood friends to enemies to lovers
🎤Pop star body guard romance
🆘Dystopian survival
🔥Slow burn
🦸🏻‍♂️Hero MMC
🚙Road trip forced proximity
✌️Second Chance redemption

Unfortunately at 35% in, I had to DNF this one.. the premise sounded really good, however the story was falling flat for me and I was extremely bored reading. I also found Emily and Charlie to be insufferable to read about as they’re both entitled and ungrateful celebrities who sit back and let Tuck do all of the work.
Thank you so much HTP for the copy to read, but this one just wasn’t it for me sadly.

Wow! I didn’t know that I needed to read a post-apocalyptic love story, but I’m so glad that I did!

Short Synopsis:
Tuck and Emily grew up on neighboring farms. They were friends who enjoyed verbally sparring with one another and were one another’s first kiss. When a family event leads them to go their separate ways, they didn’t think they’d see each other again. Years later when Tuck needs a job, he becomes the security detail for Emily’s pop star persona Nova. Their private plane crashes in the middle of nowhere, but finding safety or a way home becomes even more complicated when no electronics will work. Can they figure out what happened and make it home to their families?

My thoughts:
This was my first Mia Sheridan book and I went into it completely blind. I’m so glad that I did! I may not have picked this one up had I known the full synopsis, but I don’t regret it and will definitely be reading more books by this author! The entire story was captivating from start to finish! Tuck’s caring and protective nature was evident throughout the story, and his chemistry with Emily was beautiful.

Read this one if you like:
🎤 Childhood Best Friends turned Enemies to Lovers
🎤 Slow Burn Romance
🎤 Second Chances
🎤 Popstar + Bodyguard

Thank you to Canary Street Press / Harlequin Trade Publishing and the author, Mia Sheridan, for providing a NetGalley e-arc. All opinions are my own!

❤️‍🔥 I went into Heart of the Sun expecting a romance—but what I got was a full-blown apocalyptic rollercoaster with emotional depth, survival grit, and one unforgettable second-chance love story. 🌞💥
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Set against the chaos of a solar flare-ravaged world, childhood frenemies Emily and Tuck are forced together after a plane crash strands them in the middle of nowhere. What follows is part survival thriller, part slow-burn romance, and part gut-punching reflection on humanity, fame, and forgiveness.
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The dystopian vibes were strong (seriously considering a bunker now), and while some pacing issues popped up in the second half, I was completely hooked. Tuck might just be the book boyfriend of my end-of-the-world dreams, and Emily’s character growth had me rooting for her by the end.
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This was my first Mia Sheridan novel, and I’m officially intrigued—her writing is vivid, emotional, and cinematic. If you like your romance with grit, action, and a side of existential dread, this one’s worth the read.
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Thank you @htpbooks and @miasheridanauthor for the ARC and ALC! @netgalley @htp_hive @htpbooks_audio
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#HeartOfTheSun #MiaSheridan #DystopianRomance #SecondChanceRomance #BookReview #BookRecs #RomanticSuspense #PostApocalypticReads #EndOfTheWorldVibes #Bookstagram #ARCReview #SlowBurnRomance #BookishThoughts #RomanceReaders #TheHiveInfluencer #HTPBooks

I did struggle to get into this, the pacing was a bit off. But I pushed through because the dystopian romance kept me interested!

Mia Sheridan's Heart of the Sun presents an intriguing premise: a second-chance romance set against a post-apocalyptic backdrop. The story follows childhood friends Emily, a rising pop star, and Tuck, a brooding ex-con, who reunite when a solar flare disrupts society. While the concept holds promise, the execution falls short.

The characters, though likable, lack depth and development, making it challenging to fully invest in their journey. The romance, central to the narrative, feels forced at times, lacking the emotional buildup that would make it truly compelling. Additionally, the dystopian elements, while present, don't significantly enhance the story, leaving the plot feeling somewhat disjointed.

Overall, Heart of the Sun offers an interesting concept but doesn't deliver the emotional depth and narrative cohesion expected from a Mia Sheridan novel. Fans of the author may find aspects to appreciate, but others might find it lacking in substance.