Mia Sheridan became an auto-read author for me from the moment I finished Archer’s Voice. But this one didn’t quite hit the same for me. It felt like it was lacking a lot. It started off way too slow for me and then the ending felt overly rushed. It was far underwhelming. The premise and the bones were good but I’m afraid it just didn’t deliver.

While I normally love Mia Sheridan books, this book was simply not for me.

This story follow two childhood neighbors (friends? could have beens?) who are at two drastically different places in their lives when a major phenomenon changes the way of the world.

Mia Sheridan books are usually some of my favorites because I love the way that she does a then and now setting, but I couldn't get into it with this book. I didn't see the attraction between them as teens that would then carry on as adults. I felt like I needed more from each character and they were simply there.

And the dystopian aspect to this book? Did nothing for me. A lot of walking, a lot of "we'll find something" and I just found myself bored.

Thank you Mia Sheridan, Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan. It might have started out slow for me but once I got into it. Oh wow, it was a rollercoaster of a book. I didn't expect when I started the book it would go in this direction. I've enjoyed other books by the author and this one sure didn't disappoint me. I look forward to reading more by the author in the future.

Years after growing up next door to each other, Tuck and Emily are throw together during an apocalyptic world event.

Wow! This one is so unique! Here's what I liked:

The premise: Sheridan is so good at writing romances set in unique ways. Here, she has a pop star/bodyguard, former childhood friends set during the aftermath of deadly solar flares. The world is in chaos but Tuck and Emily are not only trying to find a way home but are finding a way to love each other. Because of this, the book is an action along with the romance. Neither is overdone; the book has a great balance.

The MCs: I really liked Emily and Tuck. They have a lot of things to get over and get through. But at the end of the day, they are perfect for each other. Tuck in particular, I really liked. His backstory broke my heart but it was also so realistic.


All in all, a great, and spicy, natural disaster romance!

Thank you to the author and publisher for the gifted copy!

With the state of the world right now, I've been avoiding dystopian novels like the plague. But, when it comes to Mia Sheridan, there's nothing of hers that I won't read.

Heart of the Sun starts off like your regular romance novel.  Childhood friends separated due to unforseen circumstances.  It will be years before Emily and Tuck are reunited. They've both changed but still butt heads like they did as kids. But, when the world erupts into chaos due to a solar flare, all bets are off as they try to survive their new reality.

Heart of the Sun is a unique post-apocalyptic story.  I wouldn't necessarily call it a romance since it wasn't really central to the story. Instead this is a story of survival, friendship, and family. It was unpredictable and kept me on my toes.

While I found this story to be realistic and entertaining, there was definitely a lot going on and things felt chaotic at times. There was a lot of story to build along the way, but I do wish that things between Emily and Tuck hadn't been so rushed. I would have liked to see their romance develop more and their ending not so rushed.

Overall, I think this is a book you'll both love and hate. It's not perfect, but it's compelling and you won't be able to put it down.

4⭐️ 2🌶️ 5🎧

- Dystopian/Post Apocalyptic
- Second Chance
- Friends to Enemies to Lovers
- Pop Star/Body Guard
- Slow Burn

I am not typically a fan of dystopian/post apocalyptic books but I am a huge fan of Mia so I wasn’t sure how I was going to feel about this book. I couldn’t put this book down! I was hooked from the beginning and couldn’t wait to see what happened next.

I loved the emotions of the book. This book showcased the best and worst of humanity. I loved watching Emily and Tuck find their way back to each other. It was fascinating and terrifying watching the world as we know it end. For Emily and Charlie looking down on Tuck for being a felon to being completely reliant on him for his knowledge and protection.

Where I feel like this book fell a little short was in the details. It didn’t really make sense why some electronics worked and others didn’t. While I can appreciate that given the circumstances it makes sense for certain events to lack some closure and yet I couldn’t stop myself from disappointed when I didn’t see some characters get the karma they deserved. Both good and bad.

The audiobook was great. André Santana and Annalee Scott did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life.

I really enjoyed this one by Mia Sheridan. I’ve read quite a few by the author and always know I can count on her to leave me with a thought provoking story. This dystopian scenario was very interesting, especially when faced with so many recent events of disasters and seeing how people respond and wondering what if. Tuck and Emily’s story plays out in a situation that is the absolute worst of everything you can imagine and somehow they manage to retain their humanity despite the adversity they face. I switched between a digital copy and audio version of this book - I enjoyed the dual narration that swaps between Tuck and Emily. It was easy to get into the story with their style of storytelling. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the ARC and ALC.

Heart of the Sun, by Mia Sheridan, is a dual POV romance that follows childhood friends, Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson. The pair find themselves thrown together through unusual circumstances [spoiler alert : the plane they are traveling on crashes in the middle of nowhere]. Emily and Tuck, and let’s not forget Charlie, Emily’s boyfriend, must not only navigate their way home across the country, but they must work together in order to survive this post apocalyptic world they are suddenly thrust into.

This was my first Mia Sheridan novel; I found her writing to be super descriptive and well thought out. I could picture each chapter unfolding as an action-packed episode on television.
However, at times the pacing felt off and I had a difficult time becoming invested in the plot. I wanted more from Emily and Tuck- more of their history and why this “second chance romance” felt important to them. Things picked up around the end of the book, but by then I had lost a little bit of steam with the story. I became more stressed with worrying about the “end of the world” and if I need to start planning a survival bunker, or start planting a garden and raise chicken.

Overall, I had high expectations going into this novel based on reviews of Sheridan’s past work. Feeling a little bummed that I didn’t enjoy this novel more but it won’t stop me from reading her other books!

I'd like to send a huge thank you to Harlequin, Canary Street Press, and Harper Audio for both the audio and digital early listener & reader copies of this book!

In this book, we get Emily (aka the pop-star Nova) and Tuck (former ex-con and now her bodyguard) and follow them after their plane crashes from (multiple) solar flares. We get to see what they experience through their trek home.

Have you ever thought about how you would act if the world/society as we know it crumbled?! Yikes, I sure know that I've thought of it (looking at you zombie tv shows....NO THANKS). Well now think about who you would want to be with you in the event of everything going belly up. Every time I read dystopian stories I always wonder if anyone goes to the libraries to get books on survival? I'd think some of the information there could prove crucial to help with agriculture, MAPS, and basic knowledge of plant-life. I'd also go to a garden center and grab all the food seeds I possibly could find. (All of this to say that - honestly - I'd be in a gigantic panic haha!)

All of this to say, that I really enjoyed their story and wished I got to see more in the epilogue =]

If you enjoy these tropes, give this book a try:
- Bodyguard x Popstar
- Former childhood friends
- Slow burn romance
- Second chances

First of a big thank you to the publisher as well as to the author an to Netgalley for the invite to read and review Heart of The Sun, And for Introducing me to Mia Sheridan,this is the first book by her that I've read and I can see why some like her books, while it was a slow pace type of read ,I realized that with that type of pacing it actually help the story slot because you got see to the story come to life with each turn of the page . And while I didn't like the main female character all that much ,right from the start I did like the main male character.

Emily and Tuck were childhood friends but Emily rocketed to stardom as a pop princess, while Tuck had a string of bad luck and mistakes that took him to prison for 6 years. Post-incarceration and low on options, he ends up working as Emily’s bodyguard. Then, just when things couldn’t get weirder, the sun goes on strike, the grid collapses, and suddenly it’s less red carpet, more “Mad Max.”

Genuinely intriguing plot that has some potential. A glamorous singer, a reformed ex-con, and the literal end of the world? Unfortunately, the execution wasn't quite there. The pacing dragged, the tone couldn’t decide if it was thriller, or romance, or what and the whole apocalypse thing hit a little too on the nose. Like, am I supposed to be entertained or taking notes for future planning.

Dystopian/ survival road trip tale with a little bit of second chance romance. I’m not sure how I feel. I liked it enough to finish, the narration on the audiobook kept me invested but the story overall was just missing more heat, more passion, more survival, more action.

Mia's books have always been good so I was excited to read Heart of the Sun. With this book not only do you get drama and romance but you also get Suspense/thriller feel. Overall it was a good read but I definitely enjoyed her others better.

This is more of a dystopian book with a romance subplot. It’s a good story but too much for me. The romance was fine.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Have loved this author's work in the past (Archer's Voice is chef's kiss!), but this one was a miss for me.
Didn't vibe with the writing style nor did I like any of the characters truly. Also the dystopian aspect felt like a cool concept but felt like it didn't work with the overall story/romance. Just felt like a clunky read overall.

The longing, the angst, the undeniable chemistry—it all came together beautifully in this second-chance love story. Every moment was packed with emotion, making the romance feel raw and deeply satisfying. Not my first Mia Sheridan book but definitely my favorite so far!!

I have read a couple of Mia’s books before and enjoyed them, but this one did not do it for me. None of the characters were likeable, especially the main female character. The story felt very broken up and the pacing seemed weird too. Sadly I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it.

Huge thanks to the publisher for the audiobook and ebook ARCs—because I devoured both and loved every second of this gritty, emotional, second-chance romance.

Mia Sheridan delivers a powerful blend of sizzling tension, post-apocalyptic grit, and heart-wrenching connection in a story that had me hooked from the first sun-drenched memory to the final breathless moment.

Tuck is the brooding ex-con we all fall for too fast, and Emily is the popstar whose glow never dimmed in his eyes. When a solar flare plunges the world into chaos, these childhood best friends turned enemies have to navigate survival, simmering feelings, and years of unresolved pain—all while rediscovering the kind of love that never really left.

🎤 Enemies to lovers
🛑 Second chances
🌅 Childhood best friends
🔥 Bodyguard x Popstar
🌍 The Last of Us-style dystopian edge
💥 Slow burn with a capital S

The audiobook is perfection—every bit of snark, heat, and vulnerability is felt in the narration. And the ebook had me highlighting lines like a madwoman. I couldn’t put either version down.

If you’re looking for a romance that hurts in the best way and shines with survival, healing, and undeniable chemistry—Heart of the Sun is the one.

Heart of the Sun was a wild ride, and I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Readers will definitely need to suspend belief in some regards and not think too hard into the minutia. In my opinion, the book leans more heavily on the dystopia themes than the romance, but with that being said, it's a fun journey that isn't trying to be more than it is.

I LOVED the action elements and being a Midwest native, I loved seeing some of the familiar locations (like St. Louis) through a dystopian lens. The romance did take a back seat for me but it added warmth and interest to the story. I will say I felt like the first half of the book was stronger than the second, although the epilogue at the end was fun and sweet.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this eARC.

I am a fan of Mia Sheridan’s work, however, this book was not what I was expecting it to be. I feel like it should’ve picked one route and stuck with it. The dystopian setting and extremely slow burn romance didn’t mix well in this book. The FMC was not it for me. She wasn’t likable in my opinion. I loved the MMC. He was the only part that kept the book moving.