THE WRONG HEART is one of my favorite books by Jennifer Hartmann. I highly recommend this one if you're looking for an emotional read. It's angsty, emotional, and features a tortured hero and a vulnerable, grieving heroine. The book will take you on an emotional rollercoaster so have tissues near by! Please check TWs prior to reading because the book does revolve around suicide and suicidal thoughts.

Thank you so much, Bloom Books, for the eARC in exchange for my honest review! 4.5⭐️

It’s no secret that Jennifer Hartmann is one of my favourite authors of all time. Her books always pack an emotional punch. This one is possibly my favourite from her so far. It was far darker than I expected when I read the blurb, and I highly suggest readers with triggers take a look at the **trigger warnings** before picking it up.

This book was heartbreaking at times but beautifully done. I cried quite a few tears while reading. When we’re introduced to the hero, Parker, he is cynical, bitter and judgemental. While the heroine, Melody, is broken and lost but carries an optimism that Parker finds himself drawn to even while he finds her infuriating. Both characters are healing from trauma and following their journey was a rollercoaster of emotions.

Hartmann has a talent for writing tragic stories and damaged characters that doesn’t feel like exploiting painful narratives for shock value. Instead, they feel like a healing journey for both the characters and the reader. You go through all the pain with her characters, but at the end you’re left hopeful and amazed at the resilience of the human spirit.

If Jennifer Hartmann writes it, I’m reading it.

*Thank you to Bloom Books and NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own*

If you want to have your heart ripped out, and then ripped out some more over and over again.. then this book is for you. As a person who is still grieving a loss, I felt it all with this book. It was insanely raw, emotional and beautiful, especially when there's two broken people learning to let someone in, and learning to love. Parker has a lot to unpack with being given an extremely crap hand at such a young age, but it was so powerful to finally see him come into the man that you knew he could be with a little patience, understanding and most importantly love. But it wasn't an easy journey for him to get there and it most certainly wasn't an easy journey for Melody with the loss of her husband. I highly highly highly recommend this one!

Jennifer Hartman wrote a gripping and heartbreaking contemporary romance about loss and love. This story will rip you apart before it gently puts you back together. Be prepared to read the whole book in one sitting, with tissues next to you.

Man did this book rip out my heart and piece it back together! Jennifer Hartmann has a way of weaving a story together that makes question exactly how you're feeling at the end of it! Highly recommend this book!

This book handles topics like depression, childhood trauma/abuse and grief. Be aware of this before going in to reading this.

That being said this book was fenomenale. I gobbled this up, couldn’t put it down. Jennifer is really the queen of writing emotional books. She grips you and keep you coming back for more.

I don’t want to say to much because I feel like I could easily spoil it so I won’t. Just know it’s fantastic and you need to read it. But check content warnings!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

If you didn’t know already, any Jennifer Hartmann book will take you in an emotional roller coaster and this book did not disappoint. Melody and Parker meet in a support group and travel through their own journeys through issues of child abuse, grief of loosing a loved one, and suicide. Their stories will have your heart breaking in the first chapter, put back together, then broken and put back together again. Please make sure to check trigger warnings before reading.

The Wrong Heart by Jennifer Hartmann is one of those books that hits you right in the feels. It’s emotional, raw, and just a little bit messy in the best way. The story revolves around Ivy and Noah, two characters who are dealing with their own baggage and trying to figure out how to heal, both on their own and together.

What I really loved about this book is how real the characters felt. Ivy’s vulnerability and strength are easy to connect with, and Noah’s internal struggles add so much depth to the story. Their relationship isn’t perfect (thank goodness), but it’s genuine, and you really root for them as they navigate their complicated pasts.

The pacing is pretty solid throughout, giving enough time to really dive into the characters’ emotional journeys. The writing is beautiful—sometimes poetic, sometimes gut-wrenching, and it really does a great job of showing how tough it can be to move past trauma. Sure, there are a few moments where it might feel a little heavy, and if you’re not in the mood for some serious emotional intensity, it might be a lot to take in. But honestly, I think it balances out with some hopeful moments that make it all worthwhile.

In the end, The Wrong Heart is a beautiful, heart-wrenching story about love, pain, and learning to heal. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, but there’s a sense of growth and redemption that leaves you feeling good by the end. If you’re into books that explore deep emotions and messy relationships, this one’s definitely worth checking out. Highly recommend for fans of intense, character-driven stories!

This book was absolutely beautiful and so well written. This is my new favorite Hartmann book! I absolutely LOVED the characters, and could not get enough of them. The chemistry was so good, the spice was phenomenal, and the plot was gripping. Be sure to check your triggers, because this book does get heavy, as all Hartmann books do. I think it is 1,000% worth the read! All the stars!!!

Wow! I cried so much reading this. It's beautiful and still so sad. Love this book! Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

2024 added a few more authors on my list of preferences and S.L. Prater is one of them.

I did not know what to expect from The Haunted Heart but I am so happy with what I received.

This steamy dark romance took me captive from the beginning and released me with the final page. It was an intense roller coaster ride of emotions.

I like the goth atmosphere and the characters. The relationship between the two main characters goes back and forth from delightful to incredibly toxic. They have a lot of trauma from their past but they still manage to confront their gosts.

A beautifully written, emotional love story of two broken souls. Love the characters, Melody and Parker, both and the writing is full of emotions and painful reminders of their past. The struggles a person faces with traumatic and abusive past and the heartache after losing a loved one, all are written deeply and thoughtfully. The chemistry and angsty romance between Parker and Melody are off the charts. Just loved it. A heartworm ending makes it a perfect read. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC.

"I love you so much, Parker Denison. You. All of your scars, your shadows, and your perfect, perfect heart. I'm not giving up on you. Not now, not ever." 😭

- angsty, emotional romance
- grumpy (him) x sunshine (her)
- widowed fmc, tortured mmc
- baker x contractor
- hidden identities
- opposites attract
- check TWs
- 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5
- dual pov

The Wrong Heart immediately grabs you. After reading only 10%, I had tears in my eyes, and my jaw was on the floor.

Parker and Melody's relationship is messy—one step forward and two steps back. While you could cut the tension with a knife, Parker struggles to let her in due to his past (as Melody says, he has the "emotional capacity of a spatula" 😅). He feels so conflicted because women have generally treated him poorly, but Melody seems to be the only one who breaks through his shell.

He's such a complex character, and you'll have complex feelings for him. I'm warning you now! But Jennifer writes his character in a way that you can't help but love him as he slowly lets her in and is vulnerable with her. His character growth and development are unlike anything you've read before. Also, don't get me started on his relationship with Owen. If that doesn't make you fall for him, I don't know what will!

Once again, Jennifer's writing and how she portrays Melody's grief is beautifully descriptive and relatable. The sunshine character struggles with the fact the first man to make her feel after her husband doesn't treat her as she deserves. But they work through it. Together and apart.

"There's a darkness inside of him that speaks to my light. He was right when he said I wanted to fix him because I do. My nurturing heart wants to glue his pieces back together until he's whole again."

While Jennifer weaves heartwarming moments, spice and banter into the story, it's juxtaposed with plot twists, heartbreak, and emotional moments galore. So hang in there and have tissues in reach as you embark on this emotional roller coaster. I promise there's a HEA. But also, keep the tissues handy for the epilogue because I may never be the same after reading it.

The Wrong Heart is one of those infinity-star books that altered my brain chemistry. What else can I say? Read the content warnings, and if it sounds like a book to you, I urge you to read it.

I’m blown away! This one hit every mark…emotional, angsty, and brimming with tension that leapt off the pages. The unexpected twist took me completely by surprise, elevating this beautifully tragic story of healing.

The writing is stunning, the emotions raw, and I couldn’t put it down. It broke me, pieced me back together… and then the epilogue, it needs to be experienced.

I am so conflicted with this one because it started out SO STRONG but I truly felt like if this were done a bit differently, I would've liked it a lot more.

SPOILERS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Ok. This felt a bit all over the place. Like, I just went through whiplash with this story not going to lie. The entire aspect is such a unique storyline.. I just don't think it was executed in a way I enjoyed. The beginning BROKE me and I truly felt like the rest of the story was going to be incredibly emotional but I just felt like it was all so "WHAT ARE THE ODDS" and so far fetched that I couldn't connect with the story.

This is definitely a depressing and dark read. There are some extremely dark topics in this but I didn't really get emotional and with topics like these, I normally do. Like I said, the beginning destroyed me and the words "I got your purse" will legit stay with me for the rest of my life.. but after the first couple of chapters - this story just didn't capture me the way I was hoping.

***check trigger warnings.

Another Jennifer Hartmann masterpiece? And by that I mean that I cried my eyes out, per usual. It's what she does to me every single time. The found family that Melody found was absolutely beautiful! It was everything that she needed. This book was truly heartbreaking but so unbelievably beautiful at the same time.

I will be buying this physically to annotate it because some of those quotes?? Stunning.

When Melody March’s world shatters, she’s left clinging to the thinnest thread to keep going. The first chapter is a gut-punch, setting the tone for the heartbreak that follows. Once full of light and warmth, Melody is now a shadow of herself. Enter Parker Denison—a man with his own baggage and a past steeped in trauma. At first, he’s cold, sharp tongued, and closed off, making it hard to like him, though he seems to dislike himself enough for the both of you.

Melody wears her emotions openly, while Parker hides behind walls so thick it feels impossible to break through. Their dynamic is messy and unpredictable, but they’re drawn to each other despite the chaos. Melody sees a man drowning, refusing a life raft, while Parker feels things he’s never let himself feel before. As much as he frustrates you, he’s a character you want to hug hard by the end.

Tropes and themes I loved:
💕Mental Health Representation
💕Grumpy x Sunshine
💕Hidden Identities
💕Hurt/Comfort

The writing flows beautifully, weaving a story of two broken souls whose jagged edges somehow fit together perfectly. There are raw, heart-wrenching moments handled with so much care, and the twist in the story caught me completely off guard—in the best way. It’s gripping, emotional, and unforgettable. Highly recommend if you’re ready to feel everything all at once.

I really wanted to love this and I definitely loved parts of it but it wasn't my favorite of her books.

Melody lost her husband in a horrible accident and his heart was donated to a stranger. She then finds this stranger's contact information and reaches out to him, starting a sort of pen pal situation. The story follows her as she ends up in a suicide prevention group where she meets Parker, who is battling his own demons. The work they both go through during the story was phenomenal and their healing journey was beautiful to witness.

The only reason why this wasn't my favorite was because I wasn't a huge fan of either main character. I didn't connect with either one and even found Parker insufferable sometimes to the point where I had to really try to root for him.

All in all, it was a good book with some very heavy topics and written beautifully...I just couldn't connect to it like I wanted to.

After losing her husband in a tragic accident, Melody’s world is thrown upside down. She is slowly grieving and to help her grieve, she finds an opportunity to email the man who received her late husband’s donated heart. Through the email exchanges, she finds herself opening up again and potentially finding a way to fall in love again. This book was so emotional and heartbreaking but also so well written that I could not put the book down! Parker is the complete opposite of Melody’s late husband but Melody finds herself drawn to him. I did not expect the plot twist at the end, it definitely hit me in my feels but I enjoyed the book and would recommend it.

What to Expect:
Strangers to lovers
Pen pal romance
Grumpy x sunshine
Hurt x comfort