The narrators did a fantastic job with their expressive voices. They kept me immersed in the audiobook, and I enjoyed their performance. I didn't know what to expect with this novel, and I was pleasantly surprised by the dystopian aspect. I am not sure if I would have enjoyed the book as much without the narration. The beginning was a bit slow, so I may have put it down before things got interesting. My rating reflects the narration!

Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan is a dual POV, post-apocalyptic romance following childhood friends Tuck and Emily—plus Emily’s boyfriend Charlie—after their plane crashes in the middle of nowhere. Survival, love, and the literal end of the world? Yep, it’s all in there.

This was my first Mia Sheridan read, and her writing is super vivid—I could picture it like a TV show. But I struggled with the pacing and didn’t feel fully invested in the romance. I wanted more history between Tuck and Emily to really feel the second-chance vibes. By the end, I was more panicked about prepping for the apocalypse than rooting for the love story.

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.

I enjoyed both narrorators but I am one to listen on higher speeds. I did listen to this on 2.5-3x speed. I just can't listen to books on normal speed

Okay wait… this book?? totally surprised me. I came for the childhood friends/enemy to lover romance vibes and stayed for the apocalyptic bodyguard angst. like?? Tuck is a handsome ex con man and Emily is a famous pop star with trauma. They’re both stubborn and so obviously in love it hurt me.

There is constant tension between the two and when it finally boils over?? omg. Also the end of the world backdrop was actually super compelling??

That said, sometimes the pacing got slow and I would have liked more of their past. It was not perfect, but it gave what it promised to give.

I've never read a romance like this before. I definitely went into this story blind! I loved that the story weaves together timelines from childhood to adulthood. I would have loved if we got an update on the people they met along the way. Overall I enjoyed this book and thought the narrators did a phenomenal job!

Heart of the Sun starts off feeling like a classic contemporary second-chance romance—familiar, heartfelt, and full of unresolved tension between childhood friends Emily and Tuck. But then Sheridan flips the script with a bold speculative twist that throws the entire world, and the story, into chaos. A massive solar flare strips away the comforts of modern life, and with it, the superficial layers of the characters. What emerges is a raw, emotionally charged journey of survival, redemption, and rediscovered love.

I loved how the dystopian setting forced the characters to confront their past and grow in ways they never could have in their old world. Tuck, especially, shines in this new reality, and the slow-burn rekindling of their relationship felt both earned and powerful. The added layers of political intrigue and bursts of action kept the story tense and grounded, even as the romance remained the heart of it all.

The audiobook narration was strong and brought the shifting tones of the book to life—whether it was the tension of a bodyguard-popstar reunion or the urgency of a collapsing society. My only minor critique is that some transitions between romance and speculative elements felt a bit abrupt, but overall, this was an engaging and satisfying listen.

received an Advanced Listener Copy of the audiobook for Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan. This was my first book by the author and I liked it a lot.
The audiobook is performed in dual narration by André Santana and Annalee Scott. The length is14 hrs and 47 mins. The narrators did a very good job. I could feel so many different emotions in their voices.
Which brought the book to life for me.
I would describe this as a second chance romance, with a HEA. Childhood friends to lovers. And a slow burn.
If you are a fan of dystopian fiction, you will like this.
Reminds me of some of the storylines from shows like The Walking Dead or The Last of Us.

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!

This book had a lot of strong aspects. I really enjoyed the dystopian setting and seeing how different people across the country were surviving after the event. However, the story spent a lot of time focusing on the journey home, and then rushed through everything that happened afterward, throwing in some twists that didn’t feel necessary. I liked the book overall, but I wasn’t blown away. Honestly, I would have preferred a different ending.

I WENT IN BLIND! 😆🫣🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

So I had zero clue what was going on. Zero. I forgot that Mia Sheridan flexes and just writes all kinds of genres (got tricked into a horror by her once) but damn, this was unputdownable! I’m not generally into post-apocalyptic/end of civilization but I could not stop listening to this book.

Expect 👉🏼 Post Apocoliptic/EMP/End of Current Civilization, Secondish Chance, Slow Burn, Travel, Danger, Survival, The Best and Worst of People

Emily hasn’t seen her childhood best friend, Tuck, since long before he went to prison. Now that he’s out, he needs a job and Emily needs a bodyguard. When a sudden cataclysmic solar flare destroys the power grid, society dissolves and it’s everyone for themselves. Tuck is Emily’s best chance at survival even if she no longer trusts the person he has turned into.

I was just along for this terrifying ride. And what I’ve taken from this? I need a bunker 😆🫣😅 and to move out to the country. And buy old af cars without electronics 😆😆 this ish was terrifying but in an electrifying way. I was completely invested in Tuck and Emily’s reconnection while simultaneously horrified at just how bad an even like this would be in real life. Oh! Solar batteries. I’m adding that to my prepper list 😭😭😆 I woke up my poor husband this morning with the demand that he dig me a well because my book scared me 😆😅😆

The audio was so well done. André Santana and Annalee Scott were wonderful.

Thank you Mia, for sufficiently thrilling and terrifying me while also giving me hope to cling to.

Thank you Hive for my gifted ALC.

Heart of the Sun offers a unique narrative that intertwines a dystopian setting with a second-chance romance. I was captivated by the emotional journey and realistic world-building, but I also found the pace and character dynamics lacking slightly. If you're intrigued by a story that explores love amidst societal collapse, this novel may resonate with you.

EᗰIᒪY ᗩᑎᗪ TᑌᑕK

☀️ Dystopian Apocolypse
☀️ Friends to Lovers
☀️ Second Chance
☀️ One Bed
☀️ Popstar + Bodyguard

Emily Hires her childhood friend and crush Tuck to be her body guard He recently was released from Prison - So Emilys Expectations of him Are Low....

During a flight with Tuck, Emily and Her boyfriend Charlie, the Plane crash Lands Killing the Pilot and the three venture off into the world in the Midst of a cataclysm - Trying to return home while searching for information to what has actually happened.

A Different Kind of read from Mia Sheridan - but she still manages to portray the Beauty of Humanity amidst the Chaos of an apocolypse, And how hope and Kindness are rewarded and received.

Format: Audiobook - Dual narration by Andre Santana and Annalee Scott
3 stars for story / 4 stars for performance
Tropes: Dystopian, Enemies to Lovers, Bodyguard/Popstar

There are a lot of pros and cons to the story. I went in blind to this and had no idea what to expect but here is a quick breakdown.

Pros: I did really enjoy the post-apocalyptic storyline. Right from the opening scene I was intrigued with where this was going to go. The base of the plot was really good and my favorite thing about the whole book was getting to watch the breakdown of society on a systematic level. That part of the plot was believable and a bit scary to imagine. Tuck was a great character. His backstory provided a strong basis to his emotional intelligence and ability to navigate the aftermath they face throughout the book.

Cons: I really did not like Emily (Nova) at all. Even during the flashback scenes, I didn't find any redeeming qualities and it was hard to root for her. I wanted Tuck to take off and leave Emily and Charlie to their own devices. The coincidental run-ins were a stretch, and I found myself just shaking my head at some of them, but I was able to brush it off as creative licensing and continue on. The romance aspect was lacking for me and I think if it was billed as a drama without the romance, I would have enjoyed it a bit more.

The narrators were really good. There were times I wanted to put it down and take a break but the performances allowed for a bit more interest and I was able to get through it in a couple days. The differing inflections of each narrator made it easy to distinguish between the multiple characters, no matter whose chapter we were on. I definitely recommend listening to this if you are going to pick it up.

Thank you to Harlequin for the early copy, all opinions are my own.

I really enjoy dystopian apocalyptic books so I signed up for this as soon as I could. The idea that a solar flare can take out the entire power grid instead turned this into a horror story.

We start with Tuck and Emily, neighbors and frenemies. They part ways after Tuck’s mom suddenly dies. After a few bad decisions, Tuck lands in jail. Once getting back out, he reconnects with Emily’s family and ends up being her bodyguard since she’s a budding superstar. After their plane crashes, including Charlie, Emily’s boyfriend, they must find their way back to California from Indiana.

This book was a little too real with how the world is going.

I really enjoyed the narrators as I bounced back in forth between ebook and alc, they did a great job bringing the emotion of the story to life.

Heart of the Sun is difficult to review without spoiling too much. I went into this fully expecting a romance and while there is a romantic aspect to it there’s so much more. This turned out to be something I never would have picked up but overall a thought-provoking and decent read.

At times the pacing of the book felt off. It dragged in places and at times I was bored. It did turn around and by the last quarter I was on the edge of my seat and my mind was racing with “What would I do in this situation?” thoughts.

Overall, a fun read if you know what you are getting into. If you like end of the world, sci-fi vibes if would be a good fit.

This was definitely a ride! I’m not totally into apocalyptic stuff but I do love a second chance! Not my favorite of hers but worth the read if thats your thing. Narrators were great!

Warning. This is a love story but also….a dystopian? Emily and Tuck are together again after going their separate ways years earlier. A plane crash had them trekking across the country trying to get back home. And boy was it a long trek. For the story being told, i definitely feel like this was way too long. Otherwise, I liked Tucks background and growth. Emily, I don’t know that I was a fan of hers.

Emily and Tuck grew up on adjacent citrus farms in Southern California. As the enter adulthood Emily's star is on the rise as she gains fame as a singer, while Tuck's life seems to be falling apart. At the behest of her mother, Emily gives Tuck a job as her bodyguard. As they are traveling to an event, they run into plane trouble. When they land the world has changes. As Emily and Tuck navigate this new world and try to get home, their feelings from the past start coming back.

I really enjoyed this one. It had a great love story, but was full of action and adventure as well. The narrators did an excellent job. This was a pleasure to listen to and kept me listening late into the night.

Book Review‼️
Heart of the Sun by Mia Sheridan
Format: Audio 🎧
Release Date: 20 May, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
2/5 🌶️


Thank you Netgalley and the author Mia Sheridan for the early access audiobook of Heart of the Sun.

☀️Bodyguard x Popstar
☀️Slow Burn
☀️Second Chances
☀️Dystopian
☀️Childhood Best Friends
☀️Enemies to Lovers

Synopsis:
💫In the golden fields of California, childhood pals Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson had a bond that couldn’t be broken. But life had other plans. Thirteen years later, Emily, a rising pop star, calls Tuck back into her life after he gets out of prison to be her bodyguard. Their playful banter and undeniable chemistry come back to the surface, but neither can ignore their lingering attraction. But then, a solar flare hits, causing chaos across the globe and their plane to crash. Emily’s fame fades, while Tuck sees a chance to prove himself. As they face their losses, they must find their way back to each other and build a new way of life together.💫

My thoughts:
💫I didn’t absolutely love this book, but I also didn’t hate it. The FMC was a bit annoying to me. There’s so much that happens after the “incident” which causes all the power to go out and their plane to crash that the romance didn’t really fit well in the storyline. 💫

Absolute Perfection!

Most romance books have the same generic happily ever after but Mia Sheridan knows how to bring some thing new to the genre. The end of the world aspect created a unique experience making this the best romance I've read this year!