To Heal a Heart

Garrett has returned to his hometown and amputee. His medical discharge from the armed forces has left him with no direction in his life. Living at home with his parents on their farm and feeling void of direction he turns to alcohol to help him cope with his sleepless nights. Blair has returned to the same town to help her grandfather after his latest heart attack and failing health. She finds a job at the local vet using her vet tech skills. Blair spent her summer with her beloved grandparents from the age of 6 and her grandparents neighbour was her first crush. They met again both having suffered tragedy in their lives. Both feel unworthy of love and a future with love in it. Garrett was helping his brother the local vet at a horse auction when he impulsively decides to rescue a horse destined for the meat factory. In return for some much needed work on her grandfathers barn for her two beloved rescue horses Blair agrees to keep Harry Garret'ts rescue horse.
This is a story of healing, helping and trusting. It was a lovely read and each character engaged me as reader. Good read.

This is a well written book that holds your attention. It’s a heartwarming story, but it is not a clean read. If this had been a clean read I would have gave this book a 5 star rating. I just skipped over the parts that wasn’t clean, but it was a good book. Thank you Wild Rose Press via NetGalley for the ARC copy of this book. All opinions expressed are my own.

This is an emotional, touching, at times heartbreaking but also heartwarming story that will reach your heart and your soul.
It is also the first book I have read by this author, and I have become a fan.
The story centers around Garrett Saunders and Blair Greyson.
After 2 years of his return from Afghanistan with an injury that has changed his life , Garrett is still struggling with survivor’s guilt and civilian life. Drowning his guilt in liquor.
Blair , a veterinarian technician, is back in town to help her ailing grandfather. A man who always supported her and a man she would do anything for.
An abused horse brings them together, and when Blair offers Garrett a job in helping her fix the barn and the farm with the condition he not drink, Garrett takes it . Thus giving him a purpose in life.
These two carry a great deal of guilt. While Garrett has confessed his sorrows, Blair holds back, keeping a secret that doesn’t allow her to feel worthy.
The story was not only about how our past forms our present , but also about the difficulties our brave veterans encounter upon their return to civilian life. Whether suffering from PTSD, survivor’s guilt, physical injuries and/or additional psychological ones. A reminder that as a nation and individuals, we need to do more to help these individuals. Kudos to the author for that reminder.
I was entrusted a copy of this book by Netgalley. The opinions expressed are solely my own.

4.5 stars.
“To Heal a Heart”, by Jana Richards (The Wild Rose Press), is a lovely romance, a pleasure to read, with wonderful, relatable characters and an amazingly realistic and well written wounded hero.
The romance between Garrett and Blair is sweet and the way they reconnect and the attraction grows so believable.
Above all, I think Jana Richards wrote superbly Garret’s problems adapting to civilian life, the social anxiety, the fears and nightmares, and how his physical wound implies a new self-image, way of thinking and doing things. And all these issues matter to the plot.
The care and attention depicting how he deals with all this, the adaptation and doing things differently required in several tasks (doing something as basic as sitting in a tight table), is just amazing and shows a lot of research by the author on these matters. It’s rare to find a disability so interwoven with the plot and it’s such a great contrast to all those fishy wounded heroes who move like supermen after their injuries…
I loved the story, the setting and all the characters. Perhaps the professional path to Garrett came a bit too easily, but he and Blair had so much pain in the past and they surely deserve happiness.

To Heal a Heart made me laugh and cry in turn.
From the opening line, you’re drawn into the nightmare our brave men and women in service to our country deal with.
Garrett Saunders has returned from war missing not only part of his leg but part of his soul. While assisting his veterinarian brother-in-law, he’s drawn to a poor abused horse that touches him somewhere deep down. For some inexplicable reason, he’s compelled to rescue the horse from an auctioneer’s sale its future—horsemeat.
Veterinarian technician Blair Greyson has returned to the family’s farm both to assisted her elderly grandfather and to maybe find peace for her heart from a long-ago loss. She brings her two rescued horses with her and finds a job at the local veterinary hospital. But peace is hard to come by when you come across a broken-down horse and an angry man. Add to that, the farm is falling into disrepair, money is tight, and grandpa’s health is precarious.
Though the attraction between Garrett and Blair sparks early in the story, they both have issues with intimacy. Garrett has body issues from the loss of his leg and PTSD. Blair has her own struggles and though attracted to him, won’t let him into her damaged heart. My own heart ached at these two characters’ struggles.
To Heal a Heart is a lovely story about how broken hearts and spirits are never a lost cause. With hard work, horses, dogs, family, and friends surrounding them, Garrett and Blair find the determination and hope to get them through. They join together to not only help each other, but they also open their arms to people and animals who are suffering.
I highly recommend this book. Just make sure you have tissues at hand.

Blair and Garret's romance story. Both have issues to overcome, and balance each other out nicely. Set in gorgeous North Dakota (my home state) is an added plus. Love heartwarming stories of rescue animals, returning veterans, and family. Highly recommend this book.

WOW this is a story that could almost break your heart You are drawn into the internal battles of these two characters almost from the first page and are hoping that they will get a HEA before you turn the last page

Garrett Saunders is a broken man he left part of his soul as well as his leg on a roadside in Afghanistan he has returned home to Masonville but is having trouble adjusting to life as a civilian in his home town, while helping his brother the local vet he finds an abused horse about to be sold as dog meat as he finally found the thing that he needs something to fight for. Meanwhile Blair Greyson has returned to help care for her aging grandfather and to try to rebuild her life after a shattering loss a job at the local vet buts her in contact with Garrett and they clash but some work out a compromise he will do work on her grandfathers property and she will allow him to board his horse at the farm where she is also caring for her two rescue horses. The attraction is there between them but can two people with so much damage and such huge walls find a way to let them down so they can have a future together

To Heal a Heart is a heart warming romance. Well written plot and well developed characters. A new author to me and I will be reading more of her books. My thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for my advance book. This is my unbiased review.

This is a well thought out complex story that pulls you right in. Richards’ characters are funny and multi-layered. Like us all, the characters have issues. Some are at the surface, it the ones that can’t we can’t hide, the underbellies, they are the most interesting.

You will meet a cast of characters that is for sure but not so many that you feel overwhelmed. Our, main character, Blair, the h has a whopper set of parents. Well, her brothers and grandpa are great. You see she is the only though in Masonville, North Dakota caring for grandpa. Bad ticker as they used to say.

Garrett is the love interest since she was fifteen and hung with her brothers and never even noticed her. This time when they meet like did, only on summer breaks, they have no clue who the other is. Garrett’s injury in the line of duty so left the Marines looking harsh. Blair, it seems grew up and filled in.

Their meeting was over a misunderstanding on Blair’s part. In this case, it turns out to be a very good thing. One that changes both their lives forever.

I give this: 5++++ stars. Provide by netgalley.com. Follow us at www.1rad-readerreviews.com

Garrett Saunders' world shattered two years ago when he was serving in Afghanistan. Aimless, he finds purpose in the eyes of a horse on his way to the slaughterhouse. He hasn't a clue how to care for the horse and when the horse runs away, Garrett runs into Blair Greyson. She gives him an earful on the mistreatment of his horse and it's only later, she apologizes. She offers to board his horse at her grandfather's farm in exchange for him helping with repairs on the farm. The more he's around Blair, the more he realizes there's more to life than bemoaning a future that isn't a possibility anymore. Set on a new path, he sees a future with her but she's hiding secrets of her own. Can he help her see past her guilt and regret to a future with him?

To Heal A Heart is a gut-wrenching emotional story about healing after a great loss and learning to cope with a disability. The intricate detail Jana Richards describes the emotional strain Garrett experiences after losing his leg in combat shows her immense research on the subject. From the very beginning, my heart broke for Garrett. My heart also went out to Blair as she's dealing with her own demons. Brilliantly portrayed and added to the depth of the story. The romance was well done without it being too angsty. The plot moves at a good pace and I was a little sad when it ended. Even though it is book two in a series, it can be read as a standalone. If you're looking for a romance between tragic souls, you'll simply love To Heal a Heart. Highly recommend!

My Rating: 5 stars