SHUTTERED HEARTS by Erin Graves is NOW LIVE!
Blurb:
One phone call changes everything.
Returning to Ashford Falls was never part of the plan for Quinn Marks. It reminded her too much of her mother and a past she was desperately trying to keep there. But sometimes plans have to change. Quinn knew the chances of receiving that phone call from her brother about their father were high, but she hadn’t been ready for it. She also hadn’t been ready to meet Declan Day, her new co-worker and, apparently, her brother’s best friend.
Running from a messy situation of his own, Declan hadn’t been sure he would stay in Ashford Falls when he first arrived, but it’s been five years, and he’s still here. He didn’t know how he made it all that time, not once meeting his best friend’s sister, but something about Quinn Marks calls to him. Making him feel things he never thought he’d feel again.
Both had their reasons for steering clear of romantic relationships: Declan with his failed marriage and Quinn with her mother’s example of why nothing was permanent. As they struggle with their feelings and confront the past, will Declan and Quinn realize that it might be worth opening their shuttered hearts to face an uncertain future together?
Shuttered Hearts is a return to hometown, brother’s best friend, found family, emotional contemporary romance set in a fictional small town. This is the first book in the Love in Ashford Falls series, each book in this series can be read as a standalone. Happily ever after, guaranteed!
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Sunny Shelly’s Review: 5 Stars
I’m pretty sure that Shuttered Hearts is the debut novel from Erin Graves, and it was a great read! This emotional story deals with love, loss, trauma, coming home again, and finding oneself again.
I thought that Declan and Quinn had such a great connection. Not only that, but he was such an integral part of her family, who adopted him as one of their own after he had a rift with his own parents. It’s been a few years since Declan got divorced, and he’s still kind of raw and hesitant to get involved with another woman. The last person he expects to fall for his his best friend’s little sister, who is only planning to be in town for a limited time. But these two just *got* one another from their first meeting, and it was a joy to see them blossom and open up to one another as they spent more time together.
Quinn is carrying a lot of baggage. She’s got trauma from her mom’s abandonment, as well as trauma from an attack. Both of those incidents had a huge impact on her, and she questions herself at times… especially when it comes to whether or not she can be the partner that Declan deserves. But these two were so open with their feelings and made it a point to communicate with one another even when the going got rough. I really appreciated that mature approach to their relationship.
Shuttered Hearts is beautifully written. Don’t miss the bonus epilogue, because it was so worth it to get a glimpse into Max’s life, eight years in the future! I am looking forward to more books from Graves!
I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.
Meet Erin Graves:
Born and raised in Maryland, Erin Graves lives with her husband and two cats in a small town in Pennsylvania. She rediscovered her love of writing after finding some old stories she wrote in high school and decided to give the author thing a try. She still works full-time in corporate America and isn’t sure that will ever change, but she’s open to the idea of making writing a full-time thing. She won’t call it a job because it doesn’t feel like one … yet.
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