Review: "Two of Hearts" by Christina Lee (Golden Arrow #1)


Note: This ARC was provided by the author via Penguin Group (Berkley, NAL/Signet Romance, DAW) in exchange for an honest review.

Five years ago, Dakota Nakos and Shane Garrity ended their relationship, a relationship that had barely even started but was based on years of friendship and and a love that hat yet to be explored fully. She let him go and he walked away, both ending up with broken hearts and a fractured friendship. It takes the death of Dakota's beloved and well-respected father, a man Shane considered a second father, for their paths to cross once again. The feelings are still there but neither is sure if there's a chance of rekindling what they once had, especially with way too many things left unsaid and assumptions made from before.

But Dakota and Shane's reunion is overshadowed by her father's passing, and the more Shane thinks about it, the more he thinks that the man was murdered. With pressure coming from several factions, Dakota's doing the best she can to live up to the memory of her father and stands up for their family's casino and, more importantly, their heritage and right to maintain ownership and control of the casino. Shane uses his training and resources as a U.S. Marshal to try and get to the bottom of what's happening, but he needs Dakota to put her trust and faith in him in more ways than one if there's any hope for them.

Two of Hearts is a standalone contemporary romance with a good dose of mystery suspense added to it and was written by one of my all-time favorite authors in any genre, Christina Lee. Don't let my saying that, however, make you think that my judgment is clouded because I could name several other authors whose previous work I've loved and enjoyed only to be smacked by disappointment by a new release that didn't quite meet my expectations. After all, once you've captured my attention and affection as an author, I do tend to set the bar higher. However, I'm happy to say that Christina Lee has once again created a story and has brought to life two main characters that brought a satisfied smile on my face by the book's end.

Fans of the author's much-loved series Between Breaths should be familiar with Dakota Nakos and Shane Garrity since they were introduced in the third book, Whisper to Me, which had Dakota's brother and Shane's best friend Kai Nakos and Dakota's best friend and Shane's close friend Rachel Mattson as the lead characters. Two of Hearts is set several years after the events in Whisper to Me, and while this new book does have a bit of a connection to the original series, it is a spin-off standalone and one that can be read and enjoyed without any prior knowledge of the book about Kai and Rachel. Being the reader that I am and because the book is part of a series that is a personal favorite, I suggest you read Whisper to Me.

Dakota and Shane's love story is a second chance romance and there was obviously quite a bit of hurt feelings between the two of them that basically stemmed from a lack of communication. Even after five years apart, the chemistry was still very much there, as well as all the hangups and unanswered questions from when they split up. These two had a lot of self-imposed hurdles that they had to climb over or break through, and while I did wonder if Shane wanted the reconciliation more than Dakota, I understood the pressure she was feeling after her father's death and having all the responsibility with regards to their family-owned casino on her shoulders. Shane had me locked in book boyfriend heaven, sighing blissfully.

One of the unexpected surprises I had while reading the book was the suspense/mystery element. Dakota's father had been murdered and Shane couldn't help but wonder if his death was connected to what was happening in the Nakos family's Native American community concerning the casino and the fact that the proprietorship was left to Dakota and Kai's mother who was Dutch. I was honestly flipping back and forth when it came to who I suspected was behind the murder and everything else that was happening, though my first and final choice turned out to be the right one. I'm always up for a good whodunit and I loved that Christina Lee made it such an important part of the story  and it worked well with the romance aspect too.

I don't know if I can pinpoint one particular reason why I can't help but fall in love with Christina Lee's books. Each one has taken a piece of my heart and if this keeps going, I may as well just hand over what's left of my heart to Christina. Her stories have the understated ability to evoke a myriad of emotions--with the ability to touch you but not become overly sentimental and sappy--and her characters are the kind of people who feel real--far from perfect but honest-to-goodness beautiful people inside and out. Two of Hearts is an inspiring book about falling for your first and only love a second time and standing up for your family and heritage. This is yet another 2015 favorite and a highly recommended read. Five stars! ♥

Release Date: 05 May 2015

Date Read: 30 April 2015

Learn more about Christina Lee here.

Purchase Two of Hearts on Amazon | B&N | Kobo.

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