{Review} TWO OF HEARTS by Christina Lee

Title: Two Of Hearts

Author: Christina Lee

Published: 5th May 2015

Age Group: Adult

Genre: Romantic Suspense

Source: eARC provided via Netgalley for fair & honest review

Rating: 4.5/5

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BLURB:

From the author of the Between Breaths novels comes a gripping romance about finding yourself while taking a second chance at your first love…

Dakota Nakos was always the resilient, strong-willed achiever. But when her father dies and she’s entrusted with the family’s casino, she feels vulnerable, scared, and more than a little emotional —not exactly the best time to see an old lover she’s never really gotten over.

Dakota once meant the world to Shane Garrity. Then suddenly he left town to train as a U.S. Marshal, and their love for each other crashed into a memory. Now he’s come home for her father’s funeral, and one look at the girl he left behind stirs up both memories and regrets, and reignites a fire he feared he’d lost forever.

Dakota may be the same driven girl she always was, but she’s also changed in ways neither could have anticipated. She’s not just a young woman searching for own identity in the Native American community in which she was raised, but one questioning her new life outside her father’s shadow. Above all she wonders if Shane can push past her weakened defenses to rekindle what they once had, or whether the intense blaze between them will ultimately reduce her heart to ashes.

A culturally diverse & passionate romance mixed with plenty of suspense and intrigue!

REVIEW:

The story:

After just loosing her father, the last thing Dakota and her family need is pressure from their Native American community to sell their family casino. Dakota belives she can do her father proud and carry on his work at the casino and within the community, but as the pressure mounts, threats against her and their family highlight just how dangerous the situation is getting.

But Dakota has an unexpected person in her corner. Ex boyfriend and US Marshal, Shane, is back in town will stop at nothing to protect Dakota. But as he starts to investigate her father's death, he starts to realise just how much he cares for her and questions what he wants for the future. The question is can they overcome their past difference and the escalating danger to make their relationship work?

The characters:

Dakota is a very serious character. She wants to continue the success and their family casino and is dedicated to being the best she can. She very proud of her Native American heritage, which was fantastic to see. And I loved seeing her vibrant personality come to life around her friends & in particular with Shane.

I loved Shane so much. He's such a strong alpha male type guy on the surface, but he was never dominating with Dakata. While he wants to protect her, he always sees her as an equal - something I love to see!! He's also very respective of the Dakotas heritage and has he's own place in their community - which added a really interesting element to the story.

Also so exciting to see lots of Dakota's brother & best friend, Kai & Rachel (from Christina's previous book Whisper To Me)!! Kai & Rachel actually have their own mini side story that was extremely emotionally and had a real effect on me.

The romance:

I love second chance romances, and it was so obvious to everyone around them that these two were made for each other. The chemistry was perfect and they just seemed so natural together. Lots of misunderstandings and confusions between them make for a complicated reunion - they needed to learn how to talk to each other! But it all felt worth it in the end!

The writing:

I love that Christina knows how to balance a romantic storyline between sexy and sweet. This is an adult novel (not New Adult) and as a result the characters are a little more mature and this is evident in the dialogue between all characters. It was also exciting to see the Native American elements throughout the story. I found the cultural storyline fascinating and it's just so refreshing to see some diversity!

FINAL WORD:

A culturally diverse & passionate romance mixed with plenty of suspense and intrigue!

CONTENT:

Sexuality: medium / several sex scenes

Violence: medium / minor assault

Language: medium / several f words

Drugs & alcohol: mild