BOOK REVIEW: HIDEAWAY HEART BY MELANIE HARLOW

TITLE: HIDEAWAY HEART

Author: Melanie Harlow - Website

Series: Book #2 of Cherry Tree Harbour Series

Format

412 pages, Kindle Edition

Published

August 7th, 2023

Language

English

My Rating:

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🌶️🌶️🌶️

Trope: 

🎤Bodyguard x Celebrity

👩‍❤️‍👨Annoyance to Lovers

🛌 One Bed/Forced Proximity 

💛Friends’ Little Sister

Blurb:

All I wanted was a break–two weeks off from being Pixie Hart, country music sensation, and fourteen days of peace, privacy, and solitude as plain old Kelly Jo Sullivan.

But thanks to some overzealous paparazzi, my family refuses to let me go anywhere alone, and I’m stuck sharing this tiny cabin with a tall, dark, and bearded stranger.
And guess what? There’s only one bed.
Well, he can couch it.

Xander Buckley might be hotter than a stolen blow torch, and I get that he’s a former Navy SEAL and all, but the man gives new meaning to the words overbearing, overprotective, bossy alpha male. I can’t even post a photo on social media without him warning me it’s not safe, or take a morning jog without him following behind.
But he’s made it clear that what he says goes, and if I don’t like it, I can kiss my vacation goodbye.
Instead, I end up kissing him.

I don’t even know how it happened–one minute we were at each other’s throats, the next we were at each other’s mercy. What’s even more shocking is how good we are together. He understands my need for freedom, and I understand his need for control.
But emotional trust doesn’t come easily to me. And we’re on two completely different paths.
Without question, I’d put my life in his hands.
Just don’t ask me to give him my heart.

My Summary of the Story:

Kelly Jo Sullivan, well known as Pixy Hart, is a famous country singer who just wanted a short holiday to run away from all her problems. She had enough of her overbearing mom, barely-around dad, and controlling jerk ex-boyfriend. But all of her plans go down the drain when her over-protective brother sends his friend to be her bodyguard. They start by annoying each other, to become friends, with benefits of course😉 But when feelings get involved, can they overcome the distance and their differences to be together?

My Thoughts:

So, as I expected, Xander is my favorite Buckley brother, with Devlin coming so close (forget about Austin, he probably will still be under Dash, unless he’d done even dumber shit😂). I LOVE him so much, he is hands down the smartest out of his brothers, feeling wise, and he never hurt Kelly, unlike his brothers! He’s never afraid of anything and doesn’t have a problem with settling down, in fact, he is looking for a wife and at least 3 children, or 5? He’s so smitten and protective towards Kelly, he wants to be with her but both of them know there’s too much between them as their future don’t exactly align. But in the end, love finds a way….

I love that Melanie dedicated 3 chapters for a few words of his thoughts answering Kelyy’s internal questions, that was hilarious!

“Of course I did.”

“Of course I was.”

“Of course we would.”

Sweet-sweet Kelly, she was a bit difficult at first but rightfully so, as everybody seemed to be determined that she could not do anything by herself. But she quickly warmed up to Xander. Of course she was attracted to him and was so bold to make a move too, I love that in FMC. Xander taught her self-defense as well as self-worth, and I’m so proud of her at the end for being able to stand up to her dad and her ex-boyfriend. Her relationship with her mom is so cute, the way her mom hounds her about the premonition dream she had, yes mum, she will be mauled by a bear that is an ex-SEAL😉

Is this one the best book in the series? So far, yes for me. This hit the spots just perfectly, not a slow burn, but they didn’t jump into bed instantly either, and once they did, they bring on the spice y’all🥵 And the way they handle their impending relationship is so mature that there’s no third-act break-up! And what is a Melanie Harlow book without a movie-worthy grand gesture ending? I highly recommend this series, and cannot wait for Dash’s book!

Quotes:

“But for the record, I am a fucking riot in bed.”

And that body, my God. The muscles. The ink. That mouth. Those hands. That c*ck.

“Let’s not say goodbye.”

Excerpt from Hideaway Heart by Melanie Harlow
Material may be copyrighted

⚠️Trigger Warning/Kinks⚠️
CNC (Roleplay)
Attempted Sexu*l Ass*ult

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