Review & Excerpt from Scars on My Heart by S.L. Sterling

 

 

Title: Scars on my Heart
Series: Willow Valley
Author: S.L. Sterling
Tropes: Single Dad, Single Mom, Friends to Lovers, small town romance, second chance at love, only one bed scene
Cover Design: Thunderstruck Cover Design
Release Date: March 28, 2024
Goodreads: https://geni.us/ScarsonmyHeartGR
Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/scars-on-my-heart-willow-valley-book-5-by-s-l-sterling
 
Blurb:
Willow Valley had become like home to me and my two boys, Dylan and Noah. Everyone knew everyone in this small town, and they helped us heal from our devastating loss.
 
Once I knew my kids would be okay, I started looking for work. Bluebird Books hired me almost right away. I was to run the new kids program that Trinity was starting. That was where I met Zach and his daughter, Grace.
 
Zach was the new owner of the Willow Valley Inn. He’d come in to return a book his daughter had borrowed from the program. We exchanged pleasantries and that was when the computer had gone down. Zach lost his patience, and that was when our pleasant conversation turned sour. I wasn’t worried about it because I figured I’d never see him again.
 
I was wrong. It turns out in a small town, everyone sees everyone almost daily, if not twice a day. At the grocery store, the gas station, the elementary school and as luck would have it, the bookstore. Soon, our conversations turn pleasant again, and without even trying, I find myself drawn to him. Then he asks me out on a date.
 
Despite my reservations, I decided to take a chance on love again. But just when things start to look up, Zach’s ex-wife suddenly reappears, causing chaos in his life once more. Which somehow causes chaos in mine when my children begin acting out.
 
Leaning on one another for support, we navigate obstacles that life throws at us. As time passes I begin to wonder if another chance at love will bring us closer together or make each one of us run the other way?
 
Buy Links:
Universal: https://geni.us/ScarsonmyHeartWV5
Amazon: https://amzn.to/49NeD1y
Apple Books: https://apple.co/49KaBHc
B&N: https://bit.ly/49EY9Ze
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3v6Minu
Smashwords: https://bit.ly/49Dk2YI
Google Play: https://bit.ly/49WxiY4

My Thoughts:

 

In Scars on My Heart, widow Iris has moved back to the town she grew up in with her two boys to start a new life.  Divorced single dad, Zach has moved to Willow Valley with his daughter and mother to open a bed and breakfast.  Both are deeply scarred form their experiences, but a chance meeting has them forming a friendship that turns into a romance.  This is the fifth book in a series, however, it worked very well as a stand alone.  I flew through this book.  I really enjoyed watching Iris and Zach fall for each other.  Both of them had suffered a big loss and I was rooting for them to heal and find joy with each other.  I thought the kids in the book were a great addition and not annoying.  Their struggles with the couple dating came across as very realistic.  I seem to be having really good luck with romance this year.  I am happy to add this book to that list!

Excerpt:
“Oh my god!” I screamed, grabbing for a towel that hung on the towel rack and quickly covering myself. It was too late, though. I knew he’d seen me, just like I saw him, as he quickly grabbed for the shower curtain that I’d ripped away from covering him.
We both stood there, looking at one another, our faces red, each one of us mortified in the moment. It was then I turned around, ripping my eyes from him.
“I thought you were downstairs. God, Zach, I’m so embarrassed. I’m so…” I took off from the bathroom, feeling like I could die. Panicking, I raced around the room, grabbing clothes from my suitcase as my heart raced until I felt faint.
I dropped my clothes to the floor and sat down on the bed, breathing hard, trying to erase what I’d just seen. I heard the bathroom door open and then felt the end of the bed dip down and a warm hand on my bare shoulder.
“Zach, please, this is just all too much,” I said, my vision blurring as I looked out the window.
“Hey. It’s alright. Look, I’m going to take a step back here, and I’d like you to do the same. Look at me.”
I could barely turn my head, but I did, and when I met his eyes, I didn’t see someone who was embarrassed. Instead, he looked at me with the same look he’d given me ever since we met.
“We are two adults. We are sharing a room. I know you didn’t think I was in there. Hell, I didn’t think you were back up here or were coming up anytime soon. So how about we both just forget what happened and try to have a good evening.”
I swallowed hard. I still felt like I wanted to die, and here he was trying hard to ignore the fact that we’d seen one another in our birthday suits.
“Zach, I can’t.”
“You can. I know you can. Now I’m going to get dressed and leave you so you can get ready for dinner. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”
He didn’t say another word. Instead, he did as he said he was going to.
Once he was gone, I reached for my cell phone. I needed help, and the only one I could think of was my sister.
 
 
Author Bio:
S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada and is married to her best friend and soul mate and their two dogs.
 
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamt of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel "It Was Always You" was born.
 
When S.L. Sterling isn't writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors on her e-reader. Her favorite authors include Kendall Ryan, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Lauren Blakely, Alessandra Torre and Willow Winters.
 
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading. 
 
Social Media Links
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/SLSterlingGoodreads
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hearomance/
Instagram: http://bit.ly/SLSterlingInstagram
Bookbub: http://bit.ly/SLSterlingBB
Sterlings Silver Sapphires: http://bit.ly/SterlingsSapphires
Amazon: http://bit.ly/SLSterling
Newsletter: https://view.flodesk.com/pages/64d6991578891ef5c9a2f474

Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Fireside Love by S.L. Sterling

Author: S.L. Sterling
Genre: Contemporary Romance
 
Kristy
I hated my job. I had no social life.
Somehow I had become so predictable after my last relationship ended, that the cashier at the local food mart already had my favorite wine bagged and waiting for me behind the counter when I walked in on Friday afternoon.
I needed to get away, from everything.
So when my best friend, Addie, called up and offered me a FREE weekend getaway, how could I say no.
Promises of a quiet weekend with a good book, warm fires, and flannel pajamas? Yes, please!
 
Austin
It had been eighteen months.
Eighteen months, since I had lost my wife in a car accident and learned that our marriage had been nothing but one big lie.
I’d done nothing but work and mope around my sister’s house, so when she told me to take her cabin for the weekend. Time alone, surrounded by nature and the fresh cold mountain air was exactly what I’d been needing.
However, my plans of being alone in the wilderness quickly vanished when I walked through the doors of the cabin and found my sister’s best friend drunk and half-naked on the floor of the very same cabin.
I’d hidden my crush on her for years. Perhaps, not well enough. After all, Addie must have set this up.
The weekend was about to get a lot more interesting.
 
From USA Today Bestselling Author S.L. Sterling comes this friends to lovers romance that will warm your heart on a cold winters night.
 
Fireside Love is a stand alone friends to lovers story. It features Austin and Kristy. Kristy is Austin's Little sister's best friend.  They have grown up together.  Playing Cupid, Addie sends the couple to a weekend getaway.   I thought this was a cute story.  Their chemistry was pretty steamy.  There is some angst as both of them are dealing with broken hearts and learning how to trust and love again.  I loved how each of them realized they had always loved the other.  I won't spoil it for you.  It was really sweet.  I do recommend giving this one a shot.

 

Available on Amazon & KU!

Paperback | Amazon US | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon AU

 

 
Read the First Chapter!
 
 
About S.L. Sterling:
USA Today Bestselling Author S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada with her two dogs,  and is married to her best friend and soul mate.
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamed of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel "It Was Always You" was born.
When S.L. Sterling isn't writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors.
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading.
 
 
Connect with S.L. Sterling:
Website | Facebook | Instagram | Bookbub |  Books + Main Bites | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads
 
 
Enter S.L. Sterling’s GIveaway!

 

Blog Tour: Review & Excerpt of Sunsets and Somedays by S.L. Sterling

 

Only on Amazon + Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited
 Amazon ➝ https://amzn.to/3hSzjtL
Goodreads ➝ https://bit.ly/3e4B4SJ

Ben  
I know why I lost her. I was too serious. I was too practical. I was grounded when I should’ve been dreaming about forever with Jess. 

Over time, this wore on her, all her big exciting ideas and all the ways I shut them down. No wonder she handed me my ring back and left town. No wonder she hadn’t been back in ten years. No wonder she’d married someone else, leaving me with memories of sunsets at the beach and the somedays we planned for the future we’d never live. 

So, I built a lift without her. My father and I opened the second division of Sunset Builders in New York, and to my surprise, I stayed busy, almost busy enough not to notice the loneliness. 
While I was on a job site, my little sister booked an appointment with a woman who lived on Madison Avenue. A quick bathroom and kitchen remodel, she’d said. I should have asked more questions because when I arrived and the door opened memories came flooding back. 

Jessica had returned.  If I’d learned anything in her absence it was that anything worth doing was worth being done well, and anything worth having was worth fighting for. Maybe by the time the condo was done, Jessica would give me a second chance. 

Jessica
All those years ago, Ben had been right to try to keep me grounded. I should’ve listened. The falls didn’t hurt as bad that way. 
Instead, I wanted a bigger life in a bigger place and I never appreciated the beauty of living in a small town with a huge support system. So, I left town without so much as a goodbye chasing asilly dream. I alienated myself, moved to a strange city where I knew no one, and chased after something that took me down a dark path.
 
I married the man who promised me the sun, moon, and stars, but delivered blinding blows. Sometimes, I thought I’d die before I escaped the nightmare. I knew my only way out would be to run...again. This took more years than I could count. Years of me squirreling away money, and years of me hiding in the dark so that no one would see my bruised face in the light of day.
 
Then my grandfather died. He left me money and a gorgeous condo in New York. While my husband was away on a month-long trip, my best friend drove me to New York. My plan: to upgrade the condo, sell it, and leave my current life behind.
 
Little did I know when I had called contractors to get some quotes that Ben would show up on my doorstep. He swore we could make more dreams real, but this time I was the grounded one. This time, I could only see how it would never work. I’d made too many mistakes. Love was terrifying. And I never wanted to tie myself to anyone ever again.
 
After all, 425 Madison is the perfect place to fall in love! 
 
 

Sunsets and Somedays is the 21st book in this series.  Working well as a stand alone, this one was a little bit different than most of the books in the series. It follows both main characters from their HS years to the present day, instead of using flashbacks to tell about their past.  I wish I could say I loved this one, but it ended up just being OK for  me. I really didn't like Jessica and never warmed up to her.  I didn't like the way she treated Ben.  I did like Ben and was not convinced that Jessica awas the right person for him.  I also would have liked to read what their make-up conversation was in the end.  That was kind of skipped over.  It's not a bad story, it's just not what I was hoping for.  Check it out for yourself.

Excerpt
Copyright @ S.L. Sterling 2020
 
I slowly opened the envelope and pulled out a thick stack of papers. On top sat some beautiful images of Jessica, which I flipped through slowly, taking them in. "These are amazing pictures of you. It was nice of them to send them to you. I love this one," I said, holding up what I thought was one of the best shots of her. 
 
"Yeah, they are great, but that isn't all they sent me," she said, the excitement building in her voice. She reached over and pulled the images off the thick pile of paperwork, producing what looked to be a contract. "Two weeks ago, they called and presented me with an enormous opportunity, and here it is! All in black and white." She squealed. "I waited to tell you until I got the paperwork."
 
I began reading the letter that sat on top. Words like contract, New York, California, moving. They were the ones that jumped out at me, and I felt my chest getting tight at the thought of her going away. I swallowed hard. "What does all this mean, Jessica?"
 
"It means they are offering me a modeling contract in the big city, Ben. It's my dream come true. I'll get to model and see the sights, and I am so excited that I wanted to share this with you in our special place."
 
"What did your parents say?" I asked as I sat there trying to focus and re-read the letter, but it did little good, so I started flipping through the bundle of paperwork.
 
"They were angry. Furious, actually," she said, picking at one of her nails.
 
"Are... Are you going to go?" I asked. I could feel tightness in my chest that hadn't been there before, but now that I'd asked her the question, it didn't seem to want to let up.
 
"Well, I thought that perhaps you would want to go with me. I'm sure my parents would feel better about it if you were with me. Plus, there is so much opportunity out there, and it would only be for a little while. I mean, the contract is only for a year. I want you to go with me."
 
My stomach hurt at the thought of her leaving me, and it was getting harder and harder for me to breathe. It reminded me of the time that I had gotten tackled in one of my high school football games. The guy had come charging at me and knocked me flat on my ass. I hadn't even seen him coming. When we collided, I went flying, and when I landed, he had knocked the air right out of me. This was no different. She had tackled me, just differently. 
 
 
About S.L.
 
S.L. Sterling was born and raised in southern Ontario. She now lives in Northern Ontario Canada and is married to her best friend and soul mate and their two dogs.
 
An avid reader all her life, S.L. Sterling dreamt of becoming an author. She decided to give writing a try after one of her favorite authors launched a course on how to write your novel. This course gave her the push she needed to put pen to paper and her debut novel "It Was Always You" was born.
 
When S.L. Sterling isn't writing or plotting her next novel she can be found curled up with a cup of coffee, blanket and the newest romance novel from one of her favorite authors.
 
In her spare time, she enjoys camping, hiking, sunny destinations, spending quality time with family and friends and of course reading.
 
 
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