The Hungry Heart by Brenda Gayle
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press (September 2012)
Source: Publicist
Formats Available: Paperback, ebook
Format Read: ebook
My thoughts: I adore a good love story yet I rarely read anything that is categorized as “romance”. Every once in awhile a novel in this genre will catch my attention. The last time this happened was when I read the blurb for Pulled by AL Jackson (Amy Lichtenhan) This time it was The Hungry Heart by Brenda Gayle. After reading the synopsis, I liked the premise of the story. When I saw that it is set in one of my favorite cities, Santa Fe, NM, I knew that I needed to read it.
The Hungry Heart features a great cast of characters that make you want to get to know them better. The story revolves around Nora Cross who is a strong and extremely independent woman whose passion is her work, and Hunter Graham who is a top chef with his own restaurant, and quite the reputation as a ladies man. The two are thrown together by Nora’s sister who won a cooking lesson from Graham at a celebrity auction. When the two meet, chaos immediately erupts as the two personalities clash. The connection between Nora and Graham is undeniable right from the start. You know something is going to happen between them, yet you still wonder what will it be?
The Hungry Heart felt very real to me and I tore through it in just a few sittings which is highly unusual for me to do these days. Its full of those new relationship blunders we all make from time to time. The characters are developed in such a way that they could be your own friends or neighbors. They are both real and extraordinary at the same time.
I loved the various story lines woven throughout. In addition to the romance, there is lots of family drama and a bit of intrigue to keep you turning the pages. I do have to warn you that there are some fairly descriptive romantic scenes in the story.
The Hungry Heart is book one in Gayle’s Hearts Desire series. Book two, The Doubting Heart is going onto my TBR list right now as I’ll be awaiting its release in 2013.
Novel Publicity Blog Tour Notes
Wanna win a $50 gift card or an autographed copy of The Hungry Heart? Well, there are two ways to enter…
- Leave a comment on my blog. One random commenter during this tour will win a $50 gift card. For the full list of participating blogs, visit the official Hungry Heart tour page.
- Enter the Rafflecopter contest! I’ve posted the contest form below, or you can enter on the tour page linked above.
About the author:
Brenda Gayle has been a writer all her life but returned to her love of writing fiction after more than 20 years in the world of corporate communication—although some might argue there was plenty of opportunity for fiction-writing there, too. A fan of many genres, she is drawn to contemporary romance and enjoys writing deeply emotional stories with elements of mystery and suspense. Her first book, Soldier for Love, was a recommended read by a number of reviewers. Her new book, The Hungry Heart, is the first in her Heart’s Desire series, which chronicles the difficult road to finding love and family acceptance for the three Graham cousins. Brenda lives in eastern Ontario with her wonderful husband, two fabulous children, two Siberian Huskies, a rescued cat, and assorted aquatic wildlife.
Connect with Brenda on her website, Facebook, or Twitter.
Get The Hungry Heart on Amazon or Barnes & Noble.
© 2012, Teresa. All rights reserved.
Great review, Teresa. I’m not technically on the tour, but I’m looking forward to reading The Hungry Heart when I need a break from all the darker, heavier stuff I generally read. Thanks for joining us on this tour, and please take a moment to cross-post to Amazon and GoodReads.
Thanks,
Em
Thanks for the awesome giveaway. I can’t wait to read this book. It sounds very good.
Thanks Victoria. I hope you enjoy it.
I remember 30 causing me stress. But now that I’m the big four o, I am over stressing about age.
LOL Alysia. I thought that, too, when I hit the big 4-0. A decade later, I’m back to stressing.
I really enjoyed this novel as well. I’m looking forward to reading further books in the series
Super review, Teresa! I haven’t read this one yet but do plan on following the tour
Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoy it!
I’ve just been informed by my publisher that The Doubting Heart is now available exclusively on Amazon Kindle. The rest of the world has to wait until January 25th.
Woo Hoo! Thanks for the heads up!
It was a quick read- thanks for a great review!
Great review. I hadn’t heard about this book before today but I saw it earlier today and I would really love to read it. It sounds great.
It is so hard to find time to read books sometimes, so the level of captivation has to be extraordinary. Nice to know you found a book like that.
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