Taking Heart

Taking Chances

by Wilette Youkey, June Gray

Seven weeks have passed since bakery-owner Ren lost her boyfriend to a skiing accident and his organs were sent all over the country for donation. Now she must fly to Denver to empty his apartment and find a way to finally say goodbye.

Minor celebrity Eric Sorenson is looking for something, but he's not sure what. Ever since his heart surgery he's felt incomplete, so he's been scouring the country in search of that elusive element.

The two meet on the plane to Colorado, but what Ren finds in the enigmatic Eric takes her by surprise and she begins to wonder: is it possible for a donated heart to make its way back to its beloved?

~

Taking Heart is a 58,000 word contemporary romance novel.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Ebooks

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 2012

About the author

Wilette Youkey is a daydreamer who was born in the Philippines, raised in Australia, and now calls the United States home. At the age of ten she penned a short story inspired by a Judy Blume novel and has been unable to stop writing since.

She has lived on four different continents and most recently inhabited a 240-year-old castle in rural Germany owned by a Graf. She now resides in California with her husband, two daughters, and a mini schnauzer.

Her stories are drawn from dreams, fantasies, music, and trips through airports. Apart from her lifelong affair with words, she also loves graphic design, singing in the shower, Dunkin Donuts, and working out.

If she were a comic book character, she would be called Shorty Smalls and would have the uncanny ability to grow several inches on command.

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

Ren Lawton is on a flight back to Colorado and finds herself striking up a conversation with a charming very sexy Eric Sorenson. The spark of attraction is there, but will Ren ever get over her one true love Ben?

This is a bittersweet tale of love lost and a chance for new happiness. It's touching and engaging and a definite for the romance lovers.

Courtesy of Wilette Youkey, for an honest review.

[Bloggeretterized · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't usually give a book five stars but this one I had to.
My review is not from a writer's point of view, I'm a plain jane reader and I'm not taking into consideration the writing style and all those things people analyze when reviewing books and authors.
I gave this book 5 stars for the sole fact that I read it from beginning to end in one day. I started it and couldn't stop reading it. The story captivated me.
The reasons I list below are spoilers, so if you want to be captivated like I was, skip them and know that at least for me, this was a great love story.


I mourned with Ren, Ben's tragic death. I felt butterflies in my stomach when she met Eric. I suffered the packing of Ben's apartment. I went into denial with Ren when she chose to hide Ben's memory in the drawer of her nightstand. I fell in love with Eric (that flying out only to "fix her table" detail OMG) and loved how he found his place in the world (any single Erics out there, contact me! he he ). I enjoyed the conversations with the sisters, nosy and lovable. I felt the nervousness of going on dates to try to figure things out. I hated Karen ha ha ha and knew she was going to get her heart broken again.
I wanted to run into the cornfield to console Ren (powerful moment, she finally let go of everything she was holding up inside her). I wanted to be at that thanksgiving table in Eric's apartment.


I read the last line and smiled.

Like I said, this is a great readable love story, modern, entertaining and heart warming. Just what the hopeless romantic in me needed to read. :)

p.s. the kindle cover is lovely too. After reading the book I get it. It fits perfectly to the story.

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it. An amazing light roller coaster ride. I was crying from early on, but the 88% mark (the Iowa scene) totally got me sobbing and bawling. Good thing I already got myself three boxes of tissues handy.



Thanks to Terri N who generously loaned me this book.

[Carrie Sims Schutze · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book!! It was a good thing it was a short read because I absolutely couldn't put it down. The characters personalities were amazing and I found myself smiling like a fool and tearing up right along with them. I was having a bad day when I started reading and by the time I was done I was in a great mood! This is an amazing story about life lessons, dealing with grief and that eventually, life does go on! Good stuff!!:)

[ShoSho · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one ,there is something in it that usually doesn't happen in romance books (and I don't want to call it romance it's Chick lit), the hero sleeps with another woman and is in relationship with her for a while and even thinks about proposing to her Gah I just wanted to stop reading but well I couldn't I was too invested in the plot to DNF it! Other than that it was nice easy read.

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very interesting story. I like the meet, friendship, develops into more story line. I enjoyed Ren and Eric’s relationships and the evolution they went through. I do wish the epilogue went a little further down the line in their relationship besides a few weeks but all in all I liked the book.

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the font- on the Kindle Version of this book.
Like most books that follow grief and healing- this was beautiful and I did not wallow in Ren's sorrow as much- but got to see how hard moving on could be especially for new people. Eric loved Ren, but she was still hung up on Ben and all he could do was hope that one day-she'll let Ben go and love Eric instead for who he was.
The dialogues are also well written. It was a good read too.

[Preet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me cry, which is a good thing. It means I'm able to connect with the characters emotionally. It also means the author has done a great job.

Don't let the synopsis or blurb throw you off. This isn't a story about a heart finding it's way back to the one it loves. It's a story of two unlikely people finding what they need in one another. It's so much more.

[Iria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. I liked the character's growth throughout the story in this book. I absolutely loved the friendship and connection between Ren and Eric.

[Wendie Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book:) I liked Ren and Eric and thought their relationship was realistic and interesting. Overall a good read.

[Alina Man · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one easy read and I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it to my friends.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

great story! Loved the twists and turns and overall vibe of the book. I teared up, cracked up and smiled while reading. I recommend it :)

[Melody]

DNF

I started it a few months ago but I put it down because I couldn't get into the story. Now, I honestly don't think I want to continue it.

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro super fluido, fácil de leer.
Me gustó mucho, de esos libros sencillos que lees y te enamora.
Me encantaron los personajes, el cambio que tuvo Eric, muy notable, y el duelo que lleva Ren.
Todos los personajes me encantaron, pasando por las hermanas de Ren, su sobrina, la familia de Eric, lo único con lo que me quedé en dudas es si Ben era tan bueno y/o lindo como Ren recordaba...

[Rosa CM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lo termine el viernes, yyy me gusto mucho, no es la típica historia de amor inmadura de siempre jajajaja la cual encuentro en varios libros, esta historia de amor tiene un proceso el cual me encanto porque a pesar de todo lo que ellos pasan por la vida logran superar la perdida en el caso de Ren y el miedo y la superación en el caso de Erick.
Me gustó que ambos personajes sean tan afines al punto de saber que es lo que necesitaba cada quien. Eric entendía tan bien a Ren era tan perspicaz que fue lo que mas me gusto de este personaje, ahora Ren desde que se conocen siente algo por Erick que no sabia explicar porque era capaz de hacer cosas que nunca había hecho con nadie tenían mucha química, lo cual la lleva a una confusión, confusión mía también ya que hubo un momento en que pensé que la historia se centraba en que Erick estaba unido a Ren por causa de la muerte de su novio (culpa de la sinopsis tambien jejejeje :P), y me sorprendió de que no era así en absoluto, ya que Ercik no tenia el corazón de Ben, ahí es cuando ambos tienen que darse el espacio suficiente, separarse y así poder cerrar lo que los atormentaba, lo confuso que era todo sobre su amor
Por lo que Erick se encuentra buscando darle un giro a su vida, al darse cuenta de sus sentimientos por Ren trata de luchar por ella, se encuentra queriendo tener una vida real al lado de ella y Ren en el poder superar la muerte de su Novio Ben lo que logra con ayuda de Erick de una manera un poco traumática pero la ayuda al fin y al cabo lo que seria el comienzo del fin para su dolor y la aceptación de dejar ir a Ben, logrando finalmente su amor :)

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew I had to read this book by June Gray (Wilette Youkey) after I fell in love with her series, The DISARM Series Boxed Set. Boy I was not disappointed scooping this one up! This book reminded me of one of my favorite movies (Return to Me), but this story did have a different spin for sure. There is something about the way June writes that makes me connect to her characters. Terrific read, I loved it.

[Susan Kiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am biased because I LOVE all of Ms. Youkey's aka June Gray's books. Taking Heart was different from her others, in that it is completely AMAZING! I felt myself taking the journey with the characters, rooting them along the way. I was angry, elated and shed tears, right along with the characters. Well written!

Thanks for another amazing book! I was extremely pleased to see it was on SALE for $0.99!! I would have paid much more, but thanks to such a down-to-earth author, and thinking of her fans for offering it for just $0.99! WOW!

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally judge a book on how I can connect to it and I just fell in love with this book. It was well written and I loved how she developed the characters. Well done Wilette!

[Sarah Fitz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

A sweet, quick read. Loved Ren and Eric.

[Ignacia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Esta es el tipo de historia que la convierten en película de día domingo por la tarde, que te hace llorar y ponerte cursi pero una vez que termina no vuelves a pensar en ella.

[Marse · Rating 2 out of 5]

La trama en sí es bastante buena pero siento que no la explotaron de una buena manera. Demasiados dramas, errores, malas decisiones....pudo ser mucho mejor, según mi opinión.

[Adric Rangel · Rating 3 out of 5]

He de admitir que me gustó mucho la portada, la sinopsis y cuando empecé a leerlo, pensaba que era un libro de 5 estrellas. Me atrapó desde las primeras páginas, algo que me emocionó mucho. Pero terminó decepcionándome cuando llegué a la parte en que la protagonista (Ren) mientras se encuentra en el apartamento de su novio que ha fallecido en un accidente, limpiándolo (Cosa en la que se ofreció al saber que los padres de su novio fallecido no pueden a causar del dolor de la pérdida) para saber que botar , que donar y que dar a la familia de él, se entera de que el protagonista (Eric Sorenson) ha sido operado del corazón. De pronto se siente más conectada con él (Y apenas lo ha conocido a su llegada, ya que se conocieron en un avión). Todo esto me hizo preguntarme: ¿Quién en su sano juicio, estando de duelo, sufriendo la pérdida de su ser querido que amaba mucho, y se encuentra llorando por ello, de la noche a la mañana se acuesta con otro pensando que esa otra persona tiene el corazón de su novio fallecido? ¿Y después de descubrir que no, decidí quedar como amigos (decisión que ha tomado porque siente que no supera la pérdida de su novio), pero siente celos porque la otra persona decide continuar con su vida y tener novia? ¿Acaso no fue ella la que lo lanzó a eso? Y para más colmo, el protagonista por tal rechazo decide remediar sus errores y cambiar su estilo de vida buscando a la ex novia que había abandonado en su tiempo en la universidad, para comenzar de nuevo, pero sigue pensando en la protagonista ¿No es que quería cambiar y hacer las cosas mejor? ¿No se da cuenta que va a herir de nuevo a su ex novia?.... Puedo mencionar otras cosas que me decepcionaron y hicieron que decidiera darle un 2.8/5 estrellas. Este libro prometía mucho, pero eso arruinó todo.

[Alejandra ☾ · Rating 1 out of 5]

es horrible

[Andrea González De la Cerda · Rating 5 out of 5]

heart "Tienes ese brillo en ti" "Somos almas gemelas" "Eric la saludó con una gran sonrisa en su hermoso rostro" "Ren cautelosamente ss puso delante de él y fue envuelta inmediatamente en sus brazos, su aroma familiar llenando su nariz. Le gustara o no, había extrañado ese olar de la brisa del océano y hierba. Sus brazos estuvieron alrededor de su cintura e instintivamente le devolvió el abrazo, apretando su cara contra su pecho" "Podía sentir sus ojos sobre ella todo el tiempo, poniéndola ansiosa y nerviosa" "-Te quiero. Sólo que no de la manera en que tú deseas que lo haga.- Voy a tomar cualquier cosa que tengas para ofrecer.-¿Por qué eres tan bueno conmigo?.-Porque eres mi alma gemela" "¿Pero viste la forma que se veía cuando lo vio? Nuestra hermana se iluminó igual que un árbol de navidad. " "Tú no viste la manera en que te miraba. Como un niño viendo una torta de chocolate" "A Ren le gustaba su despreocupada naturaleza, la manera en que le hacía sentir más tranquila con su sonrisa" "Me encanta oírte decir que tengo razón." "Siempre puedo confiar en ti para ser franco conmigo" "Estoy contigo y me quedaré contigo hasta el día que me digas que me vaya" "Yo quería ser el tipo que te embriagara de emoción" "Ella envolvío sus brazos alrededor de su cintura y se acurrucó más cerca, disfrutando el contraste de su calidez contra el frío de la noche" "Colton era atento y divertido, y no tenía miedo de dejarle conocer sus sentimientos hacia ella." "Estaba pensando que soy muy afortunado de estar aquí contigo esta noche" "Encantadora y sorprendente, como si acabara de salir de un sueño" "No puedo estar a tu alrededor, porque todos mis pensamientos dicen más" "Finalmente había reconocido sus sentimientos por Ren. Estaba enamorado por ella" "Colton se inclinó y la besó con ansia, implorando que le diera otra oportunidad. Pero el beso, a pesar de agradable, le faltaba algo que no podía identificar. Fuera lo que fuera, ella sabía dónde podía encontrarlo, y definitivamente no estaba aquí en los brazos de Colton." "Casi podía sentirla en sus brazos, el sabor de su piel contra sus labios. " "Se volvió hacia Ren y descubrió que no podía esperar ni un minuto para hablar. —Te amo, Ren —espetó. Ella abrió la boca, con los labios entreabiertos. Parpadeó un par de veces. —¿Acabas de decir que me amas o me quedé dormida por un segundo? —le preguntó, obviamente desconcertada. Se echó a reír, una dulce liberación de su pecho. —Dije: Te amo —dijo envolviendo sus brazos a su alrededor y apretándola—. Estoy enamorado de ti, Renee Lawton. " "Me dio su amistad y una esperanza. Básicamente, él me enseñó a vivir de nuevo. " "Mientras se acercaba hacia el hombre que amaba, y su cálida mano se envolvía alrededor de la suya, ella sabía que nunca había estado tan segura de nada en la vida. "

[Caranna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking Heart is a unique love story that I simply could not put down.

Ren's long time boyfriend died in a skiing accident. We meet a devastated Renee (Ren for short) as 7 weeks after the accident she is flying across the country to clean out his Colorado apartment.

Seated next to Ren on the airplane is Eric, a handsome socialite who has spent his life drinking, partying and living off of the fame and fortune of those he surrounds himself with. After facing his own mortality and undergoing major surgery Eric is on a quest to find purpose and meaning in his, up to this point, aimless life.

At first Ren sees Eric as a bit of a snob and a jerk, but once she gets talking to him realizes that she had been too quick to judge.

Both Eric and Ren felt an immediate and unexplainable pull toward the other, but Ren needs to mourn the loss of her boyfriend before she is ready to move on to something else.

Eric becomes the listening ear, shoulder to cry on and friend that Ren needs as she learns to let go.

This book was very well written, the characters were multidimensional and easy to relate to. The situations were out of the everyday but not too abstract to connect to.

I laughed, I cried, and I loved it. This book held a lot of unexpected twists and turns in the plot that left me guessing and hoping.

Rated R: For foul language, consumption of alcohol, and sex scenes.

(There were multiple explicit sex scenes, however, they were tactfully written. Not what I would consider "smut.")

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This book started off beautifully. A devastated girl meets an interesting quirky guy on an airplane flight to Colorado. The girl's long time, Olympic hopeful skiing boyfriend was killed a few months ago in a skiing accident and now the girl has promised his parents that she will clean out his apartment in Colorado so they don't have to face it. Her fellow airplane passenger is a party boy, best friends with a big name actor and son of a multi-billionaire shipping magnate. His high living lifestyle has caused him some major health problems including major open heart surgery. He is kind of lost, trying to put his life together.

They have an immediate attraction to each other. She is still trying to overcome the grief of her boyfriend's death but she finds herself opening up with the attraction she feels toward Eric, her airplane acquaintance. One thing leads to another and she suddenly starts believing that Eric was the recipient of her boyfriend's donated heart and that explains her attraction to him.

When the book started to go back and forth with their on and off again relationship and dealing with the real world, it got a little long. A third of this book probably could have been done away with and this would have been a 5 star read. As it was it was enjoyable and I really liked the two main characters.

[Jen_C · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out great with real promise
“Was I that bad?” he asked. She exhaled, as if about to deliver a blow. “Yes. If there was a Douchebag Hall of Fame, you would have been instantly inducted.” He winced. “Ouch. Douchebag Hall of Fame, huh?”

.......but I just cannot stand whiners or cheaters. I skipped chunks due to that. I don't know how he could say he was so in love with her but justify sleeping with Karen & pursuing that relationship while still being involved "as friends" with h. She of course dates as well but "can't go through with it" when the other guy wants to sleep with her. I get she had to grieve and he was "waiting" but these two just needed to talk honestly as they did at the beginning and give it time instead of dating others and being jerks.

2-1/2 stars.

[eroo · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ver, ser "no es" un libro de 5 estrellas, pero se las doy porque para ser chick lit SI es de 5 estrellas, no sé si me explico... :)

El libro empieza en el aeropuerto cuando Ren va a montar en un avión para ir a Denver para ir a vaciar el piso de su novio que acaba de morir, allí en el avión conoce a Eric y conectan, y después se vuelven a encontrar [...]

Por lo que si te gusta el género chick lit (como a mi que de vez en cuando viene muy bien una historia ligerita) esta es tu historia porque te enamorará sobre todo Eric (baba, LO AMO....)

[Maggie Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very different love story twist on a tragedy/organ donation story...
Ren and Eric meet in the most random way and forge a beautiful friendship that has true love woven throughout but will they ever get it together and feel the same way at the same time??
Beautiful story, wonderful characters, literally read this in a matter of 6 hours as I could not put down - thank you June Gray/Wilette Youkey for this powerfully moving story....

[Bcoghill Coghill · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems like an idea we have heard before. Maybe in a 1960s movie. But the author puts a new spin on the theme. Ren seems very real to me. She is someone I would like to meet (as my daughter's friend, I am not a lech.)
The attraction seemed real. The conversations all seem very real. Kudos to the author.