Sharing Heart

Atlanta Hearts #2

by Ken Murphy

Between their love for each other and their medical careers taking off, everything should be perfect for Mark Smith and Trevor Hayes. After all, happily ever after begins with “I do.” At least that’s what Mark expected when he and Trevor married. But six months in Boston and the threat of a harsh winter have turned Mark bitter, and his fall on the ice only adds to that chill. Boston is very different from Mark’s native Atlanta, and he’s having a hard time adjusting.

As a junior partner in a very busy cardiothoracic surgery practice, Trevor has little choice but to spend almost every waking moment at the hospital. In spite of all the difficulties in their lives, both men want to start a family. The challenge will be figuring out how to make it happen.

Unfortunately, with Trevor’s long hours to blame for a nasty accident, Mark begins to resent the toll Trevor’s job and the New England cold is taking on them. Maybe it’s the Boston air, or maybe happily ever after is just a fairy tale.

Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Family, Romance, Medical

200 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2014

About the author

Ken Murphy grew up in South Georgia, and boasts the first thing he ever had in his name was a library card. He credits his mother and her never-ending encouragement as the seed that started his lifelong passion for the printed word. He is a hopeless romantic who loves nothing better than a good happily ever after.

Ken lives in Atlanta, Georgia, the ninth gayest city in America. He shares a home with Andy, his partner of twenty years, and their slightly neurotic Dalmatian, Lucy. Ken is a nurse who loves working with people. He likens writing to childbirth, as page after page gives life to the characters in his head.

It’s easy to find Ken, and he’d love to hear from you:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ken.murphy.545
E-mail: kenmurphywrites@comcast.net

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 4 out of 5]

OMG I loved this book way more than the first one. Mark and Trevor are now living in Boston and working incredible hours and never getting to spend time with each other. They decide to have children and it's an amazing process they go through, and utterly heartbreaking, I cried my eyes out. The ending is bittersweet but a great read. I'm not ready for this to end, I want more of them.

[multitaskingmomma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Original Blog Post: http://www.multitaskingmommas.com/201...

Sharing Heart is the sequel to Mark and Trevor's love story. In the first book, they met the trials of heartbreak, the chance meeting of a potential lover, going on their first date and meeting challenges life threw at them. This is a story about the two men, of how they go through the task of moving into a new city and working through the expected difficulties of new jobs. They pick themselves up, dust each other off, and they go on with life to continue to meet more challenges, with all their vulnerabilities intact and stronger for it. A very different story from Stubborn Heart.

In the first book, the story leaned more on the medical and personal backgrounds of the two men. Here, we already know their backgrounds so we are given the chance to see how the two are adjusting to their new life. It all sounded good and HEA at first, but life is always full of the unexpected and the two realize that life-tests thrown their way can be met headon and defeated when they meet these together. Without the other, they find that they are not really all that capable. With this realization, Mark and Trevor find their jobs are not the by all and end all to their happiness. Maybe they need the pitter patter of tiny feet to give meaning to their love?

This was a beautiful installment to what happens next after the two stubborn hearts decide to be one. What made their romance a fairy tale in the first book, this one is all about harsh realities and making decisions, together. The trials they go through are heartbreaking but their lives have more meaning and they find that rainbow to have finally get their happily ever after. Not what I expected, totally different angle from the first book, but made the love story of the two men more beautiful and romantic.

Once more, Ken Murphy managed to write a feel-good book that made me smile.

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Title: Sharing Heart (Atlanta Hearts, #2)
Author: Ken Murphy
Cover Artist: L.C. Chase
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Reviewer: Jay
Genre: Contemporary
Type: Romance
Pairing: Gay
Length: Novel
Heat Rating: ♨♨♨♨
Book Rating: ★★★★☆

I enjoyed getting to know Mark and Trevor more. They have a strong relationship with lots of love to give. The fact they are smoking hot is a definite benefit and I still have visions of Trevor’s hairy chest. Caution though you will need a box of tissues for this one it was heart wrenching at times. Ken Murphy has written a truly gut wrenching scene that allows to feel the pain these guys endure. Their lives are realistic and we are given a look at the good and bad in their lives. Let’s hope we get to hear more about their lives together.

Complete Review at WoDF - Sharing Heart (Atlanta Hearts, #2)

[Alina]

I'm sorry to say it, but this book turned out to be a big disappointment for me :/ Nothing in the blurb indicated the story will be all about kids, but unfortunately for me it was. Mark and Trevor were in the cruise with Trevor's family and the kids, so it was all mostly about them spending time with the kids and they barely returned when they decided to have their own kids, so later on it was all about the surrogacy and the pregnancy and I skipped and skipped and skipped, because I'm just not interested in these things at all! Then Trevor changes jobs, so he could spend more time with his family, Trevor's sister - who suggested being their surrogate - gives birth, the end.
The book wasn't bad by any means, but the theme wasn't interesting to me in the slightest, so I just wish there's more info about the content in the blurb.

[Pam Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ken Murphy has done a brilliant job portraying the emotions and love that these two men share and the heartbreak and sadness they go through. The story line progresses right from the first novel, then the two men have decided to move to Boston so they can continue to live their lives together. The two main characters develop even further as their love for each other deepens as they endure loss and sadness along with bringing new life into their world. I love this book and the characters. I hope we hear more from these two as their lives continue. I laughed, I cried, I felt all the emotions that these two felt. Highly recommend this novel. A Must Read!! A Beautiful and Amazing Love Story.

[Mary Pruitt · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story continues with the nurse and the doctor

This is an amazing story. It was really sad almost towards the end of the book but it has gotten a lot better at the end. In the sad part, I literally cried at what happened. This is definitely a must-read, but read the Stubborn Heart first before this one.

[Jendi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cozy, sexy M/M romance series with a medical setting. Plot starts off slow, too many set pieces of family fun times without dramatic tension, but the final chapters where they become dads are heart-tugging. Good erotic scenes. I'd read more in this series.

[Mrsgeo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent sequel. Thoroughly enjoyed the story.

[Elizabeth Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

again ken has continued to weave his magic in sharing hearts a book that is a must to read

[Joyfully Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4.25 stars

Sharing Heart is the sequel to Stubborn Heart, and the second in this author’s Atlanta Hearts series. I’m going to say that it can probably be read as a standalone, as the author does a great job of filling in the backstory without it feeling like an info dump, but having read them in order, I’d urge you to do the same. I really enjoyed watching these guys fall in love in the first book and getting the continuation of the story was wonderful.

I have to give a nod to the consistencies between the stories and how the characters remained the same while still managing to grow. Sometimes this doesn’t happen and I was really glad to see it here. I loved seeing these guys again, and having them feel so familiar, but also seeing how they were continuing to change and adapt with their lives. Trevor still has a voracious appetite for food and sex, but he’s even more dedicated to the job than he was previously. Except when it became obvious that the job he had was no longer good for him, or for his husband, he was willing to pull up stakes immediately. This was both in keeping with the character we already knew, but showed how he had grown as well.

Read Kris’ review in its entirety here.

[Ro]

I'm not going to be able to rate this one because it was completely different than what I thought it would be via the blurb. Yes, Mark hates the cold weather of Boston and actually hurts himself on the ice. Yes, Trevor works too much and has a minor accident because of it. But is the conflict what the book is really about? Absolutely not. This book is about the kids - very, very detailed descriptions of the cruise the men take with family (including five nephews) and what they do; details of their surrogacy and then details of the birth of their babies and the problems associated with it. While I like kids in my books, I wasn't expecting it to such a degree here.

[Lyre · Rating 2 out of 5]

So the sequel was all about kids and sexes and the changing views was still killing me - no improvement at all.
With all due respect, some of the verbiage was insignificant, I skipped every unneeded clutter.

[Zane Kage · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars