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Hearts of the South #12
Loving Her
Loving her might be the hardest thing he’s ever done – but it might also be the best time of his life.
Paramedic Nikki Pantone loves almost every aspect of her life. Fiercely independent and sexually confident, Nikki has a satisfying career and great friends. She’s worked hard to overcome two emotional blows – the death of her father and the lingering memory of a night that changed everything. She’s holding out for an amazing relationship . . . if she can find the right guy.
Deputy sheriff Gary Walker hates what his life has become, with the exception of his relationship with his son Landon. Divorced and an outcast at work, Gary focuses on merely getting through each day. With his anxiety-ridden ex-wife remarried and making even the simplest interactions difficult, he’s trying to hang on to being Landon’s dad. When a friendly gesture by his new part-time partner places him on Nikki’s radar, he finds the one thing he’d thought was gone forever – hope.
Paramedic Nikki Pantone loves almost every aspect of her life. Fiercely independent and sexually confident, Nikki has a satisfying career and great friends. She’s worked hard to overcome two emotional blows – the death of her father and the lingering memory of a night that changed everything. She’s holding out for an amazing relationship . . . if she can find the right guy.
Deputy sheriff Gary Walker hates what his life has become, with the exception of his relationship with his son Landon. Divorced and an outcast at work, Gary focuses on merely getting through each day. With his anxiety-ridden ex-wife remarried and making even the simplest interactions difficult, he’s trying to hang on to being Landon’s dad. When a friendly gesture by his new part-time partner places him on Nikki’s radar, he finds the one thing he’d thought was gone forever – hope.
216 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 8, 2025
13 people are currently reading
25 people want to read
About the author
Linda Winfree
26 books87 followersHow does a high school English teacher end up plotting murders? She uses her experiences as a cop’s wife to become a writer of romantic suspense! Linda Winfree lives in a quintessential small Georgia town with her husband and two children. By day, she teaches American Literature, advises the student government and coaches the drama team; by night she pens sultry books full of murder and mayhem.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
November 11, 2025
Cute but needs editing
March 15, 2025
Been a while since we had a new Hearts of the South book. Happy to see the author is back :)
February 4, 2026
Really good book!
I was very hesitant because the reviews weren’t great across the board but no one who actually gave it low stars wrote anything so I took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I loved Nikki, and that she was a woman who was confident in her body. And I thought it was an honest representation of internal processing when trying to move past a traumatic event with a co worker.
Are there things I would change? Yes there are. For instance I probably would take out some of the church stuff. I am a Christian and I don’t mind the theme, but I didn’t like it in this book per se.
Additionally, I don’t think Amber should’ve had custody. I know people very similar to her and unfortunately they do not make good parents. I was a little disappointed in the MMC for not pushing for additional custody. I completely understand his job and his scheduling, etc., but she was not a healthy parent and I don’t believe that eight months later she would’ve been happy and showing up at the hospital either. That was unrealistic. But that was just a very small part of the story. I loved Gary and Nikki‘s relationship. So overall a very good read.
I was very hesitant because the reviews weren’t great across the board but no one who actually gave it low stars wrote anything so I took a chance. I was very pleasantly surprised.
I loved Nikki, and that she was a woman who was confident in her body. And I thought it was an honest representation of internal processing when trying to move past a traumatic event with a co worker.
Are there things I would change? Yes there are. For instance I probably would take out some of the church stuff. I am a Christian and I don’t mind the theme, but I didn’t like it in this book per se.
Additionally, I don’t think Amber should’ve had custody. I know people very similar to her and unfortunately they do not make good parents. I was a little disappointed in the MMC for not pushing for additional custody. I completely understand his job and his scheduling, etc., but she was not a healthy parent and I don’t believe that eight months later she would’ve been happy and showing up at the hospital either. That was unrealistic. But that was just a very small part of the story. I loved Gary and Nikki‘s relationship. So overall a very good read.
May 4, 2025
🚩Total red flag but Imma read it anyway. Wasn’t even aware she was writing again🍀 Hooray for me! Going in blind and spoiler-free - hope I dont have to kick my own ass.
My rambling thoughts:
Read a million books yet I’ve never seen this scene written before. I love this woman’s writing style- honestly😫 I can so clearly visualise her characters🙏🏼
Hands tucked inside her sweater cuffs, Nikki rested her elbows on the table and hid a smile behind her wrists.
Feeling a bit disconnected with the side characters I should remember from previous books - perhaps Hearts of the South series - but I haven’t read it in yearrrs, so only their names are familiar
She nuzzled at his jaw, and he lifted his head to meet her eyes. Her gaze was warm on him. “I love your laugh.” He trailed a knuckle along her cheek. “You’re my laughter.”
My rambling thoughts:
Read a million books yet I’ve never seen this scene written before. I love this woman’s writing style- honestly😫 I can so clearly visualise her characters🙏🏼
Hands tucked inside her sweater cuffs, Nikki rested her elbows on the table and hid a smile behind her wrists.
Feeling a bit disconnected with the side characters I should remember from previous books - perhaps Hearts of the South series - but I haven’t read it in yearrrs, so only their names are familiar
She nuzzled at his jaw, and he lifted his head to meet her eyes. Her gaze was warm on him. “I love your laugh.” He trailed a knuckle along her cheek. “You’re my laughter.”
October 18, 2025
This is my first read from Winfree and I enjoyed it! It was a good popcorn read for me. Sexy, short, and sweet.
I’m giving it four stars for a few reasons. First and foremost, I definitely think the book could’ve used another round of edits from another set of eyes. There are a lot of grammatical errors and clunky sentences that could use some TLC.
Secondly, some of the character and writing choices were hard to understand. I won’t get into any details of my criticism because I still think this book could be a five star with some tweaking. I’ll definitely pick up another book by this author when I want a quick, spicy read :))
I’m giving it four stars for a few reasons. First and foremost, I definitely think the book could’ve used another round of edits from another set of eyes. There are a lot of grammatical errors and clunky sentences that could use some TLC.
Secondly, some of the character and writing choices were hard to understand. I won’t get into any details of my criticism because I still think this book could be a five star with some tweaking. I’ll definitely pick up another book by this author when I want a quick, spicy read :))
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews