Carolina Heart

Dare Island #4.5

by Virginia Kantra

A Dare Island Novella from the New York Times bestselling author of Carolina Dreaming...
Determined to leave her wild past behind her, Cynthie Lodge is forging a new life for herself and her daughters—one that's man-free and drama-free. But not everyone is so eager to let go of the past.
When sexy loner Max Lewis returns to Dare Island, seeing Cynthie again rekindles his feelings for his high school crush. Now he must convince her to take another chance on love.
Previously Published in Ask Me Why
Praise for Virginia Kantra
"Virginia Kantra delivers."—Jayne Ann Krentz, New York Times bestselling author
"It's always a joy to read Virginia Kantra."—JoAnn Ross, New York Times bestselling author

Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Novella, Short Stories, Small Town Romance, Fiction

98 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 19, 2016

About the author

New York Times bestselling author Virginia Kantra is the author of thirty books of women's fiction, contemporary romance, paranormal romance, and romantic suspense.

Kindred spirits and Anne of Green Gables fans, look for Anne of a Different Island , coming January 20, 2026.

Her latest release, The Fairytale Life of Dorothy Gale , a contemporary reimagining inspired by Dorothy's adventures in Oz, follows Kansas graduate student Dee Gale as she flees personal heartbreak and public humiliation to enroll in the writing program at Trinity College Dublin (the Emerald Isle!).

Meg and Jo , a contemporary novel inspired by the classic story Little Women, received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Booklist and was a People Magazine pick.

Beth and Amy (May 25, 2021) "continues her delightful 21st-century retelling of Little Women...Kantra’s compulsively readable update will attract a whole new group of readers, as well as satisfy Alcott devotees."—Publishers Weekly

Her stories have earned numerous awards including two Romance Writers of America's RITA (R) Awards, ten RITA nominations, and two National Readers' Choice Awards.

Carolina Dreaming, the fifth book in her Dare Island series , won the 2017 RITA (R) Award for Best Contemporary Romance - Midlength and was named one of BookPage's Top Ten Romance Novels of 2016. Her work includes the popular Children of the Sea series and, in e-book format, The MacNeills stories.
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Reviews

[Alp · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I get to be with you. That's all the romance I need."


Aww… my heart! So sweet!!

I loved this book so much. It had a little bit of everything I look for in my contemporary romance reads. Before starting this novella, I felt no need to read any reviews or even its blurb since I’ve already read and loved every installment in this series. I went into the story blind, expecting to simply enjoy it, but surprisingly, I was given so much more in return!


Well, let’s see what we got here.

Well-knit plot.
The hero had a secret crush on the heroine since high school.
Nerdy yet incredibly sexy hero.
Strong, endearing, and rational heroine.
Likeable secondary characters.
Fast-paced story.
Sensual and passionate romance.
Beautiful HEA.

I got exactly what I want, so how could I ask for more!

I felt like my heart was going to explode with joy while I was reading this book. Max was so sweet; I couldn't help but fall in love with him. He had a crush on Cynthie since he was a sophomore. More than ten years later, they bumped into each other again. She didn't remember him, but Max, on the other hand, could never forget the most beautiful girl in his life. He tried to win her heart, but the fact that she had two kids and they were her first priority, made it difficult for her to jump into a relationship with him. Moreover, she knew that they were from totally different world. She was afraid that if one day he realized that she wasn’t the right woman for him, he would leave her like her ex-husband did.

However, as she got to know him better, she gradually realized how caring, understanding, and loving this man was. And it was time for her to put her heart on the line for this wonderful man, simply because he was worth everything.

I loved both Max and Cynthie. Max is an adorable man. Somehow, nerdy heroes are my weakness. He melted my heart over and over again with his sincerity and his cluelessness. And Cynthie, she’s strong but not stubborn. She loves her children and her mother dearly. She made some mistakes and still regretted things in her past, but she was never afraid to admit them. But most of all, she’s honest to her heart.


She didn't need him to save her, she realized. She needed him to believe in her. To love her.


As a novella, this one was perfect. I enjoyed every single page and devoured it in one sitting. If I could give it ten stars, I certainly would!

LOVED IT!

[Elizabeth H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

***First reviewed for the ASK ME WHY anthology***

I first met Cynthie Lodge in CAROLINA HOME, the first book in the Dare Island series. She is a waitress at a local restaurant who dresses a bit provocatively and has a reputation with men. Cynthie is also a single mom and has been trying to find a man to take care of her and her kids. She totally had her sights set on the oldest Fletcher son, Matt but his heart was meant for someone else.

Throughout the series Cynthie has grown tremendously, taking the advice of her friend Meg Fletcher and gone back to college. Cynthie wants to be able to take care of her daughters and put them first instead of finding a man to care for them. On Dare Island, Cynthie is known for her beauty, not her brains.

As fate would have it, Cynthie is on a field trip with her youngest daughter’s class when she crosses paths with Max Lewis, a kind and handsome man who went to high school with Cynthie. She was Max’s crush and still has the ability to knock him out. He knows Cynthie is beautiful, but he sees so much more in her.

Cynthie didn’t think she’d have anything in common with a smart, nerdy college professor who seemed way out of her league. She even brushed him off several times but he remained tried and true. It just goes to show you that your happily ever after may not be exactly what you thought you wanted, but it could be more incredible than you ever dreamed.

This novella was the most beautifully fragile story I’ve read all year. And the author’s dedication before the story started really tugged at my heart.

This story is truly for all the girls out there who think they are less than or undeserving of love. To all those girls, including myself, I hope our own Max will come forward one day to show us how beautiful and special and wonderful we are. Of how proud he is of us and to encourage and love us and our children like they were his own.

Thank you Ms. Kantra for giving us this beautiful story.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story with an adorable hero!
It is not often that I read of an insecure hero, especially not a hot one, but Max was just that: nerdy and insecure when it comes to women, yet sweet, considerate and totally hot. I loved him! Unfortunately I didn't love Cynthie, she was just not somebody I could relate to. Still, the story was cute and just what I needed. It could have been a little longer, since I felt many things were just rushed and I little more insight in what was going on would have been nice.

[Cathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, but as a rule, novellas usually just don't work for me, especially in the romance genre. Even in a novel everything tends to develop and progress at the speed of light, but in a book with 90 pages? There's very few ways I would be able to buy into the relationship.

I liked Cynthie from her appearance in previous books, so I'm glad she had her own story, but unfortunately, despite liking both her and Max, I just wasn't a fan of the tropes used here.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a novella. It was really good for a novella, but has the usual novella issues of the relationships not developing slowly enough. It helped that Max remembered Cynthie from the high school crush he had on her at one time. She didn't remember him for a while, which was interesting.
A good addition to the series.

[ReadKnitHoard · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Short, but sweet. And feel-good. *happy sigh*

[Virginia Brien · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet story of love and believing in yourself.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet.

[Carol Devine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gentle tale of deserving heroine remeeting genius geek she can't quite remember from high school. Now he's a hero: a sexy marine biologist researcher/ professor who never forgot the sexy wild child Cynthie, who had the attention of all the boys back in high school.

Awkwardness isn't one of my favorite traits when it comes to heroes but Max can be steely and strong when necessary. It made for some interesting moments--just not enough IMO. The sexual tension wasn't there for me. I had a hard time finishing it and I've never had that problem with this author's other books.

[Kaetrin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’ve been a fan of the Dare Island series since the beginning. I was browsing Amazon recently, idly wondering what Virginia Kantra was doing and whether there might be a new book out soon (not that I could see alas) when I came across Carolina Heart and realised that I had missed it.

The story is novella length and it really would have benefited from some further expansion. Cynthie Lodge is a single mother with two daughters from two different dads. I liked how the author showed this heroine unapologetically as deserving a HEA too. She’s perhaps the kind of woman one might easily judge. Certainly society most often does. So it was a lovely surprise to see her get her own book (albeit a novella) and to be treated sympathetically while being true to her story as well. She was married to the father of her first daughter but her second daughter was the result of a drunken one night stand with a soldier whose name she does not know. She loves her daughters and works hard to support them. She’s studying at community college to be a dental hygienist and holding down a job at night waitressing. She’s decided that she has to be a good example for her girls and has no time for men anymore. She won’t be hooking up or bringing random men through her daughter’s lives.

Read the rest: https://www.kaetrinsmusings.com/2018/...

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Carolina Heart was a great addition to Virginia Kantra's Dare Island series. Despite being a short and sweet novella, it had a big emotional punch. Both Cynthie and Max were trying to move on from their high school labels. Neither could see that they already had. It took falling in love with each other to prove to themselves that they weren't who they were in high school anymore, they were better versions of themselves.

This novella was a light and easy to read story that was so much fun. It was exactly what I'm looking for when I pick up a contemporary romance. Virginia Kantra's entire Dare Island series is. I would highly suggest it to adult contemporary romance readers who like a fast-paced and romantic read.

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a novella and all the right elements are there. Great characters. Cynthie is trying to rise above her "wrong side of the tracks" type life, to obtain education and security. She's a single mom of two girls. She was Max's high school crush, but she never knew it. She's working hard to be strong, to stand up for herself, to give her girls what they need.

Max believes in her and allows her the time and distance she needs to trust him. To believe in him. In them. I liked this a lot. I've loved all the Dare Island books. OI didn't recall Cynthie from the earlier books, but that didn't decrease my enjoyment of the story.

[Laurla2]

one of the guys at the bar patted her ass. she evaded his hand expertly, jabbing him with her elbow. he raised his palms in token surrender. "you had something on your butt."
"yeah. your eyes."

"she didn't mind cutting the grass and paying the bills and figuring out how to replace the washer under the sink when the pipes leaked. but the loneliness, the sheer weight of being the Only One Responsible, got to her sometimes."

"thank you."
"for what?"
"for making me feel like I can do this."

"don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"well, that gives me lots of options."

"you can tell me what you want. what you're afraid of. but you cant tell me how I feel."

[Sherri Lupton Hollister · Rating 5 out of 5]

Virginia Kantra Brings the Island to Us

Virginia brings the island to us! We've all known girls like Cynthie who can't live down their pasts especially in a small town.
Max's willingness to step back and let her prove to herself that she is amazing is awesome. We all want to find that person who sees the best in us. The person who gives us the courage and strength to fly and the place we can put down roots.

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect quick summer read

I love Max and Cyndie and this quick look at their lives. Of course it was too short, only a novella, but the author did not stint on giving us a well written, satisfying romance. Who wouldn't love a story about the high school nerd finally getting the beauty? Plus we get an aquarium complete with dive shows and chum, trailer parks and McMansions. Thanks.

[Janeiowa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Virginia Kantra and her Dare Island series never fails to provide great reading. This novella is no exception. I've "known" Cynthie Lodge from other books in the series. It was a treat to see her turn her life around by working hard and getting skills, education, and training to better herself and make life better from her daughters.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cynthie Lodge -2 children, 2 different fathers... hardworking... decided to dedicate self to family and self improvement - at school to be a dental hygienist... good looking

loner Max Lewis - marine biologist at local aquarium and and he meets Cynthie... and is enamored of her and her girls... and makes a place for himself in their lives...

[Tressa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved Max in Carolina Heart. He was patient, kind, and supportive. He was a balm for Cynthie. I really loved how Max and Cynthie came together. I also loved the inclusion of Cynthie’s family. I hope there is more in this series.

[M.J. Fredrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't want it to end! I love Dare Island!

[Audrey Bramhall · Rating 1 out of 5]

So disappointed

I have thoroughly enjoyed Virginia Kantra's series about the Carolina Outerbank, but this novella did not live up to the previous stories.

[Tammy A. Friedman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story

Great beach read about life, love and possibilities. Having faith in one's self and hard work matters. Virginia Kantra is great.

[Glenda Bettin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed Max's story

[Jennifer Muraski · Rating 4 out of 5]

this was such a sweet short story of Max and Cynthie. I enjoyed the story very much.