Close To The Heart

Westen #5

by Suzanne Ferrell

During a state-wide blizzard, Westen sheriff’s deputy Daniel Löwe finds a little girl named Lexie abandoned, freezing and terrified. He takes her—undernourished, dressed in thread-bare clothes—to the only available place in the small town, the Westen House for at-risk teens. Daniel’s protective instincts compel him to check in frequently to assure the girl's safety. A man who gave up all hope of a family, Daniel enjoys spending more and more time at Westen House with Lexie and the four teen boys who live there. But it’s the new housemother, Melissa Davis that drives his heart faster.
After surviving an abusive ex-husband, a wiser, less-trusting Melissa is forging a new life for herself. The moment Lexie arrives bundled in a quilt and asleep in the handsome deputy’s arms, Melissa's fierce maternal impulses rouse and she fears Lexie's drug-addicted mother will find and claim her. As Daniel helps track Lexie's mom and still finds time to teach the little girl how to play baseball, Melissa realizes that Daniel's a good man who keeps his promises, no matter how big or small, and the walls around Melissa’s heart start to crumble.
Their newly forged hope shatters when multiple bodies are discovered in abandoned drug dens and Daniel realizes Lexie's in real danger from her mother's dealer. Fearing for the little girl’s safety, Daniel and Melissa must lean on each other if they want to prevent the monster from stealing Lexie's life.

Genres: Romance, Suspense, Romantic Suspense, Contemporary Romance

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 2, 2019

About the author

USA Today bestselling author, Suzanne Ferrell discovered romance novels in her aunt’s hidden stash one summer as a teenager. From that moment on she knew two things: she loved romance stories and someday she'd be writing her own. Her love for romances has only grown over the years. It took her a number of years and a secondary career as a nurse to finally start writing her own stories.

The author of 20 novels and an Amazon best-seller for both her series, the Edgars Family Novels and the Westen series, Suzanne's books have been finalists in the National Reader's Choice Awards--SEIZED (2013) and VANISHED (2014). Suzanne was also a double finalist in the Romance Writers of America's 2006 Golden Heart with her manuscripts, KIDNAPPED (Long Contemporary Category) and HUNTED (Romantic Suspense).

Currently working on more books for her Edgars Family series (KIDNAPPED, HUNTED, SEIZED, VANISHED, EXPOSED, UNMASKED and SHANGHAIED, part of a pre-WWII spy-chaser spin-off series) and the Westen Series (Close To Home, Close To The Edge, Close To The Fire, Close To Christmas, Close To The Mistletoe, Close To Santa’s Heart and Close To Danger), Suzanne hopes to bring readers more passionate and suspenseful books to fill your reading moments.
Suzanne's sexy stories, whether they are her on the edge of your seat romantic suspense or the heartwarming small town stories or historical suspense novels, will keep you thinking about her characters long after their Happy Ever After is achieved.

You can Find Suz at:
Website: http://suzanneferrell.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suzanneferre...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SuzFerrell
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/suzferrell/

Reviews

[Iliana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the Westen Series

I loved Dan and Melissa story, they were relatable and believable. I enjoyed the relationship between Lexie and the boys. The story deal with the opioid epidemic in a way that is real and responsible. And yes the story touch serious problem, but there is also a lightness to it that makes it enjoyable. It is always nice to keep in touch with other characters from Westen. Great story, hopefully we can read about Geoff soon

[Penni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great visit to a beloved town

Thanks Suzanne for another visit with some of my favorite people.
Again you have brought the people and town of Westen alive with your usual skill.
Loved reading Dan and Melissa's story. And visiting with old friends too.
Can't wait until the next visit.

[Jan L · Rating 5 out of 5]

My pleasure in reading this series continues because the characters, story, humor, tension and romance that began with Doc Clint, Emma, the twins and Harriet just gets better. With each book you get to know the characters better and the town of Westen becomes more real. I'm hoping we'll get to know some of the Westen House boys better in future books.

[CJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well done and enjoyable tale. Lexus is an adorable little girl and the boys are just right as older brothers. Dan and Melissa make great parents for those needy children.

[Lexie Grayson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I loved this book, well all of them. This book however had me crying and for the best reasons. Thank you for inviting me into your imagination with your books.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this series. Great cast of characters and always a good story.

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this one the best in this series so far. Lovable characters and a satisfying story.

[charmaine White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

A really good story,one that grabs hold of you from the very beginning and doesn't let go until the very last page.Next book please.

[Kim McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story has been my favorite in this series. Loved Lexie and her literal view. I loved the teen boys and how they just adopted and protected this little girl. But again the siting was bad. The book had words misspelled - calculus. It also referred to the wrong character multiple times. Great story / bad editing.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think this is a 3.5.
Nice read about Melissa, an abused wife who gets out of a bad marriage and becomes the house mother at a teen home where four boys reside. In a home check during a blizzard, a deputy named Daniel finds Lexie, a 6-year-old girl, under a pike of blankets all alone in a freezing drug house. He takes her to Melissa, and the story goes from there.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging story. I've enjoyed this series and the characters. I even enjoyed the multi-character perspectives except I'd rather not have had the antagonist perspective. I don't think it was needed and I found it took me out of the story. I ended up skimming a bit because of that.

[Heli - So Many Books - So Little Time · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

[Nancy Cortes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the book, but the editing was so flawed it took away from the story.

[Cyndi Pelosi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the entire series

Love the family feel of the small town -everyone looking out for everyone else. Love seeing the ability to bounce back.

[Silverluna · Rating 5 out of 5]

:)

[Julia David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story. Lexie is so cute, and the boys add so much to the story. Daniel is doing welfare checks during a storm and comes across a little girl in a house with no heat. He takes her to stay with Melissa at Westen House. Westen House is home to four teenage boys who are at-risk. Melissa is the housemother and immediately falls for the beautiful little girl. Lexie may not stay because the house is for teenage boys. The boys immediately adopt Lexie as their little sister and will do all they can to protect her. Daniel is spending more and more time at the house, and it isn't just because of Lexie. When they find Lexie's mother dead, they know that Lexie is in danger because she knows the man who has been supplying her mother with drugs. He needs to tie up loose ends and Lexie is one of them. Can Daniel protect them all? Melissa was in an abusive marriage, and she isn't sure she can trust another man, but Daniel has slipped past her defenses and is making her rethink her stance. They all seem to be becoming a family, can they make a life together?

[Penny Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Testosterone Crew!

Suzanne Ferrell writes touching, realistic fiction. Close to the Heart is a touching, tense, gritty, often humorous novel about love in its many forms!

[Sleepless · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing!

Many very important issues are addressed in this book! I won't identify them as I hate spoilers! Suffice it to say that the narrative is often a lecture, which is simplisticly delivered without sufficient research! The author, who I have always loved, talked down to me! I thought it was a YA book, but it had a sex scene, so I guess not!
Close To The Heart was very disappointing! While I did read the entire book, because I was hooked enough to suffer through the poppycock! I'm appalled that Suzanne Ferrell slapped this together! Please consult more deeply with experts in all the area's you reference!
And please, perfectly behaved teenage boy's?

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this warm-hearted series. Suzanne Ferrell knows how to pull in the reader. I adored Daniel's attachment to Lexi and loved seeing Melissa get a chance at happiness. The young men at Weston House won my heart, too. There was plenty of suspense hanging over them throughout the book, but it was the characters once again that won the show for me.

[SueB · Rating 5 out of 5]

An enjoyable read with great characters! A must read series!

[SueB · Rating 5 out of 5]

A keeper! Read all the books in this series!