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The Wrong Heart
ROMANCE FINALIST IN THE 2022 AUDIE AWARDS!!
I had my future all planned out.
A fairytale.
Then, on my five-year wedding anniversary, my dreams shatter. My husband is cruelly ripped away from me, leaving my broken heart behind.
But he leaves another heart behind, too…
His.
Drowning in grief, I reach out to his heart recipient, while seeking solace in a support group for fellow lost souls. Determined to find the bright, optimistic woman I used to be, I never expect what awaits me there.
Enter Parker.
Dark, brooding, emotionally detached. He’s the opposite of me in every way, yet I’m inexplicably drawn to him. As our bond deepens, so do the secrets that come to light, challenging everything I thought I knew about love and loss, and blurring the line between heartache and hope.
In a world where hearts break, I lost mine once.
Now, another heart holds the power to heal me… or destroy me.
*This book contains heavy themes, such as loss of a loved one and suicide. Please read responsibly.
I had my future all planned out.
A fairytale.
Then, on my five-year wedding anniversary, my dreams shatter. My husband is cruelly ripped away from me, leaving my broken heart behind.
But he leaves another heart behind, too…
His.
Drowning in grief, I reach out to his heart recipient, while seeking solace in a support group for fellow lost souls. Determined to find the bright, optimistic woman I used to be, I never expect what awaits me there.
Enter Parker.
Dark, brooding, emotionally detached. He’s the opposite of me in every way, yet I’m inexplicably drawn to him. As our bond deepens, so do the secrets that come to light, challenging everything I thought I knew about love and loss, and blurring the line between heartache and hope.
In a world where hearts break, I lost mine once.
Now, another heart holds the power to heal me… or destroy me.
*This book contains heavy themes, such as loss of a loved one and suicide. Please read responsibly.
337 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2021
2909 people are currently reading
41153 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Hartmann
34 books15.5k followersJennifer Hartmann resides in northern Illinois with her own personal romance hero and three children. When she is not writing angsty love stories, she is likely pondering all the ways she can break your heart and piece it back together again. She enjoys sunsets (because mornings are hard), bike riding, traveling, bingeing Buffy the Vampire Slayer reruns, and that time of day when coffee gets replaced by wine. She loves tacos. She also really, really wants to pet your dog.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,736 reviews
September 4, 2021
This is the book you should stop everything else and start reading. It is that good.
I was complaining about “not good enough books” for so long that this felt like some special gift to me.
The Wrong Heart is an extraordinary book with awesome writing and amazing characters. The plot line is unique and the plot twist is unexpected. I never knew it would go there. Just wait and see.
*Please beware of spoilers while reading other reviews. Learning the plot twist would ruin the book for you.
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As the writer herself says, this is not only “a love story”, but also a “love your life” story”, which was great. It is full of a variety of emotions – the deep feelings that I crave in each book. The tornado of feelings hit you one by one. I usually complain about books that can’t make me feel and this one has ruined me by making me feel every damn thing. I was a mess of emotions all the time.
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Let me warn you: The book is not light. It is not “suns and flowers” type of love story. It has loss and grief in it. The heroine’s husband dies in a terrible accident and her life is ruined with grief. She mourns heavily for a year. As I said, the book deals with hard topics. There is a suicide that ends with death (side character) and then there are two suicide attempts (main character). There is child abuse (main character).
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The first 100 pages or so are hard to read because of the sadness and depressive mood of it. And also, at the beginning, I didn’t like the hero, Parker, because he was such a cold ass. However, the more I learnt about his traumatic background, the more I loved him. Thus, if you hang in there for the first 100 pages, then your reward will be great.
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I must say that it is a long book with 370 pages. It builds slowly. It feels like the writer had no rush writing it and tried hard to give it the depth it needed and therefore, you shouldn’t have any rush reading it because you should cherish every word, every sentence as each of them counts.
I read it slowly, sometimes re-reading paragraphs. The characterization is great, there are enough monologues and dialogues to get to know them. The writer has created amazing side characters; I loved Bree, Leah and especially Amelia. The book is also full of amazing life lessons
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The plot:
Melody has lost her beloved husband that she loved very much. She is devastated.
My ears are ringing, echoing with a wretched, vile sound that appears to be lightyears away. Something chilling and bloodcurdling.
It’s a scream.
It’s my scream.
A hollow, broken wail pulled from someplace dark and untapped.
I don’t recognize it, but how could I? I’ve never made this sound before. I’ve never experienced this unique kind of heartache—the kind that steals away your senses.
Vision blurred, body numb, taste thwarted by ashes and soot.
I can hear, though.
I hear that scream reverberating through me, that heartbreaking scream, and I’ll hear it over and over and over again for the rest of my life.
***
I’m a foreigner in my own life. A stranger. I’ve lost my way, and I’m not sure how to get back to the girl I used to be.
Before him.
Before tragedy infected me.
***
“It feels like I’m cheating on his memory—on what we had together.” My confession is heavy, enveloping us both in a dense cloud. “It feels like a betrayal.”
“What does?”
I swallow. “Living.”
Melody’s husband was an organ donor. Melody now needs a connection with the person who got her husband’s heart and that’s why she reaches out to him, writing him an e-mail, wanting to talk to him via mails.
To: Zephyr79@gmail.com
“You don’t know me, but you have my husband’s heart. The only thing I have left of him is inside you.”
The man she writes to is not what you would expect him to be. Normally, I would expect an appreciative man who is kind and gentle. An understanding man. But no... Parker is kind of a dick, caring about almost no one. The bastard answers her e-mail 9 months later and when he does, he is a cold, distant and rude man for a long while. Still, in time, they achieve a kind of connection.
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Melody tries hard to move on with her life but she cannot do it for a while. She attempts suicide and that’s why, now she is going to suicide prevention group meetings. There he meets Parker, our hero. He is, in fact, Zephyr.
Yeah.. There you go – this is where the clusterfuck of events begins.
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At first, I am sure you won’t like Parker (Zephyr) but again, wait and see. The more you read about him, the more you will love him. The more Melody changes him, the more we will see the real man behind the tough and uncaring façade.
I am glad that the book is written in dual point of view or otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to get Parker this well.
If he’s undressing me, it’s not my clothes he’s peeling off. It’s everything else.
But I still sense his perusal prickling my skin, making me feel itchy and unnerved. He’s digging and digging, hollowing me out, pulling all my buried pieces to the surface.
He’s a human excavator.
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Parker is a very interesting character. He hates people and he especially dislikes women. He had sex only twice in his life and both were awful for some reasons and then he never wanted to do it again. And before Melody, he never kissed any other woman.
Of course, there are valid reasons for all of it.
Until you get to know why Parker is the way he is, you may dislike him like I did but please be patient; he'll win your heart.
I don’t have many hobbies or interests, but if I had to put something at the top of that list, it would be avoiding people.
***
The man is an emotionally-stunted bully, void of feelings, lacking in empathy, zero sense of humor. He’s nothing like Charlie.
Parker resists Melody for a long time and there is a lot of push and pull. Melody is the one who cracks his walls one by one with patience and kindness. Parker moves forward with baby steps and during his confusion, he hurts her unintentionally many times. In the end, after trusting Melody with his heart and his secrets, he starts to fight for her.
She’s louder than the voice inside my head screaming at me to resist, to push her away and get the fuck out of here, tornado be damned.
She’s even louder than my inherent fear of dark, enclosed spaces.
Yeah, Melody is louder… and I’m paralyzed by every decibel, by every deafening note.
***
“You and your smiles…” he says in a low voice.
He’s trying to project his annoyance, but I don’t buy it. “I know they’re growing on you.”
“Like fungus, maybe.”
“But the good kind of fungus.”
“No, like ringworm.”
***
Parker is the opposite of me in every way, the antithesis to my very soul, and yet I’m drawn to him somehow. There’s a darkness inside of him that speaks to my light. He was right when he said I wanted to fix him because I do. My nurturing heart wants to glue his pieces back together until he’s whole again. I’m yearning to see him smile. Laugh. To let go and feel free, even for just a moment.
***
Zephyr strikes me as a broken soul, much like myself, only he’s broken in a different way. Longer, maybe. His pieces are scattered in the wind, some long gone. But broken is broken, and we cut ourselves the same.
***
“Why are you here?” I demand, chest heaving, outrage escalating. “You were pretty loud and clear at the lake tonight. I’m just a nuisance to you. A thorn in your side, a gnat in your ear. A fly in your fucking soup.”
***
“That man is not a freakin’ mistake, babygirl.”
Amusement forces its way through the swelling anxiety, and I crack a smile before choking it back down. “It’s a mess, Leah. He has the emotional capacity of a spatula.”
***
“What did it feel like?”
His voice is low, throaty and almost tremulous. I blink up at him, processing his question, not understanding. Then I hold my arm out as I follow his stare. My jagged scar is on full display, bathed in dusk. “The knife?” I murmur, croaking out the words.
Parker’s eyebrows dip, but his gaze slides back up to mine. “To love someone that much.”
***
The image of her in my rearview mirror, standing in front of the building entrance, still haunts me, her eyes wide and wounded, her long braid dancing with the breeze.
I wanted to wrap it around my neck like a noose and let myself choke.
The Wrong Heart brings together two people who suffer for very different reasons. Melody has loved and lost and Parker doesn’t know how to love. That’s why, it takes a long time and a lot of hurt until he learns how to love.
Although he acts as a rude dick to Melody for a while, there is always this palpable chemistry between them.
After a lot of resistance and doubt, he finally can’t help but fall for Melody. And when Parker falls, he falls hard.
From the very beginning, Melody feels a strong pull towards Parker although he is nothing like her dead husband, who was a kind, positive and cheerful man.
Melody wants to heal Parker and while healing him with her smiles, kindness and understanding, she heals herself, too.
A lump forms in my throat when I note the vulnerability swimming in her depths of bright green. This is new for me, but it’s new for her, too.
We are both two broken souls, fractured in opposite ways.
She loved and lost…
And I was lost before I could ever love at all.
But here we are, pulled together by forces unseen and unexplained, clutching each other underneath an August sky, soaked in sweat and heady truths.
***
She told me to follow my instincts, but my instincts have always urged me to lurk in the shadows and build shatterproof walls. Vulnerability is poison. Emotions are toxic. Becoming soft is a solicitation for pain and disappointment.
My instincts have never once demanded reckoning for the demons I’ve kept buried for so long. They’ve never encouraged me to exorcize them, to find solace and healing in another human being.
***
I can hardly make out her outline through the black veil between us, but I can picture her flushed cheeks, wild hair, and wide green eyes, like two emerald arrows to my chest.
All I want to do is pull them out, but they’re embedded, lodged too deep, and it’ll only make it worse. I’ll bleed out.
***
“Haven’t you seen the way he looks at you? … He looks at you like he’s never seen anything like you before. Almost as if you’re one of those sacred relics perched behind tempered glass at a museum or a gallery, far too precious to touch. People stare in wonder, awestruck and tongue-tied, trying to unravel its mysteries, trying to imagine the rich history and compelling stories that hide behind the pretty exterior. It must feel really good to have someone look at you like that—like they’re seeing you for the first time, every time, and they’re amazed all over again.”
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Heat and passion:
The love making scenes and the kissing scenes are all written perfectly. I sometimes love a book but they disappoint me with mediocre love scenes after all the built-up tension. This book certainly does not disappoint. All intimate scenes with Melody and Parker are worth reading.
“Keep making those sounds and I’m going to go fucking feral on you,” I hiss, my fingers scratching down the light layer of sweat casing her spine while hers grab fistfuls of my hair.
It feels like I’m tearing her apart, and she’s piecing me back together.
“Do it,” she says, still riding me, still taking me to the hilt. “Don’t hold back.”
What was that?
What the fuck was that?
It was just supposed to be sex—simple biology. A physical reaction.
But it felt like a goddamn RESURRECTION.
Our mouths crash together, a collision of surrender, and Melody grips my shirt in her fists for support as I walk her backwards to the hood of her car. Our lips don’t part. Our hearts don’t waver. Tongues hungry, souls hungrier, I reach under her thighs and hoist her up until she’s seated on the hood. Her arms snake around my neck to hold me closer, and I moan into her mouth when our groins meld together. My erection throbs between my thighs, aching to be inside her again.
“I’m taking you right here,” I rasp, kissing down the side of her neck as my fingers weave through her hair. “Just like I wanted to that night in the rain when you danced on the hood of your car, soaked to the bone and fucking gorgeous.”
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Safety
It is a safe book with regards to cheating.
As I said before, the plot twist is unexpected and I loved it. It took me by surprise. However, it also causes a short separation between the lovers. But do not worry, the book is totally safe with no OW/OM drama and they both stay celibate during that short separation.
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The title of the book
The title "The Wrong Heart" means a lot – it is just so fitting.
"I thought it was the wrong heart.”
“No,” she sniffles, pulling away and inhaling a tremoring breath. “It wasn’t.”
It wasn’t.
Past tense.
She’s fucking leaving me.
***
“I’m here, and I’m trying. I don’t have lavish gifts or words that will magically erase the stupid shit I did, and fuck if I know how to grovel, but I do have one thing… and that’s me. Right here, right now. Standing on your doorstep, asking you to give me another fucking chance. To look past my mistakes and see everything else. Look at the real me, Melody. The man you brought to life, who has no goddamn clue what he’s doing, but is doing it anyway because it fucking matters. You matter.”
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Is he a consolation prize?
In a book like this, one may wonder if their love feels right and if it is as good as the one she had before if not better.
The book definitely convinces you about how real their love and connection is. I believed in it. I felt it. And I never questioned if she loved him as much as her husband or not. They were totally two very different relationships.
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The Ending: HEA
The book definitely has a very happy ending and I am really upset with some reviewers that say it doesn't have a HEA and mislead people. Nope, it does! It shows us the couple's happy union. It shows us their marriage and kids and the very happy life they lead.
I loved this couple with all my heart and I would really like you to meet them.
“You ruin me, Melody,” he murmurs, weaving his fingers through my wild hair. “You shatter my walls. You vaporize my darkness, overthrow my demons. You destroy every goddamn misaligned belief I’ve carried with me all my life.”
My lips trail up his chest until we’re mouth to mouth, breaths intermingled, and I say, “It’s time to rebuild.”
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Epilogue - Warning:
The book has an unusual Epilogue and normally I don't like this kind of epilogues but I understand why the writer preferred to write this kind of an epilogue and I agree: It was necessary in a book where “suicide” was one of the main points of focus.
She really had to end the book like that and it was beautiful in its own unique way despite the sadness it also creates.
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Rating and Recommendation:
I highly recommend this book. It surely takes its place in my favorites shelf and I am sure I will re-read it from time to time.
5+ stars
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May 19, 2025
4.25 stars ⭐
⤷ mini spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
“Did you see the sunrise this morning?”
“I did. But I don’t think I saw what you saw.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
while this book didn’t quite bring me to tears, it left a lasting impression with its emotional depth and gripping angst. i’d describe it as The Fault in Our Stars meets All In—a powerful blend of loss, healing, and unexpected hope.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ characters
♡.ᐟ melody
⤿ “All this time, I’ve been wrong about her. She’s not sunshine. She’s glittering nightfall, pale moonlight, silver stars in midnight skies. She’s that beacon of light when darkness threatens and consumes. No, she’s not the sun… Melody is the moon. She’s my moon.”
melody was the heart of the story. bright, kind, and understanding, she carried a light within her that never dimmed, even in the face of loss. her strength and resilience were truly admirable.
♡.ᐟ parker
⤿ “There’s a darkness inside of him that speaks to my light.”
on the other hand, parker was the quintessential grump—guarded, rough around the edges, but with so much care buried beneath the surface. he’d never admit just how deeply he feels, but it’s clear in the quiet ways he shows up.
♡.ᐟ melody + parker
⤿ “Melody… you’re my starting point. You’re my turning point. You’re the whole damn point.”
together, melody and parker reminded me so much of kacey and theo from All In 🥲 their dynamic was raw and full of tension, and the way they slowly mended each other’s broken pieces was both touching and beautiful.
“I see you in every sunrise. Beauty… promise. A fresh start. A new beginning.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
that said, the epilogue felt completely unnecessary—it almost took away from the emotional resonance of the ending. still, despite that minor hiccup, this was a deeply moving and thoroughly enjoyable read.
if you’re looking for an angsty read that will tug at your heartstrings, this one’s worth picking up!
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ other quotes
“All broken things can be fixed. The hard part is deciding that they’re worth fixing.”
“But maybe he was right—hope is for the weak. The frail and the struggling. The breakable. Hope is the glue. And there is no shame in that. There is no shame in weakness, in wanting more, in failure or defeat. Without the moments of weakness, we would never truly appreciate the beauty of our strength. Hope is the stepping stone for grief and suffering, and then it’s up to us to do the rest. To fill in our dark holes, stitch our wounds, and make our way to the other side.”
“We hold the key to our happiness, and what we put on the other side of that door is entirely up to us.”
“However small or insignificant, there’s always a glimmer of hope—of sweetness.”
here’s to more sad book buddy reads @Youssra! 🤭💖
────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────
pre-read 🫧
i haven’t felt like reading lately, but now i’m in the mood for something HEART-WRENCHING.
y’all already know i’m buddy reading this with Youssra 🤣 IT BETTER MAKE US SOB OR ELSE!!! 😤
⤷ mini spoiler-free review!! ⋆౨ৎ˚⟡˖ ࣪
“Did you see the sunrise this morning?”
“I did. But I don’t think I saw what you saw.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ my thoughts
while this book didn’t quite bring me to tears, it left a lasting impression with its emotional depth and gripping angst. i’d describe it as The Fault in Our Stars meets All In—a powerful blend of loss, healing, and unexpected hope.
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ characters
♡.ᐟ melody
⤿ “All this time, I’ve been wrong about her. She’s not sunshine. She’s glittering nightfall, pale moonlight, silver stars in midnight skies. She’s that beacon of light when darkness threatens and consumes. No, she’s not the sun… Melody is the moon. She’s my moon.”
melody was the heart of the story. bright, kind, and understanding, she carried a light within her that never dimmed, even in the face of loss. her strength and resilience were truly admirable.
♡.ᐟ parker
⤿ “There’s a darkness inside of him that speaks to my light.”
on the other hand, parker was the quintessential grump—guarded, rough around the edges, but with so much care buried beneath the surface. he’d never admit just how deeply he feels, but it’s clear in the quiet ways he shows up.
♡.ᐟ melody + parker
⤿ “Melody… you’re my starting point. You’re my turning point. You’re the whole damn point.”
together, melody and parker reminded me so much of kacey and theo from All In 🥲 their dynamic was raw and full of tension, and the way they slowly mended each other’s broken pieces was both touching and beautiful.
“I see you in every sunrise. Beauty… promise. A fresh start. A new beginning.”
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ overall
that said, the epilogue felt completely unnecessary—it almost took away from the emotional resonance of the ending. still, despite that minor hiccup, this was a deeply moving and thoroughly enjoyable read.
if you’re looking for an angsty read that will tug at your heartstrings, this one’s worth picking up!
ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ other quotes
“All broken things can be fixed. The hard part is deciding that they’re worth fixing.”
“But maybe he was right—hope is for the weak. The frail and the struggling. The breakable. Hope is the glue. And there is no shame in that. There is no shame in weakness, in wanting more, in failure or defeat. Without the moments of weakness, we would never truly appreciate the beauty of our strength. Hope is the stepping stone for grief and suffering, and then it’s up to us to do the rest. To fill in our dark holes, stitch our wounds, and make our way to the other side.”
“We hold the key to our happiness, and what we put on the other side of that door is entirely up to us.”
“However small or insignificant, there’s always a glimmer of hope—of sweetness.”
here’s to more sad book buddy reads @Youssra! 🤭💖
────────── ⋆⋅end⋅⋆ ──────────
pre-read 🫧
i haven’t felt like reading lately, but now i’m in the mood for something HEART-WRENCHING.
y’all already know i’m buddy reading this with Youssra 🤣 IT BETTER MAKE US SOB OR ELSE!!! 😤
August 11, 2021
'THE WRONG HEART' Is a full length romance novel by Jennifer Hartmann, spoken in 'dual perspectives.'
The beginning had me wrapped up in the feels as Parker & Melody celebrated their wedding anniversary, then out of the blue my heart plummeted, as within a blink of an eye she's left a widow, sadness engulfed me, everything this author wanted me 'the reader' to feel, I felt..
'𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗜'𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵.
𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝗺𝘆 𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝘂𝗴𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗸𝘆,
𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸.
𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗵𝗶𝗺,
𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝘁'𝘀 𝗱𝗮𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗳𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴.'
Then a wee bit of sunshine started shining through, and new feels started grabbing ahold of me, a damaged hero 'Parker' whom clutched at my heartstrings, these two appeared to be as different as chalk and cheese, he was closed off like a dark thundery day brandishing a scowl and she was all sunshine and rainbows with a smile on her face for any given reason. But together they were perfection.
'𝗣𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘆,
𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹,
𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗲𝘁 𝗜'𝗺 𝗱𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗵𝗼𝘄.
𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗮 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁.'
The ending left me with tear stained cheeks, a bittersweet monumental ending which hit me in the feels, but was perfectly fitting for this book, beautifully poetic, sunshine and smiles, sadness and heartbreak, this book was such a heartfelt journey. This author is in a league of her own!
May 24, 2022
TW suicide
Jennifer Hartmann is THE QUEEEEEEN of emotional and angsty romances. From the beginning, I knew this would be emotional. The Melody contacts the man who received her dead husband's heart and starts talking to him about life. Melody also attends a suicide prevention group after having to go to the hospital after harming herself. There, she meets Parker and is instantly captivated by him. He's damaged and brooding and never takes the meetings seriously. But the two start talking to one another and grow closer, and find themselves falling for one another. But their romance is far from an easy one. Neither one of them is ready to let another person into their heart and they constantly push each other away. There were so many twists and emotional moments that just broke my heart while I was reading this book. I wanted these two to find happiness in one another, but they had a lot of personal growth to go through before that could happen. I just love Jennifer's ability to create such complex characters and such emotional stories. There was a bit near the end I thought was a little rushed and I would have loved to spend more time with, but overall I loved this!
Jennifer Hartmann is THE QUEEEEEEN of emotional and angsty romances. From the beginning, I knew this would be emotional. The Melody contacts the man who received her dead husband's heart and starts talking to him about life. Melody also attends a suicide prevention group after having to go to the hospital after harming herself. There, she meets Parker and is instantly captivated by him. He's damaged and brooding and never takes the meetings seriously. But the two start talking to one another and grow closer, and find themselves falling for one another. But their romance is far from an easy one. Neither one of them is ready to let another person into their heart and they constantly push each other away. There were so many twists and emotional moments that just broke my heart while I was reading this book. I wanted these two to find happiness in one another, but they had a lot of personal growth to go through before that could happen. I just love Jennifer's ability to create such complex characters and such emotional stories. There was a bit near the end I thought was a little rushed and I would have loved to spend more time with, but overall I loved this!
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August 18, 2021
2.5*
Can you believe I read this? Yeah, me neither.
To start with, it did have clichés so I wasn't wrong on that front 🤣🤣 but the rating is all for the hero. He was very swoony 🥵🥵
The reveal with the heart wasn't executed very well.
It gets minus stars, however, for the unnecessary epilogue and for the LACK OF WARNINGS.
SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS NOT HEA
I can see why people rave about this, but to me the whole emotional aspect felt artificial and contrived just to get a reaction from readers (no, I didn't cry).
Safety:
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Why do I feel like I've read this type of plot a million times in the past already? 😩😩 So many of these clichés should have been left in the 2010s.
Are there no more original ideas? 😩😥😥
Can you believe I read this? Yeah, me neither.
To start with, it did have clichés so I wasn't wrong on that front 🤣🤣 but the rating is all for the hero. He was very swoony 🥵🥵
The reveal with the heart wasn't executed very well.
It gets minus stars, however, for the unnecessary epilogue and for the LACK OF WARNINGS.
SPOILER ALERT: THIS IS NOT HEA
I can see why people rave about this, but to me the whole emotional aspect felt artificial and contrived just to get a reaction from readers (no, I didn't cry).
Safety:
----------------------
Why do I feel like I've read this type of plot a million times in the past already? 😩😩 So many of these clichés should have been left in the 2010s.
Are there no more original ideas? 😩😥😥
December 21, 2021
5 STARS
I love a romance that can make me feel. A story that can break me and put me back together again while forever engraving itself on my heart and memory. And boy did this book do that and more.
I have one major pet peeve when it comes to books with a dead spouse, and it's when that spouse is made to be something...less. You know what I'm talking about. Either they're villanized, or the love is less intense, anything to justify the new love being...more. Why is that? Because it's not easy to pull off having one great love that passes, while also making the new love be just as real. So kudos to you Jennifer Harmann, for not just doing this, but doing it beautifully. I tip my hat off to you madam.
Melody is desperately in love with her husband. He's her everything and he loves her with the same selfless intensity. Until one day where she loses him in the most tragic way, irrevocably changing the course of her life.
What I loved most about Melody's character, is no matter how hard and dark her road is in the wake of her husband's passing, she's not bitter. She doesn't let this tragedy define her. Her heat and soul shines through this story, and I simply adored her quiet and unobtrusive strength. That doesn't mean she's not broken. She's devastated at the loss, and barely sees through her grieving. Until one day, she does something that really forces her to wake up. Joining a group for other broken souls (I'll keep this vague for spoiler reasons), she meets Parker. The broody, grumpy man who has demons he doesn't believe he'll ever be able to fight. He's a man that's irrevocably broken by the darkness of his past and childhood. He wants nothing to do with anyone, and the sweet and sunny woman determined to get past his defenses is among those things. Yet she still manages to make it past the cracks.
This book was beautiful, in the most tragic of ways. These characters are so vivid and multilayered. My heart broke for both of them, but especially my poor broken Parker. This is a man with some serious demons who allows the ghosts of the past to color his present. The angst, the emotion, the gut wrenching emotion was EVERYTHING. Their budding romance was full of pain and hurdles. And I loved watching them fight through it to get their HEA. And wow was it beautiful. I cried, I sobbed, and I fell head over heels in love with this incredible story. And that epilogue?! MY GOD. What have you done to me, Jennifer?!
If you're looking for a romance that will be a straight punch to the feels and that will stay with you for a long while, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
Find me on:
You said I look at you like I’m trying to fix you,” she says softly, her eyes scanning my face, searching for a crack. A hole. A way in. “You look at me like you’re trying to break me.”
I love a romance that can make me feel. A story that can break me and put me back together again while forever engraving itself on my heart and memory. And boy did this book do that and more.
I have one major pet peeve when it comes to books with a dead spouse, and it's when that spouse is made to be something...less. You know what I'm talking about. Either they're villanized, or the love is less intense, anything to justify the new love being...more. Why is that? Because it's not easy to pull off having one great love that passes, while also making the new love be just as real. So kudos to you Jennifer Harmann, for not just doing this, but doing it beautifully. I tip my hat off to you madam.
Melody is desperately in love with her husband. He's her everything and he loves her with the same selfless intensity. Until one day where she loses him in the most tragic way, irrevocably changing the course of her life.
What I loved most about Melody's character, is no matter how hard and dark her road is in the wake of her husband's passing, she's not bitter. She doesn't let this tragedy define her. Her heat and soul shines through this story, and I simply adored her quiet and unobtrusive strength. That doesn't mean she's not broken. She's devastated at the loss, and barely sees through her grieving. Until one day, she does something that really forces her to wake up. Joining a group for other broken souls (I'll keep this vague for spoiler reasons), she meets Parker. The broody, grumpy man who has demons he doesn't believe he'll ever be able to fight. He's a man that's irrevocably broken by the darkness of his past and childhood. He wants nothing to do with anyone, and the sweet and sunny woman determined to get past his defenses is among those things. Yet she still manages to make it past the cracks.
This book was beautiful, in the most tragic of ways. These characters are so vivid and multilayered. My heart broke for both of them, but especially my poor broken Parker. This is a man with some serious demons who allows the ghosts of the past to color his present. The angst, the emotion, the gut wrenching emotion was EVERYTHING. Their budding romance was full of pain and hurdles. And I loved watching them fight through it to get their HEA. And wow was it beautiful. I cried, I sobbed, and I fell head over heels in love with this incredible story. And that epilogue?! MY GOD. What have you done to me, Jennifer?!
If you're looking for a romance that will be a straight punch to the feels and that will stay with you for a long while, do yourself a favor and pick this one up.
Find me on:
May 19, 2022
I don’t wanna talk about it 🫣 read the first 60% but I couldn’t do it anymore so I skimmed the rest. the epilogue….. nope.
August 21, 2021
God! Just that email alone was enough to make the tears flow. 🥺
I told Ms Hartmann that she was going to decimate my heart and she totally succeeded. But you know it’s a beautiful destruction, because the love between Melody and Charlie was quirky, cute, funny and sweet. More than anything it was everything.
She’s surrounded by people who love her and understand, especially her brother and her best friend. Yet, it doesn’t matter when the grief is so strong you always feel like you’re on an island of one. It’s all desolation.
I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that Charlie’s heart of gold ended up in a pit of miserable, self-destructive despair. It’s like covering the sun in a pool of black, sludgy oil.
I just knew this was gonna be similar to You’ve Got Mail but if you replaced Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan with Marilyn Manson and Sylvia Plath. Perhaps Plath on one of her better days.
Misery really does love company and sometimes if you’re lucky you can taint that misery with one tiny bit of sunshine at a time.
Parker is a legitimate, real deal asshole, but if you think about it, his raw, real, shitty words are exactly what she needs. She has all the support, her family and Leah are wonderful but it hasn’t helped. Parker is the perfect antithesis and I’m curious to see how it will effect her in the long run.
He keeps harping on about her fragility but it’s obvious he’s emitting his own fears on her. Because he’s just so goddam breakable, barely holding on by a thread. What he doesn’t realize is she can take that thread and sew him back together, perhaps for the very first time.
God, when Parker falls he fucking plummets. When he woos it’s all or nothing. When he loves it’s with his whole healed heart, and nothing else matters.
I told Ms Hartmann that she was going to decimate my heart and she totally succeeded. But you know it’s a beautiful destruction, because the love between Melody and Charlie was quirky, cute, funny and sweet. More than anything it was everything.
She’s surrounded by people who love her and understand, especially her brother and her best friend. Yet, it doesn’t matter when the grief is so strong you always feel like you’re on an island of one. It’s all desolation.
I’m not sure how to feel about the fact that Charlie’s heart of gold ended up in a pit of miserable, self-destructive despair. It’s like covering the sun in a pool of black, sludgy oil.
I just knew this was gonna be similar to You’ve Got Mail but if you replaced Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan with Marilyn Manson and Sylvia Plath. Perhaps Plath on one of her better days.
Misery really does love company and sometimes if you’re lucky you can taint that misery with one tiny bit of sunshine at a time.
Parker is a legitimate, real deal asshole, but if you think about it, his raw, real, shitty words are exactly what she needs. She has all the support, her family and Leah are wonderful but it hasn’t helped. Parker is the perfect antithesis and I’m curious to see how it will effect her in the long run.
He keeps harping on about her fragility but it’s obvious he’s emitting his own fears on her. Because he’s just so goddam breakable, barely holding on by a thread. What he doesn’t realize is she can take that thread and sew him back together, perhaps for the very first time.
God, when Parker falls he fucking plummets. When he woos it’s all or nothing. When he loves it’s with his whole healed heart, and nothing else matters.
June 5, 2022
5 stars
The Wrong Heart is one of those books you should go into blind. I thought I knew all the twists, but then I was managed to be surprised more than once. This was a highly emotional book that gave me all the feels. Such an amazing romance with a grumpy hero and sunshine heroine. Parker and Melody’s story will be unforgettable!
“All broken things can be fixed. The hard part is deciding that they’re worth fixing.”This is my third book by Jennifer Hartmann and they just keep getting better and better. I seriously love each one more than the last, and I think this is my favorite yet. This one was heavy, but by the end I had the biggest smile.
The Wrong Heart is one of those books you should go into blind. I thought I knew all the twists, but then I was managed to be surprised more than once. This was a highly emotional book that gave me all the feels. Such an amazing romance with a grumpy hero and sunshine heroine. Parker and Melody’s story will be unforgettable!
Audio book source: Audible
Story Rating: 5 stars
Narrators: Stefanie Kay & Neill Thorne
Narration Rating: 5 stars
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Length: 13h 29m
July 21, 2021
Mind-blowing. Body-heating. Heart-stealing. He's a tortured hero, and she's a beautiful broken melody, colliding together in death and resurrecting from places within, where "the beats are loud and songful." All the damn stars!
May 24, 2025
“This is new for me, but it’s new for her, too. We are both two broken souls, fractured in opposite ways. She loved and lost… And I was lost before I could ever love at all.”
“So, believe me when I say you’re more than just an itch. You’re a fucking revolution.”
4.5 stars
JH just knows how to write raw and emotional stories with the best mmcs ever. This was SO SO ROMANTIC. An mmc that is so grumpy but soft only for her?? I WILL EAT THAT UP EVERY SINGLE TIME. The fmc was such a perfect fit as well, a ray of sunshine even after going through some horrible stuff. They complemented each other so so well.
The character development here was incredibly done, especially Parker. His arc was so wonderfully done; nothing was rushed and he got right where he was supposed to be in the end.
“You’re mine,” I grit out, my heart thundering, my soul alight. “You’re what I’ve been waiting for. You’re what I’ve been searching for my whole life, and I didn’t even know it.” Her gasp only makes me hold her tighter, and I swear I see tears glinting back at me, ready to fall. “Melody… you’re my starting point. You’re my turning point.” Pulling her forehead against mine, a strangled sound escapes her, and I finish with conviction, “You’re the whole damn point.”
PROBABLY THE MOST ROMANTIC LINE I HAVE VER READ OMLLLLLLLL
This would have been perfect if it weren't for that damn epilogue. It was just unnecessary😭 Let us be happy JH please 😭
JH also writes great spice.. just sayin🥵
Always happy to BR with my fav girl Cherie Here's to more emotional and sad books for us 💖💖💖
fav quotes:
“The loudest love is wordless.”
“You said I look at you like I’m trying to fix you,” she says softly, her eyes scanning my face, searching for a crack. A hole. A way in. “You look at me like you’re trying to break me.”
Grief is a mechanical bull. You can hold on as tight as you can with white-knuckled fists, clenched teeth, and tears biting at your eyes, but you’re destined to lose your grip. You’re going to get thrown.”
“So, I decided to text her and get the plethora of burning questions off my chest, but all I ended up sending was: “Hi” Melody responded with her own “Hi,” but hers was followed by one of those little happy face emojis because she has a vagina.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
“She’s not sunshine. She’s glittering nightfall, pale moonlight, silver stars in midnight skies. She’s that beacon of light when darkness threatens and consumes.”
“So, believe me when I say you’re more than just an itch. You’re a fucking revolution.”
4.5 stars
JH just knows how to write raw and emotional stories with the best mmcs ever. This was SO SO ROMANTIC. An mmc that is so grumpy but soft only for her?? I WILL EAT THAT UP EVERY SINGLE TIME. The fmc was such a perfect fit as well, a ray of sunshine even after going through some horrible stuff. They complemented each other so so well.
The character development here was incredibly done, especially Parker. His arc was so wonderfully done; nothing was rushed and he got right where he was supposed to be in the end.
“You’re mine,” I grit out, my heart thundering, my soul alight. “You’re what I’ve been waiting for. You’re what I’ve been searching for my whole life, and I didn’t even know it.” Her gasp only makes me hold her tighter, and I swear I see tears glinting back at me, ready to fall. “Melody… you’re my starting point. You’re my turning point.” Pulling her forehead against mine, a strangled sound escapes her, and I finish with conviction, “You’re the whole damn point.”
PROBABLY THE MOST ROMANTIC LINE I HAVE VER READ OMLLLLLLLL
This would have been perfect if it weren't for that damn epilogue. It was just unnecessary😭 Let us be happy JH please 😭
JH also writes great spice.. just sayin🥵
Always happy to BR with my fav girl Cherie Here's to more emotional and sad books for us 💖💖💖
fav quotes:
“The loudest love is wordless.”
“You said I look at you like I’m trying to fix you,” she says softly, her eyes scanning my face, searching for a crack. A hole. A way in. “You look at me like you’re trying to break me.”
Grief is a mechanical bull. You can hold on as tight as you can with white-knuckled fists, clenched teeth, and tears biting at your eyes, but you’re destined to lose your grip. You’re going to get thrown.”
“So, I decided to text her and get the plethora of burning questions off my chest, but all I ended up sending was: “Hi” Melody responded with her own “Hi,” but hers was followed by one of those little happy face emojis because she has a vagina.” 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
“She’s not sunshine. She’s glittering nightfall, pale moonlight, silver stars in midnight skies. She’s that beacon of light when darkness threatens and consumes.”
August 12, 2021
I just added The Wrong Heart to my top ten books of the year. The Wrong Heart is a standalone, written single POV in Melody and Parker’s point of you. Here is my suggestion have water and an entire box of tissues, you know, the one with aloe. You will need it.
Two words: Painfully Beautiful. The book captivated me from page one from the painful email written so eloquently (not only did I cry, but it shook my soul) to the end, and everywhere between, I cried for pain, grief, love, and happiness.
Melody is such a sweetheart with a fresh breath of air. She is brilliant, Strong, plus a girl after my own heart with those cupcakes and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. She lost her light and is worried she lost it forever.
Parker is so angry with the world. He is grumpy with no filter and stays away from people. He barely existed. I had to ask myself what happened to him. As Parker’s backstory unfolds, we found out what made him this way. I love and am genuinely touched by Parker’s character growth. Five stars on that alone.
Melody and Parker’s love story is flawed, painful, beautiful, and fell into the depths of my soul. Parker is intrigued from day one when he met Melody, and it pissed him off. Melody saw Parker, no one besides his sister had seen him. Melody is relentless and peels back his layers.
“You’re the guiding light in a dark sky,” Parker murmurs, his breath tickling the top of my head. “You shine strong when the rest of the world is asleep… when no one is even looking.”
Two words: Painfully Beautiful. The book captivated me from page one from the painful email written so eloquently (not only did I cry, but it shook my soul) to the end, and everywhere between, I cried for pain, grief, love, and happiness.
Melody is such a sweetheart with a fresh breath of air. She is brilliant, Strong, plus a girl after my own heart with those cupcakes and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. She lost her light and is worried she lost it forever.
Parker is so angry with the world. He is grumpy with no filter and stays away from people. He barely existed. I had to ask myself what happened to him. As Parker’s backstory unfolds, we found out what made him this way. I love and am genuinely touched by Parker’s character growth. Five stars on that alone.
Melody and Parker’s love story is flawed, painful, beautiful, and fell into the depths of my soul. Parker is intrigued from day one when he met Melody, and it pissed him off. Melody saw Parker, no one besides his sister had seen him. Melody is relentless and peels back his layers.
“You’re the guiding light in a dark sky,” Parker murmurs, his breath tickling the top of my head. “You shine strong when the rest of the world is asleep… when no one is even looking.”
I knew going in the author would crack my heart wide open and slowly put it back together, and she did just that. She sets the bar high with every book and has yet to disappoint me.
November 5, 2021
“The loudest love is wordless."
Jennifer Hartmann's books remind me of Colleen Hoover's books when she still wrote stories that packed a punch. (I said what I said.) This is my second time reading her work (Still Beating is a 2021 fav!) and once again, my mind has been blown.
There's really not much I can say in terms of plot without spoiling anything, and I think the Goodreads synopsis does a pretty good job of selling this one. I knew based solely on that that I'd be reading a story that would wreck me, but I didn't expect it to hit HARD right off the bat. I was literally sobbing reading the first chapter, and that never happens to me. Usually it takes awhile for me to connect with the characters on THAT level but just the idea of losing my spouse combined with Jen's fabulous, suck-you-right-in writing turned me into a blubbering mess by the 10th page.
“The sun only knows how to shine.” But I’m the sun, and he’s the sky, and I don’t know how to exist without him. What happens to the sun when the sky falls?
You may love The Wrong Heart if you love:
✓ Grumpy hero and sunshine heroine
✓ Enemies (kind of?) to lovers
✓ An emotional plot
✓ Some surprises along the way
4.75 🌟 as this did feature one trope I'm not really a fan of. Other than that, I absolutely loved this book.
•Instagram 💋•
Jennifer Hartmann's books remind me of Colleen Hoover's books when she still wrote stories that packed a punch. (I said what I said.) This is my second time reading her work (Still Beating is a 2021 fav!) and once again, my mind has been blown.
There's really not much I can say in terms of plot without spoiling anything, and I think the Goodreads synopsis does a pretty good job of selling this one. I knew based solely on that that I'd be reading a story that would wreck me, but I didn't expect it to hit HARD right off the bat. I was literally sobbing reading the first chapter, and that never happens to me. Usually it takes awhile for me to connect with the characters on THAT level but just the idea of losing my spouse combined with Jen's fabulous, suck-you-right-in writing turned me into a blubbering mess by the 10th page.
“The sun only knows how to shine.” But I’m the sun, and he’s the sky, and I don’t know how to exist without him. What happens to the sun when the sky falls?
You may love The Wrong Heart if you love:
✓ Grumpy hero and sunshine heroine
✓ Enemies (kind of?) to lovers
✓ An emotional plot
✓ Some surprises along the way
4.75 🌟 as this did feature one trope I'm not really a fan of. Other than that, I absolutely loved this book.
•Instagram 💋•
April 26, 2025
5 stars . ⊹ ･ﾟ𖥔 ₊ ˑ
⤷ I love an angsty and tension filled book with an intriguing storyline and Jennifer Hartmann has delivered this for me again! This book pulled so many emotions from me. It was so heartbreakingly beautiful.
The story follows Melody and Parker, two broken people who met at a suicide prevention group. Melody lost her husband, and Parker was a defeated man who faced so much suffering in his life.
“We are both two broken souls, fractured in opposite ways. She loved and lost… And I was lost before I could ever love at all.”
It was through each other that they each healed and learned to love again. The way that their relationship and chemistry developed throughout the story felt so authentic. Even the spice felt emotional. This was truly a beautiful romance. I was rooting for these characters so damn hard. Even the secondary characters.
Through grief, pain and heartache, Melody and Parker learn to live again. Heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. It reminded me to appreciate all the little things in life and that each moment is precious.
⤷ I love an angsty and tension filled book with an intriguing storyline and Jennifer Hartmann has delivered this for me again! This book pulled so many emotions from me. It was so heartbreakingly beautiful.
The story follows Melody and Parker, two broken people who met at a suicide prevention group. Melody lost her husband, and Parker was a defeated man who faced so much suffering in his life.
“We are both two broken souls, fractured in opposite ways. She loved and lost… And I was lost before I could ever love at all.”
It was through each other that they each healed and learned to love again. The way that their relationship and chemistry developed throughout the story felt so authentic. Even the spice felt emotional. This was truly a beautiful romance. I was rooting for these characters so damn hard. Even the secondary characters.
Through grief, pain and heartache, Melody and Parker learn to live again. Heartwarming and heartbreaking all at the same time. It reminded me to appreciate all the little things in life and that each moment is precious.
August 30, 2022
"I’m not okay, but I’m not ready to give up that one day I will be."
If you've been following my reviews (it's still kind of weird that someone wants to know what I think) you'll know I'm always honest. So, here's honesty.
I was recommended this book because of the cover, and the cover model, but it had been in my TBR for a while. If the person who recommend it now knew what I'm going through, they probably wouldn't have. And they would be wrong. This is going down as one of my favorite books ever.
Because... this sentence sums it up for me. A few weeks ago, I didn't want to be here. I was alone, tired, and sick of all of this. My story is not a happy one, and one night I could've ended it. And one of the things I would've missed out on would be reading this book.
I'm still here. I'm not okay. But maybe I'm not ready to give up that 'okay' is coming. One day.
Hope is a dangerous thing, and this book crushed my heart but gave me hope. Thank you, Jen.
"She looks breakable in every possible way—the counter to my stone walls and steel truths."
Melody is inspiring. She was so in love with her husband, but then life, in all its unfairness, happened, and he died. She's alone. And even though she's surrounded by people who love her, it doesn't matter. Part of her is missing, but she's found the strength to carry on.
"There’s a darkness inside of him that speaks to my light."
My first impression of Parker was that he's a real asshole, and then I realized that in some ways he's my spirit animal. He's not the way he is by choice, but because so many things got in the way of the person he was meant to be. There's a dark cloud hanging over him, and his words may be unfiltered and mean, but they're also honest. I wanted to hug him.
"I’m goddamn jealous of their loss. To lose is to have loved. It’s when we have nothing left to lose that we truly know suffering"
I went into this book totally blind, and I feel like you should. If there's anything you need to know, feel free to DM me.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say they meet at a suicide support group. They're so different right off the bat. She's never been more exposed or vulnerable, but he doesn't care. It's like he wasn't built for feelings, like they're unimportant. Because who cares when you're just going through the motions, right? He's dead inside, and she has so much life to give.
And although they seem impossible, they just may not be.
"What did it feel like?"
"The knife?"
"To love someone that much."
Throughout the book, I felt that the main difference between them is love. Melody knows what it is, it was a living, breathing, palpable thing for her, and then it was gone. But Parker has never felt it, he can't relate, he doesn't know how to act. My heart really broke for him. What do you do when you need love, but you don't think you do because you don't know what it is?
"You're my starting point. You're my turning point. You're the whole damn point."
There's so much to this story. I wish I could experience it for the first time again, without knowing what's coming, because it was perfect. From Melody and Parker, to the secondary characters, to the world around them... there is so much love. So much heart. So much heartbreak, but also so much happiness.
"You. All of your scars, your shadows, and your perfect, perfect heart."
The plot line and the story were very much unique. The twist... I didn't see it coming, and I'm glad I didn't. The book is long, and it's slow-build, but that's the way it's meant to be. It's what these two deserve, and Jennifer doesn't shy away from what needs to be said.
It will break you, but it will also put you back together again.
"The truth is, I never truly had a home until I had her. I had four walls and a place to lay my head, but no place to lay my heart."
They were both looking for what was missing. A light at the end of the tunnel. Sun and sunshine, or moon and moonlight. Something to guide their way. Their hearts found each other, and their light shines brighter when they're together. Mending hearts and lives is not easy. Learning or relearning to love someone, or loving your life... that's not easy either.
I have a huge book hangover, and Parker and Melody will be living rent-free in my head for a while.
I'm grateful. I was looking for my own moon, I guess.
If you've been following my reviews (it's still kind of weird that someone wants to know what I think) you'll know I'm always honest. So, here's honesty.
I was recommended this book because of the cover, and the cover model, but it had been in my TBR for a while. If the person who recommend it now knew what I'm going through, they probably wouldn't have. And they would be wrong. This is going down as one of my favorite books ever.
Because... this sentence sums it up for me. A few weeks ago, I didn't want to be here. I was alone, tired, and sick of all of this. My story is not a happy one, and one night I could've ended it. And one of the things I would've missed out on would be reading this book.
I'm still here. I'm not okay. But maybe I'm not ready to give up that 'okay' is coming. One day.
Hope is a dangerous thing, and this book crushed my heart but gave me hope. Thank you, Jen.
"She looks breakable in every possible way—the counter to my stone walls and steel truths."
Melody is inspiring. She was so in love with her husband, but then life, in all its unfairness, happened, and he died. She's alone. And even though she's surrounded by people who love her, it doesn't matter. Part of her is missing, but she's found the strength to carry on.
"There’s a darkness inside of him that speaks to my light."
My first impression of Parker was that he's a real asshole, and then I realized that in some ways he's my spirit animal. He's not the way he is by choice, but because so many things got in the way of the person he was meant to be. There's a dark cloud hanging over him, and his words may be unfiltered and mean, but they're also honest. I wanted to hug him.
"I’m goddamn jealous of their loss. To lose is to have loved. It’s when we have nothing left to lose that we truly know suffering"
I went into this book totally blind, and I feel like you should. If there's anything you need to know, feel free to DM me.
I don't think it's a spoiler to say they meet at a suicide support group. They're so different right off the bat. She's never been more exposed or vulnerable, but he doesn't care. It's like he wasn't built for feelings, like they're unimportant. Because who cares when you're just going through the motions, right? He's dead inside, and she has so much life to give.
And although they seem impossible, they just may not be.
"What did it feel like?"
"The knife?"
"To love someone that much."
Throughout the book, I felt that the main difference between them is love. Melody knows what it is, it was a living, breathing, palpable thing for her, and then it was gone. But Parker has never felt it, he can't relate, he doesn't know how to act. My heart really broke for him. What do you do when you need love, but you don't think you do because you don't know what it is?
"You're my starting point. You're my turning point. You're the whole damn point."
There's so much to this story. I wish I could experience it for the first time again, without knowing what's coming, because it was perfect. From Melody and Parker, to the secondary characters, to the world around them... there is so much love. So much heart. So much heartbreak, but also so much happiness.
"You. All of your scars, your shadows, and your perfect, perfect heart."
The plot line and the story were very much unique. The twist... I didn't see it coming, and I'm glad I didn't. The book is long, and it's slow-build, but that's the way it's meant to be. It's what these two deserve, and Jennifer doesn't shy away from what needs to be said.
It will break you, but it will also put you back together again.
"The truth is, I never truly had a home until I had her. I had four walls and a place to lay my head, but no place to lay my heart."
They were both looking for what was missing. A light at the end of the tunnel. Sun and sunshine, or moon and moonlight. Something to guide their way. Their hearts found each other, and their light shines brighter when they're together. Mending hearts and lives is not easy. Learning or relearning to love someone, or loving your life... that's not easy either.
I have a huge book hangover, and Parker and Melody will be living rent-free in my head for a while.
I'm grateful. I was looking for my own moon, I guess.
Read
December 31, 2024Happy re-pub day to Parker & Melody!! I'm so thrilled this story has a second chance to shine.
Now, tell me... did you see the sunrise this morning?
Now, tell me... did you see the sunrise this morning?
August 14, 2021
“We hold the key to our own happiness, and what we put on the other side of that door is entirely up to us.”
Well, I know if I will love a book at the beginning. This book took my breath away! This story was a poetry and had so much power, caring and love. The characters were built with so much personality.
Thank you author for sharing this amazing story!
Well, I know if I will love a book at the beginning. This book took my breath away! This story was a poetry and had so much power, caring and love. The characters were built with so much personality.
Thank you author for sharing this amazing story!
August 25, 2021
Loved this! Have you ever read a book that breaks your heart a few times but leaves you smiling - this one right here for me 💞
September 4, 2021
Who’s cutting onions in here?!
I’m literally sitting on my couch ugly crying after staying up all night to binge read this! There are not enough words to describe the beauty that is this book. I tried to highlight my favourite sections to quote them in my review but gave up because there were just too many.
This was one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming books I have ever read. I can honestly say that it will stay with me for a long time. It reminded me of the Notebook, in the sense that it’s about an epic love that spans this life and into next. If you read/watched that book/movie and loved it, then you’ll love this too. It will make you feel all the feels!
This is the second book I have read of this author. The first one was Still Beating, and I loved it, but I loved this one even more, which I didn’t think would be possible. I cannot recommend this enough! Everyone should read it. They should make a movie out of it! I wish I could go back in time and unread this, just so I could read it again for the first time. I’m going to have some serious book withdrawals after this!
I’m literally sitting on my couch ugly crying after staying up all night to binge read this! There are not enough words to describe the beauty that is this book. I tried to highlight my favourite sections to quote them in my review but gave up because there were just too many.
This was one of the most heartbreaking and heartwarming books I have ever read. I can honestly say that it will stay with me for a long time. It reminded me of the Notebook, in the sense that it’s about an epic love that spans this life and into next. If you read/watched that book/movie and loved it, then you’ll love this too. It will make you feel all the feels!
This is the second book I have read of this author. The first one was Still Beating, and I loved it, but I loved this one even more, which I didn’t think would be possible. I cannot recommend this enough! Everyone should read it. They should make a movie out of it! I wish I could go back in time and unread this, just so I could read it again for the first time. I’m going to have some serious book withdrawals after this!
October 16, 2021
Audio - 5++++ Stars
Story -4.5 Stars
I loved everything about this story until I got to the epilogue. I wish I had skipped it. I don't understand the point of it. It's the only reason I'm not rating this 5 stars.
Anyway, this was truly an unexpected surprise of a story. Some of the coincidences were farfetched, but I thought it worked very well here.
I'm hoping the author has other books planned for some of the secondary characters.
Story -4.5 Stars
I loved everything about this story until I got to the epilogue. I wish I had skipped it. I don't understand the point of it. It's the only reason I'm not rating this 5 stars.
Anyway, this was truly an unexpected surprise of a story. Some of the coincidences were farfetched, but I thought it worked very well here.
I'm hoping the author has other books planned for some of the secondary characters.
August 23, 2021
This book!
I don't even know what to say...
I'm a sucker for overcoming grieving stories... A bunch of my favorite books have it, and this one is now part of this list of favorites!
Two broken souls.
One used to be a happy sunshine.
The other didn't even had a purpose to live for.
I felt Melody's pain since the first chapter! What a fucking great and heartbreaking start!
I don't remember connecting so fast to a female character since Lana Myers (Mindf*ck Series).
Melody's grieving process was hard because it was real. I can't imagine going through what happened with her and Charlie, and not dive head first into the pits of hell!
And then there's Parker... Ohhhh how hard he pushed any kind of contact, feeling, interaction...
He was so closed off and at some point, I just wanted him to crack a single smile. (That I loved when finally happened).
His evolution in this book was amazing! What he was and what he become? Chef's kiss!
Both characters have an amazing development, and this story is so raw and so tortured, but it's also beautiful and with so much meaning...
I can't say how much it touched me!
It's a book about love, life, the right moment to live and to let go.
It's also chin deep in suicide, so take your mental health in consideration before start it, because you will feel all their doubts about life...
But you'll also feel their healing process...
Their starting points...
Their conviction about choosing life over death.
It's intense and I loved each page!
The epilogue was the perfect touch on that matter.
I'll definitely be stalking this author now!
June 2, 2025
🚨🚨🚨SPOILERS:🚨🚨🚨
⬇️
🚨
⬇️
🚨
⬇️
🚨
⬇️
🚨🚨SPOILERS:🚨🚨
⬇️
⬇️
⚠️It’s not her deceased husband’s heart
⚠️In the “years later” epilogue, after a good life with her hero, the heroine dies
ETA:
Sigh….
Amazon classifies it as romance: 🧐🙄
👇
#24 in Medical Romance
#144 in Romance Literary Fiction
#297 in Inspirational Romance
🚨
SPOILERS FROM COMMENTS BELOW:
About the HEA:
To me, in Romance, an epilogue is the look into the Hxh's future. A place of safety. This epilogue is not a safe place for me.
To me, the Romance genre's ending is the typically old school, age old, TRADITIOINAL HEA where the Hxh ARE TOGETHER. Then its done and I'm happy.
But the death of one main character AFTER the Hxh's HEA, to my mind, negates the HEA even though they DID have a wonderful life together.
Their life BEFORE that epilogue is the HEA.
Had the epilogue been in their kids POV with the Hxh gone together, I would've been okay with it.
But he is now alone and she has gone to her first love. <--- These are the facts.
This is how the author has written it.
This is the reality of this book.
Of course readers must take what they want from a book, but facts are facts.
I know we’re all gonna die, but my Romancelandia Hxh shouldn’t die.
IN THE EPILOGUE.
Yes:
They have a wonderful life. The End.
No:
They have a wonderful life. They die in the epilogue. The End.
⬇️
🚨
⬇️
🚨
⬇️
🚨
⬇️
🚨🚨SPOILERS:🚨🚨
⬇️
⬇️
⚠️It’s not her deceased husband’s heart
⚠️In the “years later” epilogue, after a good life with her hero, the heroine dies
ETA:
Sigh….
Amazon classifies it as romance: 🧐🙄
👇
#24 in Medical Romance
#144 in Romance Literary Fiction
#297 in Inspirational Romance
🚨
SPOILERS FROM COMMENTS BELOW:
About the HEA:
To me, in Romance, an epilogue is the look into the Hxh's future. A place of safety. This epilogue is not a safe place for me.
To me, the Romance genre's ending is the typically old school, age old, TRADITIOINAL HEA where the Hxh ARE TOGETHER. Then its done and I'm happy.
But the death of one main character AFTER the Hxh's HEA, to my mind, negates the HEA even though they DID have a wonderful life together.
Their life BEFORE that epilogue is the HEA.
Had the epilogue been in their kids POV with the Hxh gone together, I would've been okay with it.
But he is now alone and she has gone to her first love. <--- These are the facts.
This is how the author has written it.
This is the reality of this book.
Of course readers must take what they want from a book, but facts are facts.
I know we’re all gonna die, but my Romancelandia Hxh shouldn’t die.
IN THE EPILOGUE.
Yes:
They have a wonderful life. The End.
No:
They have a wonderful life. They die in the epilogue. The End.
January 25, 2025
“I like to tell myself that I didn’t give a flying fuck about anything, that death would be a welcome reprieve to this meatsuit, this coffin—but if that were the case, I’d be dead.”
This book was one of the most relatable books that I have read………I have sat in a sharing circle.
This book was one of the most relatable books that I have read………I have sat in a sharing circle.
January 17, 2025
Wow! This was so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time.
I LOVED this couple. They had a lot of chemistry in my eyes and I thought that Melody was an amazing fit for Parker.
Melody is one of my favorite romance book characters, I have to say. She’s a beautifully written character inside and out and just shines right through the pages. She reminds me of Rapunzel (The Tangled version!) and I love that vibe! She’s upbeat, sunny, a baker, kind! Everything I’d get along with! I LOVED HER!!!
Parker was a tough nut to crack but we got there eventually, right? Poor man had been through entirely too much and I wouldn’t have blamed him if he didn’t think he could hold on!
I was hella surprised by the ending and the revelation though! Didn’t think THAT would happen!
Loved this story!
I LOVED this couple. They had a lot of chemistry in my eyes and I thought that Melody was an amazing fit for Parker.
Melody is one of my favorite romance book characters, I have to say. She’s a beautifully written character inside and out and just shines right through the pages. She reminds me of Rapunzel (The Tangled version!) and I love that vibe! She’s upbeat, sunny, a baker, kind! Everything I’d get along with! I LOVED HER!!!
Parker was a tough nut to crack but we got there eventually, right? Poor man had been through entirely too much and I wouldn’t have blamed him if he didn’t think he could hold on!
I was hella surprised by the ending and the revelation though! Didn’t think THAT would happen!
Loved this story!
September 10, 2021
This book is just beautiful 🥺
November 8, 2021
I have been in a romance reading rut for a really long while now. Authors that were autobuys for me for years have disappointed me greatly with their new releases so I have slowly moved away from only reading romance novels to read some new genres to me.
It’s been harder and harder to find romances that come along my path and smack me across the face and knock me down by how good they are. But, Jennifer Hartmann has showed me that all is not lost in romance world. She’s not only managed to do that once but twice now this year!! My hat is off to you, @author.jenniferhartmann !! 🙌🏻
If you think you have this book all figured out, and are sure that it’s a story that has been told before, you are so far wrong…
Deep emotions, twists and turns, and all the feels. This book is a Rollercoaster of emotions. And nothing like what you’ve read before.
If you want a romance that will shake you to your core, you have your book! I can’t recommend it enough.
*******So many of my reviews just seems to disappear from Goodreads so I am re-posting this one*****
It’s been harder and harder to find romances that come along my path and smack me across the face and knock me down by how good they are. But, Jennifer Hartmann has showed me that all is not lost in romance world. She’s not only managed to do that once but twice now this year!! My hat is off to you, @author.jenniferhartmann !! 🙌🏻
If you think you have this book all figured out, and are sure that it’s a story that has been told before, you are so far wrong…
Deep emotions, twists and turns, and all the feels. This book is a Rollercoaster of emotions. And nothing like what you’ve read before.
If you want a romance that will shake you to your core, you have your book! I can’t recommend it enough.
*******So many of my reviews just seems to disappear from Goodreads so I am re-posting this one*****
December 3, 2024
I believe this novel is getting republished, which is how I was fortunate to receive an ARC. Thank you so much Bloom Books | Sourcebooks! I devoured this one. The revised publication date is December 31, 2024.
Now let me preface this review with the fact that this book had me weeping. Not just once...multiple times. Certain topics and moments scattered throughout truly gutted me. I went into this book blind and I highly recommend doing that but I think doing that set me up for a little more unprepared heartbreak. This is my second book by this author so I expected tears but this book hit me hard. Jennifer Hartmann's writing style is so unique and I love that she provides so much in one book. She will surely have you feeling all of the feelings.
This story takes you through the span of an entire lifetime in less than 400 pages. As a reader, you will be completely engaged and feel connected to each of the characters. The plot is orchestrated in the most seamless manner. The tension between the main characters is palpable and it will have you at the edge of your seat. There are no dull moments.
This is an easy four-star book. For myself, I definitely teeter closer to the 4.5 star line however, I'm rounding down because the ending had me yearning for just a bit more information.
If you enjoy adult, contemporary romance this is for you. I highly recommend this book and this author. I look forward to reading more of her books.
As always, all thoughts are my own. ✨🖤
Now let me preface this review with the fact that this book had me weeping. Not just once...multiple times. Certain topics and moments scattered throughout truly gutted me. I went into this book blind and I highly recommend doing that but I think doing that set me up for a little more unprepared heartbreak. This is my second book by this author so I expected tears but this book hit me hard. Jennifer Hartmann's writing style is so unique and I love that she provides so much in one book. She will surely have you feeling all of the feelings.
This story takes you through the span of an entire lifetime in less than 400 pages. As a reader, you will be completely engaged and feel connected to each of the characters. The plot is orchestrated in the most seamless manner. The tension between the main characters is palpable and it will have you at the edge of your seat. There are no dull moments.
This is an easy four-star book. For myself, I definitely teeter closer to the 4.5 star line however, I'm rounding down because the ending had me yearning for just a bit more information.
If you enjoy adult, contemporary romance this is for you. I highly recommend this book and this author. I look forward to reading more of her books.
As always, all thoughts are my own. ✨🖤
November 29, 2021
Well, I did not see that twist coming.
The epilouge was a beautiful HEA and a sweet look at what truly living is all about.
This was sad and gut-wrenching at times. But these 2 earned their HEA. And I fucking love that.
5/5 stars
The epilouge was a beautiful HEA and a sweet look at what truly living is all about.
This was sad and gut-wrenching at times. But these 2 earned their HEA. And I fucking love that.
5/5 stars
December 8, 2021
In my humble opinion this writer is one of the BEST contemporary romance novelist of all times. Redemptive stories are her forte, angst driven, embellished with innumerable sparkling feelings, I've come to love every single word that I've read by her.
It's not a book about the right people with the right heart, it's about wrong heart in the wrong person, yet everything that comes to be, is meant to be.
“Nobody’s heart is wrong. We’re given the heart that is meant for us, and if someone else doesn’t see the beauty in it, it’s not meant for them.”
That is the moral of this truly memorable story about such deep, emotional, and delicate subject matter…You need to go in blind to feel the full impact of it.
Ever seen a flower bloom in the desert?. It's an improbable scenario, but when it does, it's the most magnificent sight to behold.
Much like this perfect story of imperfect people told by Hartmann.
I've read a lot of broken characters, since I love dark romance, but I've never felt such emotional dissolution as I did while reading about Melody and Parker. They've gone through some abominating tragedies that have mutilated their souls, their lives, their entire existence. While Melody clings hard to the remnants of sunshine in her, since she was the sun of her husband, Charlie's life. Her light is dimming and dark & dismal days are overshadowing her sunny days.
She's Drowning.
"We are both two broken souls, fractured in opposite ways. She loved and lost… And I was lost before I could ever love at all. "
A participation in grief counseling group brings her to Parker, who is more abrasive than a pumice stone. No shred of softness or humour or positivity seems to be left in his stoney personality.
Melody is nothing if not persistently positive and somehow, somewhere she manages to strike right at the tiniest of chink in Parker's armour and that's all the foothold she needs to keep intruding, keep chipping, keep tearing down at his walls, one tiny splinter at a time.
I had to stop at every chapter, sometimes twice in one. You need to breathe to keep reading which proved to be quite a challenge during this story. Emotionally dessicating and draining, my heart was at the precipice of death by sentiments many a times.
“Once you leave your mark on people, that’s it. You’re carved into them, permanently engraved. You become a part of their story. And that’s a little intimidating.”
Well..Hartmann has tattooed her words on my soul in indelible ink..for posterity. That much is definite.
The sheer beauty of the words and brilliance of her prose is to be read to be believed. What a prolific writer, what an acute observer of human upheavals Jennifer is proving to be.
I'm gobsmacked by her talent, her aptitude of moving a reader to unstoppable tears with every book.
This one is her BEST and my utmost FAVOURITE......yet!!
I've NEVER read a story like this before and I hope to read the rest of her back lot back to back.
6 stars for The Emotional Avalanche
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It's not a book about the right people with the right heart, it's about wrong heart in the wrong person, yet everything that comes to be, is meant to be.
“Nobody’s heart is wrong. We’re given the heart that is meant for us, and if someone else doesn’t see the beauty in it, it’s not meant for them.”
That is the moral of this truly memorable story about such deep, emotional, and delicate subject matter…You need to go in blind to feel the full impact of it.
Ever seen a flower bloom in the desert?. It's an improbable scenario, but when it does, it's the most magnificent sight to behold.
Much like this perfect story of imperfect people told by Hartmann.
I've read a lot of broken characters, since I love dark romance, but I've never felt such emotional dissolution as I did while reading about Melody and Parker. They've gone through some abominating tragedies that have mutilated their souls, their lives, their entire existence. While Melody clings hard to the remnants of sunshine in her, since she was the sun of her husband, Charlie's life. Her light is dimming and dark & dismal days are overshadowing her sunny days.
She's Drowning.
"We are both two broken souls, fractured in opposite ways. She loved and lost… And I was lost before I could ever love at all. "
A participation in grief counseling group brings her to Parker, who is more abrasive than a pumice stone. No shred of softness or humour or positivity seems to be left in his stoney personality.
Melody is nothing if not persistently positive and somehow, somewhere she manages to strike right at the tiniest of chink in Parker's armour and that's all the foothold she needs to keep intruding, keep chipping, keep tearing down at his walls, one tiny splinter at a time.
I had to stop at every chapter, sometimes twice in one. You need to breathe to keep reading which proved to be quite a challenge during this story. Emotionally dessicating and draining, my heart was at the precipice of death by sentiments many a times.
“Once you leave your mark on people, that’s it. You’re carved into them, permanently engraved. You become a part of their story. And that’s a little intimidating.”
Well..Hartmann has tattooed her words on my soul in indelible ink..for posterity. That much is definite.
The sheer beauty of the words and brilliance of her prose is to be read to be believed. What a prolific writer, what an acute observer of human upheavals Jennifer is proving to be.
I'm gobsmacked by her talent, her aptitude of moving a reader to unstoppable tears with every book.
This one is her BEST and my utmost FAVOURITE......yet!!
I've NEVER read a story like this before and I hope to read the rest of her back lot back to back.
6 stars for The Emotional Avalanche
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September 11, 2021
**3.5-4 Stars**
Oh the emotions in this story was so good. I enjoy a broken and flawed hero and Parker fits the bill. The Wrong Heart takes on difficult but very important topics such as suicide, abuse, neglect and mental health. Emotional dark but it had to be given those topics. It was fabulously explored especially how Melody slowly broke down Parker’s walls. He was so closed off but who could blame him with that baggage and trauma. He’s evolving was amazing as was Melody’s. Them falling in love felt believable because of how their communication started in the first place. Melody didn’t fall in love because of who had her husband’s heart.
Sadly the last 20% didn’t work for me. It was too predictable, too many coincidences and the drama was in my opinion unnecessary and over the top.
Still I enjoyed The Wrong Heart all because of Parker and Melody. Two fantastic characters who fought their way back and out of the darkness.
3.5-4 Stars
Oh the emotions in this story was so good. I enjoy a broken and flawed hero and Parker fits the bill. The Wrong Heart takes on difficult but very important topics such as suicide, abuse, neglect and mental health. Emotional dark but it had to be given those topics. It was fabulously explored especially how Melody slowly broke down Parker’s walls. He was so closed off but who could blame him with that baggage and trauma. He’s evolving was amazing as was Melody’s. Them falling in love felt believable because of how their communication started in the first place. Melody didn’t fall in love because of who had her husband’s heart.
Sadly the last 20% didn’t work for me. It was too predictable, too many coincidences and the drama was in my opinion unnecessary and over the top.
Still I enjoyed The Wrong Heart all because of Parker and Melody. Two fantastic characters who fought their way back and out of the darkness.
3.5-4 Stars
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