Heather

Hart Land Lakeside Inn #1

by Chris Keniston

An alternative cover edition for this ASIN can be found here

Home is where the heart is... Brilliant cardiac surgeon Heather Preston has invested everything to achieve her dream of working at a world renowned hospital. When an unsettling call from her grandfather the retired general brings her back to her childhood lakeside home, she rediscovers the appeal of life in a small town, the joys of free-spirited youth—and Jake Harper.

Genres: Romance, Amazon, Contemporary, Fiction, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Ebooks

166 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 24, 2019

About the author

A native New Yorker, Chris Keniston was on her way to Australia when she fell in love with North Texas. Little did she know the balmy seventy-degree October days would turn into fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk heat in August!

Twenty years later, she started scribbling short stories about her favorite TV shows, giving them lives more to her liking - and the elusive happy ending. Not long after, a dear friend dragged her to a local writers’ meeting. After winning multiple writing contests and making the finals in the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart contest, she now spends her days, and nights, writing contemporary romantic fiction with lots of emotion, plenty of surprises, and, of course, the happily ever after.

Chris lives in suburban Dallas with her husband, two human children, and two canine children. Though she loves her puppies equally, she admits being especially attached to her German Shepherd rescue named Gunny. After all, even dogs deserve a happily ever after.

Die gebürtige New Yorkerin Chris Keniston war auf dem Weg nach Australien, als sie sich in Nord-Texas verliebte. Damals wusste sie noch nicht, dass die milden einundzwanzig Grad des Oktobers sich im August in eine Hitze verwandeln würden, in der man ein Ei auf dem Asphalt braten könnte. Zwanzig Jahre später verbringt sie ihre Tage und Nächte mit dem Schreiben von zeitgenössischen Liebesromanen mit viel Gefühl, einigen Überraschungen und natürlich mit Happy End.

Als stolze Mutter von zwei menschlichen Kindern lebt Chris mit ihrem Mann und ihren beiden Hundekindern in einem Vorort von Dallas. Obwohl sie ihre vierbeinigen Familienmitglieder gleichermaßen liebt, gibt sie zu, dass sie eine ganz besondere Bindung zu ihrem Deutschen Schäferhund Gunny aus dem Tierheim hat. Schließlich verdienen auch Hunde ein Happy End.

https://www.chriskeniston.com/deutsch...

Reviews

[romancejunkie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather and Jake encounter each other again after many years when she comes home to see her family and they become instantly enchanted with the other, and as she spends more time at Hart House with him, they fall in love. Will she decide to stay in the small town with him?
Sweet and heartwarming story.

[Darcy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I normally like series like this, the big family, coming back together, but this one didn't work for me. Heather came off a bit snooty, like she was too good for her family and only went back home after months because the dr. in her felt like she needed to see her Grandfather after talking to him and he seemed sick. Then there was the love interest, he came off as very wooden. In the end this one wasn't for me.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Heather is a Cardiac Surgeon and grew up by the lake with her sisters and cousins. Her grandparents are town staples. But she heard something going on in her grandfather voice when he called to see if she was coming up from Boston, she came early. Jake grew up there also and now runs the family hardware store. He's understood her nose in books, but now they are both grown up.

[Jenn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute story

What a fun intro to a series of a fun family! Can’t wait to read more of these stories. I love that this book focuses on Heather and Jake but started to give you a background on more of the cousins. Clean, fun romance.

[Lori Grahn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love reading stories about families in small towns. Enjoyed how the story told some of the back story of the characters. Can’t wait ready the other books in this series and continue to find out the family secrets-old and new…

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (7/2/2019)! 🎁

[Lynette · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, easy read perfect for a cold January day.

[Joyce T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Got it for free, but it was too boring, so this one's a DNF.

[Jeanie Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Keniston's new Hart Land series continues her tradition of warm and wonderful romances with a strong dash of family and humor. I fell in love with Heather, the first book in the series, as quickly as I have her other books. This extended family of Grandparents, mothers, cousins, and Lucy who has been the housekeeper for so long that she is family offers multidimensional characters and unique stories with some of the humor coming from Lucy's oh-so-obvious matchmaking and the grandparents' more subtle efforts. While each book standalone, there is an under the table story about the grandparents that I can not wait to see explained. I love that while the stories have a certain pattern due to the matchmaking efforts, they do not fall into a formula beyond the fact that they will end up together and that is no spoiler.
Heather is a surgical resident with a highly acclaimed cardiac surgeon who has returned to town for a short visit out of concern for her grandfather. Nothing will get in her way from completing her residency and starting her career. Jake is an old friend who is perfectly content having bought the local hardware store. He has no intentions of leaving what to him is the perfect town.
As a fan of Ms. Keniston's Farraday novels, I requested this ARC and was more than pleased with the new series. It is not yet as good as the Farradays, but few romances are. I still loved it. We are talking an 8 star as opposed to a 10-star love.
Sweet and Awesome.

[WyoGal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story set amidst a warm extended family, but needs editing

There are so many awkward sentences, I had to reread something on nearly every page. The writing needs editing for fluency and proper punctuation. There are hundreds of missing commas between independent clauses, and there are other typos and grammar errors scattered throughout.

In spite of these very distracting technical problems, the story is sweet and heart-warming. The cast of likable characters is huge, and while it’s fun to read the bantering and teasing scenes, the novel seems unnecessarily filled with some of their backstories. There is a bit of drama in the story, but it is unrelated to the romance. This is a simple “girl and guy fall in love, no problems, HEA” kind of story. The biggest conflict is whether to keep reading in spite of the errors in mechanics.

[Clarie Giselle Speights · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cliché short story

No conflict just cheesy fall in love in five days type of romance. Add in the deviation from actual romance to include family and friends and you get smoldering looks and giddy teenage thoughts. I felt no sparks. Too much focus on family, surroundings and career that essentially it was like reading about the Gilmore girls where Rory likes her guy without the actual chemistry. It is an interesting story because it spoke of family, community and unity but felt too pretty and nicely wrapped up in a bow for my taste. Not to mention short. Only 18 chapters!!!

[Alistair Ravie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the sort of book I'd normally read but it was a freebie on Kindle. Actually enjoyed it, made a change, may read more.

Good simple story well told. No sex just a simple romance, the sort of story that would appear on your afternoon tv movie.

Heather, a heart surgeon, comes home to her family from her job after she suspects her father is ill. She meets Jake, a former marine (aren't they all), and they find themselves together. Nice uncomplicated romance.

[Pat Trattles · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story would make a great Hallmark movie. Don’t get me wrong – I love Hallmark movies. They are predictable, but enjoyable because you know there will be a happy ever after ending. And no f-bombs or other off-color language and no explicit ad nauseum sex as in so many romance novels and movies today. A welcome change and enjoyable read.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an ebook I was able to purchase for free at Amazon through the "Rebecca at Riffle" book emails I receive. I liked the book; I didn't love it. The characters were likable, but there was no real zing to the plot.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice family and ending

I got a bit lost in who was who with so many characters. Perhaps by reading more in the series it will get better. It seemed the romance was a bit rushed as the writing did not show why these two fell in love.

[Tonya S · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this book so I’d have a new series to start. Unfortunately, it never hooked me and I had to force myself to finish reading it.

[Tammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read

I liked the story but felt the ending was a bit abrupt. It was a bit choppy at times and hard to follow.

[Jessie Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather: Hart Land Series Book 1
Chris Keniston
Surgical Resident Heather Hart had just done her best Surgery to give baby Kyle a second chance. She was bone tired. Coffee was just not working. But something told her to check her voicemail. Count ‘em 10 Missed Calls, all from Family! Calls from her Mom, sisters Violet and Rose, Grams, and darn one from the General himself. The one from her grandfather nicknamed “the General”, because he had been one, was the most distressing. She kept promising to show-up for Family Sunday Dinner, time and again. Time just kept slipping away from her…. But when she does get ahold of the General he just does not sound right. And what this thing about a cough that he calls a frog throat? Her medical side is intrigued!
Jake Harper, former Marine, helped run the local hardware store with his friend Tom. He was also the Handyman-about-town, being good with his hands. Especially if you were Mrs. Norton and other struggling seniors. He and Tom, as Do Gooders, were “paid” by the towns people. Keeping them well stocked in homemade frozen food! Who needed a wife to cook?
Lawford was a sleepy little New England community that swelled with Summer tourists but otherwise everyone knew everyone else. Hart House was well known for its card games, The General, and Lily’s baked goods, Whist was the game and everyone took cards very seriously! And of course everyone knew just everybody!
Heather and Jake meet again after many years, when she comes Home to Hart House. They actually almost collide when Heather decides to shower. The shower handle comes off in her hand leaving a water spout. She as she runs down stairs with the shower handle in her hand, clad only in a towel. He’s first to the stairs Their eyes catch for a nanosecond, his irises open wide. Then he’s gone up to fix the spewing shower. All she can think about is WOW! As he sprints up stairs, all Jake can visualize was bare shoulders, his mouth goes dry and his libido swings into active mode… oh what about that impending flood!
Needless to say Heather belongs to a VERY OBSERVANT yet NOSY family. They see the sparks that happen when Heather and Jake meet, and its mostly all they talk about. It doesn’t hurt that Heather and Jake add fuel to the fire, when they give the other second looks. Mix in one heart attack, stir in one emergency surgery and you have some real fireworks that really light up a small lakeside community. But do the fireworks between Heather and Jake take off or fizzle? You’ll have to get a copy and read that for yourself!
I was given an ARC but the Review if all mine and freely given.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather: Hart Land Series Book 1 is by Chris Keniston. This is the beginning of the Hart Land series. This series is about a family who had spent their summers at their Grandfather’s place on the lake. The extended family consisted of three daughters and nine granddaughters. The granddaughters were together so much that they seemed more like sisters.
Heather Preston had known she wanted to be a cardiologist since she was nine when she witnessed a guest at her Grandparents’ have a heart attack and none of the adults knew what to do. A neighbor who happened to be a doctor rushed in to save the person’s life. Heather knew how much she needed to know to be a doctor and spent most of the summers after that reading science books. After an especially delicate heart operation, she found her phone inundated with calls from her Grandparents and cousins. She knew it was about Sunday dinner at the lake; but called anyway. When she talked to her Grandfather, she got the feeling that he was sick and wasn’t telling anyone. She suspected a heart problem; but he claimed he was just fine. Not satisfied with his answers and evasions, she headed to the lake to find out.
Jake Harper ran the hardware store in Lawford and also helped the elderly with their minor repairs. He played cards with the General, Heather’s grandfather, when he was that way. He was there when Heather came home and was taking a shower when the shower control came off and the shower started spewing HOT water. Her scream brought everyone running to see what happened. Jake ran into her on the stairs. Heather was clad only in a towel. He realized the little nerdish girl who was always reading had definitely grown up.
Thus, the book begins as Heather tries to find out about the General’s health and Jake Harper; while Jake rediscovers an old friend.

[Marti]

Heather by Chris Keniston is the first book in a brand new series Hart Land. The series is based on the small town of Lawford (in NH) with the General (Harold Hart) and his wife, Fiona. They have nine single granddaughters who one by one will find their own love. Lucy the housekeeper is bound and determined to be matching them all up, but she is an accident waiting to happen. The General and Fiona run a small hospitality business with cabins, with their house full of people and laughter.

Heather is a doctor who is on all the time. She is looking for no addition time considerations, but is trying to work through her surgical time with some sleep. The babies were the hardest. Well, next to her grandparents expecting her to come for dinner once a month. It wasn’t the drive up from Boston as much as finding the time for the drive. Now - she is worried about her grandfather, so this has become a priority for her.

Jake is the owner of the hardware store in Lawford. He could not let some of the elderly fix their own issues, so often he fixed things for them in trade for a homemade meal. Of course his freezer and the one at the store had been full for months was just a detail. Doing these small things help Jake sleep easier, since the Marines… Until she ran into him.

Heather by Chris Keniston is a sweet love story about family and staying connected to what is important. The small town feel is universal, as is the cast of local characters. Heather is a quick read for someone who is looking for a little sweet love story.

[Nina Sollorz-Wagner · Rating 5 out of 5]

In "Heather: Wiedersehen am See (Herzklopfen in Neuengland 1) " hat sich Heather Preston ihren Traum erfüllt und ist eine erfolgreiche Herzchirurgin eines renommierten Krankenhauses in Boston geworden.
Doch dieser Erfolg hat auch seine Schattenseiten, denn Heather hat kaum noch die Zeit in das Haus ihrer Kindheit dem Hart Land Lakeside Inn am See zu fahren und ihre Großeltern, Fiona und General Harold Hart sowie die restlichen Großfamilie zu besuchen.
Während eines Telefonat mit dem pensionierten Generals hat Heather ein beunruhigendes Gefühl wegen dessen Gesundheit und sie nimmt sich kurzer Hand frei, um sich deren anzunehmen.
Das Heather so auch wieder auf Jake, einen Freund ihrer Kindheit und Jugend trifft und dieser ungeahnte Gefühle in ihr weckt, sollte ein angenehmer Nebeneffekt sein. Wären da nicht einige brenzlige Situationen, die dies erschweren.
Jake Harper liebt sein Leben in seinem Heimatstädtchen Lawford und hat nur gute Erinnerungen an die Zeit, als sämtliche Kinder und Jugendliche die Sommermonate am sehr der Familie Hart verbrachten.
Als Jake eine Einladung der Harts erhält und dabei auf Heather trifft, könnte dies nicht aufregender sein, zumal er Heather schon immer mochte.
Doch mehr kann aus der zufälligen Begegnung und den darauffolgenden Tagen nicht werden, da ihre Leben in unterschiedlichen Städten stattfinden. Oder etwa doch?
Kann es für Heather und Jake unter diesen Voraussetzungen überhaupt eine Chance geben? Oder steht ihrem Glück zuviel im Weg?
Auch lernen wir Heather Familie, vorallem ihre Großeltern Fiona und den General, aber auch ihre Schwestern und Cousinen kennen. Ebenso Lucy, die gute Seele und Köchin des Hauses Hart.
Die Story hat mich von Anfang an in ihren Bann gezogen, dabei bleibt sie spannungsgeladen sowie abwechslungsreich. Man darf mit Heather und Jake mitfiebern und die verschiedensten Emotionen erleben. Es gibt einiges zum schmunzeln bis herzhaft zu lachen, so manche mitfühlende, tragische wie auch brisante Momente und das ein oder andere Tränchen zu vergießen.
Da ich erfahren wollte, ob und wie es für beide ein Happy End gab, konnte ich das Buch kaum noch aus der Hand legen.
Das Buch bekommt von mir eine Lese / Kaufempfehlung und 5 ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ Sterne.

[Pam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chris Keniston has created another family series that touches your heart. Each book can be read as a stand alone but the characters do carry over from one book to another. The Preston family girls were all gifted with a flower name. Heather is the first story to be told.

Heather Preston is a cardiac surgeon but is getting overly stressed from her job. She doesn’t make it home very often to see her family but concern over her grandfathers health has her rearranging her schedule. She wants to fix whatever is wrong with him & head back to her job. Slower life in the small town starts to relax her & Jake starts distracting her.

Jake Harper runs the local hardware store & ends up being the local handyman for the ladies in town. He has no desire to leave town, even if he ends up alone. Small mishaps, a matchmaking grandfather & normal small town happenings keep throwing him together with Heather. Nothing can come of it since she’s heading back to the city, right?

Ms. Keniston has the small town atmosphere down perfectly. Heather & Jake keep running into each other & the little old ladies & the gossip circle keep them there. Heather needs to learn to slow down & realize what part of her job is important to her. Jake needs to realize that it’s ok to step out of his comfort zone. Heather has a close group of sisters & cousins that are important in each other’s life & they like to meddle as much as their grandfather. I really enjoyed this story & the interactions!

[Garth Mailman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Forth book by this author I’ll have read. I prefer romances that deal with character development and plots that are not simply an excuse to have the love birds go for a roll in the hay or the sack as the case may be. Heather of the title is a female cardiac specialist, no minor feat in a surgical field dominated by men. She goes home to the Lake, her grandfather, the general’s home. There she runs into Jake, an all-round handyman and hardware store owner who also happens to be easy on the eyes. A man handy to have around when the shower taps fall apart on you even if he meets you clad only in a towel. They strike sparks. Grandma’s chief complaint is the fact that none of her granddaughters have presented her with grandsons-in-law or great grandchildren. Heather seems about to change that and maybe set a new trend. With all those sisters and cousins I smell a series in the making.

The setting is small town where the dowagers play cards and set their caps at matchmaking. Where the locals know everyone in town and are known to return favours with casseroles and pies. Just ask Jake who needs several freezers to store all the goods.

[Bronwyn Parry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Seems like yet another wonderful series!

Chris Keniston write wonderful, joyful, involving books. Once you start a series, you just want to keep going until you have read them all.....and then miss everyone you meet. This appears to be the beginning of another family I already know I will love. This particular story seems very gentle. There are no real conflicts, you aren't going to cry or get so involved you miss dinner but you are going to want to read the next chapter. Chris writes real people and real stories. Not everyone's story is, or needs to be, about love and loss and love again. This story is about love pure and simple and that is because this couple love that way. Don't be put off by that, it is beautifully written and actually, you don't want conflict for this couple. Knowing Chris of old, there will be less 'gentle' love stories in this series but I guarantee each cousin will get the story that matches their character and that is what Chris does best. Enjoy!!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heather & Jake ❤️

Cardiologist Heather lives and breathes for her demanding job, knowing her help is often the difference between life and death for a patient. She’s sacrificed her own life for that of her patients for so many years, even keeping your attention through her teen years.

When Heather finally makes it home to her grandparents when she’s worried about her grandfather’s health, she meets up with veteran Jake, who’s come home from the “sandbox“ war zone, owns the local hardware store and is the town “helper”.

Jake remembers the bookish Heather from their teens. He’s as drawn to the uber-successful cardiologist as she is to him, and something between the two just clicks into place.

This is the first Chris Keniston l story I’ve read and it’s a light, seeet read. Lots of family involvement, small town nosiness (in a good way) and lovely supportive cousins and sisters. This had a very “Hallmark movie” flavour, if that works for you.

Read on Kindle
My rating 4/5 - ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

[Sonja · Rating 2 out of 5]

I got this as a free download and I‘m glad I didn‘t pay for it because it was kind of lame. I didn‘t feel any chemistry between the main characters Dr. Heather Preston, a surgeon living in Boston, and Jake Harper, hardware store owner in the small town by a lake where Heather‘s family lives.
There was also not really a plot, only lots of characters. I was really confused by all the names being thrown around. Grandparents, sisters, cousins - only the parent generation was a no-show, especially the fathers were nowhere to be found.
If I had had any intention of reading the other parts of the series, I would have drawn a family tree, but I couldn‘t be bothered. But the book was just lacking so much and if it had had more than 170 pages, I probably wouldn‘t have finished it. I wish the character descriptions would have been more detailed. I only remember that Heather has blonde hair. I couldn‘t picture any of the characters before my inner eye and the whole book was just, as I said, lame.

[Theresa · Rating 3 out of 5]

So Heather is an amazing cardiac surgeon. She works in Boston and never comes home. Then she has a conversation with her grandfather( whom they only call The General) and she is so worried she takes a few days off to go home.

Really this story is more about her frantic fear that something is wrong with The General than it is about Jake and Heather. And the multitude of flower named cousins. I could barely keep up with all the names.

So then Jake and Heather start to spark and he tries to show her all the fun she missed as a bookworm teenager. They realize they really like each other.

They use teamwork to save two lives at the Point. I thought this would lead to Heather moving home. The story leaves that up in the air.

The story doesn't tell us ultimately what is up with the General or where the lovebirds will make their nest. I have to guess that they cover all of this in the rest of the series.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Heather Preston
Jake Harper

Heather is a Cardiac Surgeon in Boston and is very busy and exhausted but when she talks to her Grandfather the “General” as he is referred to and he’s coughing into the phone and he doesn’t get coughs her Dr radar kicks in and she says she’ll be home Saturday. Once back to the Lake where her family has been for years she runs into Jake. Jake now owns and runs the family hardware store and does a lot of pro bono helping of the seniors and veterans in the community. He remembers Heather from when she was a young girl always reading a book while the other kids played. Jake and Heather find themselves running into each other or being set up to be together. This is a very good story. The book is a clean, quick read with a feel good ending. I liked both Heather and Jake’s characters. They both help people and are independent strong characters. I will read more in the series and by this author.

[Ronnae Stately · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather Preston is a skilled heart surgeon at one of the premier hospitals in Boston. But her family just happens to own a piece of shoreline called the point where families come to enjoy their summers. So when she is summoned for the Sunday dinner that she usually finds a way out of she makes a point of going becasue she hears something in her grandfather's voice that makes her worry. When she arrives she tries her best to corner her grandfather and his doctor to find out what is wrong with him. But the General, which is what they refer to him as, avoids her at all cost. Her first day there she also runs into Jake, the local yard store owner, and things progress from there. They hit it off in more ways than one and she tells him things that she had never thought about when she was a teenager sitting on the porch reading. There little love story makes you wish for your own little slice of heaven.

[Irene S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heather is a cardiac surgeon working in a prestigious Boston hospital. Due to concerns about her grandfather’s health, Heather must go home for an extended weekend in a very long time. Jake, a former marine, owns the local hardware store, but he is also an angel to the elderly population fixing their homes for home good meals and desserts. When Heather literally runs into Jake when her shower handle breaks, Heather and Jake take a new look at each other. As she spends more time at home, she sees a need for her own personal life, for Jake, and for treating her neighbors. I received a copy of this book from the author. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love this book. This is a wonderful start of a new series. It is a heartwarming and clean book.