Hearts Awakened (Hearts of the South, #6) by Linda Winfree

Hearts Awakened (Hearts of the South, #6) Reviews

• 
  Roksana

  I wanted to like this book so much..I liked the author's writing style its not just telling but showing and she makes you connect emotionally with the characters its not forced but has that natural flaw... but the way things were flash out...with the heroes sluttish escapades...i just could not feel any sympathy for him...
  
  When I read a romance I DO NOT APPRECIATE DESCRIPTIVE DETAILED SEX SCENES OF THE HERO WITH OTHER WOMEN WHILST HEROINE IS ALSO INVOLVED!
  
  That was a BIG TURN OFF for me...I just don't like reading when heroine is in love with the hero and he seems to feel the same..YET he sleeps around...OK they were not together as a couple but the author very strongly implies their strong attraction to each other..so WHY DO I HAVE TO BE TORMENTED BY READING HIM HAVING SEX WITH OTHER WOMAN! The heroine was so depressed KNOWING WHAT HE WAS DOING...The hero was flaunting his hook ups around the town in front of the heroine and she was suffering in silence. I don’t like the plot where hero wants the heroine whilst sleeping around because he is too cowardly to act on it! I honestly had a hard time to be sympathetic toward the hero, as he was whoring himself out of pity and grieve...Whatever his excuses were after the loss of his wife and a baby....AND WHY the author is trying to justify his whoring due to his grief over his baby and wife? There are other ways showing that someone is in deep loss and despair...but being a manslut is a lame excuse...WHY can our hero just cherish the good memories of his wife? WHY the author had to destroy that by making him a manslut? Does the wife of our hero would want him to be a manwhore? Instead finding someone he could build a life with and treasure the memories of his wife, so that she would be resting in peace knowing he did indeed found happiness. I would respect him far more if he was losing himself in alcohol or in other depression! I think his wife would not want him to go that path and he should respect that.
  
  So hero and heroine are already involved... they already moved on with their mutual attraction to a more intimate level..They kissed and it looks as they started a strong connection..and at that moment I was even more willing to pass that previous scene with the other woman he had sex with and started to care for the characters...AND BANG! What does he do????? Go to the bar with every intention to have sex and even being brutally honest with the heroine..of what he was going to be up to..YEAH she is alone, cries and feels utterly destroyed but he doesn't give a f***! Otherwise he would not go that far would he?????? That is the worst emotional abuse for the woman to face...Heroin’s insecurities creep up big time and knowing what he was doing was violating her trust and her belief of self-esteem...HOW CAN YOU PLAY LIKE THAT WITH SOMEONE'S EMOTIONS????? It was very wrong what the hero did... Instead of doing the right thing, the author makes the hero very cruel and his actions toward the heroine caused her deep emotional damage for a long time. A 'hero' is no 'hero' in my book who acted in the manner that the hero did toward the heroine and his brutal disregard at her feelings when he told her she cannot give him what he wants...so he will find it with other women... The heroine went through some traumatic experience in the past by being raped and it took time for her to open up on a physical level, so it is understanding she would need patience and gentle approach. He should have never do that to a woman whom he had given a sense of commitment for an indefinite period of time. If he decided to call it off with her he should have been 'man enough' to go through the process of breaking up with her but in as decent and as respectful a manner as he could make it. That would have been good for his character growth.
  
  Then we get a heavy on the sex descriptions of him being with that "other woman" at the bar...he nearly went to bed with her..but AM I TO BE TRILLED ABOUT THIS???? The jerk had nerve to say it to the heroin's face and without so much as hesitation pursuing another woman and nearly having sex with her outside the bar in the open????? and he's a cup? Where is his professionalism??????? WHY did the author put in such a scene that described in detail, the humiliation of heroine as a plot device to show the depth of love that the hero had for the heroine by not sleeping after all with the other woman? Does that suppose to make me feel better? IT DID NOT!
  
  The he came home..all smelling with the other women's scene..wrinkled sex smelling clothes and the heroine knowing what he was doing wanted to have sex with him???? I felt sick....I hated that he damaged her so much that she would go to any length to win his affection....because he could not appreciate her enough to wait for her to be more confident with herself to open up to him on a physical level???? NO HE COULD NOT because he is a manslut and prefers to screw strange women... NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO! Sorry this is far too depressing, too disgusting, too raw and too sad for me!
  
  
  
  
• 
  Raffaella

  Since this is the second book of this author I’ve read, I wonder if she loves awful heroes. For sure she loves beta heroes with weak characters.
  The heroine was quite annoying too here.
  She’s the sister of hero’s bff, so he’s known her for some years.
  She’s loved him from afar but he’s a playboy and doesn’t do relationship.
  The opening is him with his latest floozie and the heroine afterwards waiting for him to come back (they are neighbors sigh!) from his shag.
  - he keeps shagging ow through most of the book even when he’s attracted to the heroine and after he kissed her he makes out with ow and almost has sex with her in a public parking. Ew.
  -his reason for his behavior are preposterous. His pregnant wife disappeared 20 y before and he felt guilty so he has to screw away his loneliness. Sigh. Then he can’t lust after heroine because she’s a good girl and doesn’t do casual. Sigh again. Then since she was attacked and almost raped years before aaaannnnnd since she stil doesn’t have sex he doesn’t want to stay in an relationship without sex. Sigh sigh.
  No words to express what I think of such a loser.
  - ah, I was forgetting. In the end, when she has solved her sexual issues and they are an item, there’s a call for him that a woman who could be his wife is now in an asylum and has mental issues.
  So of course he runs to her. Leaving the heroine. No matter she’s not his wife.
  No matter he tells the heroine that he’s a changed man and no more the man who loved his first wife. He leaves the heroine because he has to know. This was unforgivable.
  And the cherry on top is that it’s the heroine to propose in the end. To this spineless, useless, not even rich and not even handsome (he’s actually overweight) and certainly not young pieces of a**.
  Saddened and disappointed.
• 
  Geri Reads

  4.5 heartbreaking stars!
  
  I adore this book. This book has been languishing in my Kindle since forever and I kinda overlooked it in favor of the more popular titles. Bad decision. I should have read this one sooner. Such a wonderfully written story about two flawed individuals who both suffered a great deal in their lives.
  
  Victoria "Tori" Calvert is a rape survivor. Seven years ago, she endured the most horrific nightmare at the hands of a monster and it left her broken and damaged. But things are getting easier. She's finally channeled her fear and anger into being a crisis counselor, helping victims like her. In fact, she's starting to feel an attraction for one particular man, Mark Cook.
  
  Mark "Cookie" Cook's whole life was turned upside down when his pregnant young wife vanished, leaving him a broken and bitter man. His story is just so heartbreaking. I was literally bawling when I found out what happened to his wife. The book didn't offer any details on what really happened but his loss was so palpable that my heart just hurt for him.
  
  He doesn't believe he will ever find that happiness again. Even more so, he felt guilty for being there when his wife disappeared. He failed as a husband and protector. He also felt that he lost that chance of forever when his wife disappeared, so jumps from one woman onto the next without forming any sort of relationship with them. That is until Tori. They had a bond, not only because of her brother, who also happens to be his best friend but because of the fact that Mark had been the first responding officer during her rape.
  
  They had some serious issues to work through and it had been frustrating to say the least, seeing both of them ignore what was right there in front of their eyes. But when they finally owned up to their feelings despite her brother's disapproval and his wife's unresolved case hanging over their heads, it was beautiful to watch. Mark was a wonderful hero once he manned up and Tori, despite being weepy, was a brave and likable heroine.
  
  I'm definitely reading the rest of the series now. It has been a great experience so far and Ms. Winfree has definitely found a new fan in me.
• 
  Pamela(AllHoney)

  Hearts Awakened is the 6th book in the Hearts of the South series by Linda Winfree. I read the first 4 and they were all good solid reads. I skipped book 5 simply because I don't have it yet. This story features Mark Cook, aka Cookie, a member of the sheriff's department. He is basically a man-slut. Not a plus for me personally but he has issues that may explain his behavior. Then there is Tori (Victoria) Calvert, little sister to Tick Calvert who was introduced previously in the series. She was raped years before and is now a rape crisis counselor.
  
  This book didn't draw me in like the previous books in the series but it was still worth reading. It had some heart-wrenching moments and a bit of a mystery that didn't really feel totally resolved for me. I'd definitely recommend this but I recommend reading the series from the start. Although it can be read as a stand-alone, I feel it would be beneficial to get to know the other characters and read the series in order.
• 
  Anja

  3.5 stars.
  
  Curses upon me and my raised expectations. I still really like the author’s writing but this book didn’t match the two of hers I read previously for tension, emotion, or character connection.
  
  There wasn’t a suspense plot even though there was a small mystery. I’m glad the author changed things up with this story but the characters were not strong enough to hold my interest. I was not invested in either of the leads until about 65% through the book when the tension finally showed up. At that point, I couldn’t put the book down and it was reminiscent of the previous two books I read by the author.
  
  Tick and Caitlin got their own subplot again (why do they need to be part of yet another book?) but at least they were kept to a minimum this time.
  
  I wish the two events that happened in the epilogue had occurred with more calendar time in between them.
• 
  Book Binge

  Hearts Awakened is book 6 in Linda Winfree’s Hearts of the South series. I think you really need to read at least the first book in this series before reading this one to understand what’s going on.
  
  I think I may have enjoyed this story more if I’d re-read the earlier books before reading this one. Although it was good, some of my enjoyment was overshadowed by plot holes and issues with the characterizations. I blogged about some of my issues with the story here.
  
  Beyond those issues, however, I found this to be a well-written, emotionally intense story. Tori was a rape victim several books back, and she’s obviously still dealing with the trauma from that. Though she’s trying to move forward and live her life, she still has many issues and insecurities. I think Winfree did an excellent job of showcasing the problems rape victims face, not only immediately after, but as they try to move forward with their lives.
  
  Mark suffered from a tragedy in his past as well. His pregnant wife disappeared years ago and he’s never been able to move on from it. Although he’s attracted to Tori, he knows he can’t give her what she needs. And yet he finds himself drawn to her. When they’re forced to go to a conference together things heat up between them fairly quickly. I’m glad Winfree slowed down after that, instead of rushing into something neither of them was ready for.
  
  I liked Mark, but there were times I thought he needed to get over his martyr complex. He carried around a lot of guilt for something he had no control over, and while I understood, I thought it was played out a bit too much.
  
  I loved him and Tori together, though. They really helped each other heal and it was great to see them lean on each other.
  
  I was surprised at the way Tick (Tori’s extremely protective older brother) handled the situation between Mark and Tori. Maybe it’s just been too long since I read his book, but I didn’t remember him being that much of an asshole. I do like that Winfree continues to show us what’s going on with previous couples, though. Especially since she does it in such an unobtrusive way, meaning it doesn’t detract from the main story at all.
  
  One thing Winfree does really well is emotion. She doesn’t shy away from it for either her men or her women. Seeing the friendship between Mark and Tick was refreshing, because it isn’t often we see true friendship between men.
  
  If you haven’t already, I highly suggest you pick up one of her novels. I suggest you start at the beginning, with What Mattered Most. Don’t let the number of books dissuade you. They really are fabulous.
  
  I took some time before reviewing this and even re-read it. The small things about this novel bothered me quite a bit, but I think the way she dealt with the real-life issues Mark and Tori faced in a wonderfully believable way. So I’m going to give this a:
  
  4 out of 5
  
  This review was originally posted on
  Book Binge by Holly.
• 
  Mojo_Mama

  I’m guessing the author must have edited this book??? All the awesome OW shit other reviews screamed about were tame, boring, and brief. There aren’t any OW sex scenes. He was, however, fucked up and hung up on his dead ex.
  
  I need to quit relying on all the troll reviews with the content I’m looking for cuz we apparently have very different definitions of cheating and OW drama.
  
  Boring AF…unbelievably so for the individual life traumas of H/h.
  
  DNF 44%…skimmed the rest.
• 
  Kristen

  DNF
• 
  ~Megan~

  Been waiting on this book thevwhole series and it did not disappoint me! I love Cookie...he was so patient and understanding with Tori. I think Winfree was very realistic in how she wrote the trauma that goes along with a past rape, as well as the aftermath of what happened to Mark in the past. It was lovely to watch them learn to trust each other.
  
  Tick and Cait (AKA Jack and Mel) are this series' couple that everything bad happens to...they had a lot to deal with in this book but it seems at least for now to have a happy ending. He drove me crazy interfering with Tori's relationship, but he came around in the end. Very reminiscent of the situation with Mike and Bree Valenzuela in Virgin River. Must read the next book about Troy Lee, everyone's favorite dopey deputy!
• 
  Debbie DiFiore

  Good series
  
  The h had been assaulted years before and she fell in love with her brothers best friend but he was a player. There is a scene with him with another woman at the beginning and one after he acknowledged his attraction to her. Normally that is a book killer for me but I did continue and I got past it but it still bothered me. But I did believe he loved her and I wanted to find out what happened to his first wife too. I am glad I read it and glad to see the h get past her fears and reach out to love. I love this series.
• 
  Holly

  Good book. A few inconsistencies and minor plot holes bothered me, but otherwise it was another great entry in the Hearts of the South Series.
• 
  Bree

  One of my favorite books of 2008.
• 
  Lori

  4.5 stars. Reread in 2010. As before, love Mark and Tori. Tick being a jerk about Mark still bothered me, but not as much as the first read. Loving rereading this series.
• 
  Rhian Cahill

  Again I find myself crying while turning pages. Linda does romantic suspense brilliantly.
• 
  Jillian

  Meh!
• 
  Monica

  3.5 stars.