A lovely contemporary romance with a few unexpected twists and turns,Where the Heart Lies by Michelle Garren Flye is an engaging novel with charming and likable characters. To read my review in its entirety, please visit http://www.bookreviewsandmorebykathy.com/2012/07/12/where-the-heart-lies/ ( )

Have you ever read the description of a book and thought, “Hey that is just what I need to read right now? This book might just take my mind off that problem that has been bothering me.” Well, I did not have a problem bother me, but this book was just what I needed to read. It is amazing how books fall into our lives and after reading, the title decides that it is something to help you at that moment in your life.

This book is about the female who keep losing people and property in her life. A life that makes the reader wonders when the person will give up, have a breaking point and realize that she should just give up. I will make the reader wonder if they have ever experienced anything similar in their life. Yes, we have all had a breaking point some people have a short breaking point than others. It seems like some people never reach a part in their life where it is time to just give up and forget that one thing that we always wanted. That dream that if we achieve will make everything right.

Well, Alicia has a long breaking point than most. To me it just proves she is a strong character. Someone in real life would keep going no matter what. Someone we all would look to for support, and wish could be like. Alicia never reached her full breaking point, however that does not diminish this character. This is a strong female character, someone that can keep taking everything that life throws and will never give up.

If you readers are looking for a book that will take you on a trip where failing or giving up is NOT an option. Then this is the book for you. The author has created something that will give readers the courage to keep going, to stay strong no matter what.

The gist of my review:

Would I recommend this book: Yes

Should you read this book: Yes

Thanks for such a wonderful read Michelle.

The bunnies and I give this book 4 carrots. ( )

Where The Heart Lies by Michelle Garren Flye
ISBN: 9781426894077
Alicia Galloway is just approaching her new home, without her husband. He died in the war.
The neighbors have made her feel welcome by bringing in dinner and Liam had brought groceries for breakfast and even made the coffee while she settled the kids.
Liam was a favorite of Ty's and being around the same age had caught fish in the pond out back.
She hopes to take over her father in laws bookstore in North Carolina where she just moved to, the family house. Her in laws were in assisted living now and the house stood empty.
Penny stops in with lunch at the store while Alicia is straightening up to warn her of Liam and his past in the town and why he was respoinsible for her husband's death. She's not completely buying the story.
There are other secrets about Liam that others in town haven't told her about yet...
I learned about the 13 folds of the flag when presented to someone and that's how this book got it's name. I never knew the symbolism but have folded it myself! Love how Liam used physics to do his magic tricks.
Love reading about the small town, book bindings, stores and the store Alicia runs, legends on campus.
3 really bad things happen over time and she feels she's near the end of her rope, how can she go on? ( )

I wanted to like this one, and tried really, really hard. A widow, several months after her husband's combat death, moves to his hometown in order to fulfill the dream they once shared. It involved a small town, a family home, and a bookstore! It seemed like it couldn't miss. It just didn't work for me, though--so many things just didn't make sense.

Alicia, the widow, was all over the place, for one thing. She kept falling into insta-relationships, but then wobbled between feeling extremely close to her new besties and not being sure she could trust them. She was referring to Penny as her best friend very quickly, after only having met her once before--she'd been a close friend of her husband Ty's--but in practically the same thought bubble she'd wonder about Penny's motivations in giving advice. Not that I blame her, because Penny's "advice" seemed to consist mainly of slamming Liam, and insisting that he was bad for Alicia and she should stay far away from him.

Alicia's relationship with Liam, her husband's best friend from high school, was similar. At one point VERY early in their relationship, Alicia thought to her herself that it was so nice that Liam LOVED her children. My mental brakes went on right there--he'd spent a little time with Gemma, her daughter, but not nearly enough to label it with the L word yet. And I'm not even sure he'd been in the same room with the baby at that point--at least not while Jason was conscious and not having dinner.

Alicia and Liam's constant "we're drawn to each other" juxtaposed with "but we cannot be together; it's wrong" drove me absolutely crazy. It went on way too long to be healthy for them or interesting to the reader. I get the grief and guilt factors, but there needs to come a time where you're either ready, so you move on, or you aren't, so you stop leading a person on and let them go. This all felt very forced, as if the author were trying to create conflict where there wasn't any, or at least make that conflict go on longer than it should have.

Speaking of conflict, the entire town drove me crazy. As far as I could tell, the townspeople had very few redeeming qualities. Everyone either told Alicia what a saint and hero her husband had been--nice, in a way, but also painful to a recent widow, especially one who is trying to move on--or what an evil bad boy Liam still was. There was no in between, and their constant need to put their two cents in at all times was annoying.

As for the "big secrets" in Ty, Liam, and Penny's past, I found it fairly easy to figure them out early on so the big reveal was pretty darn anticlimactic. Plus, Penny's role in the deception made it even harder for her to have any moral high ground on which to continue her Liam-bashing. In all, it was a frustrating book--doubly so because I really did want to enjoy it.

( )

Small town life filled with opinions and secrets ... a military widow and a best friend ... unrequited and forbidden love ... feelings of guilt ... but a second chance at love ...

She remembered staring at the flag, thinking about its thirteen symbolic folds....and the sixth fold is for where the heart lies...

Alicia Galloway is a war widow with two small children. Before her husband Ty died in combat in Afghanistan, they had planned to move back to his hometown of Hillsborough, NC to take over his father's bookstore. Several months after her husband's death, Alicia moves her family to his hometown in order to fulfill the dream they once shared.

Liam Addison is Ty's best friend and college physics professor. He has a lot of guilt over an incident that happened when they were teenagers, and he also holds a major secret that Ty didn't know about. With a reputation as a ladies man and a past that haunts him, the towns people warn Alicia to stay away from Liam.

Despite the small town gossip and warnings, Alicia and Liam start a friendship that blossoms into attraction, and while they try to deny their mutual attraction, the pull to have something more is daunting. Will guilt, secrets and small town interference stand in Alicia and Liam's way of having a second chance at love, or will their relationship prevail despite the odds stacked against them?

Where The Heart Lies is a poignant story of loss, grief, secrets, love, redemption and second chances. Written in the third person narrative, author Michelle Garren Flye draws the reader into the emotional story of Alicia and Liam. Each are dealing with personal issues in their lives, but a mutual attraction for each other draws them together despite the warnings from their nosy small town neighbors.

I really enjoyed following Alicia's journey of dealing with the loss and grief of her husband and having the courage to start a new life for herself and her children. It can't be easy to let go of the trepidation of starting over, especially when she feel's guilty for being alive while her husband's life is over, and also when it comes to starting potential new relationships.

I really felt for Liam, he's gotten a bad rap from his neighbors, people are human and make mistakes, and it seems like the towns people just wouldn't let go of Liam's past and embrace the man that he has become. Small town life isn't easy when everyone knows your business and doesn't think twice to pass judgment.

With a cast of secondary characters who are realistic and play a key role in the storyline; engaging dialogue and interactions; and an emotional storyline that deals with a variety of personal and societal issues; Where The Heart Lies is a compelling and heartwarming story that will pull at your heartstrings.

Where The Heart Lies is a wonderful romance story about the intricacies of relationships. The drama, secrets, and unexpected twists and turns will keep you engaged; while the blossoming of Alicia and Liam's relationship adds a nice romantic touch that will make you believe in love and second chances.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for my honest review and participation in a virtual book tour event hosted by Goddess Fish Promotions.

http://jerseygirlbookreviews.blogspot.com/2012/11/where-heart-lies-by-michelle-g... ( )