Tempting His Heart by Dawn Sullivan

Tempting His Heart by Dawn Sullivan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have had Dawn Sullivan on my TBR for a few months now for the RARE series, patiently waiting in my Kindle for me to get to them. But I like to read books in order, so I didn't start since there are a couple other books prior to the current new release. Tempting His Heart is the first book in a new series, so I was excited when I was asked to review it since I had been wanting to read Dawn's books for a while now.

***Personal Note: "Cowboy" books are normally not my thing. Don't be discouraged or judge a book by the cover if it's not your thing either. Beautiful cover by the way!! While this has some cowboy themed elements, it is NOT a wild west cowboy story.

Sloane is a DV victim that survived a short yet terrible marriage to Jake, her abuser. Katy is her best friend and is one of six siblings and a deputy in her hometown of Serenity Springs. When an old bookstore goes on the market, Katy promptly calls Sloane. Living out her dream to open a bookstore, she buys the building and moves to Serenity Springs to start over. The building has three rental units above it so it's perfect, live and work in same space. As Sloane is unpacking and settling in, she ventures for food at the local diner. As small towns are, everyone knows everyone, and is very inviting and welcoming. Sloane meets Cassie, a young girl who likes to read, who also happens to be the Sheriff, Creed Caldwell's daughter. Sloane is quickly introduced and submersed into the Caldwell family since Creed is also Katy's brother. The integration is seamless as she has heard so much about Katy's family over the years. Just when Sloane's life seems to be headed on the right path and everything is hunky-dory, her past (or so it seems) comes back to haunt her with threats, torments and unwelcome stalking. Can Sloane escape her troubled past? Will she be allowed happiness with the one man she has felt a connection with after her abusive marriage? Will she let Creed protect her or will she let her fragile pride and independence get int he way and put herself in danger?

The Caldwells are a family you just want to be a part of and readily accept Sloane with open arms. The family is a unique one each with their own and they face their own individual challenges as well. I love the family dynamic between them. I can see a few more books in the future as each character tells their story. I fell in love with Cassie, Creed's daughter, she is just a pure little girl. Cara, the matriarch of the Caldwell family, you just want to hug, especially as she is faced with an uncertain future for her sons and the torment of Justice's MIA status and then claimed dead by the military. No mother should outlive her children. This is not a sad book though, in fact just the opposite. Everyone has a past, and these folks are no different. This book is filled with love and promise.

Right from the start, I was drawn in by 16% I was steamed up, 25% you are completely engulfed and the thriller takes over and it's non stop from there; 61% had me wanting a cold shower and by 66% Dawn brought me to tears. By 85% there is no turning back because all hell breaks loose and you will not stop until you are done, period. Yeah, 85%, wait for it....it's gonna bite you in the arse. Dawn kept me guessing whodunit and kept me on my toes looking for clues. I was anxious and worrisome for the characters, like a movie where you yell at the screen NOOOOO don't go in there! (Except thank goodness Sloane is smart and strong! She is not the dumb blonde that runs upstairs when the killer is in the house and dies in first 10 minutes! LOL)

I can't wait to see who is next in this series. I can't wait to hear all their stories. I could tell you who and why but I don't want to spoil anything. Awesome job Dawn! I can't wait to dive into the RARE series!

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