This Heart of Mine (Whiskey Creek)

This Heart of Mine is a beautiful story of redemption. Phoenix Fuller goes to jail, not for killing her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend, but for daring to be different in a small town. Her ex-boyfriend Riley Stinson is the handsome and popular boy next door, a product of the white picketfencers with means. No one ever really liked Phoenix but Riley, so when the town sees a way to get rid of her, they do. The only problem is—Phoenix didn’t do it. She knows it, he suspects it, but they are seventeen, scared and the kind of stupid only teenagers can be. Fast forward sixteen years. Neither is a teen anymore, and when Phoenix is released (finally!) from prison, the only thing she wants is a relationship with their now-teenage son, Jacob.

Phoenix is a character you can easily root for; she has heart, guts, and a gritty vulnerability that, instead of making her pitiable, makes her strong and charismatic. Riley is a leading man you want to smack upside the head. And Jacob, like so many children, is the glue. This is a beautiful and enjoyable read that adds dimension to the often flat genre of romance.