Linda Winfree

After an almost 7 year hiatus Linda Winfree is back with Book 10 from the Hearts of the South series. It was like going home after a long absence. I've missed these characters and it was great getting to read them again.

I loved that Troy Lee was one of the characters that got a lot of page time being Rob Bennett's partner. Troy Lee was always the butt of the jokes in the previous books and its good to see him shown in a great supporting role again.

What the author, to me, is best at is show more showing us the uglier side of relationships whether that be from two people just starting out or a couple that has been married for 3 years. She's also not afraid to have the man be the one with the biggest issues in the relationship. Rob was a man who had it all – a father who was also his best friend, a woman he was madly in love with and a good job with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. After losing his father suddenly, getting laid off from the GBI and finding out he was infertile he spirals into a deep depression that threatens his marriage. He has just started with the Chandler County Sheriff's dept and is partnered with Troy Lee and struggling to keep dark thoughts from his head. With the support of his partner and his wife he finally seeks the helps he needs.

As with all books in this series there is also crime/murder/mystery to solve. I should have seen what the outcome was going to be but like the investigators I didnt see what the truth was until the end. I will say I absolutely loved how the author handled the reveling and the aftermath, heartbreaking as it was.

This series has been one that has stayed with me over 9 years. I've not forgotten any of the stories or the characters even with the latest years long break in between. That is how good, I think, this series is. show less

I am going back and rereading all my Linda Winfree books. God how I miss this author.

The thing with this series is you have to read all the books because they are all closely tied together. Tick Calvert isn’t the hero of this book but he is a strong secondary character and from this book on he is in every book in the series. You find out things in this one about him and Cait that tie into his book which is the 3rd in the series. You find out that his sister Tori was raped in the past and show more that is dealt with in her book which is the 6th book in the series. You meet Sheriff Stanton Reed who is Tick's partner - his book is the 4th in the series. I read a review where someone didn’t like how the author didn’t give enough information about something that happened to the heroine of this book - well that is dealt with in her ex husbands book which is book 5. You absolutely fall in love with every character in her books even down to the all around screw up Sheriff's deputy Troy Lee (who's screw ups are the comic relief though the books). I remember I couldn’t wait to see how she was going to write him as a hero for his book and she didn’t disappoint.

This book starts Georgia Bureau of Investigation agents Kathleen Palmer and her partner Altee Price showing up on the scene where two teenagers are dead in the cab of a stolen pickup truck, apparently of self inflicted gunshot wounds – a double suicide. But the Haynes County Sheriff's has always been corrupt and it thought to have ties to the Dixie Mafia. One of the officer's onsite is Jason Harding who Kathleen has an instant attraction to but since he works for Haynes County and he is the Chief Deputy's cousin she figures he is a dirty cop. She knows there is something fishy about the murders of the boys and is not about to let this one fall through the cracks. As the investigation gets underway, the dangers of retaliation and death threats increase. Kathleen attraction's for Jason Harding grows stronger even though everything points to him being dirty. After getting another death threat it’s decided to let her know that Jason is working undercover for the FBI to try and bring down the Haynes County Sheriff Office. show less

This book was sooooo angsty, but perfect! The bodily harm/injury and threat of death portion that's a part of every romantic suspense book was done in the first 3rd of the book. The rest of the book was all about forgiveness, and their relationship with each other and their son. This book was so good, but is definitely not light-hearted. You start out on Lanie's side totally, but eventually you start to feel bad for John and by the time the book ends you're sooo happy. I highly recommend show more this book. It was great! show less

1/11/13 reread: I don't intentionally re-read this book every January, I just get the urge once a year and can't help myself. Have I mentioned how much I love Troy Lee? srsly. love.

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1/7/12 reread: This remains my favorite book of the series. Troy Lee. sigh.

reread: i heart Troy Lee.


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re-read review: This is my favorite Hearts of the South series novel. When I reviewed it initially the ending frustrated me so much I didn't give it the love it show more deserves. Troy Lee is amazing. I absolutely adore him and his relationship with Angel. I've now read this a total 7 times - and each time I fall even more in love with Troy Lee.



The end still makes me very angry, but if I skip the epilogue and ignore the way Tick acted for most of the book, I could happily label this book (almost) perfect.





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Another good entry in the Hearts of the South series, but had more flaws than many of the previous novels. I especially think she took the easy way out at the end. Still, I'm excited to read the next installment. show less