From award-winning author Laura Trentham comes an emotionally layered novel about redemption, second chances and discovering that life is worth fighting for.
At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams of being a songwriter up in flames. To make matters worse, a series of bad decisions and even crappier luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to use music to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when the one thing that brought her joy has failed her.
When Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, her plans to stay detached and do as little as possible get thrown away. New to town and dealing with the death of her father in action, she hides her emotions behind a mask of bitterness and sarcasm, but Greer is able to see past it and recognizes pieces of who she once was in Ally. The raw and obvious talent she possesses could take her to the top and Greer vows to make sure life’s negativities don’t derail Ally’s potential.
After Greer is assigned a veteran to help, she’s not surprised Emmett Lawson, the town’s golden boy, followed his family’s legacy. What leaves her shocked is the shell of a man who believes he doesn’t deserve anyone’s help. A breakthrough with Ally reminds Greer that no one is worth giving up on. So she shows up one day with his old guitar, and meets Emmett’s rage head on with her stubbornness. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her—and along the way they might just save themselves too.
Title : An Everyday Hero
Author : Laura Trentham
Series : A Heart of a Hero #2
Format : eARC
Page Count : 336
Genre : Contemporary Romance
Publisher : St Martin’s Griffin
Release Date : February 4, 2020
Reviewer : Micky
Rating : ★ ★ ★ ★
Micky’s 4 star review
There was nothing average about this second instalment in Laura Trentham’s A Heart of a Hero series. Book one knocked my socks off and book two solidified my commitment and affection for this series. This is a multi-dimensional read that is small town but big impression.
I was expecting to see a link to the previous book but this is not an interconnected standalone, it is a true standalone, connected in the series by the theme of military heroes. For a quick moment, I was disappointed about this, but I got into the story so quickly that I ended up entranced by the characters and forgot about the series connection.
The protagonist was washed-up muscian Greer, who found herself forced into volunteering at a music centre. Somehow she was put on the case of Emmett, a veteran with one less limb, who had given up on life and people. This was a realistic, quietly impactful story as these two navigated returning to living. Remember how I said it was multi-dimensional? There was a 15 year old Ally, who was a key character in the picture, as well as horses and a kitten that I pretty much want to come and live with me.
Emmett wrapped his arms around the horse’s neck, embarrassing tears pricking his eyes. He hadn’t cried before or after his amputation. He hadn’t cried the first time he tried to walk on the prosthetic. He hadn’t cried the day he received his discharge papers. But with his face buried in the mane of his best childhood friend, tears leaked out.
Suffice it to say, this heartwarming story has all the feels and is almost guarenteed to make your eyes leak. On top of that, Greer was a snarky, no prisoners type of character. I just got on so well with reading about her and her attempts to draw Emmett and Ally out, that I was a complete fan of this book and Laura Trentham’s style of writing.
This isn’t a dramatic, high action military romance, it is the quiet, sneak up on your feelings type and I couldn’t be happier about that.
Thank you to St Martin’s Griffin for the early review copy.
A Take from Two Cities 