Name: Heart of the Storm
ISBN: 9781635557893

Nicole Stiling

For Juliet Mitchell and Sienna Bennett a forbidden attraction definitely isn't worth upending the life they've worked so hard for. Is it?

Heart of the Storm

Lucia Correa

4 Stars for Heart of the Storm by Nicole Stiling

This is the second book I've read by Stiling (previous book was Secrets in a Small Town). We visit another small town (actually a small city) with a mystery and a romance. The head librarian of Shell Creek Library is found dead at the foot of the steps of the library. Did he die of natural causes or was it an unnatural cause? Police Lieutenant Juliet Mitchell, is assigned to find out. 

Juliet is a lesbian who shares custody of her fifteen year old son, Declan with the boy's father, Will. When she found out she was pregnant, she had already determined she was a lesbian and decided to keep the baby. Will asked if they could raise the baby together. Declan alternates weeks staying with Juliet or with Will and his wife of 9 years, Sienna. The arrangement was working for all of them, Declan accepting Sienna as his second mother. But now Will and Sienna's marriage is rocky. Sienna wants a divorce but Will is dragging his feet. So he moves into their pool house while Declan is away at camp. Juliet and Sienna really don't know each other until Will insists that Sienna goes in his place to drive Declan to camp with Juliet. Juliet and Sienna hit it off and become friends. Sienna works as a victim's advocate for the county and she is assigned to help in Shell Creek to be the advocate for the widow of the dead librarian. When her husband was dead on the steps, his wife was run off the road and is now unconscious in the hospital. Victim's advocates, support and aid victims of crimes be it emotional or informational support, grief counseling, and any other help victims might need.

After a bit, the mystery didn't hold my interest even though I'm a big mystery fan. There were so many suspects and red herrings that after a while I really didn't care, other than rooting for Juliet to solve it. I did however, guess correctly on some aspects of the mystery. What I cared about was Juliet, Sienna, Declan and Will. Juliet and Sienna become closer and have a believable friendship which eventually leads to romance. Will is in denial that his marriage is in trouble which in Sienna's opinion had been over for quite a while and Declan is angry at both his mothers. Declan was enjoying the arrangement and relationship he had with all his parents. Now it was changing. Overall a good book and I'm looking forward to Stiling's next one.

An advanced readers copy was given to me by Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Jude Silberfeld

I didn’t read the blurb before I started reading this book. I knew I’d liked Nicole Stiling’s first two novels a lot and that was enough for me. Though I didn’t exactly decide not to read the blurb, I’m really happy it happened. The story that unfolded before my eyes took me entirely by surprise and I loved it. I was unsettled for most of the time I was reading, which echoes what the characters were going through.

In my reviews, I usually summarize the plot in a few sentences, doing my best not to spoil. I’m not even going to do that this time. This will probably be a shorter review than this book deserves but I really recommend going in knowing it’s good but without too much information.

All I’ll say is that it’s not an easy task to make sudden chemistry between two women who have known each other for almost ten years believable. And yet Stiling succeeds, there’s no doubt about that. Belated instalust is a thing, trust me.

I was rooting for Siena and Juliet from the start but also liked the secondary characters very much. I wasn’t always sure what the timeline was, however. It felt like things were happening pretty quickly between the two MCs but at one point, one of them says it’s been going on for “a while”. It didn’t bother too much, though, I had plenty to focus on that mattered more.

Another thing Stiling writes really well is atmosphere. I get completely sucked into her stories and have a hard time restraining myself from reading them in one sitting.

Heart of the Storm is heavy on romance and lighter on the mystery aspect, which is more in the background, but in both areas, the author manages intricate storylines, making this book very enjoyable on both sides.

ARC provided to Les Rêveur for an honest review.

Juliet Mitchell is doing just fine. Her career with the Shell Creek Police Department is on track, her son, Declan, is amazing, and for the first time in a long time, life is simple, if unremarkable. Until a dead body is found outside the Shell Creek Library. Sienna Bennett doesn’t know how she ended up here. She’s overwhelmed as a big city victim advocate, her soon-to-be-ex-husband is living in their pool house, and she feels like her stepson, Declan, blames her for the state of their family. She needs something else to focus on. Juliet and Sienna might share a history with Declan’s dad, but they’re nothing more than friendly acquaintances. When they’re thrown together in the midst of the biggest investigation Shell Creek has ever seen, neither anticipates a forbidden attraction. It definitely isn’t worth upending the life they’ve worked so hard for. Is it?

Heart of the Storm

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