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Warriors of the Heart #5
Know You By Heart
After a bomb blast ended her career with the military, Alice Liddell arrives at a veterans' retreat in hopes of healing. The last person she expects to stumble upon is pro-football quarterback Micah Palmer. Even more surprising, she forms a friendship with this fellow lost soul.
Since his injury a year ago, Micah Palmer has struggled with addiction and recovery. He agrees to volunteer at the veterans' retreat for good PR but after meeting Alice, his attention shifts from his own needs to helping her. When he begins training with Alice for the approaching football season, he discovers the challenge benefits them both.
While Micah works to break down her defenses, Alice is determined never to lose her heart. But the charming football star might be the one man strong enough to ensure she no longer has to take on life alone.
Since his injury a year ago, Micah Palmer has struggled with addiction and recovery. He agrees to volunteer at the veterans' retreat for good PR but after meeting Alice, his attention shifts from his own needs to helping her. When he begins training with Alice for the approaching football season, he discovers the challenge benefits them both.
While Micah works to break down her defenses, Alice is determined never to lose her heart. But the charming football star might be the one man strong enough to ensure she no longer has to take on life alone.
304 pages, Unknown Binding
Published October 7, 2019
98 people want to read
About the author
Laurie Winter
23 books524 followersPublishers Weekly bestselling author Laurie Winter is a true warrior of the heart. Inspired by her dreams, she creates authentic characters who overcome the odds and find true love. She balances her life with regular yoga practice and binge-watching true-crime TV. She's likely fueling up on wine, cheese curds, and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups when not pounding the keyboard.
Follow Laurie as she lives out her dreams at lauriewinter.com
Follow Laurie as she lives out her dreams at lauriewinter.com
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
October 8, 2019
Know You By Heart is the fifth book in Laurie Winter’s Warriors of the Heart series, and it’s another great read. I’ll be honest and say this is not my favourite book in the series, but it’s still a wonderful read. Know You By Heart had me hooked, and once I started reading I had to finish it in a single sitting.
Although Know You By Heart is the fifth book in the series, it works perfectly fine as a standalone novel. We get to see more of characters from prior books, but you do not need knowledge of their stories to enjoy this one. It’s a self-contained story, one that will have you turning the pages throughout.
As always, Laurie Winter gives a story packed with emotion. Both our characters come with baggage, leaving us desperate to see how they resolve all their issues. I will confess to being invested in certain aspects of the story more than others, but this did not stop me from enjoying the whole story. I wanted to see everything come together, I wanted the best for both characters, and could not get enough of the story.
Without a doubt, Laurie Winter has given us another wonderful read with Know You By Heart.
Although Know You By Heart is the fifth book in the series, it works perfectly fine as a standalone novel. We get to see more of characters from prior books, but you do not need knowledge of their stories to enjoy this one. It’s a self-contained story, one that will have you turning the pages throughout.
As always, Laurie Winter gives a story packed with emotion. Both our characters come with baggage, leaving us desperate to see how they resolve all their issues. I will confess to being invested in certain aspects of the story more than others, but this did not stop me from enjoying the whole story. I wanted to see everything come together, I wanted the best for both characters, and could not get enough of the story.
Without a doubt, Laurie Winter has given us another wonderful read with Know You By Heart.
October 5, 2019
WARNING: Long, semi-rambling review ahead.
I feel like I need to give some background here. I read the first book in the Warriors of the Heart series, Home Field, shortly after its June 2017 release, and found myself impressed with this debut author’s first book. The story was compelling and heartfelt and was written without all the silly cliched things so many books are written with these days (like repeating ad nauseum about how hawt the hero is, and repetitious inner monologues lamenting why the couple can’t be together). Book two, True Horizon , was good as well, and really challenged my thoughts on what constitutes a good love story. Book three, After All , didn’t work for me as well as the first two, but there were aspects of the storyline that I liked and appreciated because, again, the author took the road less traveled with her characters and storyline. Book four, Winner Takes All , was AMAZING and will probably end up on my Best of 2019 list because of its unique plot and fantastic storyline.
So with that track record in mind, I had (what was most likely too) high expectations for this story. After enjoying all four previous books, I was never able to feel connected or invested in the hero or heroine, or their journey to heal, in this one.
Micah is a disgraced NFL quarterback, hoping to make a comeback after a major knee injury the previous year lead to a drug addiction and general bad behavior. Alice is a former soldier, recovering from a serious injury sustained in the line of duty. Both are hoping time at the veteran’s retreat center (run by Colleen from Winner Takes All) will help them heal and be ready to face the future. When Heath (from True Horizon) conspires with Colleen to pair Micah and Alice together for training/working out, they first develop a friendship, which then blossoms into more.
It’s a rough road for our hero and heroine, though. Alice had a truly harrowing childhood - which she refuses to talk about with anyone, and is struggling to figure out what she’s going to do with her life now that she’s been medically discharged from the military. She’s reluctant to have a man be any part of the decisions she’s making about the future. Micah didn’t have a great childhood either. Add in a tumultuous former relationship with unresolved feelings, and he’s not in a good head space for a new relationship either. So these two had a stadium-sized amount of baggage to unpack.
Which begs the question...did they unpack all that baggage? I don’t feel they did. The title of this book is Know You By Heart, but by the end of the story I didn’t feel like either of them knew each other all that well - otherwise they wouldn’t have done the things they did at the end of their predetermined time together (I’m not a fan of “relationship with an end date” storylines to begin with, but that wasn’t even the issue here). I won’t go into specifics (so as not to give any spoilers), but both of them had a good idea what the other was going to need if they were to continue the relationship, but neither was willing to be the one to compromise what they thought they needed. In short, both were still selfish. And simply put, there’s no romance in that whatsoever.
I also want to see characters have growth. Alice faced down some of her childhood demons, but still wouldn’t let Micah fully into her heart. And Micah starts out as the typical cocky, overconfident pro-athlete, low-key demanding his way about everything. He’s still a cocky, overconfident pro-athlete demanding his way at the end. I want to see them do the hard work to get through their issues, and instead we get an epilogue that takes place six months later when everything is all hunky-dory.
Ultimately, I feel as meh about Know You by Heart as I did about book three, except I wasn't able to find any qualities about this one to bring the rating up. The writing and story wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t enough for me to say I “liked it” either.
I do want to end on a positive note. I really appreciate that Ms. Winter writes clean, sweet romances. There’s nary a single bad word - not even the nickel ones (even though we all know athletes and military people are known for having salty language!), and the focus in the relationships is on the mental and emotional aspects, instead of the physical parts. Personally, I don’t have a problem with either bad language or steamy times. But reading a book without those can be refreshing!
So this one may not have worked for me, but I’m still looking forward to whatever Ms. Winter writes next. She earned my respect with her first book, and has repeatedly shown she writes her own refreshing stories instead of giving readers a regurgitation of what “everyone” else is producing. Hopefully I’ll connect to better to her next book.
* thank you to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press, Inc for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review
I feel like I need to give some background here. I read the first book in the Warriors of the Heart series, Home Field, shortly after its June 2017 release, and found myself impressed with this debut author’s first book. The story was compelling and heartfelt and was written without all the silly cliched things so many books are written with these days (like repeating ad nauseum about how hawt the hero is, and repetitious inner monologues lamenting why the couple can’t be together). Book two, True Horizon , was good as well, and really challenged my thoughts on what constitutes a good love story. Book three, After All , didn’t work for me as well as the first two, but there were aspects of the storyline that I liked and appreciated because, again, the author took the road less traveled with her characters and storyline. Book four, Winner Takes All , was AMAZING and will probably end up on my Best of 2019 list because of its unique plot and fantastic storyline.
So with that track record in mind, I had (what was most likely too) high expectations for this story. After enjoying all four previous books, I was never able to feel connected or invested in the hero or heroine, or their journey to heal, in this one.
Micah is a disgraced NFL quarterback, hoping to make a comeback after a major knee injury the previous year lead to a drug addiction and general bad behavior. Alice is a former soldier, recovering from a serious injury sustained in the line of duty. Both are hoping time at the veteran’s retreat center (run by Colleen from Winner Takes All) will help them heal and be ready to face the future. When Heath (from True Horizon) conspires with Colleen to pair Micah and Alice together for training/working out, they first develop a friendship, which then blossoms into more.
It’s a rough road for our hero and heroine, though. Alice had a truly harrowing childhood - which she refuses to talk about with anyone, and is struggling to figure out what she’s going to do with her life now that she’s been medically discharged from the military. She’s reluctant to have a man be any part of the decisions she’s making about the future. Micah didn’t have a great childhood either. Add in a tumultuous former relationship with unresolved feelings, and he’s not in a good head space for a new relationship either. So these two had a stadium-sized amount of baggage to unpack.
Which begs the question...did they unpack all that baggage? I don’t feel they did. The title of this book is Know You By Heart, but by the end of the story I didn’t feel like either of them knew each other all that well - otherwise they wouldn’t have done the things they did at the end of their predetermined time together (I’m not a fan of “relationship with an end date” storylines to begin with, but that wasn’t even the issue here). I won’t go into specifics (so as not to give any spoilers), but both of them had a good idea what the other was going to need if they were to continue the relationship, but neither was willing to be the one to compromise what they thought they needed. In short, both were still selfish. And simply put, there’s no romance in that whatsoever.
I also want to see characters have growth. Alice faced down some of her childhood demons, but still wouldn’t let Micah fully into her heart. And Micah starts out as the typical cocky, overconfident pro-athlete, low-key demanding his way about everything. He’s still a cocky, overconfident pro-athlete demanding his way at the end. I want to see them do the hard work to get through their issues, and instead we get an epilogue that takes place six months later when everything is all hunky-dory.
Ultimately, I feel as meh about Know You by Heart as I did about book three, except I wasn't able to find any qualities about this one to bring the rating up. The writing and story wasn’t bad, but there wasn’t enough for me to say I “liked it” either.
I do want to end on a positive note. I really appreciate that Ms. Winter writes clean, sweet romances. There’s nary a single bad word - not even the nickel ones (even though we all know athletes and military people are known for having salty language!), and the focus in the relationships is on the mental and emotional aspects, instead of the physical parts. Personally, I don’t have a problem with either bad language or steamy times. But reading a book without those can be refreshing!
So this one may not have worked for me, but I’m still looking forward to whatever Ms. Winter writes next. She earned my respect with her first book, and has repeatedly shown she writes her own refreshing stories instead of giving readers a regurgitation of what “everyone” else is producing. Hopefully I’ll connect to better to her next book.
* thank you to NetGalley and Wild Rose Press, Inc for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review
October 11, 2019
- Received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for a fair review -
Enjoyable story about a female wounded warrior and a quarterback fighting addiction, “Know You by Heart”, by Laurie Winter (The Wild Rose Press), is still a light read despite its dark themes. The idea that both characters heal each other through their involvement is sweet.
Micah and Alice are engaging enough characters, but they look more like buddies than lovers. Micah is a bit shallow, although I found the author handled this trait in an interesting way (he often acts like a self-centered male child, yet he has a good heart and I could not dislike him). Alice had also problematic sides to her character, I felt she turned too quickly from guarded former soldier to drooling-over-the-quarterback female.
Alice’s troubled childhood resolution was handled a bit too lightly, in my opinion.
It was a bit annoying that close to the end of the story, the hero was still torn between two women, that is not romantic at all! On the other hand, all that indecisiveness made the character realistic.
The previous story was so amazing, its characters so lovable, I really couldn’t connect at the same level with this couple, but still found it entertaining.
Enjoyable story about a female wounded warrior and a quarterback fighting addiction, “Know You by Heart”, by Laurie Winter (The Wild Rose Press), is still a light read despite its dark themes. The idea that both characters heal each other through their involvement is sweet.
Micah and Alice are engaging enough characters, but they look more like buddies than lovers. Micah is a bit shallow, although I found the author handled this trait in an interesting way (he often acts like a self-centered male child, yet he has a good heart and I could not dislike him). Alice had also problematic sides to her character, I felt she turned too quickly from guarded former soldier to drooling-over-the-quarterback female.
Alice’s troubled childhood resolution was handled a bit too lightly, in my opinion.
It was a bit annoying that close to the end of the story, the hero was still torn between two women, that is not romantic at all! On the other hand, all that indecisiveness made the character realistic.
The previous story was so amazing, its characters so lovable, I really couldn’t connect at the same level with this couple, but still found it entertaining.
June 11, 2019
Amazing book that I didn’t want to put down! Series is awesome! Totally got wrapped up in the strong willed characters who have to learn to put the past behind them. Letting go of pain and moving forward is never easy, but with the right person by your side, maybe it’s possible?
November 3, 2019
I’ve read dozens, if not hundreds, of romance novels and this has to be my favorite yet. I was on edge the entire story, eagerly turning pages to find out what happened next. I was absolutely enthralled, and yet, it was a rather soft, mundane story that could very likely happen. No major dramas – just normal things that happen to everyday people, or everyday heroes. We see an all-star football player who struggles to stay clean after overcoming drug addiction paired with an amazing woman solider who suffers from PTSD. The characters are not only likeable but intricately flawed in the very best ways. They stay true to their core personalities, even while Winter deftly wrote them into a dynamic character shift that allowed for a swoon-worthy ending.
June 12, 2019
Laurie Winter has a way of drawing the reader into the twists and turns of her characters. Her stories are brilliantly written, and once you start one of her books you won’t be able to put them down. Her romance series will make you cry and laugh out loud, and root for the brave personality’s of the characters. Her books never disappoint!
December 21, 2022
It seems that this is the #5 book in the series but they can be read as a standalone and that is what i did.
But i did not enjoy it as much as i had hoped. The characters were incredible boring and meh, and the story went on without much really happening.. i did not really see the chemistry between the characters either.
I got this eARC from Netgalley
But i did not enjoy it as much as i had hoped. The characters were incredible boring and meh, and the story went on without much really happening.. i did not really see the chemistry between the characters either.
I got this eARC from Netgalley
June 11, 2019
A compelling story of emotional and physical healing. The author tenderly explores the relationship between Alice and Micah, two broken people searching to rebuild their lives. This story makes you want to keep reading!
June 12, 2019
Laurie Winter’s series only gets better! Her characters and their backgrounds are believable and imperfectly human. The storytelling flows easily and descriptive elements entertaining. Love can overcome obstacles! Know You by Heart is a very good read!
May 7, 2024
Great writing style! After meeting being seated together on a plane to the same destination, injured football star, Micah, meets Alice, an injured war veteran. Together they not only heal their wounds but friendship develops into love. A very nicely done story!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews