Hand Over His Heart

The Brides of Purple Heart Ranch #2

by Shanae Johnson

A scholar reaching for her dreams. A hero living on borrowed time. Can she make them a permanent arrangement before his time runs out? Francisco DeMonti has always been a man with a plan. Though his last plan led to his entire squad being wounded on a mission in Afghanistan. Now he’s seeking redemption by getting all the men in his unit hitched so they can stay together and heal on the Purple Heart Ranch. But his own heart is under lock and key due to the shrapnel around it that could kill him at any moment. Eva Lopez has always believed in the power of education. After years of scraping and saving, she finally steps foot onto a college campus only to be yanked away by the mean streets she came from. A local gang threatens her family’s safety until a wounded veteran offers a marry a soldier in exchange for protection and the freedom to attend school. Fran has every intention of directing Eva towards one of his brothers in arms, men who aren’t in danger of a sudden death, but he can’t resist the brainy brunette and proposes to her himself. He’ll protect her for as long as he breathes, but falling in love is futile for a man with a ticking time bomb in his chest. Eva can’t help falling for the man who is making her dreams come true, but when he keeps her at arm’s length, can she convince him to make this marriage more than a convenience no matter how much or how little time they have left? Find out if love can truly heal all wounds in this light-hearted, sweet romance of convenient arrangements that unfold into lasting love. Hand Over His Heart is the second in a series of marriage of convenience tales featuring Wounded Warriors who are healed with the power of love.

Genres: Romance, Fiction, Westerns, Contemporary, Military Fiction, Marriage Of Convenience, Clean Romance

174 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2018

About the author

Shanae Johnson was raised by Saturday Morning cartoons and Afterschool Specials. She still doesn’t understand why there isn’t a life lesson that ties the issues of the day together just before bedtime. While she’s still waiting for the meaning of it all, she writes stories to try and figure it all out.

And by the way, the E elongates the A. So it’s pronounced Shan-aaaaaaaa. Perfect for a hero to call out across the moors, or up to a balcony. If you hear him calling her name, please send him her way!

Reviews

[Siv30 · Rating 3 out of 5]

לסקירה מפורטת בעברית ואנגלית, קישור לבלוג שלי -

https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/hand...

[Sherry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heartfelt

Eva has young siblings to protect but suddenly finds herself without a home. Fran needs to marry to stay on the ranch but he worries that his heart might give out & leave a wife vulnerable. Eva & Fran agree to a platonic marriage of convenience, but darn it, love happens. Complications abound. Part of a series about wounded warriors.

[Lacy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short Christian romance.

Francisco DeMonti, a veteran with potentially deadly shrapnel in his chest, invites Eva Lopez, or maybe it’s Eva Barry, along with her younger brother, Carlos, and younger sister, Rosalee, to stay with him to get them out of their dilapidated, gang-controlled neighborhood.

Clean language.

Contains: Description of previous premarital kissing.


Many editing issues. Here are some:

“Dr. Nelson's voice was steady, monochromatic like the blipping on the [heartbeat monitor] screen he watched.” Monochromatic means of a single color or frequency. I’m having trouble fitting that word into this scenario.

“Dylan usually kept his legs covered with long pants to hide his injury. But since getting married and finding acceptance for who he was, he'd begun wearing shorts and cargo pants, letting his prosthetic shine.” Cargo pants would cover a prosthetic leg.

“The boy raised his hand and shoved the woman's shoulder. But before the kid could make contact, or Fran could rip his arm off, Carlos was there, shoving the boy’s hand aside.” “and shoved” tells that contact was already made.

“Fran's eyes held rapt to Eva.” Odd phrasing.

“The dress grabbed at her bodice making Fran's palms itch to do the same. And then it flowed down around her torso,…” A bodice is the part of a dress that covers the torso. A bodice is not a part or area of the body.

“He reached back and gave Carlos some dap.” Street slang for handshake?

“That was the first year both her parents had died.” What happened the second year both her parents died?

[Tiffany (Bluestocking) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a sweet little story. This was my first time reading from this author and I did enjoy it. Quick, light, fluffy.

Content: Clean

[Diane Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miracles can still happen and love can be found

What a wonderful continuation in the stories of our wounded solider family. Very tender, caring and heartwarming in every way. Very well written. I look forward to the next book with great anticipation.

[Rosie Trzewik · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the white knight in shining armor story of Fran, a Vet recovering at the Purple Heart ranch. Fran comes to Eva and her siblings rescue after meeting her at a church event. She may just be the answer to his prayers.
Eva has been trying to hold together her family since her parents passing. Living in one bedroom with her brother and sister in the poorest part of town. When she meets Fran at church and he helps her and her brother and sister out of a dangerous situation and a hopeless one. Then offers a solution to all her worries, will she be brave enough to accept?
Sweet story that can be read as a standalone, but the characters are all back from the 1st story.

[Huanne Woodward · Rating 5 out of 5]

More healing

This author continues to astound me with her empathetic stories. Another wounded warrior finds healing, trust and love...with children also finding the same. I’m anxious to how the healing continues with the remaining wounded!

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

A scholar reaching for her dreams. A hero living on borrowed time. Can she make them a permanent arrangement before his time runs out? Francisco DeMonti has always been a man with a plan. Though his last plan led to his entire squad being wounded on a mission in Afghanistan. Now he's seeking redemption by getting all the men in his unit hitched so they can stay together and heal on the Purple Heart Ranch. But his own heart is under lock and key due to the shrapnel around it that could kill him at any moment. Eva Lopez has always believed in the power of education. After years of scraping and saving, she finally steps foot onto a college campus only to be yanked away by the mean streets she came from. A local gang threatens her family's safety until a wounded veteran offers a marry a soldier in exchange for protection and the freedom to attend school. Fran has every intention of directing Eva towards one of his brothers in arms, men who aren't in danger of a sudden death, but he can't resist the brainy brunette and proposes to her himself. He'll protect for as long as he breathes, but falling in love is futile for a man with a ticking time bomb in his chest. Eva can't help falling for the man who is making her dreams come true, but when he keeps her at arm's length, can she convince him to make this marriage more than a convenience no matter how much or how little time they have left?
Find out if love can truly heal all wounds in this light-hearted, sweet romance of convenient arrangements that unfold into lasting love. Hand Over His Heart is the second in a series of marriage of convenience tales featuring Wounded Warriors who are healed with the power of love.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story! Francisco DeMonti is a veteran with a heart that's a ticking time bomb—he could die at any moment. Eva Lopez has just applied to college, but she and her younger siblings are at risk of being left on the streets, struggling to afford the apartment they’re living in. To make matters worse, a local gang is threatening her family’s safety. In the midst of it all, the wounded veteran offers her a marriage of convenience.

Can they keep their love intact when they don’t have much time left?

I enjoyed this book so much! It’s a beautiful, intense tale of survival, love, and the unexpected paths life can take.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet story! I love how the relationship develops between these MCs. I also love how family loyalty is prominent. The faith element is light in this series, but it’s evident in some characters more than others. I think that’s adding to the believability of the plot. This story, as well as the first, moved pretty fast, of necessity considering the plot. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how that doesn’t ruin my enjoyment of the books. I recommend them if you enjoy clean, contemporary, inspirational romance starring strong women and wounded warriors.

[Jenni Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Turns out I have no impulse control. I think I liked this one even more than the first one. These are a nice breath of fresh air. Mostly good ole military guys who are living in a ranch after their unit suffered horrible injuries. Fran was super easy to like and Eva and her younger siblings were too. Oftentimes, I find kids can be written very irritatingly. However, this wasn’t the case for Eva’s younger siblings. These move so fast though! I wish that the timeframe for getting married would have been extended just a wee bit. Otherwise, loved this one.

[Jill · Rating 4 out of 5]

True love

Eva and Fran are destined for love. Eva is a woman who has taken to raise her younger siblings. She meets Fran aka Francisco at a church function he offers his home as refuge to her and her siblings. Then he asks her to marry him. Only problem is he has a death sentence over him, he has shrapnel near his heart and figures it's a matter of time before he dies. Can they make this work? Will they?

[Candy gates · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fran was one of the wounded warriors

He knew Eve, Carlos and Rosie were in a heck of a mess. Fran needed to get them out of the neighborhood their in. Too much bad going on. Carlos running with the wrong crowd and little Rosie is scared to death all the time. Eve was doing her very best but it wasn’t enough of it happening at this time. Don’t put this book down. You will miss something important.

[Penny Leidecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner

This was an emotional read at times, but I really enjoyed Fran’s and Eva’s story. I love how close all the men are and I can’t wait to read the other books in this series. Can a marriage of convenience turn into more? Grab your copy and see what happens in this emotional story.

[Glenda Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful

I really enjoyed this book. It’s well written and heartwarming. In order to stay on the ranch the wounded warriors had to marry. Fran DeMonti didn’t feel right about getting married as he was a walking time bomb with shrapnel close to his heart. Then he met Eva Lopez and her brother and sister. They married but things don’t go well. You will love this story.

[Debra M Button · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great series!

The men in these books gave part of themselves literally to guard our freedom. Now that they are back on homeland they struggle to fit in. They live on a ranch thateven has a doctor that visits daily but, trouble has tried to take that away there is only o e way they can stay... Hope you like this as much a u did!

[Marguerite Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic

This book was absolutely amazing I loved it. I'm at a loss for words when it comes to Fean. He most definitely is my hero. The emotions and turmoils that he and Eva along with her brother and sister just about tore my heart out. But together they will be a powerful and loving family. This series is most definitely a must read.

[Beverly Kee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved #2 so much!

This one made me teary eyed and laugh too! Really enjoyed this sweet romance and the whole storyline! How I wish it was on Kindle Unlimited so I could just read them as fast as I can!

[Cullen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eva and Fran

Here I go again trying to write a summary of this story hoping to convince you to give it a. chance. But what do I leave out in order to make sense of what is to follow. I really enjoyed the coming together of these two wonderful people and their families.

[Patricia Baxes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Totally awesome read...

This series is so good, you just can't stop reading it. I've already finished Books 1 and 2 so far tonight...and Book 3 is ready for me to start. This is one helluva series--grab your set today,!

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet Marriage Of Convenience

I totally loved this book about a modern day marriage of convenience. The only thing keeping it from a 5* rating was the use of what I call inappropriate language, especially in otherwise Christian fiction.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am falling in love with this series. Each book is a standalone but is so much better when read as a series. Fran and Eva, a SEAL with a ticking bomb and a woman with a dream and a family. Working together and re-inventing family. Romantic, funny, awwww moments. Bravo!!!

[Elizabeth A. Minteer · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Book That Should Be on Every Reader's List

The story in this book captivated me from the very beginning. I couldn't put it down until it was finished. Looking forward to book 3.

[Nancy Werner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second wonderful book in the magnificent series.

This is a remarkable book about Fran, Eva and Eva's brother and sister overcame many obstacles to find theirs love. The storyline was fascinating and interesting along with awesome characters that I fell in love with.

[Rachael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this sweet story between Eva and Fran. I like how he rescues her by giving her and her brother and sister a place to live. The romance moves a little too quickly for me, but I enjoyed the story.

[Pauline Wikkerink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

This is a great series. I will be watching for the last book to come out. I could not put it down

[Sandra Webb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another wonderfully sweet book. Loved it! Worth at least 1000 stars!!!

[Barbara Carter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Too short but good!!

Still love your storywriting....but I want more of the story in one book. You still may have me hooked for the next book though.....

[Ruby M. Bullock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story.

I am really enjoying this series of books. This is the 2d one I've read and now must get the rest of them. Must see how each soldier's love story happens.

[Raquel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Well worth the time to read. Book wasn't too graphic so kids would enjoy it as well.