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Hart Sisters #1

Seeing Her Pain

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Gabe has never met a woman like her.

When Gabe sees Zoey Hart in a bar fight with four grown men, a word comes to mind: Spitfire. He’s met plenty of women in the service who can fight, but none are quite like Zoey. The feisty red-head was smart and sassy, and he was instantly drawn to her.

But Gabe wasn’t looking for a woman, any woman. Least of all one as young as Zoey. But he sees what she keeps hidden from everyone else. As an ex-marine, Gabe suspects what’s going on with Zoey. The sleepless nights, the running, the fighting. He’s seen it before and he knows what can happen in the service. All he wants to do is help. But can he help without getting too close?

No one believes that Zoey has changed.

Scandal sent Zoey Hart from the small town she had been raised in years before, but now she was back. After her time in the army, she needed peace that only being home can bring. She’s done with that life, and ready to start a new one. The one she always wanted.

All she had to do was prove to her sister she had changed, that she wasn’t the wild child that she once was. Although, and Zoey is the first to admit it, that landing in a bar fight within minutes of getting into town didn’t help. Even if it meant she ended up in the arms of an ex-marine turned cop with brilliant blue eyes.

Finding comfort and security in the arms of the wrong man was going to make proving she changed impossible. Their families intertwined past made Gabe the last man on earth she should spend any time with.

Will falling for Gabe be just another scandal that gets her sent away.

Seeing Her Pain is book one in the Hart Sisters Series, a heartfelt series about finding love with just the right amount of steam and stories that will stay with you after you’ve turned the last page.

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2020

101 people are currently reading
116 people want to read

About the author

Alie Garnett

22 books26 followers
Alie Garnett loves a little spice in her books. She lives on a small hobby farm in northern Minnesota with her husband and two kids. When she isn't writing, she is doing everything that she didn't 'get to' while writing.

Like me on Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Alie-Garnett

Visit my website:
ww.Aliegarnett.com

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5 stars
69 (49%)
4 stars
47 (33%)
3 stars
18 (12%)
2 stars
4 (2%)
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2 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Coco.V.
50k reviews129 followers
Want to read
October 14, 2025
🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/2/2021)! 🎁
1,072 reviews9 followers
April 30, 2021
Zoey is home after eight years in the army and she is determined to prove to everyone that she is not the same trouble maker she was before! Only getting into a bar fight and being hauled out by a gorgeous cop her first night back doesn’t help! Gabe is happy with being a police officer in his small town after his years in the Marines. What he didn’t expect was to fall for the beautiful young woman who is fighting with four local guys! He is instantly attracted to her, but knows he is too old for her. Only he can’t help wanting to take care of her and protect her! Can they find their happily ever after? Or will he let his mind take over for his heart? Great book that I would highly recommend!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Jackie Wright.
6,560 reviews134 followers
January 5, 2022
Alie Garnett is a new author to me but after reading Seeing Her Pain ( Hart Sisters #1) that’s about to change. This is Zoey Hart and Gabe Watson’s story and if you love small town/ family romances look no further than this great read.
Zoey is the wild Hart sister but after spending eight years in the army you would think she would have had her wings clipped, not so and she finds herself in a bar fight on her first night home. Gabe is the local police officer who breaks up the fight and drags her outside to cool down. What follows is a man falling for a younger woman, a man doubting he is good enough for the wild woman he can’t stop thinking about so will this couple find their HEA.
A great start to the Hart Sisters Series, it’s well written with wonderful Cha and it’s left me excited for the rest of the series.
4,012 reviews34 followers
April 28, 2021
The book is a good, and enjoyable heartfelt small town romance read. The story has a good story line. The characters are good, and they have good chemistry.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Misty Roule.
509 reviews1 follower
March 5, 2021
It started off with nightmares... can it end in dreams???

Zoey's journey hasn't always been smooth in life, but now she just wants to come back home. Can Gabe fight off her nightmares, or will this end in disaster too???
Happy reading : )
Profile Image for Jennifer Pierson.
11.7k reviews188 followers
January 7, 2022
Any book starts out with our heroine who's kicking some dude's behind (nevermind the fact that Zoey was taking on four dudes), I'm all in immediately. Zoey was a wild child who had to join the military, and she definitely excelled in the Army as she grew up, but now she's home for good. She wants to farm the family's land, but she has to prove to her older sister that she's changed, and she has. However, part of that change is the fact that she can't sleep at all so she ends up running at crazy hours, and the cop who broke up the fight, Gabe, doesn't want to see her get hurt so he keeps intervening. He's also very interested in her but because of the age difference, he's trying to pretend he doesn't feel anything. That only lasts for so long since Zoey feels safe enough with him to sleep so off they go on a new journey, but there are several complications that I'm not at liberty to talk about LOL! Seeing Her Pain was an all consuming, emotional story that I loved so much, and HIGHLY HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO ALL!
Profile Image for Rina's Reads.
1,659 reviews43 followers
November 28, 2021
Quick and easy read

Gabe and Zoey's story was good.
Their connection was instant and despite holding themselves back they finally succumbed to the pull between them.

There were some hard topics discussed—and while they could be upsetting to some people—they weren't drawn out, or revisited much.
I found it a little unbelievable (in terms of what Zoey went through in the army), as that is something that changes a person. Yet, apart from her sleep, it seemed like it had little to no impact on her life.

It was nice to see the sisters get back together, work through some issues, grow and mend their relationships.

It was a decently written story, with a lot of heart. There were many positives to this story and I'm sure a lot of people will enjoy it—but it just missed the mark with me.

3.5 stars
Profile Image for Wendy Livingstone.
20.2k reviews257 followers
January 6, 2022
This is the first story about the Hart sisters, and this is Gabe and Zoey’s journey. Zoey has been away from home for the past 8-years in the army, and she is now back and eager to convince her sisters as well as the town that she has changed from being the wild child she used to be. Getting into a bar fight with four men on her first night homes does not help her case, and Gabe, who is an ex-marine and now police officer is the one to drag her out of the bar to cool off. There is an instant attraction between Gabe and Zoey, but will she allow him to help her fight her demons? This is a beautifully written story which is heartfelt, and an emotional roller coaster, with humor, witty banter, family, and love. I look forward to reading more from this talented author whose work I highly recommend.
Profile Image for N.D. Jackson.
Author 18 books256 followers
January 7, 2022
I loved Zoey and Gabe from the opening bar fight. She’s tough and vulnerable and totally incapable of talking about her vulnerability. Gabe gives off instant protector vibes that never let up, and even better, he’s not overbearing about keeping her safe.
The instant attraction was perfectly written, not over the top, just two people recognizing sameness in each other. Seeing Her Pain wasn’t insta-love and Zoey & Gabe’s story didn’t move at hyper-speed but the connection between them felt that visceral. They were wonderful together and other than Gabe and Evie harping on it, the age gap never presented that big of an issue.
I am curious to learn who was in that photo and more about the Hart sisters’ father. And mother.
This series is off to a good start and I can’t wait to read book two.
Profile Image for Emily Pennington.
20.8k reviews361 followers
May 1, 2021
After years in the military, Zoey Hart is home and eager to provide to her sister and everyone else that she has changed. She is seen as a troublemaker, so she needs to get rid of that image. But in no time at all, she gets into a bar fight with 4 guys, encountering a handsome cop to make it more awkward.

Gabe is an ex-marine and her behavior makes him think she may be having difficulty he recognizes. She doesn’t want his help, and he doesn’t want to be attracted to a woman, but he doesn’t want to walk away when she needs him. Will he be able to help with her issues? Will they both realize how good they are together? Or will he put up barriers and worry about an age difference that shouldn’t matter at all?
2,316 reviews26 followers
May 16, 2021
I really loved this book!! I love the world that it built and can’t wait to read the rest of the books in this series! Zoey is home from the Army but there are internal scars she is dealing with. Gabe is a former Marine, now local cop, who meets Zoey while breaking up a bar fight. These two connect on a deep level and he becomes the calm in her crazy world. Can they build a relationship despite her pain, their age difference, and her past with the locals? This story was so good!! I cried, I laughed, and I loved every minute of it!! Definitely check out this book!!

I received a copy of this book via Booksprout and I am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for MzAnn.
691 reviews14 followers
January 21, 2023
It's OK...

The story was OK. I was expecting a little more drama. The blurb mentioned Gabe not being able to keep her safe, so I thought there was going to be a dangerous, dramatic element. There wasn't.

Like I said, the story was OK, but the editing errors made me rate this a 3 instead of a 4. I mean...spelling, punctuation, using the wrong word (except instead of accept), sentences that don't make sense...UGH! Typos are the bane of my existence.

There are a few little nuggets that intrigued me enough to read the next book...like who is the girl in the photo they found in her father's closet...
45 reviews
Read
May 25, 2021
I really don’t understand the timeline of this book (I haven’t finished it, only 15%). Because Gabe is 11 years older than Zoey who is 29, which makes Gabe 40 font (a big age gap FYI no matter what the book makes you think). And Zoey claims that Gabe is the one who ran of with her mother when she was 7, which is 24 years ago. But 40-24 is 16 and I don’t see how Gabe at 16 can be the same ‘officer Watson’ that her mother ran out with. It doesn’t add up (unless it was his father or something. But these kinds of mistakes lowers the quality of the book A LOT)
10.8k reviews125 followers
May 30, 2021
This is the 2nd book I've read written by Alie Garnett; I can’t wait to read more of her books.

This is the first book in the Hart Sisters Series; Zoey was always the wildchild so when she returns from the army she’s out to prove to her sisters that she has changed but getting into a fight at the bar as soon as she gets back doesn’t help and neither does the attraction to Gabe, the ex-marine cop. Their families have a lot of bad history between them.

I received a free copy of this book via booksprout and I’m voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Spunky N Sassy.
5,408 reviews119 followers
December 22, 2021
Spunky N Sassy Rating: 5.0

~~~~~~~~~~Tracy's ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Review~~~~~~~~~~~

Zoey is returning home after being away for 8 years in the Army, she brought home her nightmares with her. Gabe knows Zoey is too young for him and she has pain that she carrying, but he still is being pulled towards her. I loved this story and how Zoey was dealing with more than just nightmares from being overseas. This story is more than a love story it is about family and the struggles that Zoey faces trying to love herself while she lets go of the past.
Profile Image for Deb.
7,569 reviews37 followers
May 8, 2021
Life doesn’t always work out the way we expect and for the lead character, it has been a very long journey. Hoping to prove she’s changed in her family’s eyes, she once again put in a position where she has to defend herself. It was a very good story.

I requested a copy of this book so I could provide an honest review.
1,035 reviews1 follower
September 8, 2021
Loved it

I loved this story! Zoey comes home after two tours in Afghanistan with nightmares. Reason for her nightmares was unexpected but I have heard is very common in the military. Babe more than a decade older loses his heart to her at first meet after she kicks some serious ass in the barl
2,041 reviews7 followers
December 29, 2021
I absolutely loved this book. It was a great start to series. I couldn't put book down once started.

I loved Zoey and Gabe together, they meet in a funny way with Gabe being a cop. Gabe helps Zoey through her nightmares after being in war. He really helps her and they fall in love with each other. They have ups and downs but they find their way back to each other.

I can't wait for more.
Profile Image for Kathleen Bradbury (Bulfon).
16.4k reviews217 followers
May 6, 2021
This was a great book to curl up with, this is the first one I have read but I will be checking out the rest of this authors books. I was sucked right into this book and could not wait to see what happened next, I would definitely recommend it I did not want to stop reading.
87 reviews1 follower
January 2, 2023
Terrific

I got so engrossed I couldn't stop reading.
The connection between Gabe and Zoey was undeniable.
Gabe was able to help Zoey heal
452 reviews
September 29, 2024
2.5. What h went through is bad and is not treated with the necessary depth and seriousness in the story. There are also too many unanswered questions and open storylines.
Profile Image for Karrie.
382 reviews
January 7, 2022
Zoey was known as the wild Hart sister. She’s back home after being gone for 8 years being in the Army. She’s changed and Gabe Watson knows all about how a person can change from serving in the military as he was in the Marines for 20 years. Everyone thinks that he’s too old for Zoey including himself, but he knows what she’s going through and he makes her happy. They get their HEA.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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