{"id":49344,"date":"2020-01-19T08:30:19","date_gmt":"2020-01-19T13:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=49344"},"modified":"2021-04-14T22:55:57","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T02:55:57","slug":"blog-tour-arc-review-stone-hearts-poplar-falls-2-by-amber-kelly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/?p=49344","title":{"rendered":"Blog Tour, Excerpt & ARC Review: Stone Hearts (Poplar Falls, #2) by Amber Kelly"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\u00a0\u00a0Amazon US<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0<\/a> |\u00a0 Amazon CA<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

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\r\n <\/div><\/div><\/strong><\/h4>\n
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Blurb<\/strong><\/h4>\n

When I returned to Poplar Falls six years ago, I\u2019d given up on love.<\/p>\n

I\u2019d made the mistake of marrying the sexy rebel right out of high school. He\u2019d ended up in jail. I\u2019d ended up pregnant. With a baby on the way, I decided to give up my wild, impulsive ways. All I wanted was a family and to watch my sweet son grow up, happy, and healthy.<\/p>\n

Then Myer Wilson keeps showing up in my life\u2014and my son\u2019s life.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s the hometown football hero, who blew out his ankle his junior year and ended his career. I didn\u2019t look twice at hot jocks in high school. But now that he\u2019s taken over his family\u2019s ranch, I can\u2019t help but look even when I swore off men for good.<\/p>\n

But maybe he\u2019ll finally be the one to help me let go of the past and find my second chance at love. Or maybe my past will come back to haunt me.<\/p>\n

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Add to Goodreads<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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Review<\/b><\/h4>\n

3.5 stars!<\/b><\/p>\n

This is a cute little story. A small-town, single parent, friends-to-lovers romance, it is the second book in the Poplar Falls<\/i> series, but it can be read as a standalone.<\/p>\n

Dallas grew up in the small town of Poplar Falls. She married her high school sweetheart right after graduation, but ended up pregnant and alone when he was sent to jail. Now she\u2019s back on her family\u2019s ranch and raising her adorable six year old with the help of her family, and she\u2019s working hard to create the best life for the two of them that she can.<\/p>\n

Myer Wilson is the best friend of Dallas\u2019 older brother, Payne. His family own the ranch next to hers and he\u2019s been a part of her life for as long as she can remember, and she\u2019s always been able to rely on him for anything. He\u2019s especially good with her son, Beau, and he forms a part of her wide circle of supportive friends. But Dallas doesn\u2019t know that Myer is madly in love with her.<\/p>\n

Dallas is completely clueless about Myers\u2019 feelings, and though she acknowledges his attractiveness, she\u2019s never felt anything more for him than friendship. But that all changes when she unexpectedly starts to see him as more than a big brother figure, and all of a sudden she\u2019s feeling all kinds of things.<\/p>\n

The romance is slow to get started, with a lot of the book spent setting up the two characters, seeing them with their group of friends, and coming to understand their completely platonic relationship. The only hint is Myers\u2019 little comments now and then that go completely over Dallas\u2019 head, and it\u2019s only once we start getting some chapters in his perspective that we learn of the depth of his feelings.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to put her fire out. I want to sit back and enjoy the burn. She doesn\u2019t need to change a thing. She just needs someone to love her and love Beau with all he has, just the way they are.\u201d
\n\u201cYou that man?\u201d Payne asks, all the amusement gone from his voice.
\n\u201cIf she lets me be, I\u2019ll be that man every single day for the rest of both their lives \u2013 or the rest of mine at the very least.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Their shift to something more<\/i> happens naturally, and though it\u2019s slow to happen, once the move is made, things progress pretty quickly, which I was really happy about. Dallas is understandably tentative, but Myers has waited long enough, and though he\u2019s nothing but supportive and understanding, he has this gruff alpha cowboy side which is so freaking swoony, and I loved watching the romance start to unfold.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf we go inside, it\u2019s gonna change everything,\u201d she whispers.
\nWhat she doesn\u2019t realize is, everything already has changed.
\n\u201cYeah,\u201d I agree. \u201cYou ready for that?\u201d
\n\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she answers honestly.
\nI sit up and take her mouth again. She opens and melts into the kiss.
\nWhen I pull back, I look her in the eye and whisper across her lips, \u201cYes, you do.\u201d<\/i><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Having been friends for so long, of course their feelings for each other are deep and complicated, and it\u2019s a really sweet journey watching them figure everything out. Little Beau is a gorgeous addition to the story, and his relationship with Myer melted my heart.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a bit of drama, some which was expected, some which came out of nowhere, but it\u2019s all handled well and this book finishes with a beautifully happy ending that left me with a big smile on my face.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot of focus given to life on the ranch \u2013 probably a bit too much for me, and I would have preferred a bit more focus on the love story, but it all fits together well, and I got enough romance to keep me invested.<\/p>\n

The couple from the previous book are a big part of things, and there is some continuation for their story in this book, as well as some possible setups for future books. There\u2019s a big group of side characters, and it was a bit hard to remember who was who and how they all fit together (even after finishing the book I still don\u2019t have a handle on who everybody is), but I really enjoyed getting to know these characters and am looking forward to reading more of this series.<\/p>\n

Definitely a good read \u2013 3.5 stars.<\/p>\n

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.<\/i><\/p>\n

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Poplar Falls<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\" \u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

Rustic Hearts (#1)<\/strong>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0 Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Stone Hearts (#2)<\/strong>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon \u00a0<\/a>|\u00a0\u00a0Paperback<\/a><\/p>\n

Wicked Hearts (#3)<\/strong>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Fragile Hearts (#4)<\/strong>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

Crazy Hearts (#5)<\/strong>
\nBuy:\u00a0 Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n

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Excerpt<\/strong><\/h4>\n

We drop Sonia off first, and then I head to Dallas\u2019s. About halfway there, she starts yawning. She kicks her boots off and curls her legs up in the seat of the truck.<\/p>\n

I do my best to keep my eyes on the damn road. That dress has been driving me crazy all night. It fits her perfect and hugs her curves in all the right places.<\/p>\n

\u201cMyer, I think I might be drunk,\u201d she says as she closes her eyes and lays her head back against the seat.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think so, huh?\u201d I say playfully.<\/p>\n

She peeks one eye open and looks at me. \u201cYou\u2019re handsome,\u201d she says with a slight slur.<\/p>\n

\u201cThank you.\u201d I chuckle.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m serious. You are. You had Charlotte all hot and bothered tonight,\u201d she insists.<\/p>\n

\u201cIs that right? Must be why she stayed with Walker.\u201d I smirk.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, no, she stayed with Walker because I told her to back off you,\u201d she says, and then her eyes fly open and meet mine. \u201cI mean, I told her you weren\u2019t that kind of guy,\u201d she tries to explain.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou mean, the kind of guy who would want to go home with a beautiful woman?\u201d I ask just to tease her.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou think she\u2019s beautiful?\u201d she asks and then shakes her head. \u201cOf course you do; she is beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is,\u201d I agree. \u201cBut you\u2019re right. The only beautiful woman I want to take home is the one in my truck,\u201d I say as I smile over at her.<\/p>\n

She bites her lip. \u201cYou think I\u2019m beautiful?\u201d she asks as if she doesn\u2019t believe me.<\/p>\n

\u201cDallas Stovall, I think you are the most beautiful girl I\u2019ve ever met,\u201d I answer honestly.<\/p>\n

She blinks at me as if the words aren\u2019t registering.<\/p>\n

\u201cReally?\u201d she breathes.<\/p>\n

I grin and cut my eyes from the road to her. \u201cYou know you\u2019re gorgeous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Her forehead crinkles, and she shakes her head.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a mess,\u201d she whispers into the cab.<\/p>\n

I reach over and take her hand into mine. She lays her head back down, and before we make it to her house, she is fast asleep.<\/p>\n

I put the truck in park, and I walk to her side and open the door. I give her a gentle jostle to wake her. She barely rouses.<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, we\u2019re home,\u201d I tell her.<\/p>\n

She mumbles something incoherent and hands her keys over to me.<\/p>\n

I unlock her front door and turn the lamp beside the door on. Then, I go back for her.<\/p>\n

I pick her and her boots up. She wraps her arms around my neck. I carefully walk her to the house and to the couch. She curls up on her side and immediately passes back out. I walk into Beau\u2019s room and grab a pillow from his bed. I bring it and place it under her head.<\/p>\n

I throw the blanket off the back of the couch over her and kiss the top of her head. I whisper, \u201cGood night,\u201d and quietly let myself out, taking her keys and locking the dead bolt behind me.<\/p>\n

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About the Author<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\"\"Amber Kelly is a romance author that calls North Carolina home. She has been a avid\u00a0reader from a young age and you could always find her with her nose in a book completely enthralled in an adventure. With the support of her husband and family, in 2018, she decided to finally give a voice to the stories in her head and her debut novel, Both of Me was born.<\/p>\n

You can connect with Amber on Facebook at facebook.com\/AuthorAmberKelly, on IG @authoramberkelly or on twitter @AuthorAmberKel1.<\/p>\n

Author Website<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

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  \u00a0\u00a0Amazon US\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon UK\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon AU\u00a0 |\u00a0 Amazon CA\u00a0 |\u00a0 Paperback   Blurb When I returned to Poplar Falls six years ago, I\u2019d given up on love. I\u2019d made the mistake of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","yasr_overall_rating":3.5,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,9,1036,29],"tags":[1095,59,1096,48],"class_list":["post-49344","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-friends-to-lovers","category-romance","category-single-parent","category-steamy","tag-amber-kelly","tag-arc","tag-poplar-falls","tag-review"],"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":false,"span_bottom":false},"number_of_votes":0,"sum_votes":0},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Stone-Hearts.jpg?fit=200%2C300&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7gaNL-cPS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49344","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=49344"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49344\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/49245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=49344"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=49344"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.escapistbookblog.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=49344"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}