Review: Owner of a Lonely Heart

Owner of a Lonely Heart by Eva Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Three and a half stars.

Gemma was widowed after just a few short years of marriage when her husband got cancer. They planned for IVF treatment when he was in remission and she has been going through it alone, this could be her last chance to have Andrew's baby. She works as an illustrator and volunteers with her dog Bear at the local cancer hospital in Bristol to cheer children up who are undergoing cancer treatment. On her way to the hospital one day she comes across a man, clearly anxious about going in - she initially assumes that he is cancer patient but learns he is visiting his daughter and is frightened of doing or saying the wrong thing. There's something about this man, Dan, that stirs something deep inside Gemma, something she thought had died with Andrew.

One day Gemma meets Casey a twelve year old with a brain tumour. Casey's mother Angelica's is a germaphobe and initially resists Casey being anywhere near Bear, but Gemma soon gets talking to Casey and learns that she had never met her father until they came to Bristol, now the two of them are sharing his luxury penthouse flat for four weeks while she has revolutionary treatment for her tumour. Gemma can't help but judge Casey's father who sounds like a selfish individual. Quelle surprise when the selfish dad turns out to be none other than Dan.

Dan avoids getting close to anyone. His mother died giving birth to him and his father was a con-man who dragged Dan into his schemes. Deep down he doesn't want anyone to know the real Dan, afraid of what they might see. He's borrowed the penthouse apartment from his friend Vijay and fully intended to tell Angelica and Casey the truth but the time is never right. He's falling for Gemma but can he tell her the truth about himself?

I liked this but OMG it was slooooow. Gemma is keeping secrets from Dan so she keeps pulling away conflicted that she is 'cheating' on Andrew. Dan is keeping secrets from everyone about his past, his family, and his home, so he keeps pulling away. Push, pull, push, pull. One other gripe, one character has a 100% personality change at the end after a five minute conversation - that felt false.

Good story but could have been way shorter, I was pleading for this to end sooner, recommended for those who like slow-burn romances.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

View all my reviews