Crossing Hearts: A Second Chance Small Town Romance (Cross Creek Book 1)

4.5 Crossing Hearts

I was super lucky in that I won a copy of this book through a lottery on FB for this author Suffice to say I haven’t read any of these books by Kimberly and I was excited to get stuck into it and I’ve already purchased Eli’s book to start when I get a chance

Emerson moves back to her hometown after being away for more than a decade. She wants a change of pace after working with a sports team in Vegas and this opportunity is the only one that felt right. However, before she’s even been in town for a little while – the boy she left behind, who is now all MAN, suddenly appears before her for some physical therapy as he’s reinsured his shoulder

Admittedly, it always takes me a while to really become entrenched in a new story but I really enjoyed the Cross family dynamics and I’m looking forward to reading the next few books and finding out more about Eli and Owen and their sibling rivalry that they have going on

I don’t know about you but Second Chances in a Small Town are my weakness. Kimberly Kincaid has been a favorite ever since I met her words through her Remington Medical Series. I was looking to journey back to this series as I am drawn to Small Town and I was not disappointed.

Hunter injures his rotator cuff once again., He, of course, is sent to see, physical therapist Emerson Montgomery. Emerson has moved back to Millhaven, VA, where she grew up. She is shocked when she sees Hunter as they were high school sweethearts and can not believe he would come to her for help. They did not part amicably 12 years ago. Hunter is shocked to see Emerson back in Millhaven after she has worked with professional athletes. He notices something “different” about Emerson. She is hiding something. Could Emerson’s return to town give them both a second chance or destroy their worlds once again?
CROSSING HEARTS, the first book in the Cross Creek series. It will not be a far departure from her other work. If you love those second chances like me, a bit of angst as well and just heart full of love and a bit of steam as well. I am looking to continue with the other brothers in this series.

This was a wonderfully written story of second chances. I loved the flow of the story. This story captures my attention from the start. Who doesn’t love a good story about high school sweethearts reconnecting as adults. Realizing what they let fall apart and the value of rebuilding love and trust. I defiantly recommend this book!!!

This book is my first time reading this author, but not my last. She has weaved a wonderful second chances novel. They say you can go home again, but Emerson had planned never to return. If you listen to the grapevine, she had it all the perfect high profile job, the NFL player boyfriend, living in the bright lights of Las Vegas. But, things change over time, and circumstances force Emerson’s hand.

The last time Hunter saw Emerson was after he proposed to her. That did not go as planned, but she is home, and his physical therapist, can he make it work this time?

I loved the slower pace to this story, just like a Saturday in the south. I will be headed back to Cross Creek.

Thank you to the author for the advanced copy; this is my voluntary review

First Book in a series by Kimberly Kincaid. I loved the main characters Emerson and Hunter as well as all the supporting players. Second chance romance but the story had real life problems and not just simple misunderstandings that blow up. The family dynamics for both of them and the development of people and plot make for a fabulous story. The farm boy who stayed home and the girl who went away to make it big but came back under mysterious circumstances. New author for me and I will definitely be going back for the rest of the series and more. Thanks for throwing in an epilogue!

Two people couldn’t be more perfect for each other.

Hunter & Emerson were together in high school. She went away to college, and he stayed to work on his family’s farm. He had asked her to marry him and she refused. Now twelve years later she was back because of a medical issue she would have her whole life. She is a physical therapist. She has a bad relationship with her parents, too. Enter Hunter who got hurt on the farm and needs physical therapy. Imagine his surprise when he sees Emerson. There journey through this second chance romance is bumpy. It’s very informative about a medical condition, too. I love these two characters a lot. This is a book you won’t be able to put down. It’s that good.

Meet the injured Hunter Cross: “the person staring back at her was a man, with rough edges and sex appeal for days, full of hard angles and harder muscles under his jeans and T-shirt…” And the reaction? “For the smallest scrap of a second, she tumbled back in time, her heart pounding so hard beneath her crisp white button-down that surely the traitorous thing would jump right out of her chest.” The reaction is from Emerson Montgomery, the physical therapist who left Hunter and their small town twelve years before. (I won’t say merely a physical therapist: Emerson is an independent, strong and successful woman in her field built both on her skills and her own dreams.)

With energy and enthusiasm, I can heartily recommend this excursion to Cross Creek. This is a strong, rich story that launches the aforementioned series. Ms. Kincaid draws characters so thoroughly (yet seemingly effortlessly) that readers will want to explore further plot developments in the next volumes of this series.

There are serious moments, touching ones, humorous scenes and playful and tender pages that draw in the reader. And there is steam here too: Even in passion, where feelings cross from casual from deep, twelve years of separation, familial relationships and the physical illness of Emerson hover like specters over any thoughts of long-term happiness. One of the best tools Ms. Kincaid brings is the ability to take the reader inside the characters (and not just in bed). The reader knows and understand the depth of feeling that a character is feeling.

Ms. Kincaid is exceptional in writing dialogue. Unlike merely capturing the events of a story on a page, dialogue writing requires capturing the perfect and the imperfect, the messy and the flawless, well-thought-out and impulsive. Conversations ebb and flow with intensity, humor, playfulness, snarkiness and any other characteristics that we deal with every day. There are subtle and not-so-subtle exchanges that enrich the story. The vernacular employed here is outstanding. Her writing does not lock you into stale rural tropes but instead she quickens the pace with vigor and creativity. Even though she writes in a third person, Ms. Kincaid will take the reader into the psyche of a character in a way that draws you in. In a split-second, she takes the reader from describing a scene or a conversation to feeling it with spontaneity, energy or raw feeling with phrases that thread the needle around common expressions, figures of speech, clichés and pure guttural reactions.

A taste: “The tautness in his muscles unwound, his shoulders falling away like they’d just released a breath they’d been clutching for far too long. Hunter’s hands found her forearms, hot fingers curling around her skin like a brand, but she held steady. She kissed him slowly, yet with intensity, the connection of their mouths both hard enough to make her lips tingle and soft enough to convey more than physical need.”

Please take a chance and explore the creative world that Ms. Kincaid has laid out for you. It will draw you in and you won’t regret it.

Full disclosure: I read an advanced electronic copy of this book for review purposes.

4.5 Stars for Crossing Hearts (Cross Creek #1)
If you love second chance, small town romance this book should certainly be on your radar. This is Emerson Montgomery and Hunter Cross’s emotional journey.
Emerson has returned to her hometown after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, she is struggling to come to terms with MS and truthfully coming home was not her first choice but determined to make the best of it she starts working for the local doctor. Imagine her surprise when her first physical therapy patient is Hunter a man she had a previous relationship with. Hunter can’t believe the woman who was once the love of his life is back in town and as she treats his injured shoulder they start to rekindle their friendship and it’s not long before the feelings they once had soon rush to the surface. But there are a lot hurdles that will need to be overcome if this couple are to truly get their HEA. A couple both dealing with hurt from how their relationship ended previously find themselves looking towards a future but what happens when Emerson reveals the secret she has kept from everyone.
I enjoyed this emotional read, I loved the characters , their story and the residents of Cross Creek and I’m looking forward to the rest of the series.

I enjoyed Crossing Hearts from start to finish- it was such a great story. I am a sucker for second chance love stories & this one was more unique than most. This is the first book in the Cross Creek Series & I can’t wait for the next book.

If you are looking for a feel good story with interesting characters & an entertaining story- check out Crossing Hearts

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

Such a fabulous, well written, heartwarming, emotional, heartbreaking, funny book with all the feels and wonderful, likable characters. Emerson & Hunter are getting a second chance after dating in high school when Emerson moves back to town to take a PT job with the local doctor & Hunter needs PT on his shoulder. It’s a book about healing, second chances, family and Emerson coping with being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Hunter & Emerson are a great couple who you will fall in love with and who so deserve their HEA. I will definitely be reading the rest of the series!! I received an arc from the author for an honest review.