Liam has always preferred spending his life inside books, only looking up to occasionally growl at customers in his shop. Until the day someone new comes to town. A woman who could keep up with him, someone who sees beyond his guards, who makes him want something decidedly non-fiction for a change. The only problem is, Riley has a secret. One that just might tear them apart.
You know that series; the series that made you fall in love with an author? Or it made you want to start reading again? Well the Stars Landing Series was all of that for me..so returning to this book world was just everything! Jessica Gadziala as always did not disappoint..Liam and Riley were two people very much set in their ways..Liam hiding behind the covers of his books & Riley well she’s on a mission… The push & pull between these two & their chemistry both intellectually & physically..you can’t help but fall instantly in love with R & L and their story… Between all the witty one liners, sass, the forever charming Stars Landing & all of it’s inhabitants just made this book just so so good! I will scream from the rooftops recommending What The Heart Learns to any and everyone
Romance in a small town setting is definitely one my favorites. Don’t get me wrong I love Navesink Bank but Stars Landing sounds so magical!
What I really loved about this story is how it shows what books can mean to a reader or a writer. I do not have a lot of friends or family who love reading as I do so they do not understand what diving into a book and getting lost in the story means. Liam as a reader and bookshop owner knows all too well what this means. He is antisocial because he would rather be in the bookworld than in reality. And Riley as a reader and writer lives and breathes books. She pours her heart and soul in her stories. She too is seen as antisocial, temperamental and prickly. They were a match made in heaven, unfortunately Riley is in Stars Landing on a secret mission. She tries so hard to keep her heart hardened towards Liam, but he sneaks his way into her heart. The banter between the two was hilarious. Their debates about books and her opinion about cats, I loved it! And when he started to talk about Jane Austen, my heart just melted! Liam, as antisocial and blunt as he can be, can not understand his feelings towards Riley. He never cared enough to want to take care of another person before. He is just so sweet! The way he understands Riley’s obsession with coffee and sweets, but still concerned enough to want her to eat healthy. And then to his response to Riley’s real reason for visiting Stars Landing was heartbreaking yet also heartwarming. Again it all ultimately had to do with taking care of her.
I just simply loved this book. Getting reacquainted with everyone in town was so great, Devon is just such a sweetie! Some of the scenes were brutal; the angst level was pretty high at one point, but the final outcome was awesome. And as usual the epilogue was amazing, I actually wanted more! Definitely a must read!
5 #Grandpasweatersforlife Stars
I’m a huge fan of the Stars Landing Series and have been “patiently” waiting for his book for so long. This series was one of the first books I read by Jessica and not going to lie made me fall head over heels for her books.
The chemistry between Liam and Riley from the start was pretty explosive even with a giant secret between them I felt that there toing and froing was exciting and so damn good to read. You can’t help but root for them throughout the book. I loved seeing them bicker and talk about books and grow. I loved seeing names of characters pop up from previous Stars Landing books this makes me very happy. Over all I loved this instalment in the Stars Landing Series and hope that we are not waiting too long for the next book in this series.
What The Heart Learns takes us back the small quaint town of Stars Landing. Liam and Riley’s story was started a previous book of the series and runs parallel with that book. Now we finally get to find out why Riley came to Stars Landing. The hot and cold sexual tension,the funny at times bantering between Liam and Riley over books and their love for coffee made this a sweet romance.
The story had a unique flavor to it. It was a perfect blend of romantic fiction and reality. Integrating the “book world” of everything from Goodreads, book conventions and signings to referencing books and well known quotes from those books.
It was good to be back in Stars Landing and I hope the wait for the next SL book isn’t so long. Devon really needs his story told.
Jessica Gadziala did a fabulous job hiding the real reason for Riley’s hatred for Liam so that when I finally figured it out I was stunned.
The book also has a deeper insight into what happens when we are not nice to each other. Liam even mentions it when he says “I would never say that to an authors face.” The point not being to avoid being mean to each other, but really how far removed have we all become when we can sit behind our computer screens and never see the reality of how we treat each other.
Thank you for a beautiful trip back to Stars Landing, I’ve been waiting to see what the characters were up to there. An awesome book where no one expects Liam and Riley to not be their grouchy, less than perfect selves.