Title: Cross My Heart (Bonus novella in the Hearts Series Box set)
Series: Hearts #5.75
Author: L.H. Cosway
Release date: January 31, 2017
Cliffhanger: No
Rating: 4.5 stars
Synopsis:
Iris Garrigan has nothing.
Well, that’s not entirely true. She has her trusty Doc Martin boots. She has her Bowie obsession. And she has the stray cat that sneaks into her bed and keeps her company at night – it’s a quid pro quo relationship. The cat gets a warm body and she gets something alive beside her when she would otherwise be alone.
She also has a job. Sure, washing dishes hardly has her rolling in dough, but with no permanent abode it’s the best she can do. She knows her new boss only lets her work in his restaurant out of pity, but she isn’t above cashing in on a little human compassion if it means she can survive to live another day.
Everything is going fine until Liam Cross starts to take notice of her, poking his newly minted police badge where it doesn’t belong. And if he doesn’t quit soon her not so legal living situation could find her in hot waters. Little does she know, Liam isn’t just being nosy, he’s trying to help. Iris has no idea that he’s been watching her for months, and that he’s completely enamoured with her strange and peculiar ways.
When Liam discovers her secret Iris has two options: stay and face the music or run for the hills.
***Cross My Heart is a contemporary romance novella and tells the story of the youngest Cross brother, Liam Cross.***
***This review is only for the new novella included in the box set. Cross My Heart is Liam Cross' story.
Liam Cross has always been a brother that faded into the background for me somewhat, but in this novella, we get our chance to see him in the spotlight and steal our hearts. I was so impressed with Cosway's ability to endear me to these characters in such a short time. Both Liam and Iris were completely developed and fascinating-every bit as much as what you would find in her full length novels. That's a huge accomplishment in my book. I tried to think about who I loved more between the heroine/hero and I came up blank. I loved them equally as much and enjoyed every minute spent getting to know them.
Iris was what fans of this author have come to expect.
Quirky, charming, and realistic in her human frailties and flaws. She is a young woman who has aged out of the foster care system and now is forced to live on the streets. She's tough, and very much a loner, having learned that she can only depend on herself. Music and the late David Bowie are the only comfort and solace she has from her daily struggle. I loved her tenacity and spirit, she never let her misfortune make her bitter.
I was a glass half full kind of girl. I had to be, otherwise I'd be a hand me the crack pipe kind of girl.
There haven't been many people to show her kindness or care for her situation in life, so she prefers to blur into the background unseen. But Liam sees past her tough persona, and identifies with the sadness in her eyes. He knows there's a lot more to Iris than would first appear and he's just stubborn enough to uncover it. Since she works at his family's restaurant, he has plenty of opportunity to get her to open up to him.
Liam is now a police officer. After the family left their unlawful business, he turned to putting criminals away rather than being one. I didn't expect to fall for Liam as much as I did, but he was probably one of the sweetest heroes Cosway has created. He was the most wonderful strong and silent type of man. He was gentle, and patient with Iris and I think that was partly due to the fact that he really identified with the tough circumstances that were handed to her. He was also extremely sexy and determined to make her his.
“You’re the sexiest fucking thing I’ve ever seen, do you know that?”he rasped. “Liam.”His name was a soft plea on my lips.
“What is it, beautiful?”he replied, his gaze worshipful, taking all of me in.
“Kiss me,”I whispered.
This story was a very fast paced read, but left nothing lacking. There was a surprising amount of heat, a sweet and simple love story, and a little bit of bonus time spent with the entire Cross family. They've come a long way and fought hard to make it out of the corner they were backed into. I loved seeing all of them enjoying the peace that they've earned. Seeing how they took Iris into their fold and showed her the love and family she has been missing for so long was so beautiful. This is a must read for fans of the Heart Series, I highly recommend!!
I couldn't believe I'd found someone like Liam. Or was it him who found me? Maybe we'd found each other.
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