A lovely review for WILD HEARTS from Kirkus!

March 6, 201513 Comments

cover image (c) Stephan Hoerold/Getty Images

“Fresh, fun and oh-so-romantic, WILD HEARTS had me galloping through the pages. I absolutely loved it.” ~ Lauren Barnholdt, author of TWO-WAY STREET and DEVON DELANEY

Enjoy Wild Hearts and the other standalone titles in Bloomsbury’s contemporary If Only romance line centered around an impossible problem: you always want what you can’t have!

Brie Carter’s father’s land development business has taken her family all over the world, but as soon as they arrive at their new home in Lost Spring, Wyoming, the town turns out to protest. They don’t want a new hotel if the resident mustang population will be displaced or hurt as part of the deal. Then Brie meets Logan, a gorgeous local who has a special connection to the mustangs, and she is immediately drawn to him . . . and the horses. However, with Logan’s father leading the protests and Brie’s father refusing to budge, it’s clear that their parents are heading towards an all-out war. Can Brie and Logan find a way to save the mustangs and be together? Or is their love doomed from the start?

This new title in the If Only line is the perfect summer read and proves that love flourishes in the wildest places!

From Kirkus Reviews:

Brie is used to constant travel; she’s not accustomed to caring passionately about a cause—or a young man. Brie’s dad is a land developer, so they move from place to place worldwide. Home-schooled, Brie has never made attachments. When she and her parents move to a one-main-street town in Wyoming, the welcome is frosty, as its citizens protest the uprooting of the wild mustangs for the hotel Brie’s dad is building. The loudest opponent is the father of a handsome, kind, cowboy-hatted boy named Logan. This quickly becomes more than a budding romance between Brie and Logan, as they take up the cause to create a sanctuary for the mustangs. She finds within herself a stirring love for the horses and a deep desire to do something good. However, caught in the middle of the heated battle, this is the first time Brie has contradicted her father and the first time she’s fallen in love. Burkhart’s uncluttered prose easily develops both characters and complications, making for a smooth-reading romance. Each chapter is headed with a pithy quote—”Cowboy proverb: The bigger the buckle, the better the cowboy”—lending light wisdom to the tale. This inspiring look at the plight of undomesticated landscape and wildlife nestled in a tender romance is a surprisingly sweet and resonant story. (Fiction. 12-18)

WILD HEARTS is available NOW for pre-order in hardcover and paperback with audio book coming soon! It releases on May 5, 2015!

Thank you Lauren, Kirkus, Laura Whitaker–my editor of awesome, Sarah Shumway, the Bloomsbury Team and to my Harts!

First review of WILD HEARTS AND 25% off Amazon purchase!

December 13, 2014Leave a comment

The lovely Christine at the Bridgewater Public Library posted a very kind review of WILD HEARTS on the library’s Facebook page. I’m reposting it below. Thank you so, so much, Christine! ❤

Looking for a book for teens who love horses?

Check out Jessica Burkhart’s Wild Hearts, coming to stores in May! Brie Carter doesn’t think she fits in anywhere. Homeschooled and constantly moving due to her dad’s job, she also works for him at his land developing business. Her mother wishes she would get involved in something, like photography. Arriving in Lost Spring, Wyoming, her family is met with protests over the development, which would disrupt the local wild mustang population. Among the protesters is Logan, whose love of the horses is so strong, he’s willing to do anything to save them. Brie begins to hang out with Logan and see his side of things…too bad her father doesn’t feel the same way. Nor does he know that she is hanging out with the enemy and his father, who is leading the protests. Together with new friend Amy, Logan and Brie work together to save the mustangs.

This book is a good young adult choice for those who are interested in horses and looking for a romance book. That being said, this book is mostly parent friendly- Brie does sneak out of the house and go camping with Logan, but there is no sex or drugs. The story revolves around Brie’s growing friendship with Logan and Amy, and the attempt to save the mustangs of Lost Spring. You can tell the author did her research on wild mustangs before writing this book. Good pick for those looking to get into teen books without the teen drama.

WILD HEARTS is available NOW for pre-order in paperback and hardcover! 🙂 It releases May 5, 2015.

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