Meant to Be
Southern Heat, #2
Southern Heat, #2
By: Jenna Harte
Releasing September 27th 2016
Penner Publishing
Penner Publishing
From The Book Junkie Reads . . . Meant
to Be (Southern Heat, #2) . . .
Is there a way to be simple and
complicated at the same time? Yes. I found that generally going into this read
that things would straight forward and simple but there was so much more to be
discovered the further in that you got. The characters were rich, endearing,
and complicated to various degrees. I found backing for both characters and
what each had to go through to move past the past. Sometimes things are just truly
meant to be but just not at that time.
Remember as you read that simple can
be complicated. The complications were
not totally on the characters themselves. There were outside influences wreaking
havoc as often as possible. There are emotional moments, heated moments, and suspenseful
moments. The reunion between Mitch and Sydney was filled with misunderstanding
and resentment. There was so much of it that when things looked as if they may
get back to a hit normalcy it all crashed again.
The ups and down along with the ins
and outs made the a fabulous read. I would pick it up again and again. I loved
it. Mitch was not that insta-hero that you fell in love with upon first meeting
him. Sydney had the steel rod for a spine and she had all the strength to back
it up. She had her female moments when damn it we have the right to be a little
scared and confused.
Jenna Harte created herself a
meaningful addition to her series. It will be much loved.
Southern Heat series:
Drawn
to Her – Southern Heat, #1
Meant
to Be – Southern Heat, #2
Wed to
You – Southern Heat, #3
Blurb
Charming and sexy, detective Mitch McKenna lets women into his bed—not into his heart. When his first love left him in a lurch, crushing his soul, Mitch swore off relationships and love. After all, any woman who chooses what her parents want over what she wants is not worth fighting for.
Charming and sexy, detective Mitch McKenna lets women into his bed—not into his heart. When his first love left him in a lurch, crushing his soul, Mitch swore off relationships and love. After all, any woman who chooses what her parents want over what she wants is not worth fighting for.
Or is
she?
Successful
New York doctor, Sydney Preston left the only man she ever loved to follow the
path that her parents paved for her. When a tragic incident at the hospital
threatens her life, Sydney moves to Virginia to rekindle the spark with her
ex-fiancé.
But
Mitch isn’t interested in reigniting the flame that fizzled out long ago. Will
they both allow resentments and misunderstanding spoil their chance of
discovering what was meant to be?
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The
warning grew more intense until Mitch couldn’t help but turn around and stare
right into the beautiful hazel eyes of Sydney Preston.
His
heart stuttered in his chest as a wave of conflicting emotions; anger, love,
bitterness, joy crashed through him. His first instinct was to leave, which
only pissed him off. He’d stared down insurgents in the Middle East. He could
survive seeing Sydney Preston. Another, equally strong, part of him wanted to
touch her, to hold her close and see if she felt as soft, smelled just as sweet
as he remembered. But he wouldn’t succumb to her charm again. Like a steel
gate, everything inside Mitch closed.
“Doctor
Preston is our new OB/GYN from New York. She’s helping out at the free clinic,
too. Doctor Preston, this is my husband, Kevin, and our friend Mitch McKenna.
They’re Charlotte Tavern’s finest police detectives. But watch out for Mitch,
he’s a real ladies’ man.”
The
hazel eyes that had once captivated him flashed with surprise and maybe panic.
But then it was gone, replaced by a blank smile.
“Hi.”
He choked out the word, not wanting to appear rude. At the same time, he wasn’t
going to go out of his way for a chummy reunion. She didn’t deserve his
recognition, so he wasn’t going to give it.
Her
head tilted to the side, and a slight smirk crossed her lips. “Actually, we’ve
met.”
“Really?”
Jenny’s voice suggested intrigue and delight at the prospect. “Where?”
“We
went to college together.” Sydney held his gaze. If she wouldn’t flinch,
neither would he.
“Oh,
wow. Hey, maybe you know his old girlfriend. Poor Mitch lost his heart to her,
and she crushed it like a bug.”
“Honey.”
Kevin patted Jenny on the back, while casting Mitch an apologetic smile.
Mitch
didn’t know if Kevin was intervening because he knew no man liked to have his
emotional history laid out in public or if he recognized there was something
more between Sydney and him. Probably both. Kevin was observant and insightful,
which is what made him a skilled detective, one that Mitch was grateful to have
as a partner.
“What?”
Jenny blinked up at her husband.
“Yes,
I knew her.” Sydney’s tone was matter-of-fact. Mitch’s eyes narrowed with
scrutiny as he waited to see if she was going to admit to being the one who
squashed his heart.
Jenny
turned her attention back to Sydney. “Was she a real bitch? I heard she came
from a rich family that didn’t like Mitch. But what’s not to like, right? I
mean, he’s as yummy as cherry pie.”
“I
thought that was me.” Kevin pouted.
“You’re
peach pie, my favorite.” She smiled coyly at Kevin, who gave her wink. Mitch
imagined there was a story there but blocked his brain from filling in the
details of what it might be.
“Speaking
of peach pie, why don’t we go to the cafeteria and get some,” Jenny suggested.
“We can let Mitch and Doctor Preston get to know each other.”
“I
don’t need to get to know Doctor Preston. I’m sure I’m not her type.” He knew
the minute it was out of his mouth that Jenny would reprimand him.
“Why,
Mitchell McKenna, your mother would light you up if she knew you were being so
rude. I’m so sorry Doctor Preston—”
“It’s
okay.” Sydney waved the comment away, much like she’d waved him away ten years
earlier. “I have to check on Mrs. Warner anyway. You go enjoy your pie.”
She
said it with such smoothness, it highlighted Mitch’s bad manners. But he didn’t
care. Let Jenny and Kevin think he was a heel. He knew the truth and Doctor
Preston knew the truth. She didn’t deserve his time or attention. Not anymore.
***
Sydney walked, back straight and
chin up, until she turned the corner. Then she sagged against the wall, hoping
her legs would still hold her upright. Her hand shook as lifted it to cover her
thundering heart. Over the last ten years, she’d imagined what seeing him again
would be like. But what actually happened had never been in any of the
scenarios she’d considered. Not that she’d thought he’d take her in his arms,
confess his undying love, and kiss her senseless as he used to do, although,
admittedly, she’d always hoped that would be his response.
He
was still ridiculously handsome with his bronze wavy hair and emerald eyes. But
gone were the affable smile and charm, replaced by eyes that were as hard and
cold as his welcome.
She
hadn’t considered that he’d pretend to not know her. It showed just how deeply
she’d hurt him. Even so, she wasn’t going to let him get away with it. She was
in Charlotte Tavern for one reason only: to fix things with Mitch McKenna.
Sure, they still might not have the future they’d once planned, but at least
she would address the regret and hopefully make amends. Life, she’d recently
learned, was too short to not live it to the fullest without guilt and
unresolved issues.
“Are
you okay, Doctor Preston?”
Sydney
looked at the nurse approaching her.
“Yes,
Meg. Just a little tired.”
“I
have Mrs. Warner’s meds. I was just taking them to her.”
“Actually,
I’m on my way to see her.” Sydney pushed off from against the wall, grateful
for the distraction.
“She
has such a cute baby.” Meg walked alongside Sydney. “Not all babies are cute.”
Sydney
agreed, although she was surprised to hear Meg say it out loud. “No. But
they’re all a gift.” A gift Sydney knew she’d never have.
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Author Info
Jenna Harte is a die-hard romantic writing about characters who
are passionate about and committed to each other, and frequently getting into
trouble. She is the author of the Valentine
Mysteries, the first of which, “Deadly
Valentine,” reached the quarter-finals in Amazon’s Breakthrough Novel Award in
2013. She is also the author of the contemporary romance series, Southern Heat,
with includes Drawn to Her, and
upcoming September 2016 release of Meant
to Be. She has a bundle of stories filled with romance, mystery and even
time travel rattling around in her head and is eager for the day when a device
is invented allowing her to download what’s in her brain onto her computer.
When she’s not telling stories, she works by day as a freelance writer, author,
blogger and online entrepreneur. She lives in central Virginia with her
husband, two college-bound children and a two fat cats.
Q&A with Jenna
What is the hardest
part of your writing process?
My biggest challenge is that my first drafts are pretty
weak and I worry I won’t be able to fix them. Especially in romances, the snap
and crackle required between characters is usually nonexistent in my first
draft. I’m also weak on descriptions (setting and facial). So during revision,
I spend a lot of time going through my thesauruses to find the right words to
express what I see in my head.
How do you develop
your characters? Are any of them like you or people you know?
Like my weak scenes and descriptions in early drafts, my
characters are often flat when I first start writing. They deepen during the
writing process. That means, they’re not really based on anyone in particular.
However, Tess Valentine in the Valentine mysteries likes old R&B music and
chocolate, as do I. And she’s not very tall. Neither are two of the characters
in the Southern Heat series. I’m not very tall either. Technically, I’m short.
You are both
traditionally and self-published. How did you decide what route to take for
your books?
For the most part, the decision to self-publish the
Valentine Mysteries came from an inability to get an agent to take a chance on
the concept. Several liked the first book, but pushed me to sell it as a
stand-alone romance. I always knew I wanted to do a mystery series featuring a
romantic couple. I knew I couldn’t be alone in that, but agents and publishers
are sensitive to book stores, and no one felt it fit well into the
mystery-lane, and romances don’t usually continue with the same couple. I’ve
started to see some change in this, but at this point, with five books and a
novella, and a sixth book in the conception stage, it will remain
self-published.
For Southern Heat, a series of interesting events
happened. The first was that I had this old romance sitting on my hard drive
(it was so old it mentions dial-up Internet). I thought would be a fit for a
Harlequin line, but at the time they only took snail-mailed manuscripts, so it
sat. But then a few years ago, I noticed an online pitch contest with Harlequin
Blaze and thought, what the heck, and entered. I won one of the five spots,
which lead to a request for the first three chapters. The problem was, the book
was far from done, so I spent the next few weeks getting it finished and
revised. Harlequin then asked for the full manuscript, and then it sat for
nearly two years. I finally got an agent, who was able to get a response (no),
but she helped me beef up the story and sold it a few months later, as a
series.
Both traditional and self-publishing have their positives
and negatives. What many new authors don’t get is that it doesn’t matter what
route you use, marketing is the key success in writing.
The Southern Heat
series is a departure from your mysteries. What made you decide to write them?
The first book, Drawn to Her, I wrote so long ago, I’m
not sure where the idea came from. When the Harlequin pitch contest came about,
I decided to try and sell it. To be honest, I’m not much a contemporary romance
reader. I usually prefer romantic mystery or suspense. So this series is quite
an anomaly for me. When it became a three book deal, I already had ideas for
the other two stories, one of which has a bit of suspense. Moving forward, my
ideas are for the Valentines, a traditional cozy, and possibly a paranormal.
What authors or
books do you enjoy reading?
I’m a huge J.D. Robb fan (married couple solving
mysteries). I also like Sandra Brown and Linda Howard...mostly their older
stuff, but I haven’t had a lot of time for pleasure reading, which is why I’m
not caught up on new books. I like to listen to audio books when I run, and
Linda Howard is good for that. Bella Andre’s Billionaire stories have been good
in audiobook too.
What is next for
your writing?
I just sent final copy edits back on Meant to Be, book
two in the Southern Heat series and I hope to have book three, Wed to You,
finished in the next couple of weeks (it’s due July 1). I’ve promised Valentine
fans a new book this fall, so I’ll be working on the sixth full-length
Valentine mystery. After that, I have a traditional cozy mystery I’ve already
started that I plan to complete, and hope my agent will like enough to sell.
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