Protect My Hart by Jennifer Powers

Natalie Hart has endured more than her share of emotional hardship. Willing to do anything to protect her heart from another catastrophe, Natalie moves back to her hometown in Louisiana and vows to stay off the radar. But when she finds out the job she’d been after in Houston may finally be up for grabs, Natalie is tempted to uproot her life again. Until she (literally) bumps into her childhood best friend, James Addison. While Natalie tries to decide where she belongs, James keeps ending up in her orbit, and that secretive smile of his is making her tiptoe out of her safe zone. But James has been healing from his own storm. Neither of them can change the past, but the more time Natalie spends with James in the present, the more she realizes that the happiness she's always wanted may be right where she left.

Such a sweet story! It’s very reminiscent of a Hallmark movie but with twice the depth. It gave me all the warm, small-town, first love feels, while also calling attention to the sometimes tragic and terrifying path we have to walk to get that love back. It’s a testament to having the courage to open your heart again, even after it’s been stomped on over and over. Wholesome, swoony romances with worthwhile themes are pretty hard to come by these days, but Protect My Hart definitely checked all three boxes for me.

I love supporting independent authors. If you are interested in purchasing a copy of Protect My Hart, you can do so here. Thank you!