Healing Hearts by Samantha Thomas

From Goodreads: Alex Mason is heading to the mountains to sell the family ski resort she inherited from her estranged father. Sell to developers and forget the pain of her past. She was not expecting to face those memories or her very first crush, Olympic skier, Bohdi Vonn.

Bohdi Vonn was the country’s darling. Medalled Olympian and endorsements that provided a life of comfort. He only wants to spend his days running the T-Bar Pub and rebuilding his life at Talisman Mountain.

When the news the resort will be sold to unscrupulous developers surfaces, Bohdi swears he will do anything to stop it. He just wasn't prepared to go to battle with the determined and beautiful Alex Mason. His best friends sister is all grown up, stunning and still hasn’t forgiven him for her brother’s death on the hill years ago.

Knowing he has only one chance to save Talisman, Bohdi sets out on a mission to show Alex the true value of the mountain, forgiveness and his heart.

My Take: 

There was a lot to like about Alex and Bohdi. They felt instant chemistry at their first "reunion" meeting when they didn't know who they were talking to, then things went down hill. Both characters had a lot of issues to deal with surrounding the pain from the past. Alex is stubborn and unwilling to talk about it--a real pro at hiding from her own emotions. Bohdi seems more willing, but he's also a bit clueless. 

These characteristics didn't make them unlikeable, just real. For the most part, I enjoyed the story. There were places where I wished the author had digged a little deeper, given us just a little more than we got. I'm not sure how though. The book just felt like it was brushing the surface and was over too soon. Alex is adamant that she isn't going to give in to Bohdi because it's too late, then they're together and the book is over. It felt like a lot of steps in the relationship were skipped even though they made out in the hot tub. I wanted the deeper emotional connection, not the physical one to take center stage for more of the story. 

I give Healing Hearts by Samantha Thomas a 3.75 rounded to a 4 and a PG to PG-13 rating. The book is technically clean, but the characters are physically aware of each other and want things. There is also the hot tub scene but no smex. I received this book in exchange for an honest review. 

1-5 scale and what it means:

1: I couldn’t even finish it / just plain bad

2: I hope I didn’t pay for this / disappointing

3: I didn’t hate it, but it was still missing something / forgettable but inoffensive

3.5: On the line between good and ok / like, not love

4: Solid mind candy / worth reading

4.5: So very close to perfection! / must read

5: I could not put it down and I’m still thinking about it! / a true treasure

Movie Ratings in relation to my review:

Clean--Hallmark movies, some kissing, no nudity, no intimacy on or off "screen"

PG--Some innuendo but nothing kids don't hear every day, intimacy is all closed door

PG-13--some language (swear words not related to intimacy), more talk about intimacy, heavy petting, removal of clothing on screen, but intimacy is closed door.

PG-14—somewhere between PG-13 and R. Not erotica, but at least a paragraph of on-screen intimacy

R--swearing (F-bomb, on “screen” intimacy, sometimes feels like the whole story is about the intimacy and not the relationship or some other plot, but not always