ONE TRUE HEART – Jodi Thomas
A Harmony Novel, Book 8
Berkley
ISBN: 978-0-425-26841-4
April 2015
Contemporary Romance

Harmony, Texas – Present Day

Millanie McAllen is going back to Harmony, down, but not out. She had planned to retire from the Army, but a suicide bomber changed everything. With her leg in a cast, Millanie is trying to get her duffel bag off the baggage carrousel, but is having trouble balancing. A tall stranger helps her, and when she discovers the rental car office is closed already, he offers to drive her to Harmony, since he lives in nearby Twisted Creek. To Millanie, he seems harmless enough; she figures he is a teacher or some other geeky profession by his looks, so she agrees. She does not want to discuss her injury.

Drew Cunningham is a teacher, but he, too, has been through a tragic episode. Five years before, he was shot by a gun wielding student who also killed two of Drew's pupils. Settling in a small cabin in Twisted Creek, he's laying low, attempting to write a book, and teaching part time. No one knows his background, and he wants it to stay that way. He is fascinated by Millanie and hopes to get to know her better. Drew wants to keep his tragedy a secret.

Beau Yates is back in Harmony to see his father, who is in the hospital. Not that he thinks his father wants to see him, but Beau isn't going to let that get in the way. His musical career has skyrocketed, and he's hoping to visit his father, then quickly return to Nashville. When Beau runs into Trouble, the girl with the mustang that he knew from his high school days, and his father doesn't improve, he realizes he can't just leave.

Johnny Wheeler is taking his impending divorce hard. He buries all of Scarlet's belongings on his farm, determined to get her out of his mind after she runs off with Max, whom Johnny thought was gay all along! But Johnny's brother thinks he's burying Scarlet, and soon Johnny finds himself in jail. Things get even worse when bales of marijuana are found in his barn. He's surprised when the town's palm reader, Kare Cunningham, Drew's half-sister, is determined to prove him innocent.

As Millanie tries to settle in at the Winter's Inn, she's approached by the sergeant who swore her in. She's been temporarily kept on active duty in order to find a person who has been funneling money to troubled areas around the world. He, or she, has been tracked to the area, and the feds think that Millanie is in the perfect position to find the culprit. She will be joined in the search by someone else who will reveal his or herself shortly.

It's always fun to return to Harmony. We get to catch up with some of the characters from previous books and meet new ones. Millanie and Drew are both loathe to reveal their pasts for fear of having someone feel sorry for them. Beau doesn't know how lonely he is until he runs into Trouble again, and Johnny has no idea how much the seemingly scatter-brained Kare is going to affect him. Winter's Inn is still run by the dynamic, outrageous Martha Q, and the Blue Moon Diner still caters to the locals.

ONE TRUE HEART is lovingly written, and there's plenty going on to keep a reader turning the pages. Don't miss this latest in the wonderful Harmony series.

Jani Brooks