Embracing Her Heart

By: Melissa Foster

Narrated by: Andi Arndt, Sebastian York

Length: 8 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's Summary

"Melissa Foster is synonymous with sexy, swoony, heartfelt romance!" (New York Times best seller Lauren Blakely)

Welcome to Oak Falls, Virginia, home to horse farms, midnight rodeos, bookstores, coffee shops, and quaint restaurants where you’re greeted like family and treated like treasured guests. Buckle up for a wild ride. Like any Southern girls worth their salt, the sweet-talking, sharp-tongued Montgomery sisters can take men to their knees with one seductive glance or a single sugarcoated sentence. 

In Embracing Her Heart....
Leaving New York City and returning to her hometown to teach a screenplay writing class seems like just the break Grace Montgomery needs. Until her sisters wake her at 4:30 in the morning to watch the hottest guys in town train wild horses and she realizes that escaping her sisters’ drama-filled lives was a lot easier from hundreds of miles away. To make matters worse, she spots the one man she never wanted to see again - ruggedly handsome Reed Cross. 

Reed was one of Michigan’s leading historical preservation experts, but on the heels of catching his girlfriend in bed with his business partner, his uncle suffers a heart attack. Reed cuts all ties and returns home to Oak Falls to run his uncle’s business. A chance encounter with Grace, his first love, brings back memories he’s spent years trying to escape. 

Grace is bound and determined not to fall under Reed’s spell again - and Reed wants more than another taste of the woman he’s never forgotten. When a midnight party brings them together, passion ignites and old wounds are opened. Grace sets down the ground rules for the next three weeks. No touching, no kissing, and if she has it her way, no breathing, because every breath he takes steals her ability to think. But Reed has other ideas....

©2018 Melissa Foster (P)2018 Melissa Foster

Smoking HOT and so much fun!

GAHHHHH!!! I swear my kindle bout burst into flames! Reed and Grace light up the pages and it is MAGIC! I absolutely loved EMBRACING HER HEART, a sexy yet romantic second chance romance. The narrators were spot on, I was completely sucked into the story and what a story it is! Not heavy on the angst, but I laughed and I teared up and I fell in love. It was exactly what I needed! Highly recommended!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

You’ll want your own Greedy Boy!

Embracing Her Heart (The Bradens and Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill - Oak Falls)
Book 1 by Melissa Foster

Ok this is now one of my new favorite books by Melissa Foster. I love second chance romances and this one does not disappoint!

I read the ebook and listened to the audiobook as well. Do yourself a favor and get this audiobook. Andi Arndt and Sebastian York were incredible in the telling of Grace and Reed's story.

Grace Montgomery and Reed Cross were high school sweethearts who had to keep their relationship secret because of a rivalry between their high schools. Having grown up in a small city where such rivalries existed, it was easy to identify with.

Grace was always convinced country life was not for her and upon graduation she pursues her dream in NYC to become a playwright and producer. But at what cost?

Reed has has own dreams that don't include leaving Oak Falls, but is devastated when Grace departs and heads off to Michigan to escape his heartache and becomes a leading historical preservation expert opening a business with a college friend, Thad. After a betrayal Reed sells his share of the business and returns to Oak Falls to help out his Uncle Roy who suffered a heart attack and stays to run his uncle's business.

Fate brings these two together when Grace returns for a three week visit to teach a screenplay writing class and of course Gracie and Reed can't escape seeing each other.

Reed, aka Greedy Boy is as sweet and romantic as he is sexy and alpha. A perfect compliment to Grace's smart, sweet and sassy nature. His thoughtfulness and romantic gestures make him instantly endearing. Their chemistry is stronger than ever and what ensues is more than a trip down memory lane, as these two lovers make new memories while treasuring the old ones.

You can take the girl out of the country, but can you take the country out of the girl? And does she really want to? With Grace's three weeks coming to an end and her life back in NYC, can these two lovers make a long distance relationship work?

These are well-developed characters with great secondary characters who add to the story and move it forward. From Grace's huge family to Reed's Aunt and Uncle who raised him, to his missing father and their many friends, to the house Reed buys and movie theater which holds such fond memories for them, this book is a wonderful read and listen.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

Embracing Her Heart audiobook took my breathe away!

This beautiful story begins with Grace Montgomery returning home from New York to teach a screenwriting class at her sister Amber’s bookstore. While she is home her parents porch is being rebuilt by her secret high school boyfriend Reed Cross, who has also just returned to town. Grace is angered by running into Reed and wants nothing to do with him. But a chance meeting at a group event allows them to at least talk about their past. And what a past it turns out to be. Melissa Foster’s characters truly capture your heart. I felt like a participant rather than listening to a story. Reed and Grace follow their hearts and the journey is full of twists and turns. I found myself with tears falling down my cheeks as Andi Arendt and Sebastian York read Melissa Foster’s touching words. The changing of the narrators for each chapter made for a very engaging experience. Definitely a 5 star ensemble.

Great Story

Embracing Her Heart was such an amazing story. The narrator's for this book were Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. They did a great job. This is the first time i heard 2 narrators in one book and i was not disappointed. We get to meet Grace Montgomery and Reed Cross. They have old history that goes back to their senior year in high school. Reed was a quarterback for a rival school and Grace was head cheerleader. They saw each other by sneaking around. They were each others first love, first everything. Then when Grace wanted to go away for college, she wanted Reed to go with her and he said he could never leave their hometown. Grace broke his heart and ended it with him. Fast forward now, the both have never found a love like they experienced with each other. Now their tensions are high and all their feelings are coming to a head. Grace is staying for 3 weeks and she intends to make the most of them with Reed. This audiobook had everything and more. It is a great listen.

Loved it

Having read several books by Melissa Foster I jumped at the chance to read and listen to this one and I was in no way disappointed.

Andi Arndt and Sebastian York did a great job with the narration.

When Grace Montgomery returns home she is suddenly made to realise just how easy it was for her to remove herself from her sisters drama filled lives when she was living in New York. Not only do they draw her in, but she comes face to face with the one man she hoped never to see again, Reed Cross.
Reed too has returned home and crosses paths with the woman he was once in love with, his first love Grace, a woman he has never truly forgotten.
What happens, when Reed wants to re connect and Grace is bound and determined not too? Who will win this battle? When circumstances finally bring these two together, their obvious chemistry and passion cannot be denied, however at what cost? Will Grace be prepared to give love with Reed another chance?
Grace is a strong and independent woman who certainly gave as good as she got, I really liked her. Her family was hilarious and I cannot wait to read more about them in coming releases.

This is a well written story that tugged at the heart strings and is a second chance at love story; full of hopes and dreams and one that I recommend.

The Montgomery's and The Braden's

AUDIOBOOK NOTE…

I am a huge audiobook fan. I listen anytime I can, sneaking in a chapter every chance I can. I have listened to all of Melissa Foster’s so far and this is the first with two narrators. I wasn’t sure what I would think having two separate voices telling the story but I quickly fell into the story, loving the dual narrators, and enjoying being read to. The dual narrators bring the characters to life with Andi reading mostly Grace’s story and Sebastian reading Reed’s story.


Ebook Review…

I love second chance romances. Embracing Her Heart is the perfect example of why I love them. Grace and Reed were girlfriend/boyfriend in high school, although their relationship was kept a secret due to them going to rival schools. They parted not because they didn’t love each other but because the loved each other so much that they let each other go to find their own ways. Grace had dreams of going to the big city and directing, writing, and producing screenplays. Reed swore to never leave Oak Falls but ended up fleeing to Michigan to hide from his memories of Grace. Both characters followed their dreams, found their ways, and are living successful lives doing what they love.

Fast forward 10 years… both Grace and Reed are back in Oak Falls and of course are not able to steer clear of each other. They also are not able to deny the sparks that are still sizzling between them. I love that Reed is the one that is not willing to let Grace hide from her feelings. He pushes her to talk about how she feels and what she wants. He also is the romantic one. He relives some memories, makes some that they couldn’t do together in high school, and helps makes so many new ones. He is definitely one romantic soul who proves that he will do anything to keep his Gracie happy and in his life.

This is the first book in the Pleasant Hill-Oak Falls series. The Montgomery Family is featured in the story and I cannot wait for more from them. I love that the Braden Family is mentioned and know that they will be more prominent in future books in this series.

Fell instantly for Reed and Grace

What a fabulous new series by Melissa Foster. Reed and Grace secretly dated when they were teenagers. Grace left their little town, headed off to school and had plans to make it big in New York. Reed was heart broken when Grace left and to move away because of the memories. Grace is home visiting and Reed has moved back to help his uncle and they run into each other and sparks fly. Old feelings are still there and they decide to start seeing each other but this time no secrets. You instantly fall in love with Reed and Grace, in fact you fall in love with all of the characters plus the town of Oak Falls. Reed and Grace are a great fit together. Once you start this book, you won’t want to put it down.
I really enjoyed the narrators Andi Arndt and Sebastian York. They captured Reed and Grace's characters and really brought them to life.

Reed and Grace

I read and reviewed the book first, then had the chance to listen to the audio. The audio is SO good! Narrated by both Andi Arndt and Sebastian York, the audio storytelling just went up a notch! It was so nice having a male voice for Reed and a female voice for Grace! If you get the chance, you should definitely listen to this one.

This is my book review: Do you remember high school? The rivalries? Such an intense time, those teenage years. That’s when Reed and Grace first got together, and with their schools being such heated rivals, they kept their relationship secret (well, mostly). Now, years later, Grace is home for a three week visit, and Reed is home for good. Life took them in different directions, but now they are back, and better than ever. But can they make it last this time? Will long distance really work? Will life get in the way, again?!

Melissa Foster writes good characters and interesting families. There is heat, sibling shenanigans, secrets, and fun. I am looking forward to what comes next! In the mean time, Grace and Reed have a story to tell, so get to reading it!

I loved Embracing Her Heart!

I listened to the audio version of this book. I really, really liked this story. After listening to some of Ms. Foster's other books, I felt like this one had a little more to it. A lot of her others have a bunch of girlfriends hanging out, but this one felt more family oriented to me which I really preferred.
Grace and Reed's story is a second chance trope. Their history was ten years past, so they've grown up a lot. They have a lot of issues to work through in order to forgive past hurts and to take that first step to come back together. The heat is undeniably still there, but they have lives in different places. Even though Grace is back home, it is only temporary. They both know that she can never have the life she's used to back in her little home town. So how in the world will they ever make this love work?
What I like most about this book was the depth of emotion felt by Grace when it came time for her to leave Reed and her family to go back to the city. It was written in a way that you could feel just how devastating it was to her. Great job by Ms. Foster.
The narration combo of Andi Arndt and Sebastian York would do powerful things for even the dictionary if they were reading it. They are my all time favorite duo and truly would be an automatic 5 stars from me. You just can't go wrong with anything narrated by them!

True Hearts

Andi Arndt, and Sebastian York are the Narraters of this book, and they really did a good job, and with there tones kept it very interesting.

When Grace as at her whits in and decides she needs a break she agrees to go home to Oak Falls, Virginia to help her sister out at her book store by teaching a screenplay writing class.

And the man she will never forget is also back, and Grace is holding on to some hard feelings on how there secrets relationship ends.

When Reed and Grace cross paths there hearts start reconnecting. Seems Reed is also working on her parents home, and that is making her a bit uneasy, because no matter the hurt she still feels, she still feels the love they once had.

Grace is getting a new look at her career, she is loving the screenplay class, and she has spilled her heart to Reed, and they finally understand what has happened to the love that was a secret, and as there love grows they find the 2 sweet hearts from different schools, and rival teams...well maybe they were not secret after all.

You have to read the love story of 2 hometown teens, with the secret love. How there love comes back full circle..there careers and the loneliness they both have endured.

True Hearts, that still beat as one. They just needed a jolt to there hearts so they could remember and feel the love they once shared.

Melissa Foster has out done her self once again.

Second chance love

Loved this story and these narrators are totally perfect for it. I could really relate to these narrators and how realistic they made this story sound. Absolutely perfect