The One in My Heart

“Praise the Lord,” he murmured, slipping off my undies, “for a woman who can bring me to my knees.”The One in My Heart is Sherry Thomas’ first foray into the world of contemporary romance. Written in the first person, The One in My Heart is a novel that firmly entrenches itself in the reader’s heart as you go deeper into the story. If you have read any of my reviews on Ms. Thomas’ historical romances, you’d know that I always praise her for her ability to write stories in such poetic prose – there is no other way to describe what her words does to you. They just flow through you, become one with you, as if you have been waiting your whole life for those words to come to you.The One in My Heart starts on a dark stormy night, when Evangeline Canterbury, while walking home, altogether too depressed for words, runs into the enigmatic, charming and handsome Dr. Bennett Oliver Stuart Somerset. What happens in the next couple of hours is a connection of the instantaneous variety, the kind that sears through the walls of reserved indifference on the part of Evangeline.Months later, Evangeline encounters the good doctor again, only to be persuaded to help him in a scheme to get back into the good graces of his family, a family he had walked away from in the pursuit of the only woman who had owned his heart. Evangeline knows that when it comes to Bennett, that her heart is in serious jeopardy of falling, and falling hard. The one thing Evangeline has always evaded is getting too close to anyone who could hurt her because life had taught her that in abundance.What follows is as delicious as it is heartbreaking and reaffirming. Ms. Thomas takes you on a journey of the type that is not easy to forget, that just consumes you as a whole. I couldn’t get enough of Evangeline and Bennett once I got into the story, nor would my stomach settle down from the nervous anticipation of the ultimate destruction of their non-relationship relationship when it happened. A good romance is one where all your emotions are involved and there is no holding back. And Ms. Thomas delivered just that with The One in My Heart.The One in My Heart has a bit of a slow start to it. But 2-3 chapters in, and bam, you are hooked, line & sinker & there’s no turning back. The infamous Sherry Thomas magic was present in spades in this one. Being her first & only contemporary romance to-date, I’d say Ms. Thomas definitely has had zero issues in transitioning from the historical genre to the contemporary. A job well done, I must heartily admit.One thing that surprised me though, was the first person take of the story. None of her historical romances are told in the first person, & yet Ms. Thomas made this work too. Though I truly wanted to get inside the mind of the charmingly sexy Bennett, Ms. Thomas did an excellent job of making the reader not feel too cheated out on in that aspect.When Bennett laid out his side of the story, when everything clicked so well in that a-ha! moment, that was when I truly felt my heart quake inside my chest.Bennett totally invaded my heart & soul, ravaged my mind & left it all muddled with all the effortless charm and sexy he brought to the story. If there’s anything that makes a girl salivate over a romance is a hero presented well, a hero that can turn your half-hearted “no” to a complete “Oh my God yes!” in a heartbeat. When Bennett pushed Evangeline against the wall and had his way with her, this just mere hours after their first encounter, well, that was my “you had me at hello” moment when it came to him. With his penchant for older women & tendency to fall in love at first sight, well, lets just say that Bennett can turn up on my doorstep any day with just his trench coat on & nothing else. Well, a girl can always dream, can’t she? A hero who is so beautifully portrayed as you sink deeper into the story, that you can’t help but sigh endlessly over his character. Yes ladies, Bennett is that salivation worthy!Evangeline was the tough cookie in this novel. But she was just as endearing, especially with her high wall of reinforced steel guarding her vulnerabilities & emotions, adept at playing dodge with the messier aspects of relationships. Evangeline actually prefers her existence the way it is, but then Bennett had to enter into it, entice her into saying yes to being his fake girlfriend and before she knew it, she’d fallen head over heels for the man. The fact that Bennett loved Evangeline too much to not let her hide behind barriers, to shake her out of the contentment she seeks in never showing her true self to anyone, made me love him just more. Evangeline’s attempts to thwart all efforts by Bennett to let him in was heartbreaking to watch, but I think that was exactly the jolt she needed to really face her past, exorcise the ghosts and move on.Loved the secondary characters, the little tidbits about them that made the story that much better & enticing. I could’ve kept on reading and reading about Bennett & Evangeline, but like everything else that is good and beautiful, the end did come. A beautifully fitting end to an otherwise golf-sized-lumps-in-your throat variety of story. Icing on the cake was the fact that this story is very loosely tied to one of the most emotional historical romances from Ms. Thomas that I’ve read & reviewed to date; Private Arrangements. I continually find myself amazed at Ms. Thomas’ ability to make the unworkable work. Private Arrangements has such a storyline. The One in My Heart has the other woman done to a T, but yet, it doesn’t leave you feeling like the heroine got second helpings when it came to the hero, nor did it paint his first love as a villainous harlot that you absolutely had to hate. Absolute genius is Sherry Thomas!Ms. Thomas definitely proved to be a quick study when it came to her first contemporary romance. Nothing short of splendid! Absolutely worth your time. Highly recommended.MBR's Rating = 4.75/5 [FANTASTIC READ]

This book was highly recommended to me. A must read, and I heard you, my dear friend, almost yelling at me ... As a true book bestie I one clicked and oh my I was utterly under the freaking spell.This was my first book by Sherri Thomas … It is without hesitation one of the best contemporary romances I’ve ever read. All time favorite material!!And now here's my love rambling about this book that I adored from the first lines. I won’t apologize about ranting all my love, so be prepared for a very long review. Here I am, professing my love for this novel.Why haven't I read this book before?? Very good question … because I’m telling you, book lovers, if you’re keen on contemporary romance, with quirky and witty banter, with nerdy and geeky references, ready to be swept off your feet??? Go read it.This book got it all, from the characters to the storyline. Please meet Bennet Somerset and Evangeline Canterbury. Two people who were destined to meet, but when life was interfering and here we go, years later, all grown up.I have to tell you, I could feel the historical romance influences emanating from this book, even though it was set in our present time, there were reminiscences, little glimpses of the past which collided with the present with subtle touches.Bennett and Evangeline had history, not the romantic kind, but I liked to think that it was just a delayed moment. (You’ll understand when you read it)For Bennett falling in love with an older woman and being estranged from his family, but assuming his choice and rejection from the ones he loved, Evangeline having a phobe commitment, rather being alone than to deal with her issues. Both dealing with abandonment issues.A recipe for disaster right??How come these two could be from a one night stand to something more?? I really liked the idea.Being a fake fiancée and helping a sweet, and so swoony hot man to finally get his family back?? I say yes …I loved to be romanced in my novels and this one was no exception. As you might guess the lines were going to be blurred and Evangeline, confused more than ever. Could they be more than this?As the story unfolds, Bennett and Evangeline were both revealing themselves, stepping out of their comfort zone (especially Bennett) but for Evangeline the risk of being left behind was too high. I loved how natural and effortless their relationship was and also how challenging they were together. They matched perfectly, as friends but also as lovers. The banter and back and forth were always on point and meaningful.I could go on about this book. I’m going to say it again but this book is freaking golden, incredibly romantic, making me believe in second chances again. Be ready for Bennett, ladies because that one is going to sweep you off your feet. Evangeline is a strong heroine that you want to be friends with.

I feel that Mrs. Thomas strength lies in her character and romance development and this book does not disappoint. AdditionalIy I am a sucker for angstsy romance, which this story has plenty. It did took some time & effort to accept H's previous relationship, but this is one of the elements that makes the story stand out. I often wonder about the state of their relationship many years after.

This author seems to be incapable of writing badly, but she sometimes takes the reader to an uncomfortable place. I didn't think I'd like The Hidden Blade and My Beautiful Enemy - martial arts not being one of my interests to say the least - but they were gems! This contemporary is , interestingly, written completely in the first person and uses text messages to convey the point of view of others and move the story along. It was too "raw" for me in both some of the sex scenes and quite a bit of the language but it was still beautiful on some levels. I almost deleted it from my kindle half way through for those reasons, but I'm glad I did finish it. In fact I highlighted quite a few passages, including some of the quotes from the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, because they were so moving. Confronting but lovely - erotic but romantic!

The One in My Heart is amazing, like every other Sherry Thomas novel I've read. Beautiful characters, beautiful setting, beautiful writing. Thomas has proved that she's more than capable of writing contemporary romances as well as she does historical romances (which she does brilliantly).

I am willing to read anything Sherry Thomas writes. Anything.I loved this book. Found the storyline different and the chemistry between Bennett and Eva fairly sizzled through the pages.

Loved it!