Title: An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham
Heart of a Hero Series Book Two
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary, Romance, Women’s Fiction
Length: 327 pages
Book Rating: B+
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
From award-winning author Laura Trentham comes An Everyday Hero, an emotionally layered novel about redemption, second chances and discovering that life is worth fighting for.
At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams of being a songwriter up in flames. To make matters worse, a series of bad decisions and even crappier luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to use music to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when the one thing that brought her joy has failed her.
When Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, her plans to stay detached and do as little as possible get thrown away. New to town and dealing with the death of her father in action, she hides her emotions behind a mask of bitterness and sarcasm, but Greer is able to see past it and recognizes pieces of who she once was in Ally. The raw and obvious talent she possesses could take her to the top and Greer vows to make sure life’s negativities don’t derail Ally’s potential.
After Greer is assigned a veteran to help, she’s not surprised Emmett Lawson, the town’s golden boy, followed his family’s legacy. What leaves her shocked is the shell of a man who believes he doesn’t deserve anyone’s help. A breakthrough with Ally reminds Greer that no one is worth giving up on. So she shows up one day with his old guitar, and meets Emmett’s rage head on with her stubbornness. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her—and along the way they might just save themselves too.
Review:
An Everyday Hero by Laura Trentham is a beautiful novel of healing, redemption and love. Although this newest release is the second installment in the Heart of a Hero series, it can be read as a standalone.
Thirty year old Greer Hadley is back in her small hometown of Madison, TN after years of trying to launch her music career in Nashville. Living with her parents and performing court ordered community service, she is uncertain what she wants to do next. Although nervous and unsure, Greer begins her community service. She is initially skeptical that she can help fifteen year old Ally Martinez work through her issues stemming from her military father’s death in Afghanistan. But she is very pleased as she begins making progress in connecting with Ally.
Despite her small successes with Ally, Greer is less certain she will be able to help former classmate Emmett Lawson. Emmett is a military veteran discharged from service after he was wounded in action. He has retreated from everyone as he spends his days in isolation in a cabin on his family’s horse farm. Greer refuses to give up, but he is not exactly cooperative as she continues working on bringing him back from the darkness that envelopes him. Her persistence gradually begins to pay off, but Emmett’s emergence from grief and survivor’s guilt is a slow, fragile process.
Despite her feelings of failure and uncertainty, Greer is surprisingly upbeat and positive as she helps both Ally and Emmett. She is also little taken aback at how glad she is to be in Madison. Greer’s journey of self-discovery is a work in progress as she finds herself taking employment that feels like a step backward. But with her self-confidence beginning to return due to her sessions with Ally, Greer feels much optimistic about her future.
Greer and Emmett’s relationship is a delicate dance as they both try to deal with their respective issues. Greer does not back down from Emmett’s somewhat adversarial attitude and he slowly but surely begins to emerge from his self-imposed isolation. Greer is uncertain what her next steps will be and Emmett offers her unexpected support and encouragement. Their friendship slowly turns into a real relationship but do they have a future together?
An Everyday Hero is an warm and engaging novel with a vibrant cast of characters and a heartfelt storyline. Greer and Emmett are multi-layered, true to life characters who are working on personal problems that are realistic and relatable. Ally’s grief is palpable as she tries to come to term with her heartbreaking loss. Although there is slight romantic element, the main focus of the novel is the characters’ growth as they work to overcome their issues. Laura Trentham brings this captivating novel to an uplifting conclusion that tugs on the heartstrings.
I absolutely loved and highly recommend this latest addition to the Heart of a Hero series to readers of the genre.
