Light, funny, and steamy- just the right thing for a time when there's so much bad news. Fenske has a nice touch with dialogue and her characters- well, Kate and Jonah make a wonderful pair. There's some fun with the rest of the cast of characters as well, especially Dr. Viv. Reality television, with all its quirks and stuff, makes a good backdrop for this romance. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- this is a good quick read and a happy story.

I'd like to thank NetGalley for my ARC of "At the Heart of It."
I very much enjoyed this steamy romance. Interesting concept where love is actually found with the backdrop of reality tv. What a novel concept!
Loved the banter and the characters. A very enjoyable book.

I normally really like this author but I couldn't get into this book.

The chemistry between Jonah and Kate is instant and made the times later in the book when Jonah and Kate started to get stuck in some of the typical romance tropes easier to handle. The supporting characters in the book are quirky and fun and are equally as important to driving the story along which makes the whole plot feel connected and more developed than a lot of contemporary romance books out there. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for something light-hearted but with a story that still has meat to it as well as strong well-developed main characters.

A fun romance set in the world of reality TV.

Kate and Jonah both have big hearts and have been burned by past relationships, and I enjoyed their first meeting at the Shakespeare Festival in Oregon. You get a sense of who they both are and those characteristics carry through the rest of the book.

There are a couple twists I definitely did not see coming, and I think they were well served by having both Kate and Jonah as narrators.

This was an interesting look behind the scenes of a reality show, and a quick and entertaining read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

“No matter what happens, this was never a mistake. Things like this don’t happen by accident.”

Let me start by saying this: I love reading a new Tawna Fenske book. I love the way she weaves humor into her stories, the very likable way her characters are portrayed, and the deep sense of connection you get from her couples.

Which is why I was so excited to get At the Heart of It. It was another charming, lighthearted book from an author I’ve come to count on for exactly that. I enjoyed everything from the meet-cute at the beginning to the epilogue that brought us home, and though I had a couple of moments of misgiving, even those feelings added to the pleasure I derived from reading this book.

Which, to be clear, was plentiful. Especially when it came to Jonah. Guys, we’re talking about a selfless, smart, straight-talking nerd with a sense of humor. Is that not book boyfriend heaven?!

He (and by extension, this book) was steamy and sexy without being over-the-top erotic or painfully alpha. Between him and Kate, there were loaded moments aplenty—heavy with swooniness—and a delightful chemistry that, though I wish we could have explored a little further at times, was the key to making this story work.

And work, it did. At the Heart of It was most definitely a book with warmth and heart, a judgmental cat, and a feel-goodness that served as a wonderful reminder of why I love books written by Ms. Fenske… and why I’m already looking forward to whatever is next.

‘Christ. How many times had they kissed?
Too many for two people who’d pledged not to do it at all.
Not enough, considering how much he wanted to do it again.’

~ 4.5 Owl STARS ~

Review featured at www.books-n-kisses.com

4.5 Hearts Oh my! How great was this book. It has everything you need to enjoy a fun romance. The humor in this story is worth the read even if the romance wasn’t there… but it is.

Jonah is a heart stealer. He stole mine for sure. And Kate and Jonah are perfect together and it is a fun adventure to get them together.

You can’t go wrong with Fenske’s books if you enjoy a light hearted funny romance.

Disclaimer:
I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

This was the kind of book that kept a big cheesy perma-grin on my face throughout basically the entire book. It was adorable and funny and super fun to read. On top of all those things? Jonah Porter completely stole my heart. What a fantastic hero – manly, a little rough around the edges, but smart as a whip and funny to boot. I’m in love y’all. Heart eyeballs for days.

The relationship between Jonah and Kate was such a treat to read. From the moment their meet-cute made me giggle and swoon, to the super satisfying ending – they kept a smile on my face and butterflies in my belly. The “unscripted television” storyline read very authentically and provided a fascinating and fun backdrop to the budding romance. I sometimes felt like it dragged a bit for me in the middle – more attention going to the TV show than the chemistry between Jonah and Kate, but it ultimately didn’t really take away from my adoration of this couple. They’re both pretty fantastic characters in their own right, but the way they worked as a couple inspired the vast majority of those cheesy grins, and swoons galore.

There were so many highlights – things that made me laugh out loud, clever little quips, and all the ways that Jonah endeared himself to me over the course of the story. It was just a feel-good read, which was exactly what I was looking for.

I can easily say that Tawna Fenske is a favorite author of mine and I have enjoyed every book that I have read, but I absolutely LOVE her line of women's fiction/romantic comedies with Montlake Publishing. Although suffused with Fenske's trademark humor and romance, there is a unique structure and depth to this series of books not always found in her other romantic comedies.

AT THE HEART OF IT was like coming home. I breathed this book - inhaling on my snorts and guffaws and exhaling with my heartfelt sighs. I earnestly felt the deep, passionate tug in my chest of the ensuing romance, as well as the reader euphoria of romantic longings satisfied. Based on how this book made me "feel," the rest is unquestionable - well-developed main and secondary characters, believably paced romance, natural and well-timed humor, entertaining banter, creative plot, and a story most red-blooded women will connect to. This book is Fenske at her best and further solidifies her "RITA-nominated author" title.

Another winner for Tawna! She has a way of writing that sucks me right in to the story every time.

The thing I love about Tawna’s stories is the depth of personality of the people in them, they are often quirky and surprising and this book is no exception. Kate Geary is a reality TV producer who is thrilled to be creating a series featuring her life guru heroine Dr. Vivienne Brandt whose books have helped her though her early traumatic life. Things are complicated by the fact that she seems to falling for Viv’s ex-husband, Jonah Porter, a camera-shy unwilling participant. As things get more complicated, Kate is torn between her work commitments and doing the right thing.
A really excellent story

I don't even know where to begin....I couldn't put this book down from page one. I loved how Kate and Jonah met. I think I fell in love with Jonah the moment he told the two older women that he and Kate were the honeymooners next door and of course fell deeper with his shirtless dog walking. :) His sense of humor just captured my heart. He was so "real"; a normal person not an over the top alpha male (although he had some of that in him too). He was just a great guy. When Jonah and Kate meet again. Things started heating up. You knew that they were meant to be together but at the same time you knew the road would get bumpy with Viv there. At first I didn't like Viv because she was selfish and with things related to her own life she only saw what she wanted to see. Toward the end, however, I realized that she really enjoyed helping people and wanted to find love again. I actually grew to like her which I didn't think I would. I read three to four books a week and I can honestly say that this is one of my top ten for 2017. It just made me feel good inside from the beginning to the end and gave me the best book hangover. I would love to see a book where Jossy falls in love. She went through so much and was such an amazing person. This is a book I will read again and recommend it to everyone. Can't wait for another Tawna book.

This was a great book, that fully captured my attention in the first few pages. I have to say that the opening of this book is probably one of my favorite "meet cute" stories of all time between the featured couple. I always enjoy the endearing characters and humor that Ms. Fenske writes in her books. However, I think she's outdone herself with this story.

The love story/romance in this book is captivating and realistic as it plays out with characters that I truly enjoyed. What the author has done with interweaving that story with the setup of a self-help guru, the startup of a reality tv show, and how all of those intermingled story lines work together is simply masterful. One of the challenging aspects of romance novels is not all of them seem like novels, but this one surely does. With the evolution of the relationships, the discussion/exploration of self-help topics, and the complexity of the scenarios between the story lines and various characters all make this a complex story wrapped up in a charming romance all at the same time.

I could easily see this book being a great pick for book clubs that don't typically read romance because it is a romance, but it also has some very thought provoking story lines and discussion points lingering within the pages. You don't have to get that serious about them, but you can if you want to. It is nice to have both things in a book I enjoyed so much.

Don't miss out on this book and read it so you can enjoy it too!

http://tawnafenske.com/

The premise of At the Heart of It is adorable, but I didn't find the actual writing to live up to it; though seeing the long list of five-star reviews has made me question my sanity. I wanted so badly to love the characters and go with them on their journey, but every piece felt so cliche and curated for the specific aim of adding quirkiness or drama. In a sense, I found the characters to be caricatures rather than grounded in any sense of reality. I enjoy lighthearted pieces and thought there was a lot going for this in the plot, but execution felt like it was trying too hard to be "Me Before You". I'd be interested in reading more of Fenske's work to see if I could relate more to her other characters.

This book is a very enjoyable easy read that is filled with humour and love. I loved all the characters and their realistic dialogues and emotions. It was very well written and a similar style to previous books by the author which I have also loved. Would definitely recommend!

Loved it! Witty banter and a lot of humor in between the characters and in the scenes in the book. But being honest, what I always want to do with reviews, is that I had some hesitation about Kate’s profession. I hate reality shows with a passion. I had to push myself through that hesitation in order to appreciate the way Kate was written. After that, I enjoyed myself immensely reading this book! I thought this book was a bit more serious even with the witty banter than some other books I’ve read by Tawna Fenske, but it was something that belonged in this book considering the topic.
TV producer Kate Geary is in unscripted heaven. She’s piloting a reality series featuring her favorite self-help guru, Dr. Vivienne Brandt. The Dr. Viv—whose nuggets of wisdom helped Kate get through some of her toughest times. Thanks to Dr. Viv, Kate is almost on the verge of figuring everything out. That is, until Jonah Porter, the superhot book nerd Kate just spent an amazing date with, appears at the show’s first meeting.
Jonah did not want to get reeled into a world filled with invasive crews, pushy network execs, and over-the-top drama, but a connection to the story leaves him no choice. Fortunately, Kate—hot, smart, and funny—helps make it bearable. Now they’re both on the verge of violating their contracts as they find themselves sneaking around off set. But the cameras have a way of finding out everyone’s secrets…especially the ones that can break hearts.

Kate and Jonah met unexpectedly and felt a lot of chemistry at the time; however their lives were in different places. several months later, they met again - when Kate tried to talk Jonah into joining his exwife on a reality tv show. There were many bumps along the way, but love prevailed.

Kate Geary is a television producer that is working in unscripted television or the more known term, reality TV. Right before beginning her newest television project Kate meets Jonah Porter, a super hot book store owner that she immediately hits it off with. However, Kate doesn’t see anything taking off with Jonah since she is away from home for her project even as much as she did end up liking him.

Kate then decides to focus on her upcoming project featuring her idol, Dr. Vivienne Brandt. Dr. Viv is a self-help guru whose advice Kate has followed and feels she owes many thanks to helping her during her toughest times. The producers want Dr. Viv and her husband on the show but since writing together the pair have divorced but that is not Kate’s only problem with the success of her show, the ex-husband in question is none other than the man she met, Jonah.

At the Heart of It by Tawna Fenske is a contemporary romance read that features a very very awkward love triangle of sorts. Kate being the producer of the show that her idol is starring in also finds herself falling for Jonah which leads to a lot of balancing between career and personal life which leads to some funny times, some touching moments and a lot of drama being pushed from the execs of the show.

I know that Kate is the main character in the book but Jonah was the one that sort of stole the show for me. He’s rather funny which is why he was being included in the show but overall he was just a great guy that obviously cared for his family with his interactions with his sister. Jonah’s sister also stole the show a bit herself with her animal care facility and all of the critters involved, so incredibly cute.

I also enjoyed the use of reality television in the story since it really has skyrocket and seems like everywhere you turn these days another new show is popping up on the air. Not sure I was convinced of Dr. Viv’s show actually ever being a hit but hey, I suppose it’s a step up from some of them already on the air though. In the end this was quite a cute read with great writing and likable characters with a lot of funny moments throughout.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

Sexy, romantic, and at times laugh out loud funny, I loved At the Heart of It! Kate and Jonah have a hysterical first meeting and an incredible first date but distance makes it impossible for anything to develop. When they are reunited sparks fly. Set during the shooting of a reality TV show, surprises and betrayals are abundant. I know this is one that I will read again and again.

Another fabulous book! This one had some great banter between the characters whether it was Jonah & Kate or even Jonah & Viv. This book had me laugh out loud several times and I love when a book can do that. Jonah & Kate had a great first meeting and I loved how their chemistry was immediate. Yet they went their separate ways and when they met again it was just as instantaneous. I liked how they became friends since they had a working relationship. Some of those scenes were funny and then hot. Very happy with how the story ended, not easy but worth it for them.