Rating 4.5/5*

This is a moving story about survivor’s guilt, PTSD, second chances, inspiration and facing reality set mainly in Madison, Tennessee. It isn’t the hard read you’d probably anticipate from that, it has many laugh out loud moments – usually brought about by the straight talking, take no nonsense Greer Hadley.

The story starts with Greer in court following her arrest after escapades at a local bar. She is sentenced to complete community service hours at a centre which endeavours to use music and songwriting to help veterans and their families. This seems like an ideal use of her skills for her as Greer had been trying to achieve her dream of being a songwriter in Nashville. However, everything went wrong for her there and she’s given up on her musical dreams – can this help reawaken them? Her first client is fifteen year old Ally Martinez, the daughter a soldier killed in action, who is struggling with his death and very rebellious. No one else in the centre has managed to break through her barriers but Greer is determined to help her.

Her second client is injured veteran Emmett Lawson. He’s the same age as Greer, they went to school together before he joined the military. She’s shocked at how he’s now living in an isolated cabin, keeping a shotgun on hand to frighten away visitors, including her. He certainly didn’t expect her no nonsense attitude breaking down his barriers, too!

All the main and secondary characters in this story have their own background information which is gradually revealed. Their angst, dilemmas and reactions are portrayed emotively, making it easy to relate to them. It was fantastic to read how they all changed through meeting each other, how they’re given second chances because of their friendships and support for one another. This is a unique story, one that I found a fascinating, amazing read complete with an awesome ending. I have no hesitation in highly recommending it.

I requested and was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley and this is my honest review after choosing to read it and finding it a superb, heartwarming story.

A small town girl, a cheating boyfriend, an interested guy who's a dog, a day in court and community service. Add a troubled young girl and music therapy. Greer Hadley has come back home after her boyfriend has cheated on her. The bigger problem Greer is a singer/songwriter and has lost her muse. After attacking an officer of the law, who has hit on her in a bar, Greer is assigned community service by the judge (someone she knows very well). Showing up Greer is assigned a young girl, Ally, who shows no desire to be involved with music; but Greer has a way with people and the girl begins to come out of her shell. After making headway with Ally, Greer is asked to take on another case - a veteran, Emmet Lawson, who lost a leg in combat but wants no help from anybody. People have tried to help but he has shunned them and shut himself away in a cabin on his parents property. His mother has called the therapy organization to beg for someone to help him. Greer know who Emmett is from high school. The story continues with Greer trying to help both Emmett and Ally. It's interesting in seeing the healing process Emmett goes through and there's a surprise as Ally and Emmett have a connection that Emmett had not realized until he helps Greer with a problem with Ally. Greer, with help from both Ally and Emmett, finds her muse and begins doing what she really loves. There's a lot of interesting psychological points made in this book. The story is both entertaining and thought provoking. And of course, there's a HEA.

Laura Trentham continues to knock me off my feet with her incredible story-telling and careful crafting of broken but not beaten characters.

Greer an Emmett had fantastic chemistry that I felt from the very first page they shared together. Feeling broken and discouraged by their recent, individual setbacks, they find love through a passion for music, friendship and community. I loved every second of the journey.

*I received an ARC from NetGalley for voluntary review

When I had the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book from Netgalley and saw that it was a series, I decided to read the first book in the series before starting this one. As it turned out, there were no overlapping characters, just a similarity in themes of military heroes, so each book can stand on its own. But that was fine, because I enjoyed both books.
An Everyday Hero focuses on a young woman trying to reboot her life and dreams, and a wounded warrior who needs to do the same. As they help each other heal and move forward, they also have the opportunity to help a teen girl and her mother, who are having difficulties dealing with the changes in their life following the death of their military dad/husband. The subject matter is serious, yet Trentham finds opportunities to inject some humor. As a military wife, and now mother-in-law as well, I didn't find too much to quibble with in either of the books in this series. I enjoyed the characters, the setting, and Trentham's writing style, and while I wasn't familiar with her before, I now look forward to reading more of her books.
My thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a copy for an unbiased review.

This is a very heartwarming story with lives that intersect each other from various points. There are some hardships, heartbreak, learning to live again, learning to trust yourself, and love.

I enjoyed this book more than I ever expected. I love music and always appreciate what it must take for songs to be written, melodies composed to accompany those lyrics, and the anguish composers sometimes feel watching their words transform into works of art.

Emmett is dealing with demons from the attack that caused him to lose one of his soldiers and part of his leg. I think anyone would be able to relate to this, thinking that you didn't do everything you could have to prevent this from happening.

Greer has her demons from panicking on stage despite her love for playing and singing. It could happen to the best of us but one event is no reason to give it all up. The community service she is assigned with a music foundation is one thing that helps her realize that music is in her blood and she can't just give it all up for one night.

Ally is a teen that has lost her dad and is assigned to Greer at the foundation. I really fell in love with Ally and her tough spirit but a softness that was hidden beneath that tough exterior. She is a no nonsense type of young woman. I enjoyed watching her bloom and transform over the course of the book.

There are various other characters that play a supporting role to these three main characters such as Emmett's parents. Both of them have some issues to address as well which blends in beautifully with the story.

This book will touch your heart and I recommend it to all.

An Everyday Hero is a captivating romance full of heartbreak and second chances. An emotion read that is sure to send your emotions into overdrive. Trentham writes with a loving touch that is sure to leave you wanting more.

Failing at her dream of a singing career in Nashville, Greer Hadley packed it in and headed back home to Madison, where she caught her boyfriend, Beau, in bed with another woman. Stopping at Becky’s Bar was a bad idea in hindsight; she got drunk on tequila and when Carrie Underwood’s song Before He Cheats came on the jukebox, Greer broke a few glasses and kicked the arresting officer in the crotch. Resenting the fact that she had nowhere else to go, she moved back in with her parents after they bailed her out of jail. The judge, who happened to be her uncle, sentenced her to fifty hours of community service to be served at a facility for veterans and their families to help them heal through music.

Greer’s first client was Ally, a fifteen year old girl who was having difficulties accepting the death of her father during his deployment. After a rough start, Greer and Ally became friends, and the director was pleased with their connection. Greer asked Ally to write lyrics, and they were so powerful Greer couldn’t help put them to music, creating several stunning songs. Ally did her best to keep the fact that her mother was unstable from Greer and any other authority figures, trying very hard to take care of things herself.

Amelia, the director, asked Greer to make a house call to a friend from high school. Emmett Lawson had returned from deployment missing a leg and carrying a heavy load of guilt that he survived when others in his platoon did not. Emmett and Greer’s initial meeting did not go well; she had to climb over the locked gate, and Emmett shot off his shotgun, trying to scare her off.

An Everyday Hero is all about second chances and starting fresh, making better choices this time around. Greer, Emmett, and Ally are all broken and feeling hopeless and helpless, and slowly, they learn to trust again and find they are able to depend on one another. The characters are well developed and I enjoyed seeing them grow and change into stronger and more caring people. This second book in the Heart of a Hero series is a feel-good book, easy to read, and I’m still smiling just thinking about it.

A wonderful heartrending book with deep emotions entwined throughout.
The authors style resonates and lends for an emotive, yet lighthearted book, which leaves you feeling optimistic.
A great weekend read.

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

Description
From award-winning author Laura Trentham comes 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 up in flames. A series of bad decisions and even worse luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she’s supposed to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when everything that brought her joy has failed her.

Then Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, a gifted girl who lost her father in action and now hides her pain behind a mask of sarcasm. But Greer sees something undeniable that she can’t walk away from. To make matters more complicated, Greer finds herself spending more and more time with Emmett Lawson—a man with both physical and emotional scars of his own. 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.

2nd in the series. Heartfelt and loving story. A must read!

Greer Hadley flees home to Madison, Tennessee after a failure in Nashville. Her arrival home, though, leads her to find her boyfriend involved with another woman. Her world is crushed and she acts out in a drunken fit. The story opens with her in court, waiting for the judge’s decision.Ally Martinez, at age 15, is trying to hold her household together as her mom is spinning out of control on the loss of her military service husband. The two (mother and daughter) are in danger of losing one another.
The third main character is Emmett Lawson, a high school classmate of Greer's, who is back home after he lost a leg in the service. He is trying to cope with a new type of future, and he's not sure that he wants one.
Author Trentham spins a believable story about these struggling souls who might be able to build one another up, if they can find glimmers of hope.

This is a story about second chances and healing from trauma. Greer finds her life in shambles after a night of poor choices due to finding out her bf is cheating. She's tasked with community service helping Vets and their families. Ally is a young girl who loves music but is hurting beyond measure from the recent loss of her father because of the war. Emmett is a war hero with ptsd and a bad case of survivor's guilt. When the 3 meet up beautiful things happens and the healing begins. Pick this book up, you won't be disappointed.

Thanks netgalley for giving me the advanced PDF so that I can share my opinions with y'all

Heart of a Hero #2, A heartfelt emotional romance about healing, grieving, learning to move on, and music. Greer left Nashville and came back home to find her boyfriend cheating on her, instead of feeling inspired to write she felt more dejected than before and thought she'd never pick her guitar up again. But after a night of drinking and getting in trouble with a perverted cop she winds up with community service helping out a local place where they use music to help with veterans and their family. Her first assignment is a young teenager, Ally, who lost her father overseas and her mother isn't handling it any better. Greer's second assignment is a little bit more personal. Emmett was the popular one in high school and he even stood up for Greer once and she never forgot the incident so when she heard what happened she easily took the assignment.

Emmett blamed himself for what happened, he may have lost part of his left but several of him men lost their lives. He plans to just sit alone in the cabin and just drink the pain away until a feisty little spitfire named Greer calls to his senses, brings music back into his life and shows him he still has something to live for. Ally hates her new school, she hates that her mom acts like her dad's not dead, she doesn't want to do the music therapy but Greer shows her a way to vent through her lyrics. Ally and Emmett also help Greer get out of her funk, show her that she deserves better than her last boyfriend and that the music never left her she just needed the right person, or persons, to push her where she needs to be.

Overall, this was a beautiful story. Laura Trentham wears a coat of many colors when it comes what she can write and she writes emotional, not to angsty, romance just as well as she writes the funny stuff.

Greer Hadley really mucked up. She can’t even remember all the things she did that night – but her uncle, Judge Duckett, is happy to remind her: “Disorderly conduct. Public intoxication. Resisting arrest.” She’s all dressed up for her court date, willing to pay a fine, and do some community service. Litter pickup is fine with her. Not so fast—her uncle, for the first time not wearing his “jolly-uncle smile,” has another plan.

“You have talents that would be wasted on the side of the road picking up trash, Ms. Hadley. You will spend your fifty hours working at the Music Tree Foundation.”

Greer is so taken aback: “the mention of music set her stomach roiling.” She’s a failed singer-songwriter and at thirty, “she was resigned to finding a real job” and all that entails. There’s absolutely nothing she would rather less do that be put in a situation that tears at her insecurities. But her uncle is adamant. The Music Tree Foundation needs her. “Military veterans and their families” need help—they’ve been traumatized in the service of their country. As a volunteer singer/songwriter, Greer will be a vehicle to help veterans through her “gift of music.” To me it sounded like her uncle was channeling poet Mary Oliver: he was asking her, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

I hope I’m not making An Everyday Hero sound too dour or serious—it’s anything but. Even the night Greer goes wild has a dark, hysterical side to it—she was minding her own business, nursing a drink at a bar, until she hears “Carrie’s revenge anthem”—sing along folks, “Before He Cheats.” Her ex had cheated on her and somehow, coming back home to her little Tennessee hometown from Nashville with her tail between her legs just got to her.

Seeing Greer turn her life around—helping herself through helping others—is beyond inspirational. Highly recommended.

This was a book that I didn't know I needed. The story is wonderful and the characters very much in need of the fresh start that their involvement with each other brings about. Greer and Emmett are so great together and I loved witnessing their connection, how much they developed as individuals and together! I finished this book, within 24 hours of starting it, and with a big dopey grin on my face and I couldn't recommend it more.

Was late in reviewing, will definitely go online and review there. But excellent; I liked how the character was made more “human” for want of a better word,

Wow! Powerful story of life, of love and war and the fallout. This book pulled me in and made me laugh and made me cry. I highly recommend. I will be looking at this author's back list. lley

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to read and review.

Two broken people can see the solution to each other’s problem but not their own. Along with a young girl, Ally, they try to calm the hurts that have impacted them.

Greer is in serious trouble for trashing Rosie’s Bar and is sentenced to volunteer at the Music Tree Foundation. The foundation was created to help veterans and their families heal through music.

Ally’s father was killed during a deployment. She is blaming everyone for her grief. Her sullen attitude is met with Greer’s caustic words.

To make matters worse, Greer is assigned to help Emmet Lawson, a veteran who returned from the war as an amputee and refuses any human contact. The two exchange barbs that ultimately make them do the thing that will help them deal with their devastating loss.

I enjoyed this book but not as much as The Military Wife. This book felt a bit stagnant. While Emmet had to accept his amputation, Lily her perceived end of a musical career and Lily’s devastation over her dad dying, it seemed to struggle to get to the climax.

The writing is good, as all of Laura Trentham’s books always are. The quips are witty – some will cause the reader to laugh out loud.


I received an ARC from St. Martin Press through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Her music dried up and her boyfriend cheated making her a country song cliche while his all-American red white and blue bled out leaving him broken. Does life have a new chance for them? I saw the heartfelt blurb on this one and thought it was long past time for me to try this new to me author who gets to the heart of what makes a hero in her romances.
Review

An Everyday Hero is the second installment in this series of standalone romances. I started with this one and couldn’t even tell you if it had any connection at all to the previous book so it can definitely be read out of order.

An Everyday Hero opens with Greer Hadley standing before the judge shamed at her recent descent to rock bottom and shocked at the sentence she receives- fifty hours at a non-profit music therapy organization for working with military vets and families. Her music and her dreams dried up in Nashville and she walked away from it all, but a troubling first session with a teen girl who lost her dad and she sees her own troubled teen self in the girl. Then she gets assigned a reclusive military vet who is an amputee and struggling with survivor’s guilt. He was once the most popular guy at school and her own secret crush. She didn’t think she had anything to offer others, but finds her own brand of sarcasm and offbeat ways are just what these two people who don’t want pity or fake care need. And, as she tries with them, she learns that Ally and Emmet might be just what she needs to find her way.

Emmet Lawson came back when others did not. He should be grateful, but instead he doesn’t see the point and wishes it had been him who was left dead back in the desert. He uses the old family cabin and sits in his rocker drinking his meals. Then feisty Greer shows up and won’t be driven away by his snarl and shotgun. She challenges him and he slowly starts taking an interest so that he is soon challenging her with her issues as well. A shift happens in his mind as he starts taking an interest in his family, the family horse farm, and most definitely Greer. Could she ever see him as more than a friend?

There is so much to absorb in this book. It’s a romance, but it is also the comeback stories for three hurting people. Loss and recovery is a huge pair of elements. Finding one’s self and learning to allow others in the support is also there. Military sacrifices both by a soldier and a soldier’s family. A love for music and the healing it brings. And, yes, romance.

Both Greer and Emmet are really wallowing when the story begins. They have good reasons to feel beaten down and bruised of heart. But then Greer becomes the catalyst for assisting Aly and then Emmet. As they come out of their internal exiles, they turn it around and start pulling Greer out of her troubles. It was neat to see them all helping each other and then seeing the supporting love of family and friends around them. The emphasis on coping with grief and loss is huge and I liked how the author handled that with an intimate knowledge of the military life for soldiers and families. I appreciated that she got them on the road to recovery before things shifted between Greer and Emmet into acting on their attraction and their feelings for each other.

It was gently-paced and very much so character-driven. I found it full of depth and rich in thoughtful moments. It was a heartwarming and eventually feel-good romance and come-back story. I loved this first occasion to read the author’s work and it will definitely be followed up with more. I can definitely recommend this book to military romance and small town romance fans who enjoy spicy, character-driven romance.

My thanks to St. Martin’s for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 Stars

An Everyday Hero is a wonderful novel by Laura Trentham. The story of two broken people who both thought their lives were over, it's a great story of healing.

Greer is back home, struggling to find her way. Everything is going wrong for her, leaving her unable to figure out the next step. Meanwhile, she's stuck doing some community service. Emmett is home, hiding away, since being injured during his military service. Greer showing up at his door doesn't make him happy, but she has a job to do.

Both characters are well established, with their pain and emotions clearly demonstrated. I enjoy the uniqueness of both them and their relationship.

This is a wonderful story that is so much more than a romance. There are so many people who are suffering, and there's a whole lot of healing to be done. Not only do Greer and Emmett need to heal, Ally and her mother are also a large part of the story, with a heartbreaking backstory.

The author does a great job with these multi-layered characters and their even more multi-layered storyline. The storyline is well crafted, easily drawing the reader into this world and keeping us invested.

An Everyday Hero is a great tale of moving forward with the help of others; friends and family. Having enjoyed this one so much, I will need to check out the first book in the series, as well as remain on the lookout for future books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
An Everyday Hero
Laura Trentham

Such an emotional story of second chances and a raw look at how you move on when life has shifted to a place you never would of expected. Such a thought provoking story, heartbreaking as well as heart warming story. . A powerful love story that makes me believe fate takes over when necessary. Greer and Emmetts lives intertwine at the perfect time, I have a new respect for families of military personnel and have a deeper understanding of how difficult it is at times to keep going. An Everyday Hero pulled me in from the beginning this book was realistic, had well developed characters that I could connect with and the momentum that kept going at a fast pace throughout the pages. I strongly recommend this story. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in an honest exchange for my review.

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