I love a good romance and I'm a sucker for a thrilling dystopian novel, so imagine my excitement anticipating the mixture of both. Could this be the next Hunger Games?! But... no chance. In fact, what the heck was this? This book is so incredibly slow, that I got bored and thought maybe reading the ebook wasn't the best way to go. Luckily, I was approved for the audiobook ALC. But unfortunately, that did very little to help. The novel actually started out pretty strong, but once it took a nose dive (pun intended) it was game over for me. The dual narration was rather well done and I believe added more to the story than I had originally thought. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the gifted ARC and ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I think I miss the dystopian era so much, that when I saw this book I needed to read it immediately.

Our two main characters grew up together on neighboring orangeries. We meet them again 13 years later: Emily is a rising pop star in need of a security team, Tuck is an ex-con who needs a job.
Sounds like a good old bodyguard trope, huh?

This is where "Heart of the Sun" gets so good... Emily, her boyfriend and her now bodyguard Tuck fly from LA to New York when a cataclysmic solar flare disrupts the electrical grid, their plane crushes, so they begin their on-foot journey back home. But the world around gets more and more dangerous every day.

I'd treat this book more as a dystopian novel, than a romance. But don't get me wrong, there's obviously second chance frenemies to lovers happening all over.

I actually loved their entire journey across the US: all the people they meet (good and bad), all the places and communities, all the struggles and survival. Honestly, the "becoming-dystopian" society made me feel very uneasy with it's accuracy.

I absolutely loved “Archers Voice” so I was so excited to check out “Heart of the Sun” by Mia Sheridan.

The premise of the book is slightly apocalyptic /suspenseful with a dash of Romance. Two childhood friends (Emily and Tuck) reconnect after Tuck is in need of a job and Emily is on the rise as a pop star when suddenly the world goes dark with the electrical grid completely going out. My biggest issue with this story was that so much was left out of Emily and Tuck’s childhood. They were best friends but when the book opens they were more like frenemies whose parents were best friends and neighbors. I wish we would have gotten more of their back story and their initial friendship as children.

As the book moved along, it reminded me so much of “Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler (minus the religious undertones). I couldn’t get past how similar the post-disaster world was. Ultimately Tuck and Emily finding their way back together combined with Tuck’s arc of redemption made this a great book. I would definitely recommend it as good read if you’re looking for some romance and suspense!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

This book was a slow burn thriller, sci fi, romance all wrapped up into one beautifully written story. We follow Tuck, Emily and Charlie through an apocalyptic tale as they try to figure out what happened to make their plane fall from the sky and disable everything within miles of them. Reading this book was also a bit scary because I think it could actually happen if we were faced with the same challenges.
It did start off a little slow but trust me, it’s worth the time to finish this one!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC copy of this title in return for an honest review.

Tuck was such an interesting character. He literally went through so much. There's so many layers to this character. Emily the person vs Nova the artist was interesting to read.

This has childhood friends, second chance, celebrity tropes.

I enjoyed the apocalyptic vibes as well!

It’s been a while since I read a dystopian book, but it’s always been one of my favorite genres. Most of the time, the means in which society crumbles seems far fetched. But in this story, my mind was whirling with the possibility of what the characters went through.

I struggled to get into Heart of the Sun at the beginning due to the multiple points in the timeline we were getting. But once the story took hold it all made sense. It was a shock to the system to go from this normal society to then instant chaos. But it made for such a good ride.

I loved the MMC, Tuck. His complicated past and need for redemption made him my favorite character. I definitely had to grow my love for the FMC, Emily. However, I loved her character development and the slow burn romance. Overall, an enjoyable reading experience (even if now I’m terrified of a solar flare lol).

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the eARC of this book!

Tropes:
Enemies to Lovers
Childhood Best Friends
Slow Burn Romance
Second Chance Romance
Popstar + Bodyguard
New Adult Dystopian Fiction

I got approved for an arc of this book and I loved it to an extent. It definitely was something I hadn't quite expected, since the only other Mia Sheridan book I'd read was Archer's Voice. Both MCs had a lot of layers to them, especially Tuck. Then you have Emily/Nova, which it was refreshing that she eventually figured out her true self and dropped the whole Nova act.

Giving this 2.5 stars. Overall the story felt like it struggled to have its own identity. I liked the description of the tropes for this book and that’s what ultimately made me want to read it. However I don’t think they were very accurate. This was not a romance until the last 1/3 of the book. The romance could have been way better developed. Like Charlie? Pointless character. He could have left so much earlier. Overall I did like it once I realized I needed to take this as a dystopian/apocalyptic/ survivalist/ road trip book with a second chance romance . Will I recommend it to friends? Yes? Maybe? With a warning. I would have enjoyed reading this on a beach chair. By the end of the story I was looking forward to a resolution and I did like what was written for the ending.

Surviving a plane crash is only the beginning of the survival journey. Solar flares destroy all electronic communication and transportation, throwing civilization into survival of the fittest mode. With the political climate like it is could parts of this story become reality?

Overall, this book just wasn't what I was expecting and my expectations caused me to be let down. I saw Mia Sheridan and immediately thought 'I've loved her other books, I will definitely love this', what I didn't realize was this was dystopian book that focused almost entirely on the world falling apart then it did on the romance. It is a slow slow burn, not even a kiss until 70% in. I did like the characters and I was rooting for them, I just think the book had too much filler for me. I think if you want a modern day, the world is ending dystopian book with a sprinkle of romance at the end, you'll enjoy this. I wanted a normal Mia Sheridan book, so I think I just wasn't prepared for what I was getting into.

Thank you to NetGalley and HTP for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was a bit of a let-down. I am a dystopian lover and also adore a good romance novel, so I was stoked to see that Sheridan (the author of Archer's Voice) wrapped both into one book! However, the execution...not so great. There were so many opportunities to increase the stakes and make the setting feel dystopian-esque, but it missed the mark for me. I also felt like the sexual tension felt out of place in what was supposed to be a very dire situation, and that made me roll my eyes way too frequently. I loved the MC backstories and connecting small moments along the way, but it was not enough to keep me engaged. I attempted both reading and listening to the audiobook of this title, and still struggled to finish it.

Thank you to the publisher for a complimentary review copy of this title.

I really enjoyed this book! What a unique concept that truly kept me on my toes while reading. The only reason I rated it a four was because I thought it could have been shorter and not so dragged out of a journey. Otherwise, this book was fantastic! Just enough drama, romance, and mystery to keep readers engaged.

This is the second book I've read by Mia Sheridan and it did not disappoint. What I loved most about the book is how unique it was from most books I've read). The combination of all the tropes (enemies to lovers, childhood friend, slow burn, second chances, popstar and bodyguard, dystopian) created a unique and enjoyable story.
Thank you netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this arc.

Wow, what can I write about this book?! It took me on a journey I wans't expecting

Tucker and Emily knew each other their entire chillhood since their pertents had neighboring farms. After 8 years of disconect, they are meeting again when Emily, who is now a up and raising singer, hires Tuck, who can't find a job since he was released from jail, as her bodyguard.

The book begins when the private jet with Tuck, Emily and Charlie (Emily's A lister actor boyfriend) crushs to the ground in an emergency landing.

if you want to know what happans next, you should read the book. but i will say that this book is very thought provocing. I'm sure that I will continue thinking about it for a long time

I recieve an ARC copy from Netgally
The book will be published on May 20, 2025

I am a big mia sheridan fan, so I was extremely excited to have the honor of reading the ARC of heart of the sun!!

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one, and I have to say I didn’t love it. the premise is quite unique compared to her usual books, set in a sort of apocalyptic world where the characters are trying to survive. while this is a really cool idea, I just didn’t think the execution made it feel as dangerous and exciting as it could have.

I also just didn’t love the characters, especially the FMC, and I didn’t really feel the connection between her and the MMC. the FMC and her boyfriend were actually driving me insane, and by the time she realized the MMC was not a horrible person, she had just gone past the point of no return for me 😭

all of this being said, I am still a huge mia fan and will continue to check out her new releases - I just didn’t love this particular one.

This book was okay at best. The story had a lot of potential, but I feel like it just missed the mark. I did like how protective the male main character was, but there wasn’t much more I liked about it.

Loved this. Tuck and Emily fighting with each other during the apocalypse and eventually falling for each other? Obsessed. Tuck was so protective over Emily even when he was pissed at her and when she finally realized that she absolutely knew the kind of man Tuck is despite his past I loved that she immediately apologized and didn’t try to make excuses

Three stars is being generous for this book. The plot line is good and the book itself had a lot of potential but in the end I felt as if it all just fell flat. I definitely wouldn't call this a love story thats kind of a stretch. the first 25% of the book and maybe the last 10% of the book were okay. My biggest problem was it felt so long at times reading this book that I was wanting to DNF it even though I had 10% left of the book just because I had just had enough. I feel like a lot of narration should have been cut down. It also started feeling very repetitive. Some of the plot points in the book took way to long to find out. I loved Archers voice by Mia Sheridan but this was a miss for sure.

Emily + Tuck

As little kids they were friends and neighbors on their Californian citrus farms. As teenagers they weren't so close anymore, but started being attracted to each other.
But then family and other things happened and Tuck left.
Now, over a decade later, Emily is a pop star and Tuck just got out of jail.
He needs a job real bad and Emily's mom kinda forces Emily to hire him as her bodyguard.
They still argue and pretend to hate each other like they used to back then. But they're also still super attracted to each other. Only ... Emily has a boyfriend.
And then the sun decides to 'explode' and destroys all electricity and nothing is as it was before. It's a new world out there and Tuck is exactly the right guy to fight his way through everything to get them back home to California.

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Well... I really liked reading this.
I'm usually not a fan of fictional natural disasters or war or any kind of horrible things happening in my book world. The world has enough of that already. And I don't want to have those images and thoughts in my head - what would I do if something like this would happen today? I would so not survive something like that!
But this was adorable-ish. And very sad and heartbreaking and horrible.
I kept waiting for the walking dead to appear around the corner - but we're not that far into the catastrophe. Lol. It was dangerous enough for Tuck and Emily. And we enjoy watching them fight their way through things. We want them to find their happily ever after somewhere safe.
I really liked reading it. There were some plotholes or rather just things that were unbelievable or just silly - especially in the US with all those thousands of military bases and soldiers and politicians - where were they? But pfft - doesn't matter - it's a book.
It was an interesting and thrillery very slow burn second chance-ish love story - with not really enough love story, because Charlie is in this book way too much.
I had the feeling that the book was a lot longer at one time and so much had been cut and too much slow and boring stuff was left behind. The middle of the book could've been cut in half and then I needed more things! More of the romance. More of what happened to all the people and ... just more.
But I still liked it.
I would definitely watch the movie.

► HEART OF THE SUN was a great adventure-road-trip-drama-catastrophe-the-walking-dead-thingy-without-zombies-childhood-friends-second-chancy-love-story. Read it! Tuck is amazing!

Rating: 4.5 Stars (Rounded up to 5)

Mia Sheridan delivers a compelling and immersive experience with Heart of the Sun, a novel that masterfully blends dystopian fiction with slow-burn romance. Despite not being a major fan of dystopian themes, I found myself completely captivated by this story, a testament to Sheridan’s skillful storytelling and character development.

The novel starts by laying a strong foundation with Emily and Tuck’s childhood history. Their dynamic has always been filled with playful, sometimes sharp, banter, making their interactions feel authentic and engaging. Tuck’s backstory—six years in prison—is well-developed and adds depth to his character, while Emily is on the brink of a promising music career, dating an A-list actor and preparing for a tour. When circumstances demand she hire security, her mother reconnects her with Tuck, setting the stage for an unexpected and thrilling journey.

The narrative takes a dramatic turn when an apocalyptic event plunges the country into chaos. Power grids fail, communication ceases, and society collapses into lawlessness. A harrowing plane crash marks the beginning of an intense survival story as Emily, Tuck, and her boyfriend embark on a perilous trek from the Midwest to California—on foot. Sheridan’s execution of this journey is seamless; the pacing remains engaging, and the encounters along the way feel strikingly realistic, heightening the tension and urgency of their plight.

One of the standout elements of the book is its believability. Sheridan paints a vivid and eerily plausible picture of societal collapse, making it easy to imagine such a scenario unfolding in real life. Each challenge they face feels authentic, and the stakes remain high throughout.

The romance between Emily and Tuck is a slow burn, but it unfolds naturally within the context of their shared struggles. Their banter is more than just snark—it’s layered with history, mutual understanding, and evolving respect. Emily’s realization that Tuck is still the person she knew growing up, despite his past, adds emotional depth to their relationship and makes their connection all the more compelling.

Overall, Heart of the Sun is a gripping and well-executed novel that seamlessly combines survival, romance, and thought-provoking dystopian elements. Mia Sheridan’s storytelling prowess shines through, making this a must-read—even for those who don’t typically gravitate toward dystopian fiction. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for my ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.