First of a big thank you to the publisher as well as to the author an to Netgalley for the invite to read and review Heart of The Sun, And for Introducing me to Mia Sheridan,this is the first book by her that I've read and I can see why some like her books, while it was a slow pace type of read ,I realized that with that type of pacing it actually help the story slot because you got see to the story come to life with each turn of the page . And while I didn't like the main female character all that much ,right from the start I did like the main male character.

Emily and Tuck were childhood friends but Emily rocketed to stardom as a pop princess, while Tuck had a string of bad luck and mistakes that took him to prison for 6 years. Post-incarceration and low on options, he ends up working as Emily’s bodyguard. Then, just when things couldn’t get weirder, the sun goes on strike, the grid collapses, and suddenly it’s less red carpet, more “Mad Max.”

Genuinely intriguing plot that has some potential. A glamorous singer, a reformed ex-con, and the literal end of the world? Unfortunately, the execution wasn't quite there. The pacing dragged, the tone couldn’t decide if it was thriller, or romance, or what and the whole apocalypse thing hit a little too on the nose. Like, am I supposed to be entertained or taking notes for future planning.

Dystopian/ survival road trip tale with a little bit of second chance romance. I’m not sure how I feel. I liked it enough to finish, the narration on the audiobook kept me invested but the story overall was just missing more heat, more passion, more survival, more action.

Mia's books have always been good so I was excited to read Heart of the Sun. With this book not only do you get drama and romance but you also get Suspense/thriller feel. Overall it was a good read but I definitely enjoyed her others better.

This is more of a dystopian book with a romance subplot. It’s a good story but too much for me. The romance was fine.

I received an arc from netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Have loved this author's work in the past (Archer's Voice is chef's kiss!), but this one was a miss for me.
Didn't vibe with the writing style nor did I like any of the characters truly. Also the dystopian aspect felt like a cool concept but felt like it didn't work with the overall story/romance. Just felt like a clunky read overall.

The longing, the angst, the undeniable chemistry—it all came together beautifully in this second-chance love story. Every moment was packed with emotion, making the romance feel raw and deeply satisfying. Not my first Mia Sheridan book but definitely my favorite so far!!

I have read a couple of Mia’s books before and enjoyed them, but this one did not do it for me. None of the characters were likeable, especially the main female character. The story felt very broken up and the pacing seemed weird too. Sadly I did not enjoy this book and would not recommend it.

Huge thanks to the publisher for the audiobook and ebook ARCs—because I devoured both and loved every second of this gritty, emotional, second-chance romance.

Mia Sheridan delivers a powerful blend of sizzling tension, post-apocalyptic grit, and heart-wrenching connection in a story that had me hooked from the first sun-drenched memory to the final breathless moment.

Tuck is the brooding ex-con we all fall for too fast, and Emily is the popstar whose glow never dimmed in his eyes. When a solar flare plunges the world into chaos, these childhood best friends turned enemies have to navigate survival, simmering feelings, and years of unresolved pain—all while rediscovering the kind of love that never really left.

🎤 Enemies to lovers
🛑 Second chances
🌅 Childhood best friends
🔥 Bodyguard x Popstar
🌍 The Last of Us-style dystopian edge
💥 Slow burn with a capital S

The audiobook is perfection—every bit of snark, heat, and vulnerability is felt in the narration. And the ebook had me highlighting lines like a madwoman. I couldn’t put either version down.

If you’re looking for a romance that hurts in the best way and shines with survival, healing, and undeniable chemistry—Heart of the Sun is the one.

Heart of the Sun was a wild ride, and I have to say I enjoyed it thoroughly!

Readers will definitely need to suspend belief in some regards and not think too hard into the minutia. In my opinion, the book leans more heavily on the dystopia themes than the romance, but with that being said, it's a fun journey that isn't trying to be more than it is.

I LOVED the action elements and being a Midwest native, I loved seeing some of the familiar locations (like St. Louis) through a dystopian lens. The romance did take a back seat for me but it added warmth and interest to the story. I will say I felt like the first half of the book was stronger than the second, although the epilogue at the end was fun and sweet.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for access to this eARC.

I am a fan of Mia Sheridan’s work, however, this book was not what I was expecting it to be. I feel like it should’ve picked one route and stuck with it. The dystopian setting and extremely slow burn romance didn’t mix well in this book. The FMC was not it for me. She wasn’t likable in my opinion. I loved the MMC. He was the only part that kept the book moving.

Heart of the Sun is about childhood friends Tuck and Emily that have a strong bond and friendship. Fast forward to later in life as adults Emily is a pop star and Tuck an ex-con is hired as her bodyguard. Despite a lot of bickering and differing personalities the spark they once shared is rekindled. A solar flare disrupts the electrical grid and society becomes chaos, it’s every man for himself. Tuck stays by Emily’s side taking care of her and protecting her through this massive event.

Mia Sheridan has written some of my favorites like “Archer’s Voice”, and the Acadia duology. I recently loved “All the Little Raindrops” and have recommended all these books to friends. She does a great job of evoking strong emotions and connections to her characters. This cover in particular is quite stunning too.
Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me. I felt confused while reading because this book tried so hard to be emotional and sadly I couldn’t connect to the characters. The plot didn’t flow well, having trouble meshing romance and dystopian survival. The lack of chemistry between the two main characters left me frustrated because I so badly wanted to root for them to find love.

In the future I will give this author more chances because generally I have a positive experience reading her books.

I WAS NOT PREPARED. the angst! it took me awayyy. I started this one with my eyeballs but switch to audio and loved every bit of it. body guard x celebrity will forever be a trope I’m weak for, but throw in Mia’s second chance angst AND dystopian suspense?! glued to the pages and unwell.

I feel like I enjoyed this more than a lot of people. I honestly think it's because it missed its intended audience. Mia normally sticks to the romance genre pretty well and this, to me, felt like it came out of that. Heart of the Sun is more of a dystopian novel with a side plot of romance and the romance is VERY slow burn.

I connected a lot with Tuck, I could empathize with what he lost growing up and how that ultimately shaped him. Now Emily....... I couldn't with her. She was insufferable. She was raised a farm girl, and she turns into an entitled, shallow "pick me" girl.

I feel like this book could have been a little shorter but overall, I enjoyed this read.

I’ve enjoyed this author’s previous work, but Heart of the Sun just didn’t work for me. I typically love a good dystopian story, but something about this one felt off—the world-building didn’t fully draw me in, and the pacing dragged more than I expected.

The romance, which I hoped would be a compelling slow burn, ended up just feeling slow. I kept waiting for the chemistry to spark, but it never really did. While I appreciate the premise, the execution fell flat, making it hard to stay engaged.

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me, but I’ll still check out future books from the author in hopes of finding the magic again.

Friends to lovers
Dual POV
Flashbacks
Bodyguard 👀

Wow. I was not expecting this. A post apocalyptic romance?
I actually liked the dystopian element which surprised me. I enjoyed their journey through it all.

I have loved Mia’s books! This one may not be for everyone but it’s good. There is love a story, character development, plot, and it starts off strong.

I did not find myself getting through this book easily, but that is entirely my fault. The writing and storytelling is beautiful, however, the subject matter is where it fell flat for me at no fault of the author.

Something very different to one of the kindest and dearest authors - Mia Sheridan. Such a different vibe to my faves like Unwanted or Archer's Voice - not that it's wrong, but it does differ. Heart of the Sun is dystopian, and I did not expect that. It was a story filled with aspects so out of place of my usual reading preference, yet I think it was a nice refresher. Not my favourite Mia book yet, nothing can top my love of Archer. However I did enjoy it and would recommend it to those "The Last of Us" lovers out there!

𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗢𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘂𝗻 follows pop star, Emily Swanson and the ex-con turned bodyguard, Tuck Mattice who happens to be her childhood bestfriend.

When life turns to fantasy and a solar flare makes electricity an impossible commodity, Tuck, Emily and her boyfriend decide to make the trek to California.... on foot.

~

Very apocalypse-y vibes.
Really liked the distopian feel. Felt like they were the only people alive (wasn't the case) and the rest of the world had gone up in flames.

But I thought the whole boyfriend tagging along and their relationship developing in the inbetween moments was icky.

And unfortunately Emily wasn't the most likeable. She definitely has some of her own maturing to do? achieve? Idk.

~

3.86 / 5 ★

Thanks to Harlequin Trade Publishing and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

To be honest, I chose this book because of it’s cover and sprayed edges. The mockups of the book are gorgeous, and I can’t wait to get a physical copy. I really didn’t know anything about the story, but that is common for me. I love choosing books by their covers. This was one a success and I can’t stop thinking about it.
I pretty much went into this book blind, and it was a little confusing at first. I wasn’t exactly sure where it was going. However, once it got to the main event I couldn’t put the book down. If you like The Walking Dead, but aren’t a huge fan of zombies, this book is for you.
I think Mia did a great job showing all of the facets of humankind during a crisis. I loved how we got to see people’strue colors and realize that our world has a lot of grey in it. It isn’t all as black and white as some people like to think. I also appreciated that she showed some people originally viewed as “bad” could be some kind of hero.
I will say it is touted as a romance, but I feel like that is a very small part of this book. It is more of a dystopian novel that slightly touches on romance in the last quarter of the book. Once it gets to the romance part there is a decent amount of it, but I didn’t feel like there was a huge build up to it. However, I did enjoy Tuck and Emily’s story. It was sweet and a little bit tumultuous. There was some angst and longing, but I would have preferred more of a burn in the first three quarters of the book.
I love a book that makes me think and ponder what I would do in a situation like the one the characters were placed in. My husband can be a little bit of a conspiracy theorist and talks about things like solar flares and what would happen. I have never given much thought to such a thing happening…until now. Would I be able to survive? What skills do I have to offer? Would I do what needs to be done in case of an emergency? Would I drop everything to get to my loved ones? Should I start a garden? Should I get some chickens? These are some of the questions that I have been thinking about since I finished the book. I think this book is going to stay with me for quite some time. 
I do wish we knew what happened to some of the more influential side characters and the rest of the world. I feel like I was left with loose ends when I finished the book, which drives me crazy. I really would have liked some closure and knowing their destinies. However, the ending does make sense not knowing what happened to all the characters.
I listened to the ALC and the narrators did a great job. Annalee Scott reads with so much emotion. She really brought Emily to life for me.
If you like dystopian novels that will make you think this book is for you. If you are wanting a book with a slow burn and lots of romance you might want to skip this one.
Tropes:
🧡 Dystopian novel
🩷 Second chance romance
🧡 Popstar
🩷 Childhood friends