Is it an accidental plane crash that Tuck Mattice and Emily Swanson miraculously survived? Or was there more to it? Tuck, Emily, and her boyfriend Charlie managed to escape the crash and are determined to walk as far as necessary to find help. Despite their history together, Emily and Tuck’s history together clearly prove that Charlie is a liability. But they press on.

Survival becomes paramount for the trio, especially when it seems that every mile they take leads them nowhere. As they grapple with the aftermath of the crash, they gradually comprehend the magnitude of the situation and their uncertain futures.

From the very beginning, I was captivated by this story. The sense of urgency was palpable, and the narrators delivered fantastic performances. Another intriguing aspect of the narrative was the alternating points of view between Emily and Tuck. It was fascinating to witness the profound impact of the sudden changes on their lives.

Although dystopian novels aren’t my preferred genre, I occasionally find myself drawn to them based on their intriguing descriptions. In this case, a world plunged into darkness, offering little hope of finding their homes, captivated me. Meanwhile, Emily and Tuck are forced to confront their past and reconcile it with the present, all while being accompanied by Charlie. This thrilling story boasts excellent character development and an intriguing plot. I highly recommend it.

Many thanks to Canary Street Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I was very excited to receive this e-ARC as I absolutely loved archer’s voice. Unfortunately, i had a really hard time connecting with the characters because I found them unbearable. Usually, I love a childhood friends to lovers, second chance romance but the chemistry between the two main characters was lacking. I had to DNF this one but I am grateful to Harlequin Trade Publishing and appreciate the opportunity to receive an advance readers copy. This one just wasn’t for me.

3.5-3.75 ⭐

Tropes:
💖rockstar x bodyguard
👩🏻‍🎤second chance
💖dystopian romance
👩🏻‍🎤childhood best friends
💖the last of us-coded
👩🏻‍🎤slow burn

Emily and Tucker were childhood best friends that ended up growing apart. Back from a stint in prison, thirteen years later, Tuck gets hired as Emily's security guard as she rockets into fame as a singer. After a solar flare hits the electrical grid in the United States, Emily and Tuck start on their journey west back to their families and friends.

The first thing i always say about this book is that there's a lot of walking. like A LOT. granted they are going from the midwest back to the west coast, so it makes sense that there's a lot of walking, but oof, this book could have been shorter if there was just some less walking scenes lmao.

i feel like mia books are really hit or miss for me. this one was on the cusp, but i think fell more in the miss than hit. I got to see Mia on a book stop tour recently and she talked about how it was interesting to write a character that so many people seemed to hate in the beginning and was a complete brat but had a redemption arc, speaking specifically about Emily. And OMG is Emily such a brat. I did not love her as a fmc, but her growth by the end of book did redeem her a little imo. But Tuck was just way too good for her throughout the whole story. i want a tuck if the apocalypse hits lol.

The plot was interesting, albeit slow. I feel like everything happened within the last 150 pages and wish there was more that was spread throughout the story. But if you liked the last of us, i think you should read this book! i have never watched the tv show, but i think there's some overlap? lol

Thank you to Mia, HTP, Canary Street Press, and netgalley for the eARC! I loved meeting you the other week and being the literal only person in the audience that could gush about the book with you :)

I always enjoy reading Mia Sheridan books because they’re so heartfelt and gut wrenching. All the feels reading her books. And this was no exception

This book took longer for me to get around to reading, and I could have ended up not finishing. I will start off by saying it was an honor to have been given an ARC, especially because I've enjoyed a few of the author's previous books, and I was looking forward to her newest release. For me, the pacing felt a bit off, and I couldn't completely grasp the world this book was set in, which is honestly fully on me and my lack of imagination. I usually don't gravitate towards dystopian books, and this book solidified my opinion that maybe dystopian is just not for me.

Once again, huge thank you for allowing me to receive and ARC and maybe in the future I will come back and give this book another shot because I really think that at the moment it's not for me but I love the author!!!

Emily and Tuck were once childhood friends, their properties side by side and their parents' friends with a dream for their community. Life doesn't happen the way these two imagined as children though and several years go by before they meet again. Tuck is looking for a second chance at life, Emily is looking for a bodyguard, they couldn't be at more different places, but their needs align. The two hold harsh judgements against each other, but a solar flare finds them relying on one another in desperation. As the realities of their situation sinks in, the two find that the chemistry that once burned between them is still there, burning just as the world is.

I had the absolute pleasure of getting to listen and flip the pages at the same time, which found me totally immersed in Heart of the Sun. It was novel I usually wouldn't have picked up, but as a longtime obsessive fan of Mia Sheridan I am so glad I did. I'm a huge fan of romantic suspense and major angst, but wasn't sure I'd be into a more modern dystopian romance. Sheridan proved me wrong though, as I fell in love with this second chance high stakes romance.

Emily and Tuck are both relatable, while being totally unrelatable. Their childhoods so idyllic and their adult lives so different, but a catastrophe brings them together in a way that only a crisis can. They've both been hiding themselves for so long, but as they band together to survive, to get home, their true selves come forth. I love a good second chance romance, especially one where the characters have a bit of enemy drama. The storyline was so different for me that I couldn't predict what was going to happen next, which found me flipping the pages as quickly as I could to know if these two would ever admit they carried feelings still. This wasn't just a pop star and her bodyguard romance, this is a book of survival, with excellent detail into the new dystopian they are dropped into and a complex study of two characters discovering themselves again.

The narration was excellent, I was totally thrilled there were two narrators and their voices became one with the words on the pages for me. Truly popped off the page like I was watching a show. I read in 1.5x speed and it never got roboticy.

It is extremely difficult to not automatically 5 star a Mia Sheridan story because I truly absolutely adore everything I've read from her previously whether romance or thriller. Heart of the Sun just didn't grab me and perhaps it was the dystopian aspect of the story. Was it a romance? Not especially although I do consider it to be about love and family. I think the fear of this truly happening and trying to wrap my head around it all took me out of the story. Was it well written? Absolutely! But it fell just a bit flat for me and I don't like saying that. People who like dystopian stories will enjoy it though.

I went into this book thinking that I would love it. Honestly it was okay but not my favorite for sure. I listened to this and switched between the audio and kindle version. I felt wanting for more. The story starts with Tuck showing up to his old family farms needing a job. Emily’s mom thinks this is the perfect opportunity for Tuck to work as security for Emily, an up and coming singer. Next thing we know, there’s a plane crash. Everything was decent until this happened. I genuinely could not stand Emily. I felt stuck did everything from then on out. But other than those few things the books was good!

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Audio, Canary Street Press, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Mia Sheridan for copies of the arc and alc!

I love Mia Sheridan but this one was just not for me. I got through most of the book at one point I was just dragging my feet to really finish and found my self skimming through the last bit of it. It’s supposed to be a bit of a dystopian romance but the romance was barely sprinkled in it. It was slow and at times really had me contemplating just DNF’ing altogether.

Thank you to NetGalley for the early copy !

To begin, I must say that book is vastly different from any other works I have read by this author, and what an extraordinary journey it was!

From the very first, this book captivated me, and I immediately knew I would enjoy it. The characters of Emily and Tuck were both well done and likable, as was the setting of the story. The author demonstrated expertise sending the reader headfirst into the narrative, leaving us breathless and eagerly anticipating the next development.

Overall, this book maintained my interest throughout with its compelling plot development, gripping climax, and intense scenarios. I have already started recommending it to my friends!

Thanks NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A solar flare destroys the electric grid causing chaos. Childhood friends Emily and Tuck must find their way back home through it all, while navigating reawakened past feelings of friendship and more.

There really isn't anything new in this story from a plot perspective. There's the typical disaster scenario amplified. It was quite eye-opening to understand the devastation that could occur in such a situation. As for the hero and heroine, they also follow a typical good-girl-bad-boy type of romance, with Tuck an ex-con and Emily an accomplished entertainer. I thought Charlie, Emily's boyfriend kept things interesting at the start.

I did enjoy the first part of this book more than then ending which is unusual. Things got repetitive at the end, but there is a very satisfying HEA that iced the cake of this romance. Overall, 4 stars.

This is a dystopian friends to lovers romance.
It definitely starts out slow and really feels more like romance is a subplot.
The beginning felt too slow and the end felt rushed so that felt confusing.
Tuck is straight outta prison and Emily's former childhood friend. Emily's mom convinces her to hire Tuck as a bodyguard since Emily is now a popstar.
Tuck does a fine job until the solar flare where survival takes the story over.
The romance heats up towards the end, but it's just too late.

I do Love Mia Sheridan and think this is worth the read.

DNF. The beginning was good but it just got more and more unrealistic, I could not read it beyond a certain point. Too many things were going on.

This was my first Mia Sheridan book. I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this one. I didn’t realize it was going to be an apocalyptic romance. I don’t think I’ve ever read one before. It took about 60% of the way in for me to start liking the story and feel invested enough to continue but once I got to that point, I really wanted to know how it would all come together. That being said, it was less about the romance for me and more just wanting to know how they’d survive.

I listened to this as an audiobook. It was dual narration which I hate. I did not like the male MMC’s voice. If you don’t mind dual narration, you’d be fine. I wished it had been duet style.

Overall, 3.5 stars rounded up for 4.

This is a slow burn romance featuring a dystopian setting.

I am a big Mia Sheridan fan. This book is very different from anything that she’s written.

This book alternates POVs between childhood friends Emily and Tuck. We see them as teens. But the main part of the book is them in their mid-20s.

Most of the story doesn’t feature romance. But instead we see that Emily has become a superstar singer. And Tuck is sent to be her bodyguard. This was quite interesting.

The main premise of the book has to do with a solar flare stopping the world as we know it. This apocalypse/end of the world setting just wasn’t my favorite.

I did like Tuck and Emily together. But I would have liked this to be more of the story vs the survival plot. The couple was great. I definitely wish that the romance aspect had been a bigger focus of the book.

One aspect that I really enjoyed was the portrayal of life after being in prison. I was not expecting this. And it added a lot to the story.

The author has written some incredible romance books. It’s definitely interesting to try something new. However I prefer reading romantic suspense and contemporary romance (I just like those genres so much more).

My favorite part of Heart Of The Sun was the last five chapters and the epilogue. These chapters were really good, they were more romance-centered and I actually found some unexpected elements. So the book did end on a high for me.

Overall, I think that Mia fans will need to read the book. However it will be more for people who enjoy end of the world survival stories with their romance.

This is a unique love story about survival after a solar flare, with a dystopian/sci-fi vibe.

I couldn’t put this one down! I do wish the romance had started earlier, but the main plot completely pulled me in. I really adored Tuck! He was layered, selfless, and fiercely protective.

I wasn’t a fan of Emily at first, but she really grew on me as the story unfolded.

Thanks so much for the early read on this one! This cover is beautiful and so was the description. Just seems like a pretty lighthearted story. I tried to read and would not get into it. But I very much appreciate the ARC!

This book pulled me in right from the start and did not let go. The mix of second-chance romance, a little dystopian chaos, and all the simmering tension between Tuck and Emily? Perfection. It was an easy, exciting read that kept me flipping pages late into the night. And let’s just be honest—Tuck is hottttt. Broody, protective, and totally swoon-worthy. If you’re into stories with rekindled love, survival stakes, and a hero you’ll be crushing on hard, this one’s for you.

Get ready for a post apocalyptic wild ride! Mia Sheridan’s new release Heart of the Sun centers around two childhood friends/enemies Tuck and Emily. Much has changed since they were young and they have reconnected under circumstances that have both of them questioning what they are doing. On top of that an event so catastrophic hits that has changed the world forever.

I love Mia Sheridan’s writing, it’s just enough without being verbose and it sets a scene that makes you feel like you’re there. This also is a multi POV so we are able to get a better understanding of our characters as they are on this very dangerous journey.

Definitely give this one a try, it is quite the adventure!

Thank you to Mia Sheridan, Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A beautiful read! I love Mia Sheridan's books and though I was a little hesitant about the story for this one, it was completely unnecessary because it was just as beautiful as the rest of her books. I should have known better!

I absolutely loved the setting and story here. I was able to visualize every, single moment as if I were watching it on film, and the characters really found their way into my heart. The way that Emily and Tuck grew up together, just set the scene perfectly for when the world fell apart. There had been time and distance, not to mention heartache, but I loved getting to see the growth from each of them and the point where they finally reconnected on every level. Though, it had never really disappeared to begin with.

I've seen some reviews mentioning the lack of romance, but I didn't feel that way at all. You know their true feelings from the beginning and you know where it's headed. Yes it's a slow burn and a lot of the focus is on their journey and ya know, surviving, but I loved it! I hated any time that I had to put this book down! Definitely recommend that you pick it up!