Reviewed by Kimberley
TITLE: Heart of A Mountain
SERIES: Cade Creek # 12
AUTHOR: Stormy Glenn
PUBLISHER: Siren Bookstrand
LENGTH: 118 pages
RELEASE DATE: August 11, 2016
BLURB:
John Aldrin Flores came to Cade Creek hoping to build a new life outside of the city. After landing a job at the Cade Creek Diner, Aldrin has a chance to meet many of the townspeople, but the one that interests him the most is the one that doesn’t say anything. Determined to bring the gorgeous man out of his shell, Aldrin sets about showing Jonah Cade that there is life off his mountain top.
Jonah Cade’s family founded Cade Creek. There is a legacy there he’s not sure he can fulfill. After losing every member of his family in a horrific accident the same week he suffers the horrors of war at its worst, Jonah cracks. Moving to the top of his mountain and becoming a recluse is an act of pure self-preservation.
At the behest of his therapist, he goes into town once a week for church, supplies, and to have the Sunday special at the Cade Creek Diner. When his dinner comes with a kind word and a smile, Jonah starts to look outside his self-imposed exile, but will the danger stalking them tear them apart before Aldrin’s smile wins Jonah over? And can Jonah learn to trust in people again before he loses Aldrin forever?
REVIEW:
This is book #12 in the series and tells the story of Aldrin, Race’s friend from New York. I loved Aldrin’s character, loved his personality was lovely. He was a type of man who always had a smile for you and would try to cheer you up if he sees that you’re having a bad day. He has a kind heart and bubbly, sassy personality. A series of unfortunate events involving his best friend Race’s ex is the reason how he ends up and decided to stay in Cade Creek afterwards. He settles in quite nicely and secures a job a the local diner.
It’s here that he meets Jonah Cade, the descendant of the town’s founder.
Jonah Cade is the town recluse. He’s an Iraq/Afghanistan war veteran who suffers from PTSD from the war and the loss of the remaining members of his family. He sees Aldrin in the diner and is immediately smitten.
I love how the relationship between the two slowly develops. Aldrin gently chips away at Jonah’s defenses and was able to get the big man to open up to him. The development of the relationship between these two men was enjoyable to read. Jonah realizes that Aldrin is the perfect man for him and someone he can spend the rest of his life with and help him rejoin the world. His protection mode kicks into overdrive when Aldrin is the target of a couple attacks. Of course, this gets resolved without too much fanfare. This book wasn’t as rife with action or drama as some of the others but it was still very nice. This story is yet another one of my favorites in this series.
This book is part of a series and as such should be read in sequential order. It is recommended that your read the Blaecleah Brothers Cowboy series as their characters cross over into this series.
Reader advisory: The other books in this series have mild-to mid- level violence and may deal with issues such as domestic/family violence, physical, mental, sexual abuse and rape so if those are your triggers, I would recommend you skip those parts.
RATING: 
BUY LINKS:
Amazon