Review: The Heart has Reasons by Martine Marchand

My Rating: Date Me Now (4-4.5 stars)

Genre: Dark Contemporary Romance / Romantic Suspense

Steam Level: Hot

“The Heart has Reasons that reason knows nothing of.”

Um, wow. This book is dark and gritty but surprisingly sarcastic at times. Stockholm syndrome, passion, betrayal, torture, this book is controversial and gripping. I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I read this, dying to know what would happen next.

Chase O’Malley has agreed to kidnap Larissa and transport her cross country and back to her ‘husband’. Their five day journey is full of suspense, action, and sexual tension. It will keep you guessing from the start: Will Larissa escape? Will Chase deliver Larissa to his client? Are Larissa’s feelings real or Stockholm syndrome? Will Chase be convicted for his crimes? And even deeper more meaningful questions will arise. Do all criminals no matter the crime or the circumstances deserve to be punished? Is there a grey area between guilty and not guilty?

This story is told in third person and switches between the view of Larissa and Chase so you get too see both sides, which is imperative to being able to understand what’s going on. Larissa is a kick ass heroine who is way braver and stronger than I would have been in her situation. It was easy to fall in love with Chase, almost too easy given the situation. Chase is an ex-Army Special Forces that is having trouble adjusting to civilian life and views the kidnapping as his next mission and adrenaline ride, but that view slowly changes as feelings he’s never experienced before begin to show themselves. I can't say anymore because I don't want to give anything away!

I loved the sarcastic banter between the two, it gave some comic relief to a very serious situations.

He gave her a prolonged stare. I’m just starting to realize what a smart-ass you are.”

Heedless of the consequences, she shot back, “Better a smart-ass than a dumb-ass.”

The corners of his mouth quirked upwards. “I can’t decide if you’re incredibly brave, or merely incredibly foolish.”

There were a few parts that were a bit slow paced but it still kept me interested and turning pages, there are a lot of details that made it feel lengthy. Definitely a GREAT start from a new author that  I will be reading more from.

If enjoy a dark twist and/or suspense with your romance then I highly recommend you give this one a try!

Purchase from Amazon --> CLICK HERE 

~ERIN