Audiobook Review: Sacred Hart by A.M. Johnson

When I downloaded “Sacred Hart,” I was expecting a romance. It was part of Audible’s Romance Package after all. It was a love story all right; but it was also more. It was a father’s love for his child; it was a story of a second chance at life. It was also a story of learning to love and forgiving oneself for faults that were real and imagined.

Sacred Hart

Ryan Hartford was 22 when he was dealt a fatal blow. Now at 32, he was ready to start over. But, not at his home state of Florida. He went as far away as possible and found himself in a small town in the Pacific Northwest.

And as he was beginning to feel better or at least be comfortable again in his own skin, he saw a little girl that reminded him of his daughter. But, as if seeing a ghost was not bad enough, the little girl’s mother, Maggie Wright was making Ryan feel something he did not think he deserved.

As Maggie and Ryan began to know each other better, both saw a chance of happiness. But even before they could aim for that, they needed to be honest with each other and nothing less than full disclosure.

Layer by layer, they revealed each other’s truths. And when they were ready to start a new life, tragedy once again struck. Now, the question is, can Ryan and Maggie overcome it?

Warning! Make sure that you have a box of tissue paper near you when you start listening to “Sacred Hart.” It is a tearjerker. Ryan made me cry in the first chapter!

Chapter after chapter, as Ryan’s story is revealed and as Maggie and her daughter enter the story, they are already pulling at your heartstrings. You laugh with them and you also cry with them. It’s easy listening and the tears are cathartic.

Meanwhile, listening to Teddy Hamilton as Ryan made the character more real. His voice which I can only describe as the “boy-next-door” is sexy and endearing at the same time. He sounded so wholesome; he can be a boy scout!

This is the first time that I have listened to Vanessa Edwin as a narrator. She’s good! She switched from adult voice (Maggie) and child (Maggie’s daughter Beth) seamlessly.

This is also the first book by A. M. Johnson I have “read.” And I am impressed. She writes with a sure hand and her dialogue is natural. I am already checking out her other books. Johnson will be the third book author from Utah that I like, with Brandon Sanderson (my all-time favorite) and Amy Harmon on the first two slots.

“Sacred Hart” is Rated T for Teens. Parental guidance is strongly advised due to some violence and adult situation. And if you will only “listen” or even just read one book this spring, then it should be this book!