Isla and Adam may have entered into their marriage for convenience, but right from the start their chemistry and affection stand out. I love Pine Harbour - family and friends and the small town atmosphere make me feel like I'm coming home. As a Canadian from Toronto, I love all the local references that we Canadians get so rarely! ( )

Fierce at Heart by Zoe York
Kincaids of Pine Harbour #2

Looking for a romance that doesn’t fit neatly into any one genre but is somewhat related to a number of them? If so, this book might be just the one for you. It has warmth, caring, sharing, friendship, and potential for more than either character thought possible. It also provides backstories that explain why this rather unusual marriage was easily slipped into and why the two were averse to the idea of “love”.

What I liked:
* Adam Kincaid: ex-army, educated in firefighting at university, youngest brother of five, good friend, caring, and a good partner.
* Isla Petersen: ex-military and Adam’s commanding officer at one time, a good friend, divorced after a damaging to self-esteem marriage, has dreams, has been to culinary-baking school, has business-professional dreams.
* The small-town vibe and their willingness to be there for one another.
* The brothers of Adam
* The writing
* The fact that Adam & Isla were friends first.
* The way that Adam & Isla took care of one another.
* All of it really except…

What I didn’t like:
* The person I was meant not to like…if you read the book you will know who it is and feel the same. I do wish that I knew exactly what happened to that person as whatever it was it didn’t feel 100% resolved to me.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )