Heartland: A College Romance

Sarina Bowen

Jan 2020 · True North Book 7 · Tuxbury Publishing LLC

About this ebook

An emotional friends to lovers romance full of risky secrets and late-night lessons in seduction.

Dylan is my best friend, and the only person in my life who understands me. He doesn’t mind my social awkwardness or my weird history. The only glitch? He doesn’t know that I’ve been hopelessly, desperately in love with him since the first day we picked apples together in his family’s orchard.

But I know better than to confess.

Now that I’ve joined him at college, I’m seeing a new side of him. This Dylan drinks and has a lot of sex. None of it with me.

Until the moment I foolishly ask him to tutor me in more than algebra…and he actually says yes.

One crazy night sets our friendship on fire. But now my heart lies in ashes, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Heartland is a standalone college romance set in the True North world. Expect: a young, broody farmer, a giant crush, tasty caramels, cute goats and late night confessions.

**Interconnected STANDALONE novel**

One of my favorites! This book has it all. Feels, check! Steam, check!. Characters you will LOVE! Don't miss Heartland, it's so, so good! New York Times bestselling author Kendall Ryan

 

I'm crazy about this series. EVERYTHING IS WOW. Angie's Dreamy Reads

 

A barn burner of a romance with depth and complexity. The Daily Waffle

 

This series has inspired me to one day visit Vermont and discover the beautiful scenery in their Fall, to taste the beauty of real maple syrup and maybe visit a brewery or two. Tammy's Timeout

 

It's the perfect balance of sweetness to tannins with a big scoop of comfort food on the side--and I can't wait for another helping! Totally Bex

 

Bowen has created a pretty fantastic world in small-town Vermont, and I can't imagine who wouldn't enjoy a virtual trip there. Sasha Says

 

It will have you wanting to pack a bag in search of a place where the cider is delicious, the banter is hilarious and the men are the stuff we readers dream about. I'm relocating. T. Brothers

 

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Heartland is the seventh book in the STANDALONE USA Today bestselling True North series.

Book 1 - Bittersweet

Book 2 - Steadfast

Book 3 - Keepsake

Book 4 - Bountiful

Book 5 - Speakeasy

Book 6 - Fireworks

Book 7 - Heartland

Book 8 - Waylaid

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Topics include: adult romance, family saga, big families romance, siblings, alpha male, brothers, happily ever after, usa bestselling romance, Sarina Bowen, long romance series, happily ever after, bad boy romance, bearded bad boy romance, beards, emotional read, angsty romance, contemporary romance, dirty talking alpha, farmer romance, college romance, Vermont romance, virgin, sex tutor, small town romance

For fans of: Robyn Carr, Helena Hunting, Elle Kennedy, Catherine Gayle, Avon Gale, Toni Aleo, Kristen Callihan, LJ Shen, Corinne Michaels, Jana Aston, Karina Halle, Meghan March, Jay Crownover, Anna Todd, Geneva Lee, Audrey Carlan, Jill Shalvis, Suzanne Brockmann, Helen Hoang, Christina Lauren, Kristan Higgins, Sally Thorne, Penelope Sky, Vi Keeland, Penelope Ward, Debbie Macomber, Nora Roberts, Maisey Yates, Sarah Mayberry, Elle Kennedy, Lauren Blakely, Susan Mallery, Penny Reid, Julia Kent, Kelly Jamieson, Melanie Harlow, Carrie Ann Ryan, Kendall Ryan, Kennedy Ryan, Helen Hardt, Meghan March, Julia Kent, Meli Raine, Sylvia Day, Chelle Bliss, Brenda Rothert, Natasha Madison, Kylie Scott, Helena Hunting, Sloane Kennedy, Penelope Sky, Elle Kennedy, K.A. Linde, Nana Malone, Jami Davenport, Jaci Burton, Penelope Sky, Helen Hardt, E.L. James, Anna Todd, Chelle Bliss, Kendall Ryan, Kennedy Fox, Harlequin romance, Waterhouse Press, Virgin River, Carly Phillips, Piper Rayne, Cora Seton, Sherryl Woods, Marie Force, Sawyer Bennett.

Ratings and reviews

Heartland is Book 7 in Sarina Bowen’s True North Series and is Dylan Shipley’s story. I have loved this series from the first book and couldn't wait to dive into Dylan's story. This is a beautiful friends to lovers romance that will give you all the feels. The perfect combination of heart, emotion, humor and passion. I love the family dynamic on the Shipley farm. They are all so support and caring of each other and I felt completely emmersed in their world as I was reading. Dylan is off in college and works on the weekends at the Shipley Farm. He is a little lost on where is fits in, whether on the Shipley farm full time or something else. The death of his father has hit him hard. He is harbouring some guilt and I really felt for him, although there were also times where I found myself frustrated with him and his immature man-whoring ways but by the end we see huge growth with him which I adored. Chastity has grown up in a cult. We previously meet her in Keepsake. She escapes the cult and is working to figure out life outside of it. Dylan & Chastity are best friends but Chastity has always wanted more from him. I loved their friendship so much. I loved how mentoring Dylan was with Chastity , he was also sweet and protective. I loved their young love and the progression of them moving from friends to lovers. Another incredible book in the True North Series and I cannot wait for the next one. 4 stars. *ARC received in exchange of an honest review*

4.5 stars — I have a feeling this review is going to be all over the place. I mean, I LOVED it. It was everything I’ve come to expect from a True North novel, and I just enjoyed it immensely. It also hit me hard in a few places and made me cry. And most of all it left me craving books to come and wanting to reread books in the past (particularly Goodbye Paradise in this case). I love the way Ms. Bowen writes characters, how you can tell how much time she puts in to making them real and unique and relatable. There were aspects of Chastity that I 100% connected with her on, and it was strangely about the inability to ask for sex (though I swear I don’t have a cult background). I just kind of loved that through Chastity’s experiences, Ms. Bowen was able to make a character that has this small attribute to her, and it really got to me. I also really related to Dylan and the loss of his Dad. I lost my Dad at the exact same age, and it’s seriously just the worst. I also loved all the confusion and lack of knowledge about what happened that day, because I can relate to that as well. My brother was under the wrong impression about something related to the day my Dad died as well, and held on to it for more than a decade before we cleared it up. It’s amazing how long grief affects you and your life. Chastity was a dichotomy of so many different things. She was this naturally sexual woman who had experiences that made her wary of her wants/needs. But she didn’t let that stop her completely, and I loved how strong and determined she was. I loved her natural curiosity about the world, and just a love of life. I appreciated that she wasn’t a naturally strong student and really had to work at that…so many books make college look easy, and it’s not. I loved that Dylan was both the fun loving party guy who has a LARGE sexual appetite, but also so much more than that. I appreciated that it wasn’t all a misrepresentation, that while there was a lot of depth going into his avoidance of commitment, it was also just a bit of who he was. And besides all that, he was fun-loving, sweet, genuinely caring (if a bit clueless), deliciously cuddly (which doesn’t fit the normal player persona) and so mixed up about what he wanted in the future. He was a perfect college student. Chastity and Dylan’s relationship gave me anxiety at times because of the strange imbalance to it. I felt for Chastity and her conviction that Dylan would never feel the same way about her, because based on everything she knew, she was exactly right. I wanted Dylan to figure his crap out faster, even if that didn’t make sense. But guys, the steamy scenes were freaking unreal! I was so engrossed and feeling all the things with them (Brett says thanks btw). They had so much sexual chemistry, the heat just exploded off the pages. But I also loved their friendship, and how they just worked together. I loved their venture into caramels, and I really want some now. Like for realz. I LOVED the friendship that Chastity develops with Ellie! It was so adorable, and they fit together just perfectly — two awkward out of place students, but for opposite reasons. I really hope we get to see more of Ellie at some point, but I have no idea how. I also ADORED Rickie to PIECES, and I’m SOOOOO excited that he’s getting a book. He was such a great friend to both Dylan and Chass, and I loved how much you could tell that he cared about them and wanted to help them find their way. Plus, I am curious about his past. And besides just Rickie alone, I also loved Keith, and how they were all friends together. They made me laugh, and I loved that. It was hard to watch Dylan and Griff butt heads, and I’m glad that there was some resolution there. But I also felt like it was a really realistic sibling relationship, especially with that kind of age difference, and especially given their trauma. Honestly, I only have two minor negatives. It was hard to watch Dylan with someone else at the beginning (just a personal taste thing), and the ending felt a bit abrupt.

I really enjoyed this friends to lovers storyline. I adore Dylan, so sweet, sexy and misunderstood. I love Dylan and Chasity’s friendship and how it develops into more. I was drawn in from the beginning and hooked until the end. A definite must read in this series!

About the author

Sarina Bowen is the sixteen-time USA Today bestselling author of over thirty romance novels. She writes sports romance, billionaire romance, small town romance, contemporary fiction and YA fiction. She loves Vermont, hockey, and fine stationery. Visit sarinabowen.com for more.

Work by Sarina Bowen includes: Brooklynaire, the Brooklyn Bruisers, the True North Series, Him, Us, Goodboy and Stay in the WAGs series with Elle Kennedy. The Man Hands series with Tanya Eby.