A Heart to Call Home – Jeannie Levig

This is the first time I’ve read a Jeannie Levig book and I was blown away. The two characters were so well written I felt as though I was there with them, through their pain and anxiety, the hope and ache for each other.
I slowed down my reading to prolong the story I honestly didn’t want it to end.

Luckily she has three other published books and I bought them just before I finished A Heart to Call Home.

I have to agree with the other reviewers. This was a hard read. Once I got a few chapters in, the characters and their stories pulled me in and I had to read to the end. I definitely recommend the book.

What an interesting and different story premise. What you see is not always what is actually there. Although a heavy read, the story pulled me in. I was moved by the challenges that both main characters were dealing with. Dakota "I want and need to be a better person" Scott has masked and hidden her pain for a very long time and now has come the time to lift the mask and face the past. Jessica "Brogan let me go back to go forward" Weldon knows that life can go on but does she want to go it alone. This is a story about family, emotional pain, mental illness, forgiveness, and love. Well-written story that captured my attention as teachers worked together to help their students. The compassion for the value of education was awesome. The passion for each other was hot; page after page after page.

I loved Embracing the Dawn written by Jeannie Levig which had me interested in her next book. I did enjoy the read but didn't love it. I found the interaction between the two characters to be really good and one that had me looking forward to their next moment together. The story about what had happened all those years ago was dragged out and had you waiting to know what actually happened. When we found out the truth I didn't find it as big as it was made out to be which is something you do need to be mindful of if you draw something out like that. It didn't have any major twists and turns that surprised me which is maybe why I can't rate this book any higher.

It was ok but nothing amazing which I think from her last book I was hoping for something in the same standards.

As I was reading A Heart to Call Home, I kept thinking of two sayings: life is not always what you expected it to be, and don’t judge a book by its cover. I think both sayings described the main characters’ personas. Both Jessie and Dakota still suffered from the tragic death of Jessie’s sister Jackie over thirty years ago. Each had their own personal beliefs…and demons…that affected their way of living, thinking, and loving. This was a story about forgiveness, acknowledgements, redemption, and trying to move forward from a haunting past. The emotions displayed by Jessie and Dakota throughout the story were raw, honest, and realistic, especially at the site of the tragedy.

The storyline was intriguing, but I also found the subplot concerning two misguided students very encouraging. It positively showcased how these students, especially Ian, could have slipped through the cracks if not for the help of these two concerned teachers even though their personal lives were in a precarious relationship for most of the story.

Overall, this was a well written and enjoyable read.

This book is a heavy book to read. It's very, very well done, but it deals with a lot of sadness and heartbreak in families. Both Dakota and Jessie have led very traumatic lives within their families and as it is shown in the book, we never know what someone is truly going through in life - even in our own families.

I believe this is a great book, both in terms of the two characters getting to know each other, but also the emotional intimacy and vulnerability that each must journey. I believe that at the core this book is
about love and compassion for ourselves and others.

Jeannie Levig knows how to develop a character. She weaves her story around her protagonists and draws you right into the amazingness of her stories. I’m never sure where I am going to go, what I’ll read and I can never predict the ending. Levig keeps me guessing throughout the whole book and I love her for it. Romance tends to follow formulas, that’s just how it goes in this genre, but Levig definitely doesn’t play by the rule and loves to add a curveball here and there. My goodness, I adore that about her writing!

Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown after spending two decades away. The ending of her marriage forces her to accept that she needs to go back and face the demons of her childhood. Jessie accepts a temporary teaching position at the local high school. She has all but accepted the fate that she will have to face her former crush and the source of a lot of pair Coach Dakota Scott. 

Dakota comes from the wealthiest family in the town. Townspeople believe the Scott’s are above the rest and their money can buy them out of anything, even murder. Yeah, the plot thickens. What most people don’t know is that it’s not all it’s cracked up to be aa s Scott. Most folks don’t know that the Scott matriarch, Dakota’s mother has schizophrenia. This face has left more scars than anyone can ever imagine and holds a key to what happened that dark night that forever changed the life of both Dakota and Jessie. 

Dakota and Jessie face each other, bringing old wounds to the forefront. They both know that that night permanently altered the course of their lives and forever changed them. Delving into the past and accepting the repercussions are the only way either of them can move forward. Add to it that they are both outrageously attracted to each other and you add a whole added dimension to their story. 

This is a fantastic story of human emotions, failed pasts and that love can conquer all. Levig does it again with bringing you an amazing story that grips you to the last page. You cannot go wrong with this one. 

4.25 out of 5 stars

This is my second book by Jeannie Levig and I wasn't disappointed. She manages to create completely different and unusual romances with difficult themes. This one doesn't disappoint. I wish it had some sort of Epilogue or another chapter on how they were after the HEA. It sort of ended just there and I wanted so much more.

If you've read her previous work, the feeling is usually the same.

4-4.5 stars

Two women cindered by grief and guilt find romance when they deal with their past.

Dakota Scott has been trying to avoid her painful past. Privilege and wealth haven’t protected her from a mother with a mental illness, and a fatal accident when she was a teenager. The small town gossip is still rife, even though she is now a coach at the local high school.

Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown to reconnect with her remaining family. After losing so many of them when she was younger, the grief is still present. She knows she has to come home to face her past, but can she face the person to blame for so much pain? And if Dakota is to blame, how does Jessie reconcile her intense attraction to her?

This is a well-written romance by Levig. The two main characters show some depth and resilience in the face of their own personal tragedies, and find a way to be open with themselves and each other. It’s interesting to see how drama can be written coming from a place of pain from the past, rather than miscommunication, or deliberate misdirection from a character. It seems more authentic to have the tension developed from the characters’ past, and I liked it more as a result.

Levig also generated quite a bit of heat between the two main characters, and that made sense in the connection they had, as a driver to resolve some of the more emotional issues between them. It was interesting to see attraction as a driver to emotional resolution so clearly written.

The setting was a high school, and Levig wrote the minor characters well. Some were drawn better than others, but they worked to push the plot along and give the main characters a setting within which to interact.

I really enjoyed this. I haven’t read her other books, but I’ll be hunting them down after this. Enjoy.

Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review

Not an easy read by a long shot but the story is compelling and the characters drew me in. Jessie Weldon returns to her hometown after her marriage ends knowing that many of the issues that contributed to the breakdown can only be resolved by facing her past. She gets a substitute-teaching job at her old high school only to come face to face with Coach Dakota Scott, not only her childhood crush but also the person partly responsible for her leaving. Dakota has weathered what people have whispered about her, but she herself will never forget.

Both characters are older women who know that so many of their questions can only be answered by each other at the risk of delving into a can of worms. Added to which is their attraction for each other complicating things further. Jessie and Dakota are likeable, which always makes reading more enjoyable for me, with forgivable human failings.

Leavig builds the tension, reveals a bit, releases the chokehold and then tightens it up again. It was easy to become invested in their lives and impossible to let go until the end. Fortunately there are some wonderfully gentle moments and lots of steamy scenes to lighten the tension. There is also a lovely background story dealing with their students that adds to the fullness of the tale.
Great read. 4.5 stars rounded up.

This was a powerful well executed story with depth and excellent character development. It kept me interested from start to finish but I would have liked a more fleshed out ending. Highly recommended to all who enjoy rather serious romance novels with emotionally troubled characters with an interwoven past that have to be confronted and overcome.

An honest review thanks to NetGalley. This book was filled with angst, from the beginning to the very end. The connection between Dakota and Jessie is undeniable even with everything built between them, the fight it but cannot escape it. I loved the aspect of Jessie being a teacher and Dakota, a high school coach; it was nice to see them interacting with students and seeing another side of both of their personalities. This was a great read filled with dramatic angst if you are in the mood to have an angst-filled read you cant go wrong with this one.