Saving His Heart by Avery Maxwell - book review

Published: 14 December 2020
Series: Broken Hearts #3
Pages: 354
Warnings: Language, death

*This is a standalone book #3 in the interconnected series, The Westbrooks: Broken Hearts.

Never have I ever…

The number one rule in medicine is don’t fall in love with your patients, but Preston Westbrook makes his own rules. Hand him a life-altering diagnosis, and all bets are off.

I’m a doctor without a license. He’s a billionaire without a chance.

He hired me to care for his failing heart, but when meddling family forces his hand, he introduces me as his girlfriend. His live-in girlfriend! What can go wrong, right?Agreeing to Preston’s scheme will ensure I never practice again, but he’s willing to pay handsomely for my services. Do I even have a choice? My family needs me to make ends meet, and I’ll never let my sisters down again. Giving up my dreams to help a fake boyfriend seems like my only answer.

The lines between make-believe and reality blur the first time Preston touches me. One kiss and I’m a goner. Sweet words whispered in heated moments, and I know I’ll never be the same. From girls’ nights and drinking games to over the top romantic gestures, it’s easy to forget why I’m here.

Preston has a broken heart, but mine was never supposed to be on the line. He wants me to believe in happily ever after, but I’m finding it impossible when I know Prince Charming could leave me in the end.

There’s a crazy old lady telling everyone I’ll fix him, but when I fail, who’s going to fix me?

Book cover - Saving His Heart by Avery Maxwell

Book links: Amazon | Goodreads

Reader warning: don’t read this book in a cafe, on public transport or sitting at your desk during your lunch break. In other words, no public places. Learn from my mistake and don’t read it anywhere that you don’t want to be seen ugly crying!

I read Saving His Heart in one sitting. I literally couldn’t stand to put it down. I tried, but then I kept picking it up again. Just a few minutes more… until I finished the book. It was that good. And I have created a new category – this is my first ever 6 Thumbs Up review!!

Avery Maxwell managed to such me in really early with Saving His Heart and then held my attention tightly. It is very rare for me to actually shed a tear over a book, but with this one, I barely stopped crying! And it even managed to make me a little mad, right at the end. I thought I was through the worst of it and was busily enjoying an upward turn, when bam! Right near the end, Avery Maxwell sucked me in and there I was, crying again. I totally didn’t see that last crying bout coming, the sneaky little sucker. (But I forgave Avery quickly, because I loved the story too much to stay mad!)

We first met Preston in the earlier instalments of the The Westbrook’s: Broken Hearts series. And while you could read this book on its own, I have no doubt you’ll enjoy it more if you go back to the beginning and follow their story from the start.

Preston’s heart is failing. Emory is the doctor that he hires to take care of him.

Their story is deeply emotive, as it deals with the issue of facing death, both from the perspective of the person who is dying, as well as that of the person in love with someone who won’t be around to grow old with them.

There is a lovely romance story happening between Preston and Emory, but equally enjoyable is the story surrounding them. Every character is given the chance to develop their own personality, and in doing so, it really creates a strong and clear picture of the whole family and their friends. I particularly enjoyed the personality quirks of some of them. It not only make them amusing and a little odd, but really brings them to life. And some of the sibling interaction is so real!

If I haven’t made it clear enough yet, Saving His Heart is a real tear jerker. Expect to feel a LOT while you’re reading this one. But Avery Maxwell has done it so well done that it isn’t a trial to read, nor is it a ‘heavy’ story. Rather, I was immersed enough in the story that I wanted more (even if I did go through half a box of tissues).

But, please be aware – a lot of focus is given to death in this book. (Some of you may consider the next little bit to be a spoiler, so you may want to skip a sentence or two.) I’m not giving the game away when I say that there is a happy ending, as Avery says it herself at the beginning of the book. But there is plenty of emotional turmoil to be faced before you get there, so for some of you this book might be hard to read.

And the good news is, we haven’t reached the end of the series yet! We still have #4 to look forward to.

Thank you to Avery Maxwell for my copy of this book and in return I am giving my honest and unbiased review.

Saving His Heart by Avery Maxwell - 6 Thumbs Up!

Avery Maxwell is an American Romance Author who loves wine, sexy stories, pizza, and her family.

Avery is a hot mess of a mom to four wildly sweet mini-humans and two fur babies. She spends far too much time in her pj’s and trips over herself multiple times a day. Accident-prone is probably a fair assessment.

Having grown up in small-town Vermont, Avery often jokes about being the most naïve person in the room. Luckily, she’s used that small-town charm to write character-driven contemporary romances that have you laughing one minute, and crying the next.

When she isn’t refereeing (three little boys require a lot of whistle blowing), or cuddled up with her real-life Prince Charming, you can find her tucked away with a bottle of wine (because those steamy scenes don’t write themselves!), or coaching her daughter’s basketball team.

Avery now lives in North Carolina where she brings life, love, and a happily ever after to every character she writes.