Who the Heart Chooses by Harlow James
Garnet Valley Book 1
Contemporary Small Town Romance
October 23, 2026
💍Small Town
🌼Accidental Pregnancy
💍Marriage of Convenience
🌼Not His Baby
💍It’s Always Been You
🌼Friends to Lovers
💍Forced Proximity
He’s my former best friend and my husband of convenience, but he’s not the man that got me pregnant.
One year into my nursing program, two little pink lines alter my reality.
Add on that the baby’s father wants nothing to do with us and I no longer have healthcare coverage, and well?
I start to panic.
Enter Easton Buckley—Mr. Dependable, lineman with great health benefits, and a stubborn streak that pays off when he convinces me to marry him so my baby and I can be taken care of.
The problem is, Easton and I haven’t been on good terms for years, and neither of us has attempted to fix it.
Yet now I’m living with him, forced to see him shirtless, and wondering why hearing him call me his wife is making my hormones even more wild.
Then I figure out his secret.
And there’s no stopping the flood of emotions and unresolved feelings that come up.
I’m scared to fall for Easton. I don’t want him to be a mistake like every other love interest in my life.
But what if the reality is, you can’t help who your heart chooses to love? Even if they could be the one to break it once and for all?
Start reading today! Available in Kindle Unlimited: https://mybook.to/whotheheartchooses
Start listening today: https://link.amazon/B0e57VWiB
🎙️DUET performance by Andi Eloise & Connor Crais
Who the Heart Chooses by Harlow James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
5+ “Circle, circle. Tap, tap.” STARS!
AUDIO & eBOOK REVIEW
DUET narration for the #win! However, this is one of those times where I can tell you with great certainty that DUAL narration would have been excellent as well. Am I giddy over it being DUET? Yes, I am. But the talent that both Andi Eloise and Connor Crais bring to the table is so outrageously good that I promise you that either way would be a fantastic listen. Now let’s talk about them in DUET because that’s how they performed this story. Connor is just talented. I don’t know how many different ways I can say that LOL. He just is. There hasn’t been a single audio that I can think of in this moment that he has not made an outstanding listen for me. He’s magic. And ANDI! What an exceptional performance of Lennon! I don’t listen to enough of Andi’s work. This woman captured Lennon is all her stages and all her circumstances beautifully. These two were a perfect team as Easton & Lennon and although the true magic starts with Harlow’s words, they added sparkles to that magic, and it makes my audio loving heart giddy!
The story of Lennon & Easton is one of my all time favorite tropes, so it started out winning from the get LOL! I just love a childhood-to-life-to-more romance story. I love it when the conflict from their youth is realistic. I love it when their reconnection is not riddled with conflict in the present but still has tension. Feel me? The way that Harlow chose to write their timeline, I think, was genius. It didn’t take up a whole lot of their present day journey but gave the reader enough detail to understand the depth of “what they had”. I found their story to be deeply emotional, and I was here for all of it. I loved their growth as the story grew. Their relationship unfolded in the best of ways, and I truly was lost to it all. I was super invested in these two and I find that when that happens, it turns out to be excellent storytelling!
I’ve been a fan of Harlow’s since I started reading her and she has been an author I can count on to deliver strong MCs, family bonds and a sense of community. Every “world” that I have experienced by her elevates my love for her words and there have been several occasions when I have re-listened to one of her stories to get out of a slump. She is one of a handful (maybe two handfuls lol) of authors that I immediately one-click and know that I will be delighted in the time I spend in the world she creates!
Meet Harlow James: Steamy Romance Author
Harlow James is a pen name I use to protect my identity as a high school teacher. Keeping those two roles in my life separate is necessary, but also fun! It’s like a live two lives, and anonymity gives me the opportunity to be bold and take risks in my stories.
I stumbled upon romance novels in 2018 when I picked up Driven by Kristy Bromberg, and I was obsessed. I had just lost my grandmother too, so reading offered me an escape from reality and a chance to grieve on my own terms.
About a year later, I got an idea for my own book and started writing. I researched self-publishing and jumped in with both feet. I had no idea what I was doing!
But now I’ve built a business and hobby that I LOVE! I have an outlet that’s just for me. When I write, I’m not a mom, a wife, or a teacher…I’m a woman who gets to tell stories that no one else can.
My books are the perfect blend of heartwarming moments, full-bellied laughs, and PLENTY of steam to melt your Kindles 😉 And there are always elements of me sprinkled in to every character and story that I write.
When I’m not writing you can find me reading or spending time in my kitchen. I love to cook and feed my family and friends. Otherwise, you can find me watching comedy specials with my husband, camping with our kids, or taking naps. I live for naps 😉
Connect with Harlow James: https://linktr.ee/harlowjamesauthor
