Renaissance of the Heart

WOMEN'S FICTION:  Forty-year-old Amanda Lewis is blindsided when her husband of over fifteen years comes out of the closet and leaves her for a man. After taking some time to repair her broken heart and shattered dreams by going on a cruise, she returns to her home in Pittsburgh where she crosses paths with a younger NFL quarterback, Bradley Erickson.  They immediately find a connection, but the only problem is this: he is twelve years Amanda’s junior. Battling with her soon-to-be ex proves more difficult to handle, but with Bradley’s love and attention, she finds herself and becomes stronger than ever. Soon, Amanda finds that maybe she can have another chance at love—if she can open herself up to new possibilities and to taking a risk. 

Although charmingly poignant, this is a low-drama, sweet love story.  Additionally, this novel moves slowly and doesn’t go anywhere fast, which may lose some readers. Amanda and Bradley have chemistry, but at times the connection between the two seemed manufactured, mainly stemming from a lack of “grandness” in their relationship development. Moreover, Amanda’s character can seem a bit alienating from readers at times—she has some possibly unpopular opinions about various hot-button topics. Additionally, the development of her character can appear truncated at times, especially in her reaction to her husband’s newly-expressed homosexuality. Bradley is a very kind, sweet character, but the reader does not receive the opportunity to see very many facets of his character. Readers who love sweet, inspirational stories and sports romance novels will enjoy “Renaissance of the Heart”. 

Mia Francis