Kindle Edition Download to your Nook (eBook) Amazon Elizabeth Horton-Newton, Author Category:  Romance Publisher: CreateSpace ISBN-10:  1536832677 Type: Fiction Pages: 435 Copyright: Sept. 24 2016 ISBN-13: 9781536832679 Price: $2.99 (eBook) Follow Dani Stone as she journeys the winding path fate has laid out for her. A sexy encounter with a talented native artist, a broken heart, and a knight in shining armor are just the beginning in this passionate romance. Dani Stone never expected to fall in love with carver Jesse Wolf Carver. She certainly didn't foresee the results of her intense one night stand with the sexy hunk. From the wealth of New York City to the southern city of Knoxville, Tennessee, follow Dani as she journeys the winding path fate has laid out for her. Will she ever forget Jesse and the passion she felt in his arms? Can any man replace him in her heart? And most importantly, will her secret be revealed? This is a story of passion, love, loss, and courage.

High Octane Romance and a Twisty Adventure
Carved Wooden Heart is a mixture of high octane romance and a twisty adventure that will keep you up at night wondering how the characters will all evolve. Having already read Riddle and View From The Sixth Floor, I knew Horton-Newton’s work very well. In collaboration with Starla Hartless, an author I wasn’t familiar with, I was glad to find the voice kept up with the traditional clipped pace I was used to.

Erotic romance is not a genre on my regular radar but I found this book to be suspenseful and humorous and very well written. Dani is a character you will want to root for. A mixture of naivety and passion at the outset, she quickly learns that the steely hearted man she has fallen for is not quite your traditional Romeo. The reader gets glimpses of his armored heart with hints of extraordinary charisma that provides a knot of tension throughout the book. But any coping mechanism Dani hopes to achieve gets swiftly tossed out of the window as Jesse takes her on another rollercoaster ride of emotions.

I must say, Dani is hard to outmaneuver and that’s what I like about her. She’s ready to accept the consequences of her actions even though she is relentlessly in pursuit of love. There are a few scenes of graphic intimacy which will convey a reader fairly rapidly to steamsville and many twists in the trail leaving her better equipped to deal with the next hurdle. And she does it all with such panache.The characters are intriguing and cleverly individual, from Doug the savior to Dani’s parents, all the way down to a very believable and lovable boy called Dylan.

Fun Contemporary Romance
Daniella is a young woman just beginning to find her way in life. Jesse is an artist haunted by personal demons. When Dani's work brings them together, a brief interval of passion leads to feelings deep enough to last a lifetime. But fate is a fickle thing, and a series of chance events soon forces them apart. But, sometimes, seemingly harmless actions can have lasting consequences, and life doesn't always lead us along the road we thought it would.

I enjoyed this book. It's a contemporary romance that reminded me of the style of an Olivia Goldsmith novel. As a transplanted New Yorker, myself, I found the Manhattan setting nostalgic. The description of the scenes was detailed enough that I could almost smell the street-cart food and hear the taxi horns blaring. The characters are interesting and complex enough to keep you interested in their stories. And the love scenes are hot enough to keep romance fans happy. All-in-all, a fun story. Five stars.

Powerful and Passionate
I loved this intimate story. From the very first page I was pulled into this beautiful powerful romance. The unique nature of Jesse's work and the incredible attraction between the two lovers were elements that kept me turning pages well into the night. I look forward to more from Ms. Elizabeth Horton-Newton.