Hometown Girl at Heart (Hometown #1)
Published March 30th 2016 (first published July 15th 2014), Paperback 321 pages
Tara has always been too engrossed in her work - refurbishing the historical homes in Smithville. She keeps a tight rein on her jobs and her emotions buried, but she’s losing control of both since that ridiculous city boy investor showed up.
New in town, Justin is confident that his ultra modern resorts will bring Smithville into the twenty-first century. If only the local-yokels and their ringleader, the gorgeous and peculiar Tara, would stop interfering.
With her quirky and protective hometown behind her, will Tara confront Justin and the town’s long buried secrets to take on the financial and emotional risk of a lifetime?
User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Didn't see that coming.Wow, this one really takes you by surprise. This whole story has so many twists and turns and such a sweet one wrapped up in the middle. Read during the covid 2020 stay safer at home orders.
Rating: really liked it
Hometown Girl at Heart book1This was such a good read. You get the small town feel with the people that come alive with every turn of the page. Romance is in the air.
Rating: really liked it
Hometown Girl At Heart by Kirsten Fullmer
This story starts out with Tara and she's won the bid to renovate the building. It's a total disaster but that never stopped her.
She learns of a development for the resort that will be onsite and the problem with that is she finds him very attractive and it does funny things to her stomach.
Story also follows Justin and he likes to do things by a certain order. He has a hard time locating TJ and the town residents are very vague til he finds a record at the town hall.
They had gotten off on the wrong foot to say the least.
Really like this story because it explains how Tara does things her way-love the recycling or products she scavengers for-so cool! Like hearing how Justin does things his way, methodical and he finds something about Tara that attracts him to her.
Adult scenes are included. Love how the whole town shows up for the ribbon cutting and how fast things go. Justin learns the truth about Tara over time as to how she came to be in the town and does her work and why.
So patriotic and caring and he's like the total opposite. Can't wait to read more from this author.
Received this review copy from the publicist and this is my honest opinion.
Rating: really liked it
In this book Fullmer shows how firm a grasp she has at writing punchy dialogue and characters able to leap off the page as you read. There is also, I found, a charm underneath the romance, meaning it had a greater depth than just being a romantic-type of novel. A lot more subtle, but also rewarding because of that. It also wasn’t too heavily focussed on graphic sex scenes meaning there was a real balance that added to the overall experience.
A well thought out novel that shows there is still room for a fresh voice to rise up in the romance genre.
Rating: really liked it
Nice romance - feels like an older one - quiet 3.5 stars
Rating: really liked it
Really great readAwesome read for a rainy day. Great characters overall. Not a lot of heat lots of sweet though and growth for the hero and heroine.
Rating: really liked it
This is a classic love story about a woman falling for the handsome outsider, against her initial intuition. The story unfolds during the weeks it takes her to renovate an old house ready for sale, while she is obliged to work with the big city out-of-towner who thinks he knows it all and infuriates her. Similarly he is far from keen to develop any relationship with her at all, let alone a romantic one. However, things develop and change and the pair’s feelings towards each other duly develop and change. Although I thought it was a dead cert that they would eventually get it together, I didn’t find the plot predictable. I never knew from scene to scene how things would work out in the roller coaster relationship the pair find themselves in. This was an enjoyable book that I happily spent a lazy afternoon reading.
Rating: really liked it
I like the charactersThis story captures the beauty of the small town community. Change is hard, but it does happen. I’ll recommend this story to my sweet romance reading friends.
Rating: really liked it
Loved it. Now reading second book
Rating: really liked it
From the start this author used good descriptive language and set the scene perfectly. We find the main character in a newly acquired property, decorating and renovating for resale on a tight schedule, when an unexpected stranger turns up in the form of competition. Misunderstandings follow and continue throughout the story, with plenty of difficult interactions, plus a whole lot of sexual tension, as the couple get to know each other and work together. Their immediate dislike and mistrust soon turns to attraction and this is essentially a love story about overcoming differences. The story is told from a very female perspective, charting a very female fantasy. The main character has definite issues and conflicts as a woman uncomfortable with her own desires, which makes her all the more believable.
Rating: really liked it
Building a relationshipI enjoyed the way this book flowed. Tara was a lost soul and worked so hard to thank the people that had helped her along the way. Justin showed up in town and cracked her hard exterior. She also helped him realize how much people work together and are loyal to each other. A great book about how a town goes to great measures to protect the ones they love. This is my first time reading Kirsten Fullmer. I know it will not be my last!
Rating: really liked it
WOW, what a intriguing and beautiful romance!I wasn't sure when I started this book if I would like it, but just chapters in, I couldn't put it down! Loved how she remade stuff and had so much stored too! Was so glad that they worked together and created such a beautiful place! Can't wait to read more by this author if they are like this one!
Rating: really liked it
Romance, romance, romance...Such a fun and interesting novel. Small town girl meets city boy. Fussing and feuding ensue. They finally decide to work on a a large, expensive building project together.
Rating: really liked it
Tara is passionate about restoring historic homes in the town of Smithville. Justin, on the other hand, firmly believes that modern resorts are the answer to the town's problems.
Two determined people with opposite views. How will they solve this problem?
A nice read,
Rating: really liked it
"You know, first you didn't want anything to do with me and I chased you, then I dedided we weren't meant to be, and you chased me, then you told me you were good with it, so I attacked you by the dumpster. Typical boy meets girl."It's a light romance and it didn't made me roll my eyes and made me laugh a lot with the things and situations created around Tara and Justin. However, by the end, yes, literally in the last thirty pages, the book went to a path that I didn't enjoy. That Muffy situation and Tara's obsession with giving back to the community it was a little bit much. And a book that was a solid four stars became a three.
