Deb’s Dozen: Two hurt and lonely people work together to accomplish their individual goals.

Am I blessed! Another Loree Lough book! Guardians of the Heart is Book Two of the Secrets of Sterling Street Series. Like the first book, the ending of this historical romance is predictable, but how the characters arrive there is the fun of the read.

Nell Holstrom has lived a life of poverty and want, but now has found a sanctuary and employment with the DiMaggios in their store. However, Michelle’s mother, Maria, is coming to live with them and will need the tiny apartment Nell has been calling her own. Joe tells her that Asa Stone has an ad up for a housekeeper for the Stone Hill Inn, which he is refurbishing and hoping to reopen.

Nell approaches Asa for the job and is immediately hired. He’s taken note of her as she’s worked at DiMaggio’s and is intrigued by her cheerful nature, not to mention her beauty. Talking with Joe, he discovers she does a multitude of tasks at DiMaggio’s and is certain he’s made the right decision. In an attempt to make the transition easier for her, he fixes up the storeroom at the back of the Inn for Nell. When she arrives, Nell is pleasantly surprised at the accommodations and immediately sets out to make the room, the kitchen, and the rest of the house livable and homey.

Asa keeps working on restoring the Inn and Nell keeps working at trying to make him talk to her. Taciturn by nature, and harboring a dark secret, Asa tries to tamp down his growing attraction for Nell. Nell works harder and harder trying to win Asa’s approval. You will love these two and the way they complement and spark off each other. Well-developed, as most Loree Lough characters are, you’ll want to keep reading to learn more and more. The characters from the first Sterling Street novel, Currency of the Heart, pop in and out and endear themselves further to you.

The only fault I could find with the story is the ending. I feel the ending was rushed—I wanted more detail about the events that occurred at the end. Guess I’ll have to wait for Book Three! Guardians of the Heart (To purchase, click here.) rates Four Stars and is well worth the read.

Loree Lough is a prolific writer who has nearly five million of her books in print. In March 2014, she added her one-hundredth book to her shelf. Congrats, Loree! She shares her hard-earned wisdom about writing and the business of writing at conferences all over the country. She splits her time between their tiny home outside Baltimore and their even tinier cabin in the Allegheny Mountains. She shares her life with her real-life hero, Larry, who silently puts up with the folderol of a writer’s life with few complaints. Visit Loree at www.LoreeLough.com.

My thanks to Whittaker House and The Book Club Network for providing me a copy of Guardians of the Heart in exchange for my unbiased review. (Okay, slightly biased because I love Loree’s writing!)