Review: It is a story that you can get lost in
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 19, 2013
Written by Tash MOriginally posted on confessionsfromromaholics dot comARC provided kindly by Random Hosue  for reviewing purposesCora's Heart is the first book that I've read by Rachael Herron in her "Cypress Hollow" series. This is the fourth book in the series and each of them follows a different woman. This story is about Cora, a woman who has experienced a lifetime of hurt and is about to experience a whole lot more. Ever since she was little, Cora wanted a place and family to call home. Abandoned by her mother, who didn't have the skills to care for and protect her from her father, she was placed into the foster system where she had some good families but was never adopted. By the time she was fifteen she was heartbroken and didn't trust anyone. Placed in a group home in Cypress Hill, it took one family and a special woman to give her some sense of happinessEliza is a world famous knitter who spends some of her time every week at a group home and eventually takes Cora to her home, giving Cora for the first time in years a stable life. Cora thrives under Eliza's care and become best friends with two cousins, Mac and Logan, who are always there for her as Cora's time at school isn't always pleasant. Teasing by the boys and by the most popular girl, Trixie is nasty. Both of the guys have crushes on her, but Cora pushes Mac away, even though she loves him because Trixie is interested in him and what Trixie wants, Trixie gets. Logan is only a friend but one night they get far too passionate and Cora becomes pregnant. Logan does the honourable thing and marries her but it is just the beginning of her grown up heartache.Cora loses the baby a short while after she marries Logan and throws her energy into running the house and supporting Logan in his bronco riding career. Unfortunately, he dies five years later from cancer and it is a guilty relief to her as their marriage wasn't what she expected it to be. Now, she lives off the land, barely staying afloat as the insurance ran out years ago and she only has Valentine, Logan's mother, and Louisa, Mac's mother, to ask for help. Logan's cousin Mac left years ago and she is angry at him as he never came back for Logan's funeral.Valentine and her friends have kept her busy but Aunt Louisa always thought little of Cora and it doesn't help that Trixie is still in town. She gets the news she hoped that she would never hear: Mac is back and it seems that he on a mission and it could not come at a worse time. Cora has lost all her stock for sale including her wool which she uses to knit sweaters that command a high dollar because of her association with Eliza. Despite all these issues, she's happy and has a positive outlook on her life. Mac's arrival shakes things up and brings a secret that threatens her life.Mac--the cousin she loved but who never came in the time of her need--stayed away because he knew he couldn't have Cora as he couldn't live up to her expectations. Despite Trixie trying her hardest, he didn't take up her offer and he left the area after having been offered a job at his friend Royal's farm as the resident vet. The only male member of his family left, Mac tries to break the family curse of gambling. He knows the damage it has caused and the results that left Cora and his Aunt Valentine in barely sustainable situations.Mac wants the best, but Cora has always been his downfall and with Cora taking an interest in his business, she's the only person who knows when he lying. He's got to tread lightly as he could unearth further secrets. Mac brought Royal along with him and he takes an interest in Trixie whose daughter Olivia is the same age as Cora's child would have been if she had been born. Olivia's parentage is a closely kept secret; a secret that could change everything Mac wants to achieve and could shatter Cora's happinessEver since I read Loretta Hill's rural contemporary The Girl in Hard Hat, I have fallen in love with beautiful rural contemporary stories with strong characters and beautiful scenery. So, it was no-brainer for me to accept this for review from the publisher.  I was curious to see how an American book would stack against the Aussies. I wasn't disappointed. Hopefully, Australians will embrace this story like I have. It is a story that you can get lost in, and forget that the setting is a small, sleepy town America.4 couples