Review: Heart Strings by Ivy Fairbanks

Heart Strings is the second book in Ivy Fairbank's Love in Galway series set in Ireland.

This is my first read from the author and I thoroughly enjoyed the story and am looking forward to the next book.

About the Book

She doesn’t do second chances. But he’s not done writing their song.

Cielo “Lo” Valdez doesn’t believe in second chances. Surviving cancer taught her life is too short to spend time on someone who wronged you. But Aidan O’Toole is determined to show her life is best spent together.

When the tough-as-nails Texan moved to Galway for medical school, she wasn’t looking for love. Aidan, a gorgeous, tattooed, mandolin-playing lawyer, slipped past her defenses. They each fell hard and fast. But when Aidan was given the opportunity of a lifetime—to move to London and record an album—he took it, breaking Lo’s heart. Yet more than two years and a successful album later, every song he writes is still about her, the one he let get away. And every time Lo hears his voice on the radio singing about love, it’s an arrow straight to her soul.

Now they’re on a collision course as maid of honor and best man at a weekend-long Irish castle wedding. Are some mistakes worth forgiving? Can Aidan convince Lo their song wasn’t meant to end?

My Review

Heart Strings is a second chance romance that’ll make you laugh, shed a few tears, and give you butterflies.

The storyline is a precarious balancing act of feelings and emotions that had my heart in a chokehold. Lo and Aidan’s relationship is so beautifully fragile and their journey is a tough one. Can they find the courage to claim the happiness they both so desperately deserve?

This was a book full of so many feelings and of so much love. The dialogue is funny and heartfelt. The characters are fun-loving, endearing, and easily relatable. I smiled a lot while reading and couldn’t contain a few chuckles.

I know I’m mentioning love a lot, but that’s the best way I can describe Heart Strings. All the actions, all the drama, all the earth-shattering and heartwrenching things that happen in this book, are colored with love. Love of a parent. Love of a friend. Love of family. And a love so raw, it defies definition. 

I am looking forward to the next book.

FTC Disclaimer: I voluntarily read a copy of the book generously provided by the publisher via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way influences my thoughts or feelings about the book or the content of my review.

Excerpt & Purchase Links

Penguin Random House*

About the Author

Photo: © Eero Loera

Ivy Fairbanks is the author of Morbidly Yours and Heart Strings, and a shameless consumer of rom-com books, hazelnut coffee, and Hozier music. Not necessarily in that order. Living with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome has made her a believer in the importance of representation in romance. Fairbanks writes stories where realistic characters find love, acceptance, and their happily-ever-afters. She lives in the Tampa Bay area with her husband and son. At any given moment, she is probably trapped under a sleeping tabby cat. Learn more at www.ivyfairbanksbooks.com

*Third party links to the publisher's website. May contain affiliate links.