Romantic Reads: Heart Pressed

The Story Behind the story of Heart Pressed by Melissa Wardwell

Heart Pressed is about family and the traditions that bind us to them. Some families are traditional with both parents still together and the siblings are expanding the family, but behind closed doors they are dysfunctional. Then you have those who are the last of their family and long to share the love they experienced with others.

Beth's family is dysfunctional in several ways but it is masked by the lives they lead. Her relationship with her mother leaves Beth feeling like an outsider looking in the mansion windows, longing to be included. The image of young Peter Pan, from the movie Hook, looking in the window of the home of his parents after being a lost boy for a few years comes to mind.

Then, there is Scott who has no family left, no legacy to carry on, and only a cousin (who you meet in the next book) to call family. His family was strong once and he searches for that connection with his friends to fill in the gap.

Now, Amara has also lost her parents but the roots she has in the vineyard help connect her to those who cultivated the land and planted the first vines. Her longing for more people to love draws her to take matters into her own hands.

Finally, Dante has all the family love he can handle but he is ready for his own. Living with his parents and grandparents, he helps them with the day to day running of their vineyard while working as a peacemaker of sorts to build bridges with those who were once friends.

One of the things I have found is that family is what you make it. Whether it is a close network of friends that you fellowship with regularly or the people you a share a genetic bond with, cultivating those relationships is what grounds a person and gives them roots. These are people God has put in our lives to mold us and help us grow. We learn from our grandparents’ stories, our parents discipline and discipleship, and other life lessons in how to be good, productive humans through relationships with our siblings (hopefully). Our lives all weave together in a beautiful tapestry that can only be designed by the Father. 

I hope you will take the time to read this, and the other stories, and see just how pivotal these families are to each other and the future of the Independence Islands.

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Author Bio:

Melissa Wardwell resides in Owosso, Michigan with her husband and three teen-aged children.

She doesn't mind alternating between the world of writing and the reality of being a mother, but she would rather sit with a good book or a good friend and a cup of coffee.

When she isn't penning works of fiction, she is busy reviewing books for her blog, Back Porch Reads. To see more from Melissa Wardwell, visit www.melissawardwell.com

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Book blurb for Heart Pressed:

Crushes are great for grapes, wine, and romance—not so great for hearts. 

The Sweetheart Festival, an Elnora Island institution, has sparked more than a few romances over the years, but who would have thought it would light a fire in two hearts from two of the island’s oldest families. When Amara Martin and Dante Greco meet, sparks fly that may ignite more than romance.

Two wineries, old feuds, generations of traditions.

Seeing the attraction at Amara and Dante’s chance meeting, Beth Stevens and Scott Anderson join forces to do a little matchmaking, not realizing the pressure it would bring to both households and their own hearts. 

The new couple must decide if they will adhere to tradition or break free from expectations and choose love. Pressure on every side threatens a love that hasn’t yet had a chance to ripen—for both Amara and Dante as well as for Beth and Scott.

In this “forbidden love” novel, Heart Pressed continues the Elnora Island romances of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

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Buy Heart Pressed on Amazon

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Connect with Melissa:
Website: www.melissawardwell.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/mwardwellwrites
Instagram: www.instagram.com/mwardwellwrites
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/profile/melissa-wardwell
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/10794937.Melissa_Wardwell