An Everyday Hero

by Laura Trentham Narrated by Bailey Carr

Overview

From award-winning author Laura Trentham comes An Everyday Hero, an emotionally layered novel about redemption, second chances and discovering that life is worth fighting for.

At thirty, Greer Hadley never expected to be forced home to Madison, Tennessee with her life and dreams of being a songwriter up in flames. To make matters worse, a series of bad decisions and even crappier luck lands her community service hours at a nonprofit organization that aids veterans and their families. Greer cannot fathom how she's supposed to use music to help anyone deal with their trauma and loss when the one thing that brought her joy has failed her.

When Greer meets fifteen-year-old Ally Martinez, her plans to stay detached and do as little as possible get thrown away. New to town and dealing with the death of her father in action, she hides her emotions behind a mask of bitterness and sarcasm, but Greer is able to see past it and recognizes pieces of who she once was in Ally. The raw and obvious talent she possesses could take her to the top and Greer vows to make sure life's negativities don't derail Ally's potential.

After Greer is assigned a veteran to help, she's not surprised Emmett Lawson, the town's golden boy, followed his family's legacy. What leaves her shocked is the shell of a man who believes he doesn't deserve anyone's help. A breakthrough with Ally reminds Greer that no one is worth giving up on. So she shows up one day with his old guitar, and meets Emmett's rage head on with her stubbornness. When a situation with Ally becomes dire, the two of them must become a team to save her-and along the way they might just save themselves too.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Griffin

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 11/11/2019

Trentham (The Military Wife) nails the pride and pain of military families with this expertly rendered, deeply felt contemporary romance. Greer Hadley gives up her Nashville music dreams and returns to her tiny hometown of Madison, Tenn., only to find her long-distance boyfriend in bed with someone else. She responds by getting drunk and trashing a local bar. After getting arrested, Greer must complete 50 hours of community service as a music teacher at a local charity dedicated to aiding veterans and their families. One of Greer’s first students happens to be her high school crush, Emmett Lawson, an Army captain who lost his leg to war. Undeterred by Emmett’s initial prickly manner, Greer pushes for him to open up, and soon animosity turns to attraction between them. Trentham’s agility with tough topics—including PTSD and substance abuse—and her effortlessly empathetic characters combine to create a compulsively readable tale. By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this story will grip readers from start to finish. Agent: Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. (Feb.)

From the Publisher

"By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, this story will grip readers from start to finish." - Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"Trentham (The Military Wife, 2019) explores the complex range of emotions facing members of the military and their loved ones, emphasizing the power of connection. Fans of Mary Kay Andrews' novels and Matthew Quick's The Reason You're Alive (2017) will enjoy this patriotic and heartwarming story of ambition, identity, and regained potential." - Booklist, Starred Review

"Readers will delight in the heartfelt way the characters' lives are woven together." - Library Journal

Library Journal

01/01/2020

After her hopes of a career as a songwriter in Nashville fizzled, 30-year-old Greer Hadley moved home to Madison, TN. Then her boyfriend, Beau, cheated on her. Following a night of drinking and bad decisions, Greer is sentenced to serve 50 hours of community service at an organization assisting veterans and their families coping with trauma. She is assigned to 15-year-old Ally Martinez, whose father was killed in action. Ally is angry, abrasive, and still struggling with her grief. Greer also takes on reclusive war hero and town golden boy Emmett Lawson, who lost a leg in combat and now hides out in a secluded cabin on his parents' horse farm. Handsome, guilt-ridden Emmett resists efforts to help, even from sexy, fiery-tempered Greer. When a surprise connection between Ally and Emmett is brought to light, readers will delight in the heartfelt way the characters' lives are woven together. VERDICT Though part of the "Heart of a Hero" series (following The Military Wife), Trentham's romance with themes of family, music, and military can stand alone. Recommended for purchase where contemporary romance is popular.—Laura Jones, Indiana State Lib., Argos

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169426540
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	02/04/2020
Series:	Heart of a Hero , #2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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