I received the book Crossed Hearts from the author through the M/M Romance group Don’t But My Love program for an honest review. This book is told in third person through the eyes of Kory Vansant and Will Squire.


I’ve read a previous book by this author and I liked the way she wrote and pulled words together, that’s why I was eager to read this story. I don’t normally go for morbid books like this but the characters sounded interesting.

Kory Vansant aka Kory Kent, is a heart recipient and ex-porn star. He was born with a congenital heart defect and at any moment could drop dead. He made a bargain with God, that if he got a heart, he’d turn his life around, leave the porn business, start somewhere new and get a job like a normal person. Kory got his wish and received the heart of a high school football player. Kory is very superstitious, especially about goats and he’s afraid to trust that his new heart won’t stop on him. He also believes that the deal he made with God meant that he shouldn’t have sex ever again, but he is drawn to Will and breaks what he thinks is his deal with God.

Will Squire is a mortician and paramedic. He and his partner happened to be the ones to arrive on the scene when the heart donor collapses. He’s also the one that embalmed the young man. Will has very low self-esteem, which wasn’t helped when he asked Darryl- who he thought was a boyfriend- didn’t want anything to do with marriage to him. Basically Will put Darryl on a pedestal and it took the breakup and the arrival of Kory for him to realize what a jerk Darryl was.

Both men are skittish about revealing their past history to the other, believing the other will find them disgusting. It turns out Darryl has a hand in the revelation of their pasts and Will and Kory have to face what they refused to talk about.

Since Will was a mortician and Kory a heart recipient, this book had the specter of death hovering throughout it. I’ll be honest and say it made me uncomfortable. I prefer light and happy books or adventure books. I skip books with horror and depressing themes, but I decided to read this anyway. Unfortunately, I couldn’t read this in one sitting. I had to put it down frequently because the overhanging cloud of death was depressing. I’m guessing it won’t bother most people. In this case it is definitely ‘It’s me, not you,’ sort of thing. The story was surprisingly romantic however, and the way the relationship and romance unfolded was realistic to me and just how I like to read them.

However, I still enjoyed the writer’s way with words, not too much or too little description. I liked the characters and found both unique, especially Kory. Darryl was maybe a bit over-the-top, but he wasn’t in the story that much to get annoying.

Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to others. I'll most likely read the other books in the series. I give this story 4.5 stars, but since I can’t give half stars I round it to 4 Stars.


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I received a copy of this book via the Don't Buy My Love program in exchange for an honest review

Such a sweet book! I absolutely loved this. Kimber strikes gold again. I loved other books I read from her, and this was no exception.

Will is a mortician working at his uncle's funeral home, who also works part time as an EMT. Will is dumped by his jerk "boyfriend" at the beginning of the book. One night while working his EMT shift, he gets called to the high school football field where a player collapsed. Brandon ends up not making it and is an organ donor. Will is very affected by the death of this young guy, especially after he also assists with the funeral.

Kory is a former porn star who had had a bad heart and required a transplant. He ends up moving from California to New Jersey when he gets the call that there is a heart for him. Brandon's heart. He had prayed and promised that he would leave his past behind him and make his life better if he got a second chance. Kory has a few moments where he has to determine exactly what this means for him (does it mean no more porn? no more men at all?)

Will meets Kory at the cemetery where both guys are visiting Brandon's grave. There is an immediate attraction between them. They form a friendship that eventually leads to a lot more. The story between the guys is sweet. Kory has never had a boyfriend before and Will has been burned in the past, so it starts slow and progresses conservatively, which I think helped them grow closer. They seem to be on the same page throughout the whole book and it was adorable.

Of course there has to be drama. Will's jerk ex knows Kory is a porn star and gets mad when Kory doesn't want to hook up with him. Then he tries to get Will back and is very threatening. He is the ultimate jerk. I could have lived with out Darryl in the book, but I think it was important for the guys to finally get to deeper truths with each other, and Darryl helped them get there. Jerk. Sorry, did I say that already?

The ending epilogue? Absolute perfection. I wouldn't mind getting a short down the road to see their happiness. I loved them. ( )