"I loved every page from start to finish.  I enjoyed Civil Hearts  so much, that I didn't want to stop reading and go to sleep. 
Claire Gem knows how to pull you in, and keep you in, all the way through.

I found this to be an interesting read and enjoyed the story.

My thanks to Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I had a hard time believing this story and I don't mean the ghost thing either. There were just too many coincidences to 
 be possible. I really liked Heath but Liv  just had too much "poor me" attitude. I think the romance between them was very well played out andI liked the ending.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC.

A quote (from ARC):
“There was always a constant worry. Heath’s condition hovered at the back of his mind like a silent, hulking beast. His nemesis. One that threatened to do – or undo – things to his body he had no control over.” 

A well-written, tranquil story with a wounded hero afflicted by a rarely addressed medical condition, “Civil Hearts” is a paranormal romance set in rural Alabama.
Heath’s condition is nicely interwoven throughout the story and the romantic relationship has a lovely, slow beginning.
The heroine’s pain is also depicted in a realist way.
I found the hero’s brief attraction for another woman an oddity in the story.

This is the first time I've read anything by this author, and she's clearly a seasoned pro. This story is told in alternating POV and tense, and done seamlessly. The heroines (forgot her name) parts are in first person, and Heath's in third.

I adored Heath, my heart went out to him, and I hated the way the heroine treated him, and the despair she made him feel, more than once.

And therein lays the issue that stopped me loving this story. The heroine...wait, let me go check the blurb. Right, Liv. Liv was a hard character for me to like. I get 'why' she was like she was, but come on, move on. Her cry me river-damsel in distress act-grew tiresome. And that's all I'll say on that front.

What appealed to me about this book was the spooky cover, one that lead me to believe this was a ghost story, and while this is a ghost story of sorts to be found here, this is very much a romance complete with woe-is-me drama.

Oh, another thing that really bothered me about Liv was her judgment of Ben. Sure, she realised how wrong she was in the end, but for me it was too little too late.

I'm giving this 3.75 stars and rounding up due to the story being engaging and, despite my misgivings, I kept turning the pages.

Copy received via the Read Now section of NetGalley.