It was kind of sweet, kind of fast-very insta lovey ish.
But sweet. It was enjoyable and a little bit of fun.

An enjoyable romance with likable characters. I was unfamiliar with the prior books in the series which naturally means I’ll have to go back for them. I’m more familiar with the author’s historical romances so its interesting to read her contemporary romance work as well. I would probably read anything she writes.

Stevie‘s review of Colliding Hearts (Hearts on Fire, Book 3) by L.M. Connolly
Contemporary Romance published by Tule Publishing Group 19 Aug 19

I’ve been enjoying this series about three very different but equally successful men, who share an absent – and now deceased – mother. This time around, we meet the sibling no one knew about before the series began: Daniel, the first child that Evangeline Miller abandoned in her quest for fame, fortune, and adoration. Daniel McCord has always known he was adopted and enjoys a close relationship with the parents who raised him, as well as the rest of their family, so he’s not particularly bothered to learn about his blood relatives, even if one half-brother designed his favourite marque of sports car – of which he owns an example – and the other is planning to make an offer on a building Daniel has an interest in. Daniel’s more immediate concern is the well-being of his younger sister, whom is undergoing the last round of treatment following breast cancer, and what to do about his sister’s best friend, soon to arrive in town with no one to meet her at the airport since Daniel’s sister got held up at the hospital.


Rita Morley, meanwhile, is disappointed not to be met by her best friend as she arrives in the US for the first time, but excited both about the fun they’ll have together and about the fact that she’s been asked to take part in an exhibition of works by up-and-coming artists. Certain that she doesn’t need the help of a man she’s never met, Rita arranges car rental and temporary accommodation that suit her limited budget and heads off in search of a brief rest before her meeting with the gallery’s owner. Unfortunately a combination of bad luck, jetlag, and a car in such poor condition it should never have been hired to anyone leads to Rita being in a collision with Daniel’s chauffeur-driven limo. Mortified to learn whom she’s just inconvenienced, Rita tries to continue on her way, but Daniel steps in to rescue her from a motel she really doesn’t want to be anywhere near.

Later, at the first gallery event on Rita’s schedule, she learns that the beautiful building it’s housed in is scheduled for demolition – on Daniel’s orders after a damning surveyor’s report – to be replaced by far less characterful modern buildings. Rita is not happy with this prospect, and it turns out that Daniel’s half-brother agrees with her, seeing lots of potential in the existing structure for the next addition to his chain of boutique hotels. In spite of their difference of opinion on this matter, Rita and Daniel continue to see more of each other, and she embarks on her next artwork, a portrait of Daniel, even though he’s not a great fan of her style. However, he can see that others around him appreciate it and wants to both spend more time with Rita and find out what she makes of him.

Although the romance between Rita and Daniel was the focus of this book, I was far more taken with the secondary plots around the fate of the building and Rita’s friendship with Daniel’s sister, not to mention the glimpses we get of Ethan and Scarlett from the previous book. I also liked that we got to see Rita in her more usual environment back in the UK in addition to her being a fish out of water in the US, and relished her self-sufficiency and determination to help others even in situations where she herself was at a disadvantage.

I’m kind of hoping this isn’t really the end of the series or that we’ll at least get a spin-off series. There’ve been lots of hints that Evangeline Miller had other children besides those we’ve met, and there are secondary characters from all the books that I’d like to see get their own stories told.

Grade: B

Colliding Hearts by L.M. Connolly
When hearts collide, can love survive?
After teacher and artist Rita Morley arrives in Houston from England for her art exhibition she’s so jet-lagged, she dives into a limo. Out climbs the man of her dreams – developer Daniel McCord. He’s also, as her best friend’s brother, off limits, until he makes it clear that he shares the attraction that has always burned between them. They both agree to a vacation fling – one week of sexual bliss. Only Daniel asks her to stay longer, and things turn serious until Rita learns he plans to demolish the building holding her art exhibition. Suddenly the lovers find themselves on opposite sides of the fight.
For Daniel McCord, work has always come first over friends and family and fun until he meets Rita. The sexy and sassy English painter makes his night burn with passion and his days full of stolen moments and joy. He can’t imagine his life without her, but he’s not convinced he can build a life with her. They have different goals and values. Then Daniel’s world is rocked when he discovers he has two brothers he’s never met. He needs Rita in a way he could never have anticipated.
If he can’t convince her to stay, Daniel will lose Rita for good.
This is Rita Morley and Daniel McCord's story.
“Rita’s arriving today. I was supposed to meet her. She’ll be landing in a couple of hours.”
Daniel hadn’t met Rita, Kelly’s British friend, but he knew all about her. His family owed her. It had been Rita who’d first noticed the lump on the underside of Kelly’s breast during a shared beach vacation in Spain, and then forced her to see a doctor when they’d returned to London. This visit was supposed to pay part of the debt. Rita was a teacher and an artist, so Kelly had organized an exhibition for her at the art gallery in the Faranti building.
the art gallery in the Faranti building.
Daniel McCord leaned back in his comfortable leather chair and propped his cowboy-booted feet on a corner of his desk. He eyed the man sitting opposite with mild suspicion and not a little shock. He’d never seen anybody who looked like him before, but here he was, and there was another one like him in Italy.
The man sitting opposite him had just turned Daniel’s world upside down.
From no blood relatives to two was quite a stretch. “Why should I care who my birth mother was? She dumped me on my birth father, and the authorities took me away. I don’t remember any of it. Before I reached my first birthday I was adopted. As far as I’m concerned, my parents are the people living twenty miles away
Colliding Hearts by L.M. Connolly is a 3 star book.
"I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book."
L.M. 's Books with Tule:
Racing Hearts
Hearts on Fire
Captive Hearts
Hearts on Fire
Colliding Hearts
Hearts on Fire

Daniel's life is his work. He is a rich, handsome cowboy who just happens to be the brother of Rita's best friend. When an accident rings them together sparks fly. Rita wants to make it on her own and Daniel wants to be seen for who he is and not for his wealth. The chemistry is off the charts so what harm can a fling do? As their relationship develops drama walks in and Rita goes home to London. Can Daniel get all his ducks in a row and win back the only woman he has ever really loved? Good read.

Excellent book, amazing story line. This is book three in the series. This book is about baring your soul and falling in love.

COLLIDING HEARTS is the third story in the Hearts on Fire series. Although it “could” be read on its own, if you have or can start from the beginning of the series you’ll get an overall better look at the dynamics between these brothers and the ladies who calm their hearts.

Daniel and Rita start off at odds with each other but that flash of attraction sizzles between them from the start. Unfortunately, that sizzle is going to have to deal with reality as Rita discovers Daniel’s plans, and Daniel deals with emotions that he’s more accustomed to burying deep and not acknowledging that it’s possible for him to care about a woman that strongly again.

I liked this couple. In many ways, they appear opposites, yet at their core are hard-working people who believe in their dreams with the determination to get what they want – even if that puts them on different sides at times. Toss in some sexy times, brothers unknown, a friend dealing with a life-threatening situation, and falling hard when that wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan and you’ll find a delightful romance that will keep you flipping pages.

I’ve enjoyed this series, ties between people who have no clue at the time what they will eventually become in the bigger picture of life. If you enjoy a good love story, some sexy moments, and watching two people fall in love when that was the last thing they expected – then you’ll want to pick up COLLIDING HEARTS.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book but wished I had read books 1 and 2 first for all the backstory. I didn’t realize when I read the 3 summaries, how interconnected they were. In the final book of the series we read about Rita and Daniel. Rita is Daniel’s sister’s Kelly’s best friend from The UK. They met when Kelly was an exchange student there and later renewed their friendship on a cruise where Rita saw the outline of a lump on Kelly’s breast and got her treatment. Kelly had gone through chemo and radiation and was at a clinic. Rita is an artist and a teacher. Her work was selected to be shown at a gallery in Houston where Kelly and Daniel live. Kelly isn’t able to collect Rita from the airport to take her to the art gallery so she asks Daniel to do it. Daniel spoke to Kelly who gets a very cheap rental care and hotel room until Kelly is able to get back. Unfortunately due the faulty rental car, Rita gets into an accident and it’s with Daniel. He gets her to the hospital and then agrees to be on watch for her for a possible concussion. Daniel brings her to his home and he’s extremely wealthy. They realize they have a lot of chemistry and finally agree to act on it as a vacation fling only. There are issues with the gallery for her showing. It is in a building owned by Daniel and he plans to tear it down rather than restore the historical building. There is a lot of controversy over this. Rita has her showing and she is well received. There is a build up on the relationship issues, the company drama and the future of the building. It has some great suspense, very steamy sex scenes and lots of character interactions. I recommend this book.

Daniel was adopted and just found out he had two half brothers in the world. He was with ethan right now. The other Roman was in Italy. Daniel’s world had been turned upside down. Daniel told Ethan before he was one he was adopted. His parents lived twenty miles away. Daniel had always known he was adopted he had even seen his original birth certificate. But the names meant nothing to him. Until his brother had walked into his office. Daniel preferred to keep people at a distance, even family. Daniel liked that Ethan was ready to extend the relationship to the people who mean the most to him. Putting the relationship on a business footing because of one of the buildings Daniel owned worked better for Daniel. He could learn his brothers ways by interacting with him in a place he felt comfortable. Maybe he’d learn how to get close to someone without risking his heart. He wondered if Ethan had the same problems as him getting close. Ethan said he’d be in touch and so would roman. His sister kelly -adopted- was dealing with the effects of having had breast cancer. The doctor said the cancer was gone but she had one more radiotherapy session in Chicago. Daniel hadn’t met rita Kelly’s British friend but she was arriving today. Rita was a teacher and an artist. Kelly had organized an exhibit for her at an art gallery. Than he accidently seen an email meant for his sister with Rita saying Daniel was hot, she couldn’t wait to meet him, and he was rich too. Daniel didn’t appreciate fortune hunters. Daniel got a call that kelly was to have her treatment the next day as her doctor had an emergency. Rita finally got off the plane and was excited to meet Luther Morre.who had said he wanted to show her work for its own merit. Than she got a call from Daniel that Kelly had to stay an extra day or two in Chicago. And she was stuck with him. He’d meet her at the gallery. Kelly had come over to Rita’s university as an exchange student ten years ago. They had hit it off right away . they had been best friends since. Rita got a wreck for a rental car but didn’t want to wait for a couple more hours for another or pay two hundred dollars extra when she asked for a different vehicle. On her way to the gallery Rita got in a wreck with the limo daniel was in. He called an ambulance and stayed with her at the hospital. Rita got seven stitches in her head and had a mild concussion . The hotel she had booked was a seedy hotel and daniel said he had to stay with her at least one night to check on her, so he took her to his home. He had kissed her for show at the hospital as he told the medical staff they were together to get her out. Rita had a bad phobia with hospitals and medical treatments. Daniel had lost some control at the intended peck at the hospital. He never lost control. Not these days anyway. He’d never had this problem before, always remained in control of his libido. This was something he had never experienced before.
I enjoyed reading this book and I especially like the way this book was written. I loved the relationship between Kelly and Rita and how long they had been best friends. I loved Rita and Daniel together and how they interacted. I really enjoyed watching their relationship grow. I liked the plot and pace. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this book and I recommend it.

Colliding Hearts is my favorite of the Heart on Fire series by L.M. Connolly. While this story of Daniel McCord and Rita Morley is a stand-alone, it does bring the three brothers together. There is romance, business intrigue and a bit of historical restoration in the book

The beginning was the attention grabber for me, when Daniel and Ethan are meeting. The meeting of Daniel and Rita is more contrived. It did serve to show the true character and personality of Daniel in how he treated Rita because she was his sister’s friend. I also like Kelly who has been battling breast cancer. Perhaps she will get her own story in the future, I would like to read that too.

This was third in a series and I did not know that when I started and if you know me you know I like to start from the beginning since I wasn't in love with book I do not feel the need to go to the beginning yet I did not feel lost. We have Daniel who due to previous bad relationship is a commitment phobe however when he meets Rita whom is in the country due to her art they clicked and insta lust/love. Both think that this will be a brief fling but as they continue to spend time together realize it is more..I did like both characters and how they were at getting know each other and being what the other needed.

I enjoyed reading Colliding hearts. I found the dynamic between the characters and the storyline engaging and look forward to reading more by this author.

Colliding Hearts is the last book of Lynne Connolly's new contemporary romance series Hearts on Fire. I read the first (and wasn't a fan), missed the second sadly, but was determined to read this one. I am so glad I did. Connolly ended this series on a high note.

Though the story uses insta-lust/insta-love to start, there was enough "getting to know you" in the book to negate any issues the insta- might have caused. The sibling's best friend also allowed for some additional familiarity between Daniel and Rita. I especially liked how Rita's sensitivity as an artist made it easier for her to see Daniel. Daniel, for his part, was more of cipher, which is part of the point of the book.

Despite the subplots (Daniel discovering his birth family/the Faranti building), this book felt quite insular, focusing strongly on Daniel and Rita. But the plot never felt uneven, neither rushing or dragging. I wished I had seen more of Ethan and Ronan, since they were so strongly linked in Racing Hearts. Ethan only makes a couple of appearances and Ronan is only mentioned. It really makes Daniel feel out by himself.

I all but devoured the book and am very glad I read it. I'm ready for more contemporaries by Connolly.

This book was pretty good. I enjoyed the story of Rita and Daniel although there were parts I felt were missing, which I realized now that this is the 2nd book of a series. Thank you to netgalley for the ARC!

This is the second in the Hearts on Fire series that I have read. Like the previous one, although this is part of a series, you don't need to have read the others. This time we have the story of Daniel and Rita. Daniel is an extremely rich Texan who owns a construction company, while Rita is the English friend of his sister who is in Texas to show her art. When the two meet and spend time together it soon becomes clear that there is a great deal of chemistry there and they cannot keep apart.
Daniel is commitment-phobic, having been burned in the past in a previous relationship and the two decide that this will just be a fling during Rita's stay in America. Of course, this is a romance novel and it's not long before it becomes clear that there is much more going on beneath the surface.
I enjoyed seeing the development of the relationship between this couple. Daniel was very sweet and caring, which I always enjoy seeing in the male lead in this kind of book. I also like it when the female lead isn't a pushover, which Rita wasn't. She wasn't unnecessarily combative either, which is always enjoyable. This was another good addition to the Hearts on Fire series.
I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I thought that this was a really good story!

The plot was well developed and not too deep to get in to, the author had a great writing style which helped the story flow really well.

The characters were good, I thought that the detail for them was excellent and I really enjoyed getting to know them, they worked very well together.

I really enjoyed this story - 5 stars from me!

There are only brief references about Daniels birth brothers, made this book feel more like a stand alone novel. Good thing if you haven't read book one and two yet.
I like how loyal Daniel is to his family. Yes he was adopted same as his siblings. That doesn't change anything for him though. Rita is so self reliant, it gets her in trouble. Especially since Daniel is a fixer.

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

I only started the series in the second book but each book can be read as a stand alone. After reading Ethan's story, I could not wait to get to Daniel's story!

Daniel runs into Rita - literally, when they are both going to the same place. You just know that he will suspect that she is a gold digger and that she will be really annoyed that he meddled in her career. They both fool themselves that they want nothing more than a fling and fall apart when they split.

Loved the back drama of what was going on with the building that Ethan wanted! I know that this would make things too easy but I just kept wanting Daniel to investigate and dig into why things weren't right and it took him forever to do this! Plus, if it was me, and my sibling wanted to rebuild a falling junk pile to its former glory, I would be thrilled to wash my hands of the problem!!

Glad that things worked out in the end and they realized that they loved each other and each needed to work on things to better their relationship! Great HEA.

Colliding Hearts by LM Connolly, a great addition to the Hearts on Fire series. Likable characters and great dialogue. A story that will pull you in from start to finish.

I very much enjoyed this book about family connecting in unusual circumstances and enjoyed Daniel and Rita's romance. I felt that the author could have done a little more research on Texas language/mannerisms - spots felt too British to me - but overall the story moved along at a nice clip. I have spent a lot of time in Texas so maybe I noticed this more than others might. The "meet cute" at the beginning was an unexpeected touch for sure and I liked the way the author tied in Ethan and Scarlett with the Rouge Group connection. I also liked the corporate espionage story line and felt that could have been expanded on a bit more as well. It will be interesting to see what happens with respect to other siblings that may be discovered and I would like to see more about and stories of the siblings with whom Daniel was raised. This is a fun series delving into different worlds (racing, hotels, property development) and the pace is quick and engaging.