Rebuild My Heart

Reviewed by Prime

Rebuild My Heart is the fourth book in Ariel Tachna’s series Lexington Lovers. For Tachna has been an author whose stories are a bit hit and miss with in terms of me getting into the book and enjoying it. For a while there I kind of stayed away from the author until I started reading Tachna’s contributions to Dreamspun Desires, which includes this book as well. I’ve read the previous books in this series too, and while I don’t remember them exactly, I do remember enjoying them and have given those books positive reviews as well. Still, I went into reading this one with a bit of trepidation.

As I mentioned already, this is the fourth in a series. Luckily, these books also work as standalone books because I could only remember the previous book Stage Two, which I had only read recently. However, for those that do remember we do get to check on some previous characters. For me the most important thing was seeing a lot of more Ben and Thane from Stage Two.

The MCs of Rebuild My Heart are Derek Jackson and Owen Hensley. Owen is a quiet enough guy who loves books. He runs his own book store, which has a heavy focus on LGBTQ authors. He puts his heart and soul into his business and is ready to expand his store.

Then, we meet Derek. Derek’s best friend/boss/business partner asks Derek to meet a new client who wants to renovate his business. Where Owen is soft spoken and kind hearted, Derek is strong, burly, brash but with a heart of gold.There is an immediate connection between the two men and Derek throws himself enthusiastically into Derek’s renovation. The guys seem to guy fall into a relationship that is completely natural for them. It doesn’t feel forced, its quite cute, which is great since we’re really dealing with an instalove type of romance here.

However, Derek has his own personal demons, mostly shaped by a complicated family but complete love for his brother. Similarly, same with Owen. While Derek has a horrible stepmother who torments her stepsons, Owen comes from a religious (cult?) family who refuse any communication because he is gay. This adds to the relationship and how the guys deal to fall in love. Things get even more complicated when one of Owen’s nephews runs away because he can’t deal with the family’s religious cult-like beliefs. Owen, being Owen, takes it all in his stride but with his relationship with Derek so new he doesn’t know how to handle and Derek has his own reservations.

These guys actually made me think of another lovable couple from a completely different author and series, Casey and Hal from Carol Lynne’s Cattle Valley series. I’m not sure if that’s a popular call back for other readers, but I make this comparison because Derek and Owen are basically polar opposites that are made for each other. Their characters are well developed and totally relatable.

Even though they are so different it is easy to see why and how they fit so well together. The only thing that really annoyed me is the good old miscommunication to bring the story forward, I found it a little frustrating but ultimately it was forgiven because it wasn’t made into a needless melodrama. These are just normal guys and they had to work through a lot to make it to the end with a HEA.

These two men have an instant connection but they each have baggage as well. They do open up but didn't' really get the full impact. When they have a shake up it brings up these insecurities. Luckily they have friends to help sort them out.

Ariel Tachna's Rebuild My Heart is a remarkable romance.

Derek finds himself enamoured by his client, Owen, who's house he's renovating. As the two are clearly attracted to one another, Owen fears things are moving too fast.


This tale is emotional and wonderful, as Derek and Owen face sharing their darkest secrets. They both have fears and insecurities. They both have family issues and bring baggage to the relationship. Owen has major family issues that he needs to be honest about. And Derek feels inferior and insecure, as he still wears the scars from his father's homophobia.

Derek's relationship with his father and stepmother is heartbreaking. Owen's troubles with his family is gut-wrenching. His father is a homophobic preacher who uses barbaric practices. The story of his nephew is terrifying and such a great addition to their tale.

Together, they face complications, sacrifices, and decisions. They will deal with their fears and insecurities, and they will learn the true meaning of family.

Rebuild Your Heart will take you on an emotional rollercoaster. You'll laugh, you'll cry and you'll smile. I definitely recommend this story.

Rebuilding my Heart is Ariel Tachna’s fourth book in the Lexington Lovers series. I would definitely recommend reading book three before this, as the characters from there play a prominent role in this book.

I was happy to see Derek get a story of his own. I liked him for three-quarters of the book; I thought he was fun, easy going, and perfect for Owen. He’s a hard worker and has a rough family background, though more time should have obviously spent on his family issues. Though I understood Derek’s feelings and behavior, I struggled to get past my strong dislike of him once he wasn’t such a jerk. His background, though hard on him, was nothing compared to Owen's. Derek was 40 years old and I struggled to understand why he allowed his family so much control over his life. It made no sense, and I never did understand it.

Owen was a character! He came from a tough family background, was insecure but he wasn’t letting that hold him back. He worked to overcome his past. He didn't have a good history with relationships but he learned from the mistakes. He was stronger than he thought, and when his nephew showed up at his door, he did what family is supposed to do. He loved him, supported him and provided for him. And, Owen loved books - what’s not to love!

I loved seeing characters from the previous story and getting an update on their lives. This is a romance so, of course Derek and Owen worked through their issues. Both characters had rough histories to overcome, and Owen’s was frightening. There’s an epilogue that shows their HEA. I really enjoyed this story and thought it was a good addition to the series. If you haven’t read this series, I would definitely recommend it!

Rating: 4 stars

**Copy provided to Bayou Book Junkie by DreamSpinner Press for my reading pleasure in hopes of an unbiased opinion, a review was not a requirement.**