Happy Release Day!
Congratulations Deanna
on the release today of
The Heart of the Matter!
The Heart of the Matter by Deanna Lynn Sletten
Women's Saga, 146 pages
Published March 11, 2025 by Deanna Lynn Sletten
There are two sides to every story, but you must be willing to listen.
Marsha Winslow believes she lives a charmed life. She has a loving husband, a successful business they built together, and a beautiful home overlooking the ocean in California. But when a devastating accident occurs only days before their twentieth wedding anniversary, Marsha must face some hard truths. Her life isn’t what she believed, and it’s up to her to face reality and fix the mess it’s become.
Amanda DeCarlo’s life was going along well. She is young, loves her job and the people she works with, and has worked her way up quickly. But the worst thing that could happen after a drunken one-night stand resulted in the best thing in her life. And the man responsible made sure to take care of her and her son—his son. But reality hits her hard when fate changes her life and she’s on the verge of losing everything. And the only person who can help her is the one who refuses to talk to her.
They say you should forgive and forget in order to move on. Marsha is unable to forget what happened to her. And the one person who holds the key to her understanding the truth is the only one who can also help her forgive.
My thoughts about The Heart of the Matter ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"Marsha Winslow sat at her dressing table, applying the finishing touches to her make-up. She studied her face and neck, lightly tracing her fingertips over her pale skin. At forty-five years old, her skin still looked smooth."
As always, when I start a book by Deanna, I know I'm going to be in for a treat. I set aside time to completely immerse myself in the wonderfulness of her stories! The Heart of the Matter did not disappoint.
Marsha's life basically falls apart in seconds and that's when she realizes that the life she had with her husband was all a lie. How could he do this to her? How can she get past his betrayal? And what is going to happen to Amanda and her family now that he is gone?
This is an emotional, heart-wrenching story of two women thrown together as they try to deal with the cards that were dealt to them. Both characters have their redeeming qualities and I was rooting for both of them, hoping there would be a good resolution for them but not sure how it could happen.
Once again, Deanna has created a world with a wonderful setting and memorable characters. She has written an emotional, uplifting story that will stay with me for a long time. I highly recommend The Heart of the Matter.
I received The Heart of the Matter from the author and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Deanna Lynn Sletten is the author of Mrs. Winchester's Biographer, The Ones We Leave Behind, The Women of Great Heron Lake, Maggie's Turn, The Lake Harriet Series, and several other titles. She writes compelling historical fiction, heartwarming women's fiction, romance novels, and murder mysteries. She has also written one middle-grade novel that takes you on the adventure of a lifetime
Deanna has recently begun a new murder mystery series, The Rachel Emery Series which includes The Truth About Rachel and Death Becomes You.
Deanna is married and has two grown children. When not writing, she enjoys walking the wooded trails around her home with her beautiful Australian Shepherd or relaxing on the lake in the summer. ~ Goodreads
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