About the Book

Book: More Thank A Heartthrob

Author: Kari Trumbo

Genre: Christian Contemporary Romance

Release date: September 28, 2021

Whoever said beauty is only skin deep lied. Beauty begins from within.

Jazzy is comfortable in her own skin, but the world cringes at it. Her personal armor since her teen years, makeup hides the scars that make anyone who sees them wince. The true test of any friend is: will they accept her without it?

Chris races to Hooper Island to escape a life-altering situation. The only person he knows and can trust there is a woman he met once. It wasn’t a good meeting. Lost and lonely after being the center of attention in Hollywood, he won’t risk losing the one friend he has.

Befriending Chris poses a risk Jazzy is loath to take. If anyone will reject her for her scars, it’ll be a guy whose life is focused on beauty. But as she helps him work through his own problems and his struggles with faith, will she gather the courage to pluck the plank from her own eye?

Once alone and vulnerable, will Jazzy and Chris rely on one another? Or will the force of their polar opposite lives push them apart—for good.

More Than a Heartthrob continues the Hooper Island stories of the Independence Islands Series featuring five islands, six authors, and a boatload of happily-ever-afters.

The Independence Islands Series: beach reads aren’t just for summer anymore.

Click here to get your copy!

About the Author

Kari writes swoony heroes and places that become characters with detail and heart.
Her favorite place to write about is the place her heart lives, (even if she doesn’t) South Dakota.

Kari loves reading, listening to contemporary Christian music, singing when no one’s listening, and curling up near the wood stove when winter hits. She makes her home in central Minnesota, land of frigid toes and mosquitoes the size of compact cars, with her husband of over twenty years. They have two daughters, two sons, one cat, and one hungry wood stove.

More from Kari

Hello Readers!

Welcome to the blog tour for More than a Heartthrob. I hope you’ve had a chance to read about the book a little. Thank you to today’s blog host and to Celebrate Lit for the tour and for publishing this great set.

Have you ever walked into a room and felt like everyone was staring at you for whatever reason? For me, it’s my weight. I’ve been overweight since my second year of marriage when I made a personal (and poor) decision to take a medication that made me gain a lot of weight quickly. And because of back pain, I’ve never been successful in shedding it.

For Jasmine (Jazzy), it’s her scars and lack of hair that she hides under makeup and wigs. She’s carefully kept them a secret her entire life. Only her friends and family know. She even has a beauty vlog (video blog) where she talks about faith and gives beauty tips.

But she isn’t happy. She’s lonely because it’s all fake. The skin she shows the world isn’t hers. I know I feel like that sometimes when I hide behind baggy clothes or sit behind a table so no one can really see me.

But, do people really think in their heads what we think they are? All that worry is spent, but it is fruitful? The answer to that, is no. Do some people judge us on our looks, behavior, or faith? Absolutely, but this book challenges the view that people “always” do.

Jazzy is challenged to forgo what she thinks makes her beautiful, it’s a twist on the old beauty and the beast story and I think you’re going to enjoy it. Especially because the guy who believes in her most, is the one society says should be the most critical, a Hollywood actor.

I hope, if you’re one of those people who wishes for a tall plant to hide behind when you’re in a crowded room, that you’ll find a kindred spirit in Jazzy.

Kari

My Thoughts

More Than A Heartthrob is written by Kari Trumbo. This is part of the Independence Island Series. If you have not been reading this series, you are missing out. I have been fortunate enough to read every book so far in the series. They are all written by a variety of authors. They are all stand alone books, however all tied together by the Independence Island theme. Kari is a talented writer. I have read several books by her.

In More Than a Heartthrob we revisit Jazzy. She was introduced in a previous book, but this is her story. Jazzy is not comfortable in her own skin. She has scars that she covers so that she is not repulsive to others. This made me sad - but I understood since I was not comfortable in my own skin for so many years.

Chris comes to Hooper Island to escape some bad choices. He is a Hollywood Heartthrob who has made a good living based off beauty. Chris and Jazzy have previously met and he was not very nice to her. However, now he is now feeling lonely and they interact again. Jazzy has not forgotten how rude he was, but God tugs at her heart and knows it's what God would want. Seeing them interact and learn to put their guard down and learn to trust each other was heartwarming to see.

Jazzy and Chris are well written, along with secondary and filler characters. Kari always writes characters that feel real. Characters that you can relate to. The storyline is believable. I loved that Jazzy got her own story and happily ever after.

I received a copy of this book through the Celebrate Lit blogging program - all thoughts are my own.