Book Review: Hearts Under Fire by Cori Lynn

 





Hearts Under Fire by Cori Lynn
4.5 Stars Rounding Up to 5 Stars On Goodreads
Honorable Mention for A Favorite Book of 2025
💌📮🎖️🪖💔🕰️💌📓🖋️🔍🗝️

YOU GUYS. This book was SO good! I am beyond impressed with Cori Lynn's debut novel - Hearts Under Fire. I read this with my friend Jeanette and loved the buddy reading experience.

Read this immediately if you like:
✨Clean, Historical Romance
✨Stories with Journal Entries 
✨Hidden, Secret Journals and the Mystery Surrounding Them
✨Dual Timeline Stories that tie together well
✨WWII Historical Romance 
✨Love Triangles DONE RIGHT
✨Antique Restorations 
✨Second Chances 
✨Grief Thread with Hope 
✨Realistic Character Driven Stories 

I honestly think so many of you will like this book. It was very engaging and layered - so much in under 300 pages Cori packed into this story! 

We follow Laura who is an antique expert that stumbles upon an old steamer trunk and decided to restore it. The trunk has a secret, hidden journal with entries dating back to 1941. Laura finds herself so engaged in reading the journal entries, filled with stories from Ava and her high school sweetheart Dean. As WWII comes upon them, Ava's story turns to Dean leaving for the war and she is left behind to support him from afar and hope he returns. Ava and Dean write letters back and forth while he is away. Tragedy strikes on both sides for Laura and Ava and you as the reader are left wondering....what's going to happen next?! I was in a chokehold with this book because I needed to KNOW exactly what was going to happen after some twists and turns went down. 

I can't say too much more because I do not want to spoil anything but let me just say, I honestly loved the character driven focus Cori had here. Laura really learned so much from Ava and her journal entries that tied back into her own life struggles and grief and we saw her grow and heal. 

I mention there is a bit of a love triangle here and y'all know I am normally not one for love triangles unless it's done RIGHT....and Cori did it RIGHT here! We see a realistic view on what it's like to wait for your loved one to return home from war and the worries they have. We also see a respectful friendship between Grayson and Ava and I appreciated how she handled that. It just felt so real. 

Overall, because I can't say much more....because I think you just need to go in blind here like I did - read this book. I loved Cori's writing, it was very high quality to me and I just fell in love with her characters. I can't wait for more in this series! 

P.S. In true Cori fashion, she threw in some good humor too! :)

content warnings: mentions of loss of a loved one, grief from that loss shown, small war details, clean romance, kisses only.

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7278821879
Amazon: https://amzn.to/488fDyH

*Amazon links are affiliate links and a commission may be earned on items purchased from these links.





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