Welcome to the Blog Tour for Where the Wild Hearts Are by Sondra Kraak, hosted by JustRead Publicity Tours!
About the Book
Title: Where the Wild Hearts Are
Series: Hearts of Sparrow Ridge #1
Author: Sondra Kraak
Publisher: Trail House Publishers
Release Date: April 7, 2026
Genre: Sweet Small-Town Romantic Comedy
Miles
Second chances come in all shapes and sizes. Let’s be clear, I did not see this one coming in any shape or size. I was over Juliette as soon as she started dating my brother years ago.
But here we are. I’ve lost my brother, Juliette’s lost her husband, and our short-lived summer camp romance from when we were teenagers is rising from the grave to haunt me—or rather, invite me into an unexpected, irresistible redemption opportunity.
No problem. I’m a handyman. I fix things for a living. And I want to fix everything that’s been shattered in Juliette’s life.
Unfortunately for me, I overwhelmed her years ago with my big personality. Who’s to say I won’t be too much again? But I hope and pray I’m not because there’s no holding my feelings back this time, and with the way she’s distracting me, using power tools is out of the question.
Juliette
I don’t need my brother-in-law, Miles, swooping in to save me and my girls. I may not be thriving as a single mom, but I am surviving. The last thing my life needs is more upheaval, which is what I’ll get if I misread this chemistry between me and Miles.
Besides, my heart’s got a bigger issue: the summer camp that saved my life is for sale, and my old dream of running a camp is resurrecting with a vengeance. Only, it’s even less practical now than when I was a teenager.
I can’t let my heart run away with my good sense—regarding Miles or camp.
But I really want that camp, no matter how impossible the dream. And why am I acting like a schoolgirl crushing hard on her first boy? It’s just Miles.
Wild hearts scheme big to buy a summer camp in this swoony, second chance romance with found family, quirky characters, and sizzling chemistry. And it’s all wrapped up in a low spice, inspirational package. Where the Wild Hearts Are is the first in a new rom-com series featuring adventurous friends and the love and laughter they bring to their small, mountain town.
PURCHASE LINKS: Goodreads | Amazon
Excerpt
(Miles POV)
“How can I make this better?” I gesture at the cabins, barely visible through the trees.
“The sale of the camp?” she asks.
It’s a big ask. I might be crazy. It’s not like I can gift it to her for Christmas. But I would if I could. I’d give her anything in my power. Including my heart—if she’d have it.
“What can be done?” Resignation slips into her gaze. “Nothing stays the same. Just because the camp is going to become something different doesn’t change how it affected my life. Those summers will always be foundational to who I am.”
“It still hurts,” I say. “I mean, it’s okay if it hurts.” That’s what my mom used to say when I was sad.
Juliette swallows hard and sucks in a deep breath of air. “Yes, it hurts. I’m a big feeler.”
We’re kind of like the pot and the kettle. “Yes, you are.”
“But I’m not someone who gets pinned in place by my feelings. I’m not going to curl into a ball and cry my way through the rest of life.” She speaks words I’ve heard her say before. “I’m too young for that. I want to fall in love again. Eventually. And I want …”
She knows what she wants. I see it in her eyes. She’s just afraid to name it.
“You’re a survivor.” I hate the words as soon as I say them. “Survivor” ties one to the past, which is too limiting for Juliette. “You’re not just a survivor. You’re a thriver—in spite of the losses you’ve endured.”
I don’t know exactly what it is that swells within me, but it’s the emotional version of the superhuman strength that enables a man to lift a car off someone. The car is the sale of the camp. My heart wants to lift that sorrow off Juliette and throw it to the bottom of the lake.
About the Author
Sondra Kraak (pronounced croc, like the shoe) is a part-time writer, full-time Jesus follower. A native of Washington State, she now lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains where she serves as the Worship Coordinator at her church. She and her Michigan-born husband, Nate, have two children--a daughter in college and a son in high school. Sondra fails miserably at social media and Jane Austen trivia, but she’s a champion sports fan (yah, hockey!), and has recently had success making sourdough bread (miracles do happen). Don’t ask her to drink eggnog (or kiss her husband after he does), but she’ll happily consume most teas and coffee, so long as it’s decaf (otherwise her heart races and she gets chatty). Her current to-do list includes training for a backpacking trip and folding laundry that’s been left in the dryer for two days. But first, just one more chapter.
Connect with Sondra by visiting sondrakraak.com to follow her on social media and subscribe to email updates.
Author Interview
Sondra: I wasn’t a big summer camp kid (I get too homesick), but I live in an area with many camps, and a summer camp seemed like the perfect setting for adventures and lifelong friendships. I’m a big outdoorsy person—hiking and camping—and the stories I love most aren’t the ones with the lawyers and doctors as main characters, but the adventure guides, the mountain men, and outdoor enthusiasts. And I wanted a way to connect my contemporary series to my previous historical series, and keeping the same small town was perfect.
Q: How long did it take to write this book?
Sondra: Maybe eight months? I’m bad about keeping track of things like that. Since I’ve had the idea for so about six years, I’ve been thinking about the characters for a long time.
Q: What surprised you while researching/writing this novel?
Sondra: I was surprised by how easy it was to write three little girls. They just fit so naturally into the story. I was also surprised at how hard it was to write a female main character with a positive personality who is also struggling with past grief and trauma. People are so complicated, and finding that right balance between sorrow and hope was difficult sometimes.
Q: Do you have a favorite quote from Where the Wild Hearts Are?
Sondra: This is a more serious moment in the story, when Juliette has a revelation about her heart, but it’s something I’ve personally had to wrestle with and learn and was powerful for me to write:
“I’ve developed this belief that I’m not allowed to enjoy life. That if I want something a lot, then it must not be right for me to have it.” I struggle to put words to my emotions. “Like this camp. It holds my heart, and because it’s a long-held dream and something I greatly desire, I assume God doesn’t want me to have it—or that it would be irresponsible to pursue it.”
“Why is that?”
My throat tightens, and I have to wait for the wave of emotion to pass. After a few seconds of silence, I take a deep breath. “Because life experience has taught me that you don’t get what you want.”
“That’s the trickiest lie, isn’t it?” Mrs. Anderson sets her teacup down with a definitive clatter. “The truth is, we don’t get everything we want, but we do get some of the things we want. And even if we don’t get something—say, this camp of yours—that doesn’t mean it’s wrong to desire it or pursue it.”
Sondra: I can’t remember not wanting to write stories. I wrote a fictionalized story of one of my vacations when I was in elementary school, in which I gave myself a younger sibling (I’m the youngest) and then for a group math project in high school, wrote a story that took the entire period to read aloud in class. I’m sure other students were bored to death.
Q: Would you share something about yourself that most readers wouldn’t know?
Sondra: I spent a month in Thailand while I was in college, visiting missionaries. I loved it and would definitely go back. Best mangos ever.
Q: What are you currently reading?
Sondra: I’m currently reading Jennifer’s Rodewald’s Lake Shore Renewal, Annah Conwell’s newest series, and Ronie Kendig’s latest release, Apollo. I like to read multiple books at once, fiction and nonfiction. Oh, and I’m reading my dad’s fictionalized story about how he met and wooed my mom.
Q: What is your favorite genre to read?
Sondra: Romcom by far, but I love Connilyn Cossette’s biblical fiction, and sometimes regency romance.
Q: What is your favorite hobby?
Sondra: Other than reading (which I think is part of being an author) and playing the piano (which is part of my day job), it’s watching sports with my family: football, basketball, and hockey. Except no one likes hockey but me, so I watch that alone. Go Canes!
Q: What is your favorite season and why?
Sondra: It’s always been fall, the season I met and fell in love with my husband (23 years ago). The air is crisp and fresh, it’s football season, and the trees are brilliant colors.
Tour Giveaway
(1) winner will receive a $25 Amazon gift card and a copy of Where the Wild Hearts Are (winner's choice between ebook or print)!
Full tour schedule linked below. The giveaway begins at midnight April 13, 2026 and will last through 11:59 PM EST on April 20, 2026. Winners will be notified within 2 weeks of close of the giveaway and given 48 hours to respond or risk forfeiture of prize. US only for print. Void where prohibited by law or logistics.
Giveaway is subject to JustRead Publicity Tours Giveaway Policies.
Follow along at JustRead Tours for a full list of stops!
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