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
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
Welcome, Sondra! Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions and giving my readers a chance to get to know you and your new book Where the Wild Hearts Are.
Can you share 5 random facts about yourself that we won’t find in your bio?
I played high school basketball, and my team went to the state tournament (Washington) all four years.
I’ve been to seminary and have my Masters in Biblical Studies.
I’ve traveled to all states but Hawaii.
I can drive a stick shift and prefer to but we only have automatics now.
I lost my house in Hurricane Helene and Samaritan’s Purse did a rebuild for us.
When did you first discover you had a passion for writing?
In elementary school, I loved writing a story every year for National Author’s Day, and then sometime in middle school I started writing historical fiction. I really wish I had access to those old manuscripts, but those computer discs have long been lost.
Where the Wild Hearts Are is your first romantic comedy, what made you decide to venture into this new genre, and how has that experience been different from your previous historical books?
I started reading more contemporary than historical, and the voice and style sounded so natural to me. It was like reading thoughts in my own head. At the same time, I got burned out writing historical. Writing contemporary has felt much easier to me, but I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s just the freshness of it. It’s nice not to worry about using language or metaphors that fit the time period.
Can you tell us a little bit about the inspiration behind the book?
I’ve had the idea of summer camp friends buying their former camp for about six years, so the characters have been percolating in my mind for quite some time. I wasn’t a huge summer camp attender, but my sister loved camp, and I live in an area inundated with camps. It’s the perfect setting for found family and romance. I know multiple couples who met through summer camp. Miles’s and Juliette’s story was originally just going to be a short story or novella to set up the idea of how the camp was bought by the friends, but then I figured it deserved a full novel.
What was the most challenging part of bringing this story to life?
Honestly, I was worried about a widowed woman falling in love with her brother-in-law. This isn’t bible times, lol. But given the backstory and the history that Miles and Juliette have, I think it worked. And it’s unique. It’s hard to be unique in a genre that is so trope driven. And, as someone whose been through some trauma, I know that God works in powerful and unexpected ways. That was the other difficult thing about writing this story, the trauma in Juliette’s past. I didn’t want her to be someone wallowing in grief, but someone determined to live in hope.
The most rewarding?
The friendships of the characters. We live in an isolated time where young people have less relationships than in the past. Writing a group of friends who depend on each other and need each other to reach dreams was rewarding (and I think that’s a strength of the romcom genre). I also like how the friendship between Juliette and Zayne turned out. We don’t get to see many female/male friendships in romance that aren’t also the main romantic relationship, but I think it’s important to show healthy coed relationships.
If you could describe your main character(s) in just three words each, what would those words be?
Juliette: dreamer, survivor, joyful
Miles: helpful, generous, steady
What do you hope readers will take away from the book?
It’s okay to have big feelings and to want and desire things. This isn’t antithetical to trusting the Lord and following his will. Over-regulating our emotions so that life feels safer and less disappointing only frustrates and holds us back.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions. Before you go, where can readers follow along to see what’s coming next?
I’m really going to try to be better at Instagram (Sondra Kraak Author), which doesn’t come naturally to me, but my newsletter is the best place to keep up with me. Sign up here.
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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"Pleasant words are as a honeycomb: sweet to the soul and health to the bones." Proverbs 16:24