King of Hearts

I had a hard time getting into this book. It starts off from the hero's perspective, and I just didn't like him. That didn't really improve much through the entire book. I really enjoy historical romances, and one of the keys for me is to like the hero or else the book, to me, doesn't have much point. The heroine was noble in her passion for her cause, but she never quite became a relatable character for me. This is just a personal pet peeve of mine, but I absolutely hate that the use of the word “chit” to describe a young woman in historical novels as it seems like a way of trivializing women. Every time I read it, it just rankles me. That word was used a lot in this book, so that might have been part of my problem with it.

This historical romance is set in England and is the first time I have read anything by this author. I liked her writing style and thought the plot was interesting. Both of the main characters have a history that had resulted in pain and emotional withdrawal. This is a slow burn romance but one that is worth waiting for. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Being the first book that I read written by this author, I wasn't sure what to expect but was nicely surprised at how much I enjoyed this story. Such a wacky assortment of characters make up this story and I got a kick out of each one of them....especially the nuns! lol Gabriel Sinclair's past has made him what he is and there is definitely no room for love or a relationship in his life. Louisa Peabody doesn't trust men and doesn't like to be touched by them, thanks to her late husband who raped her. She prefers to spend her time rescuing women who have been imprisoned or facing the gallows for trivial reasons. When Gabriel and Louisa meet in a most unconventional way, he fights her all the way but soon finds out she has the heart of a warrior and doesn't give up easily, especially on him! I was also quite fascinated with the submarine prototype that Gabriel's father and then himself worked on....I didn't realize that they were already being invented back then! I was given an ARC of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.