Review: HEART OF THE OCEAN by Heather B. Moore

This is one of the books I had on my "go and buy as soon as I have book money" lists and I'm so glad. Victorian. Romance. Mystery. Love. :)


From Amazon: In Heather B. Moore’s enthralling 1840’s historical romance, Heart of the Ocean, Eliza Robinson has turned down the very pretentious Mr. Thomas Beesley’s marriage proposal. As a business partner of Eliza’s father, Thomas quickly discredits the family and brings disgrace to the Robinson name.


While her father scrambles to restore his good name in New York City, Eliza flees to the remote Puritan town of Maybrook to stay with her Aunt Maeve. Although relieved to be away from all- things-male and unforgiving gossip columns, odd things start to happen to Eliza, and she is plagued by a ghostly voice. Her aunt’s explanation? That Eliza is being haunted by a woman who died of a broken heart twenty years ago.


After Aunt Maeve is tragically killed, Eliza's life is put in danger as she tries to uncover the mystery of her aunt's death. She encounters Jonathan Porter in Maybrook, whose presence in the town seems suspicious, yet she finds herself drawn to him. When she discovers that Jonathan’s dark secrets may be the link between the dead woman who haunts her and her aunt’s murderer, Eliza realizes that Jonathan is the one man she should never trust.

Audience: Adult (Clean)
Genre: Historical Romance, Mystery
Length: 288 pages

Rating: ***+

Review: Although I've read a ton of Regency romance books, I'll be honest, I like Victorian stuff more. It spans so much time and change and I just like the dresses better. (Empire waist would have never flattered these hips. Seriously.) So HEART OF THE OCEAN appealed to me immediately. I love Jon as the hero and the legitimate reasons he has for staying with his fiancee, Apryl. I love the mystery that unfolds as the story goes on. I love the change we see in Eliza and her family and the way they work together. I love how deep Jon, Eliza, and Apryl are as characters -- there's so much to explore about them and their lives. For me the story slowed a bit in the middle and I wondered why at one point Eliza had told Jon that she was not engaged to Nathaniel, yet he still believed it.

He Said/She said: A description of the two love interests in Jon's life from his point of view, that I just LOVED. "Eliza was like an innocent spring day compared to Apryl's full summer flirtatious ways." Perfect. I could see it so clearly.

Disclaimer: Some mild sensuality.

Try this: Do you like Romance mysteries/thrillers? Try THE GUY NEXT DOOR by Kate Palmer or THE ALIAS by Mandi Tucker Slack.

Buy HEART OF THE OCEAN on Amazon.

Review: GENTLEMAN OF HER DREAMS by Jen Turano

Over Thanksgiving I was lamenting to my mom about how unlucky I've been with the free ebooks I've found on Kindle lately. (Okay, so I'm not really surprised. They are free, after all.) It seemed like all the historical romance novels (yes, I've been reading far too many lately. I know, I know. I should branch out, but, you know, new baby ... haven't gotten to the library ...) anyway, it seemed like they were either bad or naughty. Yep, there's a difference. She said she'd come across this cute novella called GENTLEMAN OF HER DREAMS that she thought was good and had the added bonus of being an inspirational romance without being preachy. And, well, it was free!

From Amazon.com: When Miss Charlotte Wilson asks God for a husband, she decides He must want her to pursue Mr. Hamilton Beckett, the catch of the season. The only problem? She's never actually met Hamilton. Fortunately, one of her oldest and dearest friends, Mr. Henry St. James--who has returned to New York after a two-year absence--does know Hamilton. Much to Henry's chagrin, Charlotte immediately ropes him into helping her meet Hamilton. However, none of her plans to catch Hamilton's eye go as she expected, and she is even more confused when her old feelings for Henry begin to resurrect themselves. In the midst of the mayhem Charlotte always seems to cause, she wonders if the gentleman of her dreams might be an entirely different man than she thought.This novella is a companion to A Change of Fortune, Jen Turano's full-length debut novel, available fall 2012!