Awakening (Harlequin Next) [Mass Market Paperback]

Kate Austin (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Harlequin (July 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0373881029
• ISBN-13: 978-0373881024
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,772,630 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Even though I'm an Aries (the fire sign), I think of myself as a water baby. I can't resist the ocean; it sings to me. Every day, I spend at least a few moments watching the water, and on good ' or very bad ' days, you can find me walking the Seawall for hours, rain or shine.

I've worked as a legal assistant, a commercial fisher, a brewery manager, a teacher, a technical writer, and a herring popper, while managing to read an average of a book a day. Go ahead ' ask me anything. If I don't know the answer, I'm more than happy to make it up because I've been reading and writing fiction for as long as I can remember.

I blame my mother and my two grandmothers for my reading and writing obsession ' all of them were avid readers and they passed the books and the obsession on to me. And I read everything, from fantasy to mysteries to literary fiction to romance. I devour books.

I write the same way ' with passion. It's part of my day, every day. I love writing, the process and the product, and am astonished and delighted that 20 years on, I'm finally getting paid for it.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars 3.5 stars, August 10, 2006

By 

Ratmammy "The Ratmammy" (Ratmammy's Town, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Awakening (Harlequin Next) (Mass Market Paperback)

AWAKENING by Kate Austin
August 10, 2006


Amazon Rating: 3.5/5 stars

This was the first of the NEXT books by Harlequin that I had trouble enjoying. I am not giving it a bad review, however, because the ending redeemed the entire book. This is a story that seems to cross the line of reality over to fantasy. A woman, Francesca Bond, is single and has lived her entire life being afraid. She's practically paranoid about everything, but for good reason, as she's been on her own since age sixteen and has lived in neighborhoods where she has reason to be afraid. Her father had passed away years ago and her mother left Francesa while still in high school to take a trip to Italy, but never came back.

So Francesca had to learn to survive on her own, without a high school degree, barely living on a low-income salary in the worst parts of town. As an adult, she is afraid of letting people into her life, and has only had two close friends, CJ and Susannah. She currently works at two part-time jobs, one at a coffeehouse and another at an Internet cafe, where she works the night shift.

One night as she is walking home from work, she thinks she's about to be mugged and runs for her life. She is somehow lured to a house that she thinks is a safe haven, and she doesn't know why these thoughts entered her mind, but she arrives there, her feet bloodied with blisters and her entire body aching in pain. The house is part of a candy shop, known as "Mystic Hearts", and the two owners, Joshua and Marta, take her in and try to help her.

What is weird about Mystic Hearts is that it seems to exist in another dimension. She never saw this building before, but on the night she was running from possible muggers, it was Midsummer night's eve, and what she doesn't know is that this is the only time of year that the house is visible to the outside world. Francesca is brought into the house by Joshua, an elderly man in his 80's but with the spirit of a much younger man. She is later shocked to find that once she has recovered and is able to step outside a few days later, there is now no sign of the original building and the neighborhood has been transformed. The neighborhood is no longer a dangerous and dark place, but it's bright and happy and Francesca eventually feels she's found a place to call home. She continues to live there with Joshua and Marta, learning how to make candies and learning the history of Mystic Hearts, not really knowing when she is returning home.

My problem with the book was that I particularly do not enjoy paranormal type fiction. However, by the time I got to the end of the story, I could see that the book had a purpose, and while I do not want to give away the ending, I have to say that this ending was what made me see the book in a different light. The reader is going to want to know whether Francesca can get over her fears, and learn to live a truly happy life, and this is what is going to keep one reading until the very last page. It is almost pathetic to realize the amount of fear that Francesca has in her heart, causing her to shut out everyone that tries to befriend her. But it is Joshua and Marta and Mystic Hearts that teach her to open up her heart to others, helping her to gain the confidence and security that she lacked all her life.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book--gentle, mystical, perfect for a tired night's reading..., July 22, 2006

By 

Yasmine F. Galenorn "Magic, Mystery, & Mayhem... (Seattle WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Awakening (Harlequin Next) (Mass Market Paperback)

The only reason I'm giving it four, not five, stars is because I would have liked the book to be longer. It wasn't hurried, but I just wanted to see more. :) Kate Austin has woven a gentle spell to lure us in. One step through the door, and I was ready to pull up a chair and stay for the duration. I never got bored, never felt like my attention was wandering during this book.

The book was magic realism at its best. Gentle, yet compelling. Mystical, and yet I can easily name a dozen women I know who would identify with the main character. I kept thinking that this book was what the film Chocolat tried to be, but missed.

The heroine, Francesca, was easy to identify with if you've ever been on your own, alone, poor, and scared. But most of all I fell in love with the wounded opera star, Marta. Joshua was wonderful, but Marta shimmered. She became the perfect fairy godmother--not solving Francesca's problems, but helping her learn to solve them herself.

I kind of wish that I'd kept this novel to read on a rainy night when the world seems dark and muted--but hey, it worked on a sunny evening full of noise and clamor, too. I'll be reading more of Ms. Austin's books, that's for sure.

5.0 out of 5 stars Midsummer magic fairy tale, June 27, 2007

By 

ShadowOwl (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Awakening (Harlequin Next) (Mass Market Paperback)

I adore this book! I have only just put it down and have scrambled online to write a review to coax others into this books' gooey centre.

`Awakening' is reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland and Chocolat, but so much more, and written in a style that is not only vintage, but also very current. If you love to listen to the way Nigella Lawson talks about cooking, you will love the way Austin brings this book to life. I certainly did not want to put the book down - it was a perfect read for a "liquorice black" night of winter rain.

The story and characters weave their intricately woven web the further you read, and Mystic Hearts and all its gooey goodness certainly sprang to life in my minds eye. I thoroughly enjoyed it and it will be added to my list of all-time favourite novels. To me, this book captured what Kim Wilkins "The Autumn Castle" tried to. Total gooey fairytaleness. Love it!