Customer Reviews

Siege of Hearts

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Siege of Hearts, by June Calvin, was so involving that I actually called in late to work one morning to finish the book. The story was occasionally laugh-out-loud funny due to the main characters' misconstrued attempts to either avoid or please each other. The story highlighted an appreciation of the beauty often hidden below the surface.

Viscount Maitland is determined to resist both the females wanting his prospective title, and his father's deceitful efforts to ensure an heir. Jack hopes that joining Amanda's brothers and a few friends in the country for hunting will help him recover from the physical and emotional wounds remaining from his service at Waterloo.

Overshadowed by the beauty of her twin, Amanda is considered by all-including her family-as the plain sister, without expectations of an advantageous match.

The story includes both serious and ridiculous misunderstandings while Amanda's family attempts misguided efforts to attach him to the "Beauty" and Amanda to her least acceptable suitor.

June Calvin's newest Regency moves at a slower pace than many recent examples of this genre. There are no real villians, no mysteries or murders, and no chase scenes. This is a very good thing, however. The slower pace allows the author to paint live three-dimensional characters that become real flesh and blood rather than cardboard cutouts. These are people with understandable cares and concerns, and a heroine that many of us can identify with. Ms. Calvin skillfully takes us into their minds and hearts so we feel what they feel. We truly care what happens to them. This is what sets this book apart; that and the imaginative inclusion of a delightful mule!

"A clean, wholesome, whimsical romance full of charming characters in a romantic era. A regency readers delight!"

Penelope is known as "The Beauty." Amanda her twin sister is known as the plain mouse. Everyone expects Lord Jack Maitland to court Penelope but once Jack meets the dowdy sister Amanda fate has other plans. Lord Jack is about to find out that Amanda has the ability to cure more than an injured leg.

Regency romances have always had a special place in my heart since I discovered Barbara Cartland as a teen. As an avid reader, reading about a man and a woman falling in love is one of the things I enjoy. It can be emotional, humorous, confusing and downright fun. Siege of Hearts has it all.

I found Siege of Hearts to be a clean romantic experience with delightful full-bodied characters that explore and grow in their relationships. Well-done Ms. Calvin.

I came to June Calvin not knowing what to expect from her, this being the first book I had read by her.

To summarize briefly (without spoilers): the plain sister is the heroine - but the beautiful sister is not jealous, mean, nor petty-spirited. The family are all decent, and thoroughly believable. So is the hero Jack. Jack is brought along as a suitor for the beautiful sister, but as things fall out, he ends up offering for someone else.

The problem: at the wedding, things started to go wrong... not just for the unhappy groom, but also for this reader. Reading the last chapter, I felt as if I were reading about a different heroine and a different family from the one I had encountered so pleasantly.

Warning: Like Dorothy Mack's MOCK MARRIAGE, read upto about page 200, and then set aside. Contrive a happy ending for the couple then and there, by yourself.

Rating = 4.1 ([points lost for hackneyed and out-of-context ending)

June Calvin has another winning story here. The plot is not unusual, one might even say predictable, but the characters are so well-drawn that they are real. There are so many characters that made me care about them, including the beautiful sister whom one would expect to be spoiled and selfish. Ms. Calvin avoids cliches. Even the "villains" are only human. The book is true to the era but has interesting fillips to intrigue. I couldn't put it down until I finished it.

I really enjoyed this book. When I first read it (about a month ago) I liked it but put it down when I was done and went on to other regencies. I have since read it three or four times and everytime I read it again I enjoy it a little more. Amanda and Jack make a wonderful couple and, like all of the characters, they are almost entirely unstereotypical (Jack's scarred past is the reason for the almost). This isn't one of those romances where the main characters fight like cats and dogs until the last ten pages and then realize they've been in love all along. You really get to see Jack and Amanda's relationship develop. They actually talk. The misunderstandings between them were really hilarious at times but I'm glad there was a glimpse of thier future life at the end to reassure me that Amanda really had let go of all of her insecurities.One of the better Regencies I've read in a long time.

Highly recommended