A.G. Howard has created another whirlwind read.
A big thank you to A.G. Howard for sending me a copy of the book to review.
Without further ado, let's get started!
The Hummingbird Heart (Haunted Hearts Legacy #2)
By A. G. Howard
Release date: August 15th 2017
Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fiction, New Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Synopsis: Set 19 years after The Architect of Song.
Shortly after escaping a circus tragedy, young Italian orphan, Willow Antoniette, seeks refuge at The Manor of Diversions—a holiday resort in England born of a ghost story. For eleven years, she’s raised alongside the children of the resort’s owners: Julian, his twin brother, Nick, and their younger sister Emilia. Now that Willow is of marriable age, she's determined to escape finishing school along with everyone's efforts to make her a proper lady. The only man she wants to spend her life with is Julian, after all. Yet how can she tell him, when he thinks of her as nothing but a friend?
As a machinist and engineer, Julian Thornton prefers a governable life. He can't allow his ever-deepening attraction for Willow to distract from his amusement park plans to lure a younger, wealthier clientele to their family's resort. In hopes to escape Willow and find investors, Julian sets off on a transatlantic ocean liner headed for the St. Louis World’s Fair, unaware Willow has secretly stowed away on the same ship.
A tiny, mute orphan named Newton and a pair of haunted Italian shoes bring Willow and Julian face to face on deck. Forced to work together to solve the mystery of Newton and his vindictive, ghostly companion, Julian and Willow can no longer fight their untapped passions. However, time to admit their true feelings is running out, for the ghost and her murderer have enlisted them as unsuspecting pawns in a karmic game of cat-and-mouse that could cost all of them their lives.
By A. G. Howard
Release date: August 15th 2017
Genre(s): Fantasy, Historical Fiction, New Adult, Romance, Paranormal
Shortly after escaping a circus tragedy, young Italian orphan, Willow Antoniette, seeks refuge at The Manor of Diversions—a holiday resort in England born of a ghost story. For eleven years, she’s raised alongside the children of the resort’s owners: Julian, his twin brother, Nick, and their younger sister Emilia. Now that Willow is of marriable age, she's determined to escape finishing school along with everyone's efforts to make her a proper lady. The only man she wants to spend her life with is Julian, after all. Yet how can she tell him, when he thinks of her as nothing but a friend?
As a machinist and engineer, Julian Thornton prefers a governable life. He can't allow his ever-deepening attraction for Willow to distract from his amusement park plans to lure a younger, wealthier clientele to their family's resort. In hopes to escape Willow and find investors, Julian sets off on a transatlantic ocean liner headed for the St. Louis World’s Fair, unaware Willow has secretly stowed away on the same ship.
A tiny, mute orphan named Newton and a pair of haunted Italian shoes bring Willow and Julian face to face on deck. Forced to work together to solve the mystery of Newton and his vindictive, ghostly companion, Julian and Willow can no longer fight their untapped passions. However, time to admit their true feelings is running out, for the ghost and her murderer have enlisted them as unsuspecting pawns in a karmic game of cat-and-mouse that could cost all of them their lives.
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Rating:
He loves her, he loves her not...
Julian and Willow are truly a timeless love story. In a similar vein to tales such as Phantom of the Opera, Northanger Abbey, and Alice in Wonderland, A. G. Howard's The Hummingbird Heart combines mystery with passion. There is an underlying sense of yearning that comes through in her characters - yearning for love, for freedom, for adventure. It combines the best elements of historical fiction and fantasy, painting a world containing a myriad of possibilities.
Someone old, something new...
Little nods to A. G.'s older works are scattered through The Hummingbird Heart, much to my delight! The pinning of insects as an art form or hobby, for example, took me back to the Splintered series. There were also references to Alice in Wonderland, bringing a bit of whimsy and wonder to the already intriguing tale.
When I am king, dilly dilly, you shall be queen...
The relationship between Julian and Willow captivated me from start to finish. There was just so much raw emotion behind it - so many layers. What I've always adored about A. G. Howard's romances is the foundation of friendship they advocate. Julian and Willow's friendship matures and develops, blossoming into a romance that is all the richer for their childhood and their shared past. It reminded me of the quote:
"Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times. It settles for less than perfection and makes allowances for human weaknesses." - Ann Landers
Discover magic, discover madness, discover a masterpiece.
From the ghostly additions and careful world building, to the characters that breathe life into the book's brilliant plot...The Hummingbird Heart is certainly worthy of a top spot on 2017's list of great reads.
'Strands of hair had escaped her chignon and tangled with the long drop curls Aunt Enya had formed at her temples. The frizzy mess hung over her mouth and fluttered with her breath, drawing Julian's attention to it. He stroked the hair away, as intent upon her face as she'd ever seen him with his calculations.
"Willomena," he mumbled.
He was the only person in the world who could make her name sound like poetry.'
"Willomena," he mumbled.
He was the only person in the world who could make her name sound like poetry.'
Are you excited to read The Hummingbird Heart? What is your favourite gothic-esqye novel? (Mine has to be Northanger Abbey!)
Let me know in the comments below!
Although I was provided with a review copy by the author and/or publisher, all opinions expressed in the this post are purely my own. To find out more, please visit my disclaimer page.
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