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I am Lover of romance, who indulges in the romantic adventures of literature

My name is Renee, and I am the host of this site. I am a 34 year old woman, on the prowl for her mate, searching out the best of books, exploring the wilds of the imagination and delving into the heart of a beautiful love story.

 

Book Review-The Truest Heart

by | Jul 16, 2010 | Book Reviews | 0 comments

Book Review-The Truest HeartThe Truest Heart by Samantha James
Published by Harper Collins on March 17th 2009
Genres: Historical Romance, Medieval Era
Pages: 384
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-stars

Did fate send her a villain with the blackest soul...or a lover with The Truest HeartHer name is her only crime, yet Lady Gillian must take refuge in a humble cottage on the on the stormy Cornish coast, hiding from a king who seeks her death for her father's treason.Now destiny has sent Gillian a cure for her loneliness: a handsome shipwrecked stranger washed ashore on a perilous tide who requires a kind lady's gentle touch to heal his broken body and tormented spirit.His own name -- Gareth -- is all that he remembers. Yet he knows he has found paradise in the company of an exquisite beauty whose caress is sweet rapture and whose smile warms his soul. But as his memories slowly return, so does the dark task entrusted to him by King John. If he fails, a young boy will surely perish. Yet how can he betray Gillian, whose passionate love has lit a blaze in Gareth's heart that no vengeful king's decree could ever extinguish?

Lady Gillian after being sent away by her father into hiding, when King John wants both her and her brothers head. So she goes into hiding in Cornwall. Knowing that no one except the man that shields and protects her knows of her identity. When a mysterious injured man shows up on the beach washed on the shore after a shipwreck, Gillian risks everything to tend him. When he awakens however, she is startled surprised to find out that he remembers nothing but his name Gareth. The more Gillian tends Gareth, the more she starts falling for this handsome man who takes her breath away. She also learns to trust with her heart the more she spends time in his presence, and a startling desire rises between the two of them that could light the fires. When Gareth’s memory slowly returns, he starts to realize truths about his past, that could ruin everything that he has built with Gillian, who has stolen his heart. Will Gareth be able to protect both Gillian, his love and his son who is the hands of King John? And will the love he shares with Gillian be enough?

This was a truly romantic love story that took my breath away as I was reading it. I vow that Samantha James is the sort of author that steals into her readers hearts. This is the kind of story, that will have you on the edge of your seats and wondering what the outcome is. I love reading historical romances, especially in this time period, where you never know what the outcome may be, but you know you will be feeling satisfied at the end. We have Gillian whose mourns the loss of her father, who had a hand in a assasination attempt on King John, and then being split apart from a loving brother, and to be isolated, but then finds solace in Gareth’s arms and finds the greatest pleasure and love she has ever known. Gareth gets frustrated after losing his memory, not knowing of his past or family or where he has come from. But when he meets the beauiful Gillian who has helped tend to him when he was injured, he finds himself falling in love with the captivating yet innocent young woman whom has pain in her eyes. Though they both will face struggles that may seem unsurmountable, they will also discover a tender yet powerful love.

About Samantha James

Growing up in Joliet, Illinois, Samantha James had many childhood aspirations--being a writer was never one of them. When she was ten, she was certain she was destined to be an astronomer. That soon changed (happened a lot during those pre-teen years!) when she decided archaeology was in her future. Detective work was her next goal, thanks to the Trixie Belden mysteries she was reading, and before long, nursing beckoned (courtesy of the Cherry Ames series). In college, she set her sights on teaching history, then briefly entertained the notion of becoming a flight attendant, only to discover she did not like to fly.

Having been raised in a family of avid readers, she was rarely without a book in hand. Her tastes were rather eclectic. She got hooked on the Doc Savage series and Edgar Rice Burroughs after her older brother finished them, in her teen years, moved on to Agatha Christie, Daphne DuMaurier, and Phyllis A. Whitney.

In the meantime, the right guy came along. They met on a semi-blind date at an office Christmas party. She was told he wanted to go out with her, and he was told she wanted to go out with him. Six months later, the U.S. Army shipped him off to Germany--and she wrote faithfully at least three times a week--she often jokes this was the start of her writing career!

Marriage followed, as well as three daughters. Samantha left the detective work to her husband and turned her attention to raising their girls. When her youngest was six months old, two things happened: 1) she read Moonstruck Madness by Laurie McBain and scrambled to find every historical romance she could lay her hands on; 2) her older brother revealed he was writing and submitting his short stories to big-name magazines. As he put it, "I've been rejected by the best of 'em."

The seed was planted. Rejection was a dreaded word, but Samantha figured, "Well, if he can take it, so can I."

That summer, she wrote not one book, but three--longhand, in a notebook, during naptime. Bedtime. Any time she could. The burning desire to write was a long time in coming--she was nearing thirty by then--but she discovered that once she set pen to paper, she couldn't stop.

Those three manuscripts did get the dreaded rejection letter (they're still languishing somewhere in her attic), but she finally hit pay dirt with her fourth. Samantha's brother promptly proposed collaborating on a fantasy together--alas, still unwritten... Nowadays, she's firmly convinced she's the queen of rejected titles for her books. She's only managed to retain two original titles thus far, but writing is indeed a dream come true...

To date, her books have been published in numerous foreign countries (her daughters' number one choice for show-and-tell were always the foreign editions of Mom's books). Known for her heartfelt, emotionally charged "three-hanky reads", her books have been nominated for numerous awards, and have consistently hit the bestseller lists.

Maybe someday she'll do that fantasy-romance collaboration with her brother. For now, she's having a great time spinning dramatic, passionate tales of old...

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