Endangered Hearts
My Rating: four-stars
Published by: Createspace on February 26th 2014
ISBN: 1495991644
Pages: 282
Emilia Ward is being watched... And it isn't just by her mother's creep of a boyfriend or one of her many employers. Instead, she is certain it something else--someone else. However, in a life with college classes and alcoholic mother to look after, Emilia doesn't have time to explore her suspicions. She would much rather think about her new job at Iram Manor, and more importantly--its mysterious and alluring owner. After a lifetime of isolation and trapped in a disfigured body Kasper Zafar thought he knew pain. Confining himself to his work as an architect and the love of his music, he never expects the beautiful Emilia Ward to enter his life. Young and naive, his new housekeeper does not flinch at the sight of him, and is even so bold as to call him her friend. Determined to teach her in all worldly things, the opposites grow closer and the role of student and teacher and interchange. Yet Emilia's life outside the manor is not a happy one, and when Kasper's attempt to watch over her fails, both will discover than love may be the most painful thing of all.
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I was excited to receive an ARC for this title. I love fairy tale retellings and this beauty-and-the-beast-like-story sounded right up my alley. And although I have read many fairy tale retellings, this is the first beauty and the beast retelling I’ve read. So when its turn came up on my TBR pile I snuggled into my pink fluffy pillow (after risking life and limb fighting the cat for it) with a cup of peppermint tea and got reading.
The story itself was very well thought out. I could feel the pain and self-loathing of Kasper and the sweet, almost naivety of Emilia. There were some really poignant moments between the two would be lovers. And I liked that, for once, not everyone was supermodel gorgeous. Kasper was, to put it bluntly, ugly. And he knew it. But, as anyone who’s read the fairy tale knows, Emilia grows to know and love him despite his physical appearance. I did have an issue with how fast the two became infatuated with each other, especially Emilia. Kasper did nothing remotely friendly, yet she found herself “daydreaming” about him, and, even a little more melodramatic, daydreaming that he was daydreaming about her. Which, of course, he was.
Ms. Lance’s writing is crisp and clean. She is very proper in her use of language. And, although this isn’t how I write, I adjusted to her style quickly. She was able to explain places and people vividly, with enough detail that I was able to draw a picture in my head, but it didn’t read as though she was giving me a “laundry” list of features.
There were some transition issues for me. I had trouble keeping up with whose POV it was. The author could have done a better job of making that clear. Also, pacing, specifically at the beginning, was slow. But neither really hindered the enjoyment of the story.
Overall, I liked the book, but I didn’t love it. It’s the first in a series. I’m not sure if I’ll go back for seconds. Do I recommend it? Yes. It isn’t a “Bad” book by any means and my review is completely subjective. If you like fairy tale retellings, I would encourage you to give Endangered Hearts a try.
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