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jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
A promising, if flawed, historical romance debut, with lots of unusual, intriguing emotional moments, but some confusing ones, too. The writing is strong, with a hint of the literary, which I find quite appealing.
Caro Small, daughter of a dissolute aristocrat and sister to a parcel of dissolute brothers, is barely holding on to respectability. Her secret love of ballet—not watching it, but performing it, taught by a former governess (really a mistress of her father's)—makes that hold even more precarious. Caro hopes that during a visit to the country estate of a schoolmate she'll be able to find a respectable man to marry her, so she'll be able to remove her younger, bookish brother from the negative home-life he (and she) have been subject to.
Adam, Earl of Bexley and future duke, a relative of Caro's schoolfriend, is suspicious of Caro already—she warned her schoolfriend that her suitor had a venereal disease, something no reputable gentlewoman should know anything about (she picked up the gossip from her dissolute brothers). Yet when Caro discovers Adam's secret—he takes out his frustrations and guilt over the disappearance of his wild sister and the betrayal of his best friend by engaging in bare-knuckle boxing matches—she thinks she can blackmail him into keeping hers. What's more, Caro, recognizing Adam's physical attraction to her, decides to seduce Adam, knowing that this good man will not allow himself to ruin a gentlewoman and not marry her. The seduction isn't quite what Caro had envisioned, though (a fascinating scene). So often we have male protagonists who actively avoid the marriage-mad, entrapping women; it was refreshing to have a story from HER POV for a change, and to be asked to buy into such a character as heroine.
This becomes difficult, though, when Adam is accused of murdering his vile cousin, and Caro announces that he and she were together when the killing occurred, thus simultaneously clearing Adam and making it known that they'd engaged in carnal relations. Caro feels bad about her actions—"He'd been right to accuse her of opportunism. She had seen an opportunity and she had seized it. Of course she had. And then she'd done it again. This time within spitting distance of a corpse, scheming for herself" (Loc 1776)—but doesn't take them back. Though Adam insists he won't marry her, she uses her feminine wiles, and his obvious physical attraction to her, to persuade him to do so.
The murder subplot is a bit dull, with evil villains without half the nuance of our main characters. Wish the focus could have been more on our protagonists, without having to take time away to deal with flat villain characters.
It's rare for a romance to present courtship and relations between the sexes as a power struggle; I admired Satie's interesting in facing this issue head-on. But still, I had a difficult time caring for Caro, or fully sympathizing with her manipulative behavior. I'm not usually one to judge a character, but the narrative here doesn't give me enough to sympathize with, to explain or to counterbalance her negative behavior, at least when she is manipulating Adam.
The story takes a turn for the better when Adam and Caro start to work together against Adam's intolerant, hide-bound father, who, for obvious reasons, objects to his heir marrying the disreputable Miss Small. I really enjoyed the way Caro and Adam manage to win each other over, and to put one over on stuffy papa.
I'll definitely be on the look-out for future titles from Satie.
Caro Small, daughter of a dissolute aristocrat and sister to a parcel of dissolute brothers, is barely holding on to respectability. Her secret love of ballet—not watching it, but performing it, taught by a former governess (really a mistress of her father's)—makes that hold even more precarious. Caro hopes that during a visit to the country estate of a schoolmate she'll be able to find a respectable man to marry her, so she'll be able to remove her younger, bookish brother from the negative home-life he (and she) have been subject to.
Adam, Earl of Bexley and future duke, a relative of Caro's schoolfriend, is suspicious of Caro already—she warned her schoolfriend that her suitor had a venereal disease, something no reputable gentlewoman should know anything about (she picked up the gossip from her dissolute brothers). Yet when Caro discovers Adam's secret—he takes out his frustrations and guilt over the disappearance of his wild sister and the betrayal of his best friend by engaging in bare-knuckle boxing matches—she thinks she can blackmail him into keeping hers. What's more, Caro, recognizing Adam's physical attraction to her, decides to seduce Adam, knowing that this good man will not allow himself to ruin a gentlewoman and not marry her. The seduction isn't quite what Caro had envisioned, though (a fascinating scene). So often we have male protagonists who actively avoid the marriage-mad, entrapping women; it was refreshing to have a story from HER POV for a change, and to be asked to buy into such a character as heroine.
This becomes difficult, though, when Adam is accused of murdering his vile cousin, and Caro announces that he and she were together when the killing occurred, thus simultaneously clearing Adam and making it known that they'd engaged in carnal relations. Caro feels bad about her actions—"He'd been right to accuse her of opportunism. She had seen an opportunity and she had seized it. Of course she had. And then she'd done it again. This time within spitting distance of a corpse, scheming for herself" (Loc 1776)—but doesn't take them back. Though Adam insists he won't marry her, she uses her feminine wiles, and his obvious physical attraction to her, to persuade him to do so.
The murder subplot is a bit dull, with evil villains without half the nuance of our main characters. Wish the focus could have been more on our protagonists, without having to take time away to deal with flat villain characters.
It's rare for a romance to present courtship and relations between the sexes as a power struggle; I admired Satie's interesting in facing this issue head-on. But still, I had a difficult time caring for Caro, or fully sympathizing with her manipulative behavior. I'm not usually one to judge a character, but the narrative here doesn't give me enough to sympathize with, to explain or to counterbalance her negative behavior, at least when she is manipulating Adam.
The story takes a turn for the better when Adam and Caro start to work together against Adam's intolerant, hide-bound father, who, for obvious reasons, objects to his heir marrying the disreputable Miss Small. I really enjoyed the way Caro and Adam manage to win each other over, and to put one over on stuffy papa.
I'll definitely be on the look-out for future titles from Satie.
lifeand100books's review against another edition
3.0
A few different thoughts here:
1) I liked the juxtaposition of the big strong boxer falling for the "delicate" ballerina. The ballerina is the character with all the inner strength, fighting for positive futures for the people she loves. And Adam, our big strong boxer, melts for our ballerina once he sees her dance. He's kind hearted and not the most successful of boxers as a result.
2) At times the plot became a bit chaotic, which drew my pleasure out of the book. So much as suddenly happening all over the place. I wanted more scenes between Adam and Caroline to help bolster their romance.
3) I liked the darker, grisly tone this story had. Not many historical romances delve into the abusive nature some marital matches had, as well as the (at times) tyrannical power the titled head of the family had.
In all, while the writing itself is great, the plot pacing and description could have been cleaned up a bit to seem less chaotic. The ending also felt incredibly rushed.
1) I liked the juxtaposition of the big strong boxer falling for the "delicate" ballerina. The ballerina is the character with all the inner strength, fighting for positive futures for the people she loves. And Adam, our big strong boxer, melts for our ballerina once he sees her dance. He's kind hearted and not the most successful of boxers as a result.
2) At times the plot became a bit chaotic, which drew my pleasure out of the book. So much as suddenly happening all over the place. I wanted more scenes between Adam and Caroline to help bolster their romance.
3) I liked the darker, grisly tone this story had. Not many historical romances delve into the abusive nature some marital matches had, as well as the (at times) tyrannical power the titled head of the family had.
In all, while the writing itself is great, the plot pacing and description could have been cleaned up a bit to seem less chaotic. The ending also felt incredibly rushed.
brandypainter's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
I really liked the first third of this book. I love complex characters and so both Adam and Caro appealed to me. I loved that they both had real passions even if they were odd ones for people they are in the time they are living. I feel like Satie explained well how these came to be and it worked in the context of the story. I enjoyed how Adam and Caro talked to each other about their interesting and shared confidences. I liked the nuanced relationship between Caro and Adam's cousin, Daphne, too. I was set to love this book with great devotion until the soap opera like drama began and then just wouldn't quit. For people who enjoy drama of this sort and are plot driven readers, this book will be a win all the way. I'm not. As the book continued, I found myself getting more frustrated than anything. I wanted more character stuff, more conversations like in the beginning, and less of the murder/extortion/mustache-twirling-I-will-rule-everything-villainry of Adam's father. Will I read the next book? Maybe. We'll see how I'm feeling after I let this one sit a while.
I really liked the first third of this book. I love complex characters and so both Adam and Caro appealed to me. I loved that they both had real passions even if they were odd ones for people they are in the time they are living. I feel like Satie explained well how these came to be and it worked in the context of the story. I enjoyed how Adam and Caro talked to each other about their interesting and shared confidences. I liked the nuanced relationship between Caro and Adam's cousin, Daphne, too. I was set to love this book with great devotion until the soap opera like drama began and then just wouldn't quit. For people who enjoy drama of this sort and are plot driven readers, this book will be a win all the way. I'm not. As the book continued, I found myself getting more frustrated than anything. I wanted more character stuff, more conversations like in the beginning, and less of the murder/extortion/mustache-twirling-I-will-rule-everything-villainry of Adam's father. Will I read the next book? Maybe. We'll see how I'm feeling after I let this one sit a while.
roseybot's review against another edition
3.0
Overall good! I found nothing objectionable and obviously I read it fast so it's not bad. This book just didn't hit quite the right note with me -- which is sad cause I was excited by the concept and by people putting her in the same category as Courtney Milan, Sherry Thomas and Cecelia Grant. I think I'll continue with the series, maybe it was the couple?
lizzy_22's review against another edition
4.0
Complicated, flawed characters made this historical romance unique. The Secret Heart doesn't fall prey to the usual overblown hist/rom tropes but strong emotions and a quiet tone give the story a strong impact. Really enjoyed it.
klh_creative's review against another edition
1.0
Plenty of people liked this one so, but for me it was a DNF at 8.7% when I realised I hated both main characters - why is a woman desperate to keep her reputation together running around a strange house in the middle of the night practising a scandalous hobby wearing not many clothes? Meanwhile, he decides that it's appropriate to express gratitude to someone by 'only' threatening her, and he looked through her letters for evidence she was lying. Boner-led (smartbitchestrashybooks. com) as well.
kblincoln's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars, actually.
I very rarely review romance novels. Partially because I feel like people have very specific....er....tastes surrounding romances and one's reaction to a novel might be more based on one's particular tastes rather than the actual quality of the writing. Also because, for me, romance novels are like potato chips-- not exactly nutritious for brain or body, but definitely a crunchy-delicious feeling for the soul when you need a break.
I picked up the first in Erin Sartie's series based on a recommendation from the website Smart B**ches, Trashy Novels (who have never yet let me down) to balance out some non-fiction reading and boy am i glad I did.
The Secret Heart turned out to be one of those rare gems (and even rarer-- self-published!) of a romance novel-- one where the characters are expertly drawn, have realistic, believable emotional arcs, don't act too stupid to be true, and where there are true obstacles (instead of mocked-up, paper-thin problems easily solved by the hero or heroine just TALKING to each other for once) to the HEA.
Caro is the daughter of a Marquess-- but an impoverished one with loose morals. For example, this Marquess hired his own ballerina mistress as Cora's governess. The ballerina promptly taught Caro to dance-- and one of the most interesting and crunch-tastic parts of this book is the way Caro is constantly aware of her own stance, muscles, and body-language as well as that of the hero, Adam.
Adam is an English bulldog of a man. Despite being noble, he is into bare-knuckles boxing in an attempt to hide away a bruised heart (refreshingly bruised by a manipulative father and the loss of a beloved sister and a fall-out with his best friend, not, as per usual romance trope, bruised by a bad love affair) in the physical pain of his training.
The two meet one moonlit night, discover each other's secret and inappropriate hobbies, and hijinks ensue.
The icing on the cake (or should it be the garlic-parmesan on the kettle chip?) is that their relationship (both physical and emotional) is portrayed without unrealistic instant-physical bliss on the part of Caro, but also with the pragmatic understanding on both Adam and Caro's parts about how she really needs to seduce him in order to save herself and her beloved younger brother from their dissolute father. And there's also a scene where Caro puts her ballet flexibility to good use in a way I couldn't quite picture but that was certainly inventive.
There were less than a handful of a few minor typos, but certainly nothing to throw me out of the story for long. And I can't wait now to read the next in the series. Erin Sartie is now on my I'll-read-almost-anything-by-this-romance-author list as Sherry Thomas, Courtney Milan, and Lisa Kleypas.
If you're a romance fan, read this book.
I very rarely review romance novels. Partially because I feel like people have very specific....er....tastes surrounding romances and one's reaction to a novel might be more based on one's particular tastes rather than the actual quality of the writing. Also because, for me, romance novels are like potato chips-- not exactly nutritious for brain or body, but definitely a crunchy-delicious feeling for the soul when you need a break.
I picked up the first in Erin Sartie's series based on a recommendation from the website Smart B**ches, Trashy Novels (who have never yet let me down) to balance out some non-fiction reading and boy am i glad I did.
The Secret Heart turned out to be one of those rare gems (and even rarer-- self-published!) of a romance novel-- one where the characters are expertly drawn, have realistic, believable emotional arcs, don't act too stupid to be true, and where there are true obstacles (instead of mocked-up, paper-thin problems easily solved by the hero or heroine just TALKING to each other for once) to the HEA.
Caro is the daughter of a Marquess-- but an impoverished one with loose morals. For example, this Marquess hired his own ballerina mistress as Cora's governess. The ballerina promptly taught Caro to dance-- and one of the most interesting and crunch-tastic parts of this book is the way Caro is constantly aware of her own stance, muscles, and body-language as well as that of the hero, Adam.
Adam is an English bulldog of a man. Despite being noble, he is into bare-knuckles boxing in an attempt to hide away a bruised heart (refreshingly bruised by a manipulative father and the loss of a beloved sister and a fall-out with his best friend, not, as per usual romance trope, bruised by a bad love affair) in the physical pain of his training.
The two meet one moonlit night, discover each other's secret and inappropriate hobbies, and hijinks ensue.
The icing on the cake (or should it be the garlic-parmesan on the kettle chip?) is that their relationship (both physical and emotional) is portrayed without unrealistic instant-physical bliss on the part of Caro, but also with the pragmatic understanding on both Adam and Caro's parts about how she really needs to seduce him in order to save herself and her beloved younger brother from their dissolute father. And there's also a scene where Caro puts her ballet flexibility to good use in a way I couldn't quite picture but that was certainly inventive.
There were less than a handful of a few minor typos, but certainly nothing to throw me out of the story for long. And I can't wait now to read the next in the series. Erin Sartie is now on my I'll-read-almost-anything-by-this-romance-author list as Sherry Thomas, Courtney Milan, and Lisa Kleypas.
If you're a romance fan, read this book.
eslismyjam's review against another edition
4.0
Love this new to me author. She's going on the auto-buy. Authentic and none of the trite nonsense in so much of the historical romance right now.
sm_almon's review
5.0
Ooh, I devoured this in one sitting (#baddecisionsbookclub) and I just loved it. This is the first book I've read by this author, and everything totally worked for me - I can't wait to check out the rest of this series. I particularly liked that everything wasn't all sweetness and light, which is so prevalent in a lot of the historical romances I read - this book is full of difficult characters making tough choices, and I cannot get enough of that.
tita_noir's review
3.0
I liked the writing in this book better than I liked the story. It didn't 100% work for me as a romance novel mainly because I didn't actually enjoy the two main characters very much. They didn't make me happy for them. However, I appreciate the level of flawed characterization they bring to the story as well as the intensity of their relationship. This is not a typical light Hist Rom -- nor is it a typical angsty Hist Rom. There are some complex levels at work here that I appreciate even I couldn't wholly enjoy them.
In this story we meet Adam, the Earl of Bexly, a young man who has a very complicated and somewhat combative relationship with his powerful father, the Duke of Hastings. Actually, everyone in the book has a somewhat complex and combative relationship with the Duke. When we first meet Adam he has the clear signs of having fought on his face -- black eye, split lip, blood caked around his nostrils. He likes to box and does it kind of on the down low because it is something a titled Earl just does not do.
We also meet Caro Small, the heroine. She has been invited to the country home of the Duke at the behest of her best friend, the Duke's ward. Caro's family is on the edge of ruin and has somewhat of a shady reputation. Her father and brothers are spendthrifts and Caro is desperate to make a good marriage before they spend her dowry. Like Adam, Caro has an avocation that is frowned upon, she had balletic training thanks to family retainer who hails from the demimonde, so she practices dancing ruthlessly.
I actually liked Adam who I thought had a really good character trajectory. He goes from an enigmatic character to one who become sympathetic once you realize his relationship with his father to one you root for once he decides to really take his own fate in his hands.
Caro was a lot more difficult to like. She was a schemer. She needed to marry and her every thought had a calculating edge to it. I think I would have been more sympathetic to her if more of her inner dialogue was tempered with some genuine emotion. There were flashes, but I felt the 'I will act this way to create the result I need' angle of her personality took precedence over more genuine thought/feeling. So it was not easy to like her. She did soften and start to feel more authentic in her reactions to Adam, but that happened very, very late in the book.
There are other key supporting characters in the book all part of Adam's family all under his father's thumb. Outside of the romantic plot there is a murder mystery that affects the relationship. And another example of Caro using something to further her agenda in a rather calculating way.
By far the most fascinating character in the book is Adam's father, the Duke of Hastings. He is not necessarily a villain in the strict sense, but he is definitely an antagonist. He is a powerful man who wields his power and control over his family like a sledgehammer. They are resentful and, in some cases, cowed. He is definitely mean and callous. But I also liked that the author gave him a point of view so he just wasn't being am asshole just because the book called for one. He is a rich man who is the head of his household. He has a strong vision of what his family is supposed to be like and he takes pains to preserve that vision. He does it ruthlessly. He is also a master manipulator who thinks three moves ahead of everyone else. I did not like Hastings, but I can't deny that his scenes had a crackling energy that a lot of the rest of the book lacked. And thus I was always interested when he was in a scene.
In the end our hero & heroine do get together, but like I said they didn't make me happy. I just felt satisfied that they triumphed over Hastings.
In this story we meet Adam, the Earl of Bexly, a young man who has a very complicated and somewhat combative relationship with his powerful father, the Duke of Hastings. Actually, everyone in the book has a somewhat complex and combative relationship with the Duke. When we first meet Adam he has the clear signs of having fought on his face -- black eye, split lip, blood caked around his nostrils. He likes to box and does it kind of on the down low because it is something a titled Earl just does not do.
We also meet Caro Small, the heroine. She has been invited to the country home of the Duke at the behest of her best friend, the Duke's ward. Caro's family is on the edge of ruin and has somewhat of a shady reputation. Her father and brothers are spendthrifts and Caro is desperate to make a good marriage before they spend her dowry. Like Adam, Caro has an avocation that is frowned upon, she had balletic training thanks to family retainer who hails from the demimonde, so she practices dancing ruthlessly.
I actually liked Adam who I thought had a really good character trajectory. He goes from an enigmatic character to one who become sympathetic once you realize his relationship with his father to one you root for once he decides to really take his own fate in his hands.
Caro was a lot more difficult to like. She was a schemer. She needed to marry and her every thought had a calculating edge to it. I think I would have been more sympathetic to her if more of her inner dialogue was tempered with some genuine emotion. There were flashes, but I felt the 'I will act this way to create the result I need' angle of her personality took precedence over more genuine thought/feeling. So it was not easy to like her. She did soften and start to feel more authentic in her reactions to Adam, but that happened very, very late in the book.
There are other key supporting characters in the book all part of Adam's family all under his father's thumb. Outside of the romantic plot there is a murder mystery that affects the relationship. And another example of Caro using something to further her agenda in a rather calculating way.
By far the most fascinating character in the book is Adam's father, the Duke of Hastings. He is not necessarily a villain in the strict sense, but he is definitely an antagonist. He is a powerful man who wields his power and control over his family like a sledgehammer. They are resentful and, in some cases, cowed. He is definitely mean and callous. But I also liked that the author gave him a point of view so he just wasn't being am asshole just because the book called for one. He is a rich man who is the head of his household. He has a strong vision of what his family is supposed to be like and he takes pains to preserve that vision. He does it ruthlessly. He is also a master manipulator who thinks three moves ahead of everyone else. I did not like Hastings, but I can't deny that his scenes had a crackling energy that a lot of the rest of the book lacked. And thus I was always interested when he was in a scene.
In the end our hero & heroine do get together, but like I said they didn't make me happy. I just felt satisfied that they triumphed over Hastings.