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A review by tita_noir
Hidden Hearts by Olivia Dade
4.0
I can't think of any other word to describe this book except cute. Or maybe sweet. Ok, so it is both. But it is also pretty funny as well. Alright, that is three words. But it is true. This is cute, sweet and nicely humorous.
Even though the two main characters deal with their share of angst -- Miles, the hero, is in hiding and throwing a bit of a pity party because he is learning to cope with a loss and Mary, the heroine, has repressed a lot of herself because of a terrible living experience she had while younger is also hiding in a way -- they manage to be charming and funny with each other so they aren't wallowing. Which I love cuz I can't with super angst. There is good angst-to-normal behavior balance in this.
The romance itself if fairly low conflict, but even as the characters spend time together and get to know each other, the author manages to keep a level of suspense & anticipation in the romance as we get layers of reveal about who these two people are and what might be holding them back from fully committing. Even though the overall romantic conflict is not too high, there is a believable barrier to their HEA that they both need to overcome. I also really liked that both characters are rather dynamic, by that I mean the couple we meet at the beginning of the book have transformed believably to two people who feel much stronger by the end of the book.
And finally, there is this scene where the heroine is at the Smithsonian looking at a portrait. She describes it and uses it as a metaphor for herself. For some reason her description of the picture and her reaction to it made me want to see it for myself. So I googled it. And yeah, seeing the picture for myself made that scene really pop for me.
Fun book that was an easy read.
**This review is from an ARC received via Netgalley **
Even though the two main characters deal with their share of angst -- Miles, the hero, is in hiding and throwing a bit of a pity party because he is learning to cope with a loss and Mary, the heroine, has repressed a lot of herself because of a terrible living experience she had while younger is also hiding in a way -- they manage to be charming and funny with each other so they aren't wallowing. Which I love cuz I can't with super angst. There is good angst-to-normal behavior balance in this.
The romance itself if fairly low conflict, but even as the characters spend time together and get to know each other, the author manages to keep a level of suspense & anticipation in the romance as we get layers of reveal about who these two people are and what might be holding them back from fully committing. Even though the overall romantic conflict is not too high, there is a believable barrier to their HEA that they both need to overcome. I also really liked that both characters are rather dynamic, by that I mean the couple we meet at the beginning of the book have transformed believably to two people who feel much stronger by the end of the book.
And finally, there is this scene where the heroine is at the Smithsonian looking at a portrait. She describes it and uses it as a metaphor for herself. For some reason her description of the picture and her reaction to it made me want to see it for myself. So I googled it. And yeah, seeing the picture for myself made that scene really pop for me.
Fun book that was an easy read.
**This review is from an ARC received via Netgalley **