Review of Tangled Hearts

[Kathy-Smith]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Tangled Hearts" by Ruth Altamura-Roll.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Tangled Hearts by Ruth Altamura-Roll is a historical-romance set in mid-to-late 19th century England. The main characters are Ana, Charles, and Alexander. Ana is approaching spinsterhood with only one prospect for marriage: Charles, her cousin whom she sees as a brother. After denying his proposal (again), Ana decides to leave the safety of her family home and find her own way in the world. This path leads her to being the governess for the sons of Alexander, a duke. From here, the main characters engage in a repetitive cycle of pain and misery. Ana falls for the duke but is confused and hurt by his hot and cold demeanor. Alexander, having been emotionally wounded by his first wife, falls for Ana but does not trust her. Charles, having loved Ana since he was twelve and she was five, which is disturbing, is determined to woo her despite constantly being rebuffed.

The story keeps the reader hooked with well-written emotional scenes and dialogue. When tragedy strikes, the reader can feel the impact on the characters. The action sequences and build-up of sexual tension are also engaging. An area of improvement is the lack of varying conflict for the characters. Every setback revolves around the same communication issues, especially for Alexander. It is frustrating that he keeps misunderstanding something with Ana that erases his trust in her, lashing out at her, realizing that he was wrong, and then misunderstanding something all over again.

The secondary characters and the impact they have on the story are tremendous. Lady Catherine, Alexander’s mother, is mischievous and well-meaning. The two boys, Geoffrey and Hugh, dynamically demonstrate how children can react differently to parental abandonment. Riya, a teenage girl Alexander rescued from India, adds a layer of complexity to Ana’s perception of Alexander and his backstory.

The book was hard for me to put down. I would love to read more from this author. I would encourage more thorough editing as there were many careless mistakes. I rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.

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Tangled Hearts
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[Blueberry Dragon]

Thank you for bringing an unputdownable book to our notice, @Kathy Smith 16! I hope the author takes your feedback and improves the book in future editions with better proofreading. Look forward to reading it if I get a chance.

[Nati Jiniya]

Thank you for this beautiful review! The book sounds interesting and unique, I'd love to give it a try. I don't have much experince with this genre, so it would be adventurous.