Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce DiPastena Book Review

About the book:

"Clothilde." He spoke the name on a breath like a prayer. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

Her heart is lost in that first embrace, her world is shaken to its foundations. There is just one problem; her name is not Clothilde. It is Siriol de Calendri. Trained in the art of illumination in the far-off city of Venice, Siri is directed by her late brother's will to the county of Poitou in France, where she enters the guardianship of her brother's friend Sir Triston de Brielle. Once in Poitou, Siri hopes to find employment in an illuminator's shop - until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guild he carries for the death of his late wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife's shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri's face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then Triston's past returns to threaten them both. Will his tragic life with Clothilde be repeated with Siri? Trapped between the rivalry of the king's sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. But how can he bear to lose her again?

Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman's shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and paint. But can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston's soul and make his heart beat for her alone?


My Review:

Illuminations of the Heart has been on my to-read list since I found out that Joyce DiPastena had written more novels!  I fell in love with her first book, Loyalty's Web and just knew I had to read her others.  I want to thank Joyce for her generosity in giving me this book to read and review!  Illuminations of the Heart is great medieval romance novel, but it goes deeper than that!  Ms. DiPastena delves deep into the culture of the medieval times.  Her novel is well-written and the story is much more than a surface level romance.  There are feuds, knights, fights, love....and so much more! I found myself being drawn to the story and trying to solve all of the mysteries.  I love how much I learned about the medieval times from the book!  The characters are well-developed and I became drawn into their lives and their world.  I loved it and cannot wait to read her newest novel, Dangerous Favor.  Five stars!


You can pick up Illuminations of the Heart via  Amazon and Barnes and Noble.


Happy Reading!!!


I received this book for free.
Source:  Author