I’m such a sucker for historical romances. I can’t get enough of them. This was another I really enjoyed. It was a nice break from all the adult fantasy I’ve been reading lately.

A beautiful story of the struggles of a woman who marries against her family's wishes to a man of military background only to be left to take care of the household as he goes forth to protect the country... all in all, this is a wonderfully inspiring story that will carry you page by page into a time that we have forgotten. Where faith and our word meant more than money and success. Kudos!!

A great story set in the World War One era. You feel a real connection with the characters straight away. Will definitely buy on print when it comes out.

When I saw a friend on social media had reviewed this book late last year, I thought it would be right up my alley as a historical novel set in England during the Edwardian period, and so I went and requested on Netgalley almost straight away. Which turned out be a timely discovery, since the book was archived shortly afterward.

In many ways, it was a very good book and an enjoyable read: even though I found some details in the plot were rather cliched. The whole aristocratic girl who refuses to marry for money/duty/convenience and ‘follows her heart’ to marry the commoner that she falls in love with has been done many, many times before. It takes a very good author to make an original tale out of such an overused formula, in my opinion. Stacy Henrie did that: for the most part anyway, with some of the details about Ada’s life, and her struggles as a widowed single parent during the First World War, and her faith journey.

In the second half, I felt the story became a little more strained and predictable: although I liked the character involved (but really could not remember him being mentioned previously, although he was meant to have been a childhood friend of the protagonist), and I felt the relationship developed slowly and plausibly without the insta- love you see in some books. I didn’t like one part of the conclusion though: stories like this always and always end with a certain thing happening, and I don’t see why its necessary to the ending.
Maybe I’m just strange, but the whole insistence on marrying for love instead of doing so to save one’s family, estate, or benefit the Kingdom is not an idea that always sits easily with me. I know its normal and common in romance stories, and it can be sweet and touching, but sometimes I consider it to be characteristic of quite a selfish attitude. (My happiness and my desires are more important than anyone or anything else, is what it says to me).

Also, I wasn’t impressed with the number of Americanisms used by the British characters (‘someplace’ ’write him’ etc), and some of the accents seemed a little dubious, with that of Ada’s Cockney friend seeming to be all but indistinguishable to those of people from rural Yorkshire.
Finally, that this is a personal matter, I did not realize this book was by a Mormon until I read the biography at the end.
I’m still undecided as to whether I want to include and endorse books by Mormon authors and Publishers on my blog, even if they don't seem to promote Mormon beliefs and ideas, as is the case with this one.

I requested a copy of this book via Netgalley of my own volition. I was not required to write a positive review and all opinions expressed are my own.

This book captivated my attention from its beautiful cover art...however, the story line held my attention from the first chapter. Ms Henrie's is an amazing author...Five stars!!

The Keeper of Her Heart is an intriguing historical fiction novel set in England during World War I. The heroine, Ada, vowed to marry only for love, not money. Going against her parents’ wishes for a prestigious marriage, Ada falls in love with a gamekeeper, Ned Henley, and elopes with him. They move to London where they go through many hardships, but they develop courage, independence, and faith along the way. As the story progresses, Ada finds that things don’t always go as planned, but she stays true to her vow to marry only for love. A theme of trusting in God’s presence during good times and bad is woven seamlessly throughout the story.
Stacy Henrie has crafted characters that are endearing and memorable and placed them in an intriguing setting. It was interesting to read about World War I and how it affected those living at that time. I will definitely be looking for more books by this author.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

A romantic novel set in the early part of the 20th century.
Ada a young women who is born into wealth but forgoes it all to marry the man she loves. Cut off by her family she builds a new life with her husband Ned and learns all the skills of family life that she was denied as a woman who came from wealth.
The course of true love did run smooth until the First World War caused devastation.
A theme that runs throughout the novel is the religious aspect of Ada and Neds life and the values that they lived by.
A satisfying read which affects all of ones emotions.

The Keeper of the Heart is a wonderful story. I loved Ada and felt a connection to her. A fabulous WWI era book.
4 1/2 stars

Stacy Henrie writes historical fiction at its best. While I have not read everything she has written, what I have is first-rate. Such is the case with The Keeper of Her Heart. For a while the reader is transport back to the years of WWI through Ada Thorne’s life.

I almost felt as if I too was living and working in wartime London with Ada, then back in the English countryside the writing made the time so vividly alive. However, it is the emotional richness of the story that makes this such a real jewel. The first love, youthful plans and desires, then shatter dreams are so clearly portrayed. Along with that so is the hope for a better tomorrow, second chances, reliance on God and faith in Him.

Well done, completely well done.

This story was so good! Ada Thorne, determined to marry for love, falls in love with Ned Henley. Her family does not approve because he is only the gamekeeper's son. Ada marries him anyway and they move to London. Set during World War One, Ned decides to join the fight. Even though times are hard, their loves remains strong. This is a beautiful story of love, loss and the courage it takes to remain strong. Highly recommend!

Ada vowed to only marry for love to the dismay of her parents. So when she married the Gamekeeper, Ned, her parents followed through on their threat to disinherit her. Now isolated and in London, Ada must find a way to survive while war looms on the horizon. When World War One breaks out and her husband enlists, Ada must use her faith to remain strong. Unfortunately, her husband is killed sending her into freefall with a young child to care for and not a whole lot of options.

I picked this book up because it features one of my favorite but underrepresented time periods, World War One. And I really enjoyed the look into life in Britain during the Great War. The writing was lovely and the author does a good job of developing interesting characters.

However, I found several of the religious notes overly heavy-handed. It ended up breaking the fourth wall for me because they felt shoehorned in. There were parts which didn't bother me, particularly later in the book. I also felt the story started in the wrong place. I would have liked a little bit of how and why Ada fell in love with Ned. We got a lot of tell and not show. I also found the revelation that Hugh loving her at the 50% mark also in the wrong place, We needed hints earlier.

Ultimately, this ended up not being my cup of tea and because of the issues above I can only give this

Three Stars

*** I received an ARC from NetGalley

I cannot say enough good things about The Keeper of Her Heart. I was drawn in from page one and held on right up until the very satisfying end.

Ada Thorne is the daughter of a wealthy family but she plans to marry for love not for position. She falls in love with a gamekeeper, Ned Henley, and she elopes with him. The two settle in London and begin their life together. As they work at building a life together, Ada longs for the relationship she had with her parents but due to her marriage, they are estranged. Ada and Ned work hard at their marriage and have a daugher, Rosemary. Ada is content until Ned decides to enlist in the military. Ned assures Ada of his love for her. He also helps Ada to develop a strong relationship with the Lord. She is able to get through Ned's enlistment due to God's help. Her world changes when Ned is killed in the line of duty. Ada's deep friendship and the Lord help her cope. Ada make the tough decision to return to her home and to her parents. When she does, God's plan for her life takes over.

The Keeper of the Heart shows us that sometimes God has a plan for us, that we never imagined. The book is so well written that you feel a part of the story. It is an emotional book that makes you cry one minute and rejoice the next.
I voluntarily received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Do you choose love or comfort? That is Ada Thorne's dilemma, and this book is about her choices in her life. We all make choices......but choices are not without consequences.

I enjoyed reading about Ada and her life, the book had a great flow and the heroine's character grew with adversity.

While this story starts out a bit slow, it doesn’t waste time with needless information. It wasn’t too long before I was enveloped in the story and drawn along into the lives of Ada and Ned.

Ada exemplifies a tremendous amount of resolve to not only leave her parents, and the life of comfort and ease, but also to step out in faith. Ada learns to lean on God through the good times and the bad times, and she comes to understand that bad things happen to us all, but the universal truth is that God never leaves us.

This story is set in the early 1900’s England, and goes thru the time of World War I. Readers will gain an intimate glimpse of what life may have been like for those in London during the air raid and bombings. As well as how the war changed the workforce in England, as more women joined the workforce.

I would highly recommend this poignant, well-written story to anyone who enjoys not only reading stories about WWI but also stories with strong heroines. I give this robust story 4.5 stars and I look forward to reading more from Stacy Henrie in the future.

(I receive complimentary books for review from publishers, publicists, and/or authors, including Netgalley. I am not required to write positive reviews. The opinions I have expressed are my own.)

*Thanks to Netgalley for giving me a free copy to review*

"Other days you wonder if you are wrong for not missing them as keenly as you once did."

This is the story of Ada overcoming her fears, facing heartbreak and having the strength to live again, all set during WWI.
I must say this touched me several times with its talk of dealing with grief and forging ahead in difficult times and I got misty-eyed a lot. Sometimes the talk about God felt a little forced, but not totally unrealistic. It was nice to see Ada grow and handle the challenges set before her.
The one big drawback was that I never felt a strong connection with any of the characters or saw well-written personalities. Ada apparently had a clever sense of humor but I didn't pick up on it. Maybe I'm so used to sarcasm I don't see anything else as particularly clever. Ned 's described as nice and warm, but I couldn't justify liking him for those reasons alone. Hugh had some depth and I liked him best.
The plot was very predictable, but that's what you need sometimes when comfort is your main reason for reading a book.
It at times bore a strong resemblance to Downton Abbey but that's not a bad thing.
Overall it was a simple read with a decent message.

Ada’a parents are not amused when the heiress falls in love with a gamekeeper on a nearby estate. They are quite clear- if Ada chooses to be with Ned, she will do it without their support, emotionally and financially. Ada risks all for love and leaves for London with Ned, never imagining the difficulties that lie ahead, the poverty, the loneliness and the Great War. Ada is left alone to raise a child without the support of her family, so she must draw on her own inner reservoir of strength and courage. I really enjoyed this historical novel about a young woman struggling to make in on her own, under her own terms