"Each man now rode with a pair of ominous wings sprouting from his back as if he were part of an army of archangels. The spectacle of row after row of straight-backed, hard-muscled, hale and fit warriors was both thrilling and terrifying, and folk gathered to watch in awe as the husaria rode past in the preternatural light on their way to vanquish a reviled enemy"

4.5 stars

I was so excited reading this book. I deliberately took forever to read it because I wanted to savour the feeling.

What I loved about this book:

*The setting. Medieval times. Castles, nobles, lavish balls, feasts and hussars.
*Immersive world and storytelling.
*Jacek. Pan Dąbrowski. Maybe a little too allthegirlslovehim, but he can be forgiven.
*Henryk. Lovable in that, you-can-be-a-total-turd-but-you-still-make-me-smile, kind of way. Probably my favourite character.
*Jacek & Henryk's friendship. Fiercely loyal, regardless of the other's faults.
*The hussars, lord-brothers.
*The long horseback journeys and battles.
*Oliwia's guardians protecting her honour and innocence.
*Jarosława

I'm super sad this book didn't become a new favourite read, as I'd been enjoying it so, SO much! Unfortunately, things took a turn for me after Oliwia turned 18. I didn't really enjoy the direction the story took, the romance, the ending, etc. But everything else was so strong that it was still a highly enjoyable read.

The Heart of a Hussar is a historical romance novel set in early 17-century Poland, during the time of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. During that period it was the largest and most populous country in Europe and an important military power. The Hussars played an important role in the Commonwealth’s military success.
The main character is Jacek Dabrowski, a highly respected member of the Hussars. He is a brave and honorable man, and one of the Hussars best warriors. In order to secure his future Jacek understands that he needs to obtain land holdings so that he can become a member of the nobility, or szlachta. To that end he needs to perform well and gain the support and acclaim of his superior officers.
When his lieutenant dies in battle against the Russians, Jacek is chosen to replace him. Just 22, Jacek becomes the youngest lieutenant in the company’s history. However, that promotion is not well-received by his immediate superior, Mateusz, who sees the bright young lieutenant as a threat to his own ambitions. The conniving Mateusz undertakes an effort to discredit Jacek in whatever way he can.
But, of course, there’s also a romance. Early in the book Jacek rescues a young Russian girl, Oliwia, and her brother, Filip, after their village is destroyed. He helps protect them and eventually a romance develops between Jacek and Oliwia. However, Jacek is torn between his commitment to his military career and future goals, and his affection for Oliwia.
If, like me, you don’t read a ton of historical romance novels, it’s important to recognize that the story takes precedence over the history. With a historical romance the focus is on the characters, and the purpose of the setting is to convey the spirit of the time and place. The setting is an important facet of why the characters are who they are, and can provide an interesting and sometimes exotic atmosphere.
That being said, it’s good to see more historical romances being set in Poland rather than in Victorian England or Civil War America. Even though these are romances, not histories, they do promote the understanding of history and culture. Books like The Heart of a Hussar entertain and also gives an insight into Poland that you probably wouldn’t get anywhere else.
The author goes to great lengths to provide a detailed description of that time in Polish history. As a reference she includes an historical timeline, a glossary and notes about many of the historic people and events in the book.

I really enjoyed this book! It was set in a time period that I knew nothing about, so I loved this small insight into Poland in the 1600s. There is a lot of Polish, French, and German used in this, but over the course of the story, you develop an understanding. I was craving historical fiction when I requested this, and it didn't disappoint!

I think my favorite part about this was how well the characters were developed. Setting this over the course of 4 years was super smart, it helped make everything more believable. When I started this, I was super worried that Jacek and Oliwia would get together immediately. This really worried me because she was only 15 at the time, and he was quite a bit older. Thankfully, their romance doesn't start developing until she's about 17, which helped me ignore the gap in their ages. I loved how theirs was a very tender relationship, it wasn't rooted in passion or lust. It felt natural, and I really loved them together.

Jacek was probably my favorite character, but I really enjoyed Oliwia's chapters too. I can't wait to see where they both go in the next book, considering this left off on quite the cliffhanger!

Thanks to Netgalley and Griffin Brady for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review

#netgalley
Learning about the Polish Winged Hussars due to my Polish heritage is what first intrigued me about this book.
I did find the Polish History ( 1600's) and the history of the Hussars very interesting. A period that is not often chosen for novels. It is historical fiction with a side of historical romance in my opinion. It is extremely well researched and the author's love of the period comes through in her writing. I felt that it was a bit slow in the middle of the book: perhaps one too many battles or one too many separations for me. I never really connected with the characters. They were well written so I don't have an answer for that. I liked them but I did not really care about them , if that makes sense. This is only the first in a 2 part series so it does not have a true ending. This is just my opinion and many people will probably disagree with me. Honestly , I think I was the only reader who did not rave about "Where the Crawdads Sing" so I am in no way a critic.Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this book.