This was a sweet, whimsical cozy fantasy with a light touch of adventure. Jessie Elland’s narration was a great match for the tone—pleasant and immersive without being overdone.

The story had charm and a fairytale-like quality, with rich descriptions and a soft atmosphere. The stakes were fairly high in concept, but the tension never quite reached that same level in execution. It made for a relaxing listen, but I did find myself wishing for a bit more depth in the plot.

Sylvester, the sorcerer love interest, felt underdeveloped for most of the book. He spends a large portion of the story acting like a dry biscuit—amusing, but not exactly layered. I hoped for more growth or complexity from him, especially given the emotional themes at play.

Overall, it’s a cozy and enjoyable read for fans of gentle fantasy with heart, but don’t expect a deep dive into character or plot. It’s more of a meandering, feel-good tale than a tightly woven fantasy journey.

Foss lives in a town where beautiful sorceresses come to visit and steal pieces of the towns people’s hearts to fuel their magic. The towns people know this happened to keep them safe, so they don’t think too much of it. Then one day a sorcerer shows up and Foss is the accidental recipient of a heart spell binding her to him. After he leaves she is so heartsick that she decides she has to travel to the sorcerer’s city to find him and when she dies, she offers herself as a house keeper to his magical house. Here she befriends a talking cat, who names himself Cornelius and starts to unravel the mysteries of the sorcerer’s magic.

This story is great and I liked the magic in the book. I am not familiar with Howl’s Moving Castle and now feel like I need to check it out. Pacing was good, liked the characters.

The narrator was fantastic! Loved the accents and different voices for the characters, especially the cat!

Thank you NetGalley and RBMedia for this ARC!

At 25% this was a swift dnf. The writing was mostly fine but every other sentence the MC was moping about how unattractive and about how borderline hideous she was and would be alone forever.
Then the author kept throwing the most out of pocket random sentences everywhere the main problem being "his cat arsehole winking at me with every step" which is a hard no for me. Another was "I wanted to take his limbs and suck on them like cinnamon sticks" ok then.
Unnecessarily horny as well, I understand it's a romantasy but for an MC who said they didn't really want love with one meeting of the MMC she wants to jump him every chance she sees him and it was not a fun time.
Add that with the narrators choice of accent for one of the characters who will be a big part of the book and I can't see myself finishing this unfortunately.

A Harvest of Hearts is a cozy, enchanting romantasy full of delightful surprises, featuring the unforgettable Foss—a strong, captivating heroine—and her scene-stealing companion, Cornelius the talking cat, whose adorable bond added so much warmth to the story. With its whimsical world, unpredictable twists, and a satisfying happily-ever-after, this book is pure comfort magic, perfect for anyone who loves heartwarming fantasy with a romantic spark. Andrea Eames crafted something truly special here, and I’m already craving more cozy romantasy just like it!

The narrator for this book was perfection. Really created a vibe for the story.
I'm not sure why it was marketed as cozy, it's pretty dark. But I guess anything that isn't an epic fantasy gets called cozy, what do I know?
I think I would have rated this book higher if the main character was different, her lack of self esteem was disappointing. If that doesn't matter to you I'd recommend this one, it's whimsical, dark and have a great cat!

This was marketed as in the tradition of Howl’s Moving Castle. While I agree this is somewhat whimsical, A Harvest of Hearts is actually quite sinister with dark themes.

Our FMC, Foss, gets accidentally Snagged while in her village. As the yearning for the sorcerer grows, Foss makes the journey to the City, unsure what else she can do. Once there, she begins to learn more about Sylvester, his unpredictable magic, his continuously growing house, and his talking cat, Cornelius.

I really enjoyed the story and magic system here, which was completely new to me. There were a few things I wish could have been elaborated more on: more background on the king and his sorcery, more of Sylvester’s thoughts going through his head, and possibly some background for Foss’s mom. Additionally, I love an HEA as much as the next gal, but I felt like the very ending was not only rushed but “corrected” too conveniently.

Overall, I really enjoyed A Harvest of Hearts. The unique magic system was interesting. Foss was very relatable, and Cornelius was amazing. I need a Cornelius of my own!

A big thank you to NetGalley and RBmedia for this ALC!

A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames was such a fun and cozy read. This story blended elements of my favorite stories like Howls's Moving Castle, The Labyrinth, and Coraline, while being its own unique and captivating story of its own. The narration for the audiobook set the tone for the plot from beginning until the end creating a truly immersive experience.

I'm glad I listened to this book - Jesse Elland has a lovely voice that was perfect for this story. I had some gripes but overall I'm happy with having experienced the world that Eames set out to build!

Writing
Eames' writing feels really accessible to me. Especially paired with Elland's soft-spokenness, it felt like listening to a relative reading from a storybook. The words are descriptive without getting too into the muck, and the scene setting feels grand but with enough room for the reader's imagination to play around. But I hesitate to accept the category of "cozy" fantasy. Admittedly I haven't read many others and truly don't mind some spice, but I was a little taken aback the first few times that Foss describes what she wants Sylvester to do to her, while under his spell.

Characters
I really enjoyed Cornelius' relationship with everybody - I think he grounded each of the characters and really brought out everybody's humanity. And isn't that what pets tend to do in real life as well? I'd describe him as reluctantly lovable. I had problems with Foss - without meaning to be, she's written as very anti-woman and she never gets over it. It's very "I'm not like other girls", and she comments multiple times on the sorceresses' names: "Of course she has a name like ..." There are plenty of other problems with the magic workers that you really don't need to rag on their names, of all things. Sylvester is a typical broody and mysterious love interest - it's not bad but I didn't find him particularly exciting because of it.

Plot
Maybe it was Elland's voice bringing me along through the story, but the plot somehow felt lo-fi. Even though the stakes were relatively high, only a couple of moments were actually high-tension. For the rest of it, the book was either slice-of-life or conversations of speculation. This works well for a "cozy" fantasy. The concept is interesting but I felt the book was a little slow-paced for my liking. That might just be a feature of the genre though, and that's okay.

Nostalgic with a dark twist. I would compare this to a gritty Howl’s Moving Castle. The themes and general mechanics of the world are very familiar, but quite a bit darker than the original story. I liked, but didn’t love it. The writing was lyrical, but the pacing was noticeably uneven. The FMC was very self deprecating, it took 365 pages for her to stop the monologue of “I’m very ordinary” which was entirely too long in my opinion. The MMC was a little too flat for me personally. The actual star of this book is, of course, Cornelius the Cat. I would say that this book rating is entirely for him, because he was my engagement throughout. Overall, a generally enjoyable read if you’re reading for the cat.

Thank you to RBmedia for the provided ARC via NetGalley!

If it has the same charm as Howl’s Moving Castle, it’s full of magical elements and emotional depth. The themes of found family, friends to lovers, and the idea that appearances can be deceiving are always so engaging.

A Harvest of Hearts is a new Romantasy from Andrea Eames. Foss is a plain girl who works for her father at his butcher shop. She’s never felt beautiful or worthy of anything—especially when in comparison to the Sorcereses.

The Sorcereses take hearts. Most often just tiny pieces as they flaunt their beauty through the outlying kingdom towns. On occasion they take a whole heart from a villager, leaving them a husk of who they once were. They say it’s to help provide for the kingdom and keep it strong. One day, everyone is surprised to see the first ever Sorcerer make an appearance and Foss feels a deep urge, something tying them together. She is snagged by his magic and follows him back to the city where she requests to be his housemaid in order to stay near and avoid the pain the separation causes. What follows is a charming taking cat, a house with a kind of its own and a legion of magical ladies fully corrupted by darkness.

This book is so Howl’s Moving Castle coded. There’s a moving house, an aloof sorcerer, missing hearts, and a talking cat. And Foss comes to be a maid after being lured here under mysterious circumstances. There are varying bits that differ from that story, but you can see it’s heavily inspired.

I think the concept for this story is very fun, though it may not be the most unique. Taking bits of hearts to fuel your power hungry king and his magic sounds about right. I did like the twist of how the magic users are made. Magic isn’t readily available to everyone—only to the sorceress’s (and now sorcerer.) It’s very grim and sad and just goes to show how those who hunger for power will do whatever they need to keep it.

I really loved Cornelius the cat. Heather was an utter delight in this story as most talking cats usually are. I found Foss to be a decent protagonist. She feels realistic in that she has moments of confidence and moments of indecision and anxiety—she’s not too girlbossy. I feel like girlbossing has become too akin to a girl just slamming a club into someone and being super angry all the time which I personally don’t love all that much.

I thought Sylvester was a pretty good character with a perfectly tragic backstory. Heather may be as pretty as Howl but not quite as charming!

The only big thing I found issue with in this book is that it felt a little insta lovey.

Spoilers here

Obviously Foss fell in love with him due to a spell gone awry, I get that. However, there is a moment where all the magic stops and she has real feelings again. Almost immediately, they have this romantic love and attraction? Like girl, I know you don’t feel like you’re under a spell, but you could fully be projecting onto this man. It just felt off to me.

I do love a classy true loves kiss though, despite how cliche it is. Wonderfully fairytale.

Thanks NetGalley for the early audio copy!

I enjoyed this a lot! A Harvest of Hearts has an interesting, unique magic system that starts off on the whimsical side and, as the story unfolds, it gets a darker. The way the magic impacts the kingdom and its people kept me intrigued, and the beautiful writing brought the world to life, as did the narration. Some aspects felt a bit repetitive (such as the self-deprecation), but overall, this was a great read!

Thank you Andrea Eames, NetGalley, and RBmedia / Recorded Books for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

This was such a cozy, slightly chaotic delightful read. If you're into quiet magic, grumpy girls, emotionally unavailable sorcerers, and talking cats with attitude, then this one is worth checking out!

Foss, our FMC, isn’t your typical weak fantasy heroine (which I love!!). She’s blunt, not conventionally pretty, and just trying to figure out what happened to her heart. The story lets her be messy and real, which made her super relatable and had me rooting for her throughout the whole story.

The magic system is unique, and the magical house was full of fun surprises that kept me engaged. Cornelius the cat was the perfect side character, so dramatic!

I felt that this book was very flat. There is no emotion or strong characterization. Our heroine, Foss, is very monotone and self-loathing. Her heart is "stolen" by a sorcerer, so she leaves home to go work as a servant in her castle. She just can't resist. This premise is somewhat similar to one of my favorite books of all time, Howl's Moving Castle, so I understand why the comparison is made. But Foss is just so boring to read from. She doesn't have any personality. The sorcerer, Sylvester, does not have any charisma to make up for this; he also falls very flat. Since I am not interested in these characters, I am just not feeling the story. I think you will like this if the writing style works for you, but I'd drop it at like 20% if you are not vibing with it.

I absolutely loved this book, and want so many more stories from this world.

I found the characters, particularly Foss, to be so real and endearing. She’s not the perfect beauty of some fantasy novels, and is so relatable. Add in her lovable sidekick (a talking cat), and a slow burn, kind of enemies to lovers romance, and this was everything I hoped for. It feels like the perfect blend of high stakes and cozy fantasy, and I cannot wait to read more from the author!

I also loved the narration of the audiobook, particularly Cornelius (I absolutely LOVED him). Jessie Elland was the perfect choice for Foss.

A delightful homage to Howl’s Moving Castle with a slightly darker twist.

Foss is easily likeable and a breath of fresh air among the rows of beautiful-but-she-doesn’t-know-it-yet protagonists common in fantasy novels and her delightfully uncomplicated relationship with her father is one of my favourite aspects about this book. Even though this is a stand-alone, we got a pretty good insight into Foss’ past, which connects nicely with the overall themes of the story. The narrator does a perfect job at bringing the characters to life with different dialects and voices and I was a little sad when I realised that this isn’t the beginning of a series. I would have loved to spend more time with the characters, especially the talking cat.

There are some times where the story dragged a little and the romance didn’t feel as well developed as I would have liked it, but there were a couple of sweet moments and I liked the twist on why Sylvester felt drawn to Foss, the comments on beauty and the simple fact that the protagonist isn’t pretty and never will be and instead of having her realise that she was beautiful all along or give her a make-over, she’s just allowed to be a little ugly. Really refreshing. My favourite character is the witch, who’s truly living her best life.

Overall, I had a really good time and would love to read whatever the author writes next.

In a world where your heart stores real magic, Foss lives in a village that is regularly visited by the King's sorceresses who slyly steal pieces of the villager's hearts.

Foss is our FMC who describes herself as a plan, nothing special girl. She works with her dad at the butcher shop. The sorceresses are visiting more frequently lately, and Foss, intrigued, steps out of their shop to see what is going on. That's when she sees Sylvester, a male sorcerer. They have a passing moment and Foss feels he's stolen a piece of her heart as she can't explain the feeling that comes over her and the longing for him that eventually makes her leave her village to search for him when he leaves. This is a rare occurrence, only knowing two others who left the village to the city.

She finds the sorcerer and claims she's there to be his housekeeper and finds herself trapped between magical walls with a talking cat (Cornelius) as her only friend. She is trying to work out what to do about her heart, was a part of it stolen? Can she get it back? All she knows is when she's away from Sylvester, she feels literally love sick, and when with him, she is overcome with her love for him that seemed to come out of nowhere.

As the book goes on, Sylvester's stand offish and void of emotion demeanor starts to make more sense as the magic system and history is explained. He seems to have no cares towards Foss and what she is up to in the magic house. During her time in the city, Foss will learn more about their magic, how they use the hearts they harvest and what the sorcesses' and kingdoms intentions are. Cornelius the cat kept this book alive and moving for me, and I was most invested in his witty character!

The magical house was so much fun to learn about, and the book had a very unique magic system. At first, this felt like a cozy fantasy, but I will say it developed to be a bit darker than that in the second half.

Narration was great - Overall, enjoyed this read.

Thanks to NetGalley and RB Media for the ALC in exchanges for an honest review.

Beautiful, whimsical book! Absolutely loved the vibes of this book. I'd definitely read more from Earnes.

What a delightful book! The middle was a struggle as I couldn't see where it would go, but I am glad I pushed through. The ending was fantastic and wrapped up the story wonderfully. The narrator was able to do all of the voices for the different characters in a believable, not cringe way.

A Harvest of Hearts by Andrea Eames is a fantasy novel with Howl's Moving Castle vibes. No nonsense Foss Butcher has had a rough life in the village she grew up in, but that all changes when a whiny but strikingly handsome sorcerer accidentally Snags her heart; life does not get easier when he shows up, however. Light romance and a less obnoxious Howl.