A very cozy fantasy romance with a magic system at the same time familiar and fresh.

About the audiobook:
Great narrator; loved her voice and accent. As someone who listens at 3x speed (because that matches the speed I read at when I read physically, and I like to follow along with the ebook), it took me about 4 chapters to get used to it. I would say '''non-native-english-speaker issue'' but let's be honest: lots of native english speakers still have trouble with some UK accents. Still, I got used to it quite fast.


About the book itself:
I might not remember the actual plot forever, but I'll remember the whole Heart-Magic or at least the way people in this world describe it. The characters are nice enough, not memorable enough, though. I'd recommend this to anyone who loves cozy fantasy in general, but more specifically to those who love sentient houses, ominous talking animals and whimsy.

Pretty much for a Coraline fan who wants something a bit more cheerful but still creepy when you write down the facts.

I enjoy reading about FMC who make decisions that move the plot along, and not just have things happening to them. It only took a few chapters for our main character to take matters into her own hands, which I appreciate (both the action itself but also the fact that we did not waste time thinking and pondering about what to do). Plus, the cat. Always something to enjoy there.
I would've liked to get to know the MMC a bit better, to get me to care about the romance in general. Even with that being said, I feel like the story went on for a bit too long for me to absolutely love it.

This is a 7/10 for me, a 3.5 star if you will

A heart snagging cozy fantasy perfect for anyone who loves Howl’s Moving Castle. Easy to follow storyline with an interesting magics system & clean romance.

***3.0 Stars***

Overall,
There were quite a few good things about this book that I enjoyed and there were quite a few things that left me wanting. The book was fine. The main character, a cynical young woman who has gone through life shunned and being told how ugly and unwanted she is by everyone except her father finds herself snagged by a Sorcerer who is not the most talkative young man. For much of this book I was honestly confused about the magic system, I think the author was going for we only know what the main character knows since everything is being told from her perspective, which I understand, but I am not a big fan of being just as confused as the main character for 75% of the book. When we do get more understanding there is a lack of actual detail about how things are done, which again I felt lacking. The story is refreshing and new, the overall plot is does not feel like a carbon copy of anything else. I would recommend this book to those who are interested in a more gothic fantasy genre (though not really a gothic setting it gives off the same vibes). The Audiobook was done well the voices and narration was good, I was reading it tandem and found that the audio did not always match the ebook, as these are arcs it could be due to some editing.

I received an eARC and an Audio Arc of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my free and honest review.

Conceptually, a very interesting book. Execution was incredibly flat.

There were a lot of frustrating things about this book. First, the constant emphasis on the FMCs appearance and appearance of others. It added nothing and was grating by the end. There was also this overwhelming need to continually remind us that she was under a spell. These things bothered me to no end and pulled me out of the story 80% of the time.

The characters had a lot of potential. Neither really had much personality though, which made it incredibly difficult to connect the love interests together let alone give them any growth.

Honestly this isn't a whimsical fantasy, it's just thin and underdeveloped. A true shame. I wish I could have liked this one.

Thank you so much to the author and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this title. I attest that I am leaving my review honestly and voluntarily.

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.