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Review by Arlene Germain
The Heart's Desire by Anna Furtado

Anna Furtado’s debut historical romance novel, The Heart’s Desire, is set in England during the post-Norman Medieval Period, the early Renaissance. Henry VI is on the throne, and in the small township of Willowglen, Catherine Hawkins, the local spice merchant and herbal healer, is about to encounter the meaning of the book’s title. As she prepares for the annual Harvest Faire, Catherine notices a young noblewoman, Lady Lydia Wellington, staring at her from across the street. She is both captivated and confused. “That grey-green gaze had probed into the depths of her soul and left her overwhelmed with puzzling emotions.” [P.1] Soon they meet which leads Lydia to ask her aunts, the Ladies of Briarcrest, if she may remain after the Faire and learn more about herbs and spices from Catherine. Lydia and Catherine begin working together and a friendship is forged which promises perhaps more. Along the way, the reader meets Sarah, Catherine’s amiable and spunky young assistant, Isadore, a cleric with both a secret and an obsession, Lord Wellington, Lydia’s self-serving father, and the irrepressible Ladies of Briarcrest, Beatrice and Hilary. Through various trials and tribulations inherent in the genre of the historical romance, the reader is pleasantly swept along as each new conflict appears, as each new impediment to possible happiness occurs, and as the two heroines find purpose and resolve they never knew they had.

Furtado has created a novel that is rich and vibrant in its authenticity. Having spent two years researching the period to insure the accuracy of the setting and the events, quite remarkably, she has reconstructed a vivid interwoven tapestry of everyday life, the social mores, and these unconventional women of the times. The descriptions of the ordinary workday scenes and of the beginnings of the “enlightenment” in Catherine’s Willowglen Township provide the reader with the opportunity to become immersed in the story, and this is especially important when reading an historical romance. The timeframe in which the action takes place must be again brought to life, dusted off, and given new insight and vigor. Furtado manages rather effortlessly to accomplish that. The section headings, no chapters here, inform the reader as the plot progresses through the use of place and time. It reads similarly to in-depth diary entries.

The characterization is written succinctly and compactly, yet the reader never feels that Catherine and Lydia have been slighted in their increasingly dynamic evolution as determined, intelligent, and independent women. There is a good deal of internal dialogue for both of these characters, which, at times, seems repetitious. Occasionally, the diction of the period reads a bit imperiously. However, neither of these points detrimentally affects the storyline. The antagonists in this novel are not the typical mustache-twirling villains. They are not so stereotypical as to be nothing more than cartoon figures, which all too often people the pages of this genre. In fact, all the characters who live their lives on these pages are credible individuals with the same kinds of plausible hopes and aspirations as do those of us living in the present.

The Heart’s Desire is Book One in a series entitled The Briarcrest Chronicles. The conclusion of this novel will very skillfully segue into Book Two.

Furtado has a vision for this historical romance series, and her first published novel more than promises an admirable foundation. It strays somewhat from the formulaic historical genre, but this surfaces to be one of Furtado’s strengths. The Heart’s Desire uses an intriguing and innovative approach with wonderfully vital and fascinating women. This will surely compel the reader to enthusiastically, if not impatiently, await the next installment.

Rating: (on a scale of 1-5, with one being poor and five as excellent)
The Heart's Desire

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anna Furtado is a native of New England. She subsequently moved to Northern California where she continues to live with her partner and two Scottish terriers. Her first publications appeared on the web where she used her knowledge of animals to write pet care articles. The Heart's Desire is her first published novel-length work. Visit her website is www.annafurtado.com.

The Heart's Desire Author: Anna Furtado Category: Historical Romance Paperback: 198 pages Published: November 2004 ISBN: 1932300325 Retail: $15.95 Publisher: Regal Crest Click here to buy THE HEART'S DESIRE

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