Review: To Warm a Wintered Heart by Deborah M. Hathaway

My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it

Paperback available for purchase at the author's website

Synopsis

After an uneventful season in Bath, Miss Charlotte Rosebury returns home to Warwickshire, looking forward to a visit from her mother’s friend. Their expected guest, Mrs. Worthington, has promised that her son will be accompanying her, and as Charlotte has only ever heard stories of the gentleman who rarely leaves his Yorkshire estate, she is most pleased to meet him. However, when her warm welcome is returned with a fierce frown from the handsome man, she cannot help but long to be free of him and his blue-eyed glare.

Despite his mother’s protests, Mr. Gabriel Worthington had made the decision long ago to remain unmarried, but when he meets Charlotte, doubts about his decision creep into his fearful mind, and he wishes for nothing more than to flee from the woman and never return.

For weeks, the two are forced to live within the same home, and though they provoke one another with teasing and stolen glances, an unlikely friendship blossoms between them, a friendship that grows stronger than either of them had expected. Will Gabriel concede to the choices binding his heart, or can Charlotte’s warmth be just the thing to strengthen their love and, at last, end their fears?

My Review

I've found a new author to follow! I'm a fan of Regency romances so I loved the setting and the details of the time period which enhanced but didn't overshadow the story. It actually had tones of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice with the negative first encounter of the main characters, and the somewhat formal language transported me to the era but couldn't hide the story's foundation of heart and emotion and a light dash of humor.

Charlotte and Gabriel had a rough start with the assumptions he made of her and misunderstandings that ensued, but once they became more friendly it was fun seeing their attraction grow even thought they tried to fight their feelings. There are several great scenes with high romantic tension and swoon-worthy kissing :)
The rude insinuations from various socialites to Charlotte's face was a bit overkill and made them seem like caricatures, but it did showcase her wit in gracefully handling the cattiness.

The theme of overcoming fear of loss and allowing love and happiness in Gabriel's life brought depth to the story as he struggles with his growing attachment to Charlotte. She was extremely kind for giving him chance after chance, but she also didn't let him get away with his unsociable attitude which was refreshing. They had an interesting dynamic that shifted throughout the book and kept me glued to the pages. I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from Deborah M. Hathaway!

(I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher; all opinions in this review are my own)