Illuminations of the Heart by Joyce dePastina

“Clothilde.”
He spoke the name on a breath like a prayer. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

Her heart is lost in that first embrace, her world shaken to its foundations. There is just one problem: her name is not Clothilde. It is Siriol de Calendri. Trained in the art of illumination in the far-off city of Venice, Siri is directed by her late brother’s will to the county of Poitou in France, where she enters the guardianship of her brother’s friend, Sir Triston de Brielle. Once in Poitou, Siri hopes to find employment in an illuminator’s shop—until Triston unexpectedly snatches her heart away with a kiss.

Triston is a man of quiet honor and courage, but the guilt he carries for the death of his late wife, Clothilde, has left him numb and hesitant to love again. Worse yet, Siri bears an uncanny resemblance to his lost love. Or does she? Her merry laughter and twinkling eyes are very different from his late wife’s shy smiles and quiet ways. Yet when he gazes into Siri’s face, all he sees is Clothilde.

Then Triston’s past returns to threaten them both. Will his tragic life with Clothilde be repeated with Siri? Trapped between the rivalry of the king’s sons on the one hand and a neighbor out for vengeance on the other, Triston realizes it would be safer to send Siri away. But how can he bear to lose her again?

Siri is determined not to be cast off and not to live in another woman’s shadow. She has illuminated many a priceless book with pen and paint. But can her own vibrant spirit illuminate the darkness in Triston’s soul and make his heart beat for her alone?

This story is filled with rich characters and setting. As Tristan learns to cope with his anger and his guilt, the depth of his personality shines through. Siri was likeable and I found myself rooting for her. What really impressed me was the complexity of the plot and how there would always be one more twist even when I Thought everything had been figured out. Sometimes I did feel like the two characters took too long to resolve some of their issues, but still, I couldn't put the book down. If you love clean romance with lots of excitement read this book. Check out Joyce's blog and the Walnut Springs Press site.

You can get a copy of the book here or here. There is a contest with this blog tour as well. I realized that the email about the contest came while I was on vacation without my laptop, so I'm a bit late posting it. Comment on this review or the review on any of these other blogs for the chance to win a copy of Joyce's book. Good luck!

August 10
Mormon Hermit Mom's Book Habit
August 11
Amesbury Reads
August 12
Heather Justesen
August 13
Rachelle's Writing Spot
August 14
Cami's Books
and
Fit Mommas
August 17
Jewel's World
August 18
Of Writerly Things
August 19
Frespa Fan
August 20
Of Good Report
August 21
Rachel Rager
August 24
Boojoos and Aprilcots
August 25
Musings from an LDS Writing Mom
August 26
Queen of the Clan
August 27
Write Bravely
August 28
Dreams of Quill and Ink
August 31
Tristi Pinkston
September 1
Vicissitudes
September 2
Tangeled Words and Dreams
September 3
Random-ish by Nichole
and
LDSwritersBlogck
September 4
SeriouslyŠ
and
latterdayauthors
September 7
Lu Ann's Book Review
September 9
Reading for Sanity
September 10
Taffy's Candy
September 11
The Write Blocks
September 14
Why Not? Because I Said So
and
LDSWomensBookReview
September 15
Ink Splasher
September 16
Reviews by Jaimey
Romance Old School
September 17
Blog the Day Away
September 18
Walnut Springs Press