Book Review: Reunion of the Heart

I’m thrilled to be able to review a book for a fellow writer, Elaine Jeremiah. She sent me a copy of her new book, Reunion of the Heart (US; click here for UK). Sadly, I’m a painfully slow reader, so it took me a week to finish it. But I’m glad I did, and now I get to tell you all why.

I wasn’t sure what to expect, as I haven’t read Elaine’s previous book. So I went into it with my only idea of her writing style being that which I’ve seen through WIPpet Wednesday posts on her blog. I was pleased to find that she has an easy, comfortable style that feels very much like having a conversation with a friend.

I strongly suspect that Elaine is a tenderhearted person. I say this because though she’s created tension between some of the characters, she hasn’t made anyone into an unlikable monster, and she’s given each character both good and bad traits. For the most part, people in the story seem capable of resolving their differences and reaching a better place.

Admittedly, when I first started the story, I wasn’t certain whether I wanted the romantic leads to end up together. I was a little hesitant to read that one of the main character’s love interests, Will, had been her bully when they were in school together. The idea that a boy believes it’s okay to harass a girl because he likes her and doesn’t know how to express it is definitely an uncomfortable one for me. However, I do think it’s realistic that he comes to regret his actions and demonstrates himself to be a changed man.

I was similarly nervous about Anna’s other love interest, Peter. At first, he seems like an attentive boyfriend, but he quickly moves into the territory of someone who wants more control in the relationship than he should have. These characteristics of both men make it interesting to follow Anna’s path toward finding what she really wants.

The theme of infidelity runs through the book. Without giving any spoilers, we see it from three different angles and under three different circumstances. I appreciated that there weren’t any pat answers or moralizing, only expressions of how the incidents left the characters feeling.

My only real concern was that I think the book could probably have benefited from a closer proofreading. There were a few typographic and punctuation errors. On the other hand, I’m a little sensitive to those due to my line of work. The majority of people probably would not have noticed or cared.

Overall, it was an enjoyable read. It’s a “sweet” romance, meaning there isn’t any overt sexuality in it. There are brief, passing mentions of intimacy, but nothing more. I would feel comfortable recommending it to anyone adolescent and older (mostly because I don’t think children would understand the story, not because it’s inappropriate). If you like gentle, tender, romantic stories, this is a good choice.