Thursday, January 15, 2009

Kat Martin - Heart of Courage - Heart Trilogy 3


Lindsey Graham is a writer for the ladies’ gazette “Heart to Heart”. When her brother Rudy is accused of murdering several women, she cannot just watch and do nothing. As his sister she is convinced of his innocence and as a reporter she will leave no stone unturned to find out the truth so she can bring the real killer to justice. Chasing after a murderer is a dangerous thing to do and so she gets help from Thor Draugr, whether she likes it or not. They are complete opposites, but opposites attract and now they not only have to catch a murderer, they also have to fight their attraction to one another, both missions seem to meet with disaster…

Heart of Courage is the third part in Kat Martin’s Heart trilogy and I really enjoyed reading it. Though it is a historical romance set in the Victorian time period, Kat Martin has blended it perfectly with suspense by adding a murder case. The storyline is fluent and easy to read and thanks to the suspense part it is also a fast-paced read.

Lindsey Graham is far ahead of her time, she is very independent, in no rush to get married and she has a job as a writer. So far she has lived her life on her own terms, her line of thought on certain things is very modern, she is also very determined, active and courageous. She is not afraid to risk her own life to save the life of someone she loves.

Thor Draugr is a hardworking, honorable man who is still adjusting to the English way of life. He is a descendant from the Vikings and that still shows from time to time. He is very protective, loyal and fierce and he believes a woman’s place is at home with her husband. Thor and Lindsey’s attraction grows from a single spark into a blazing fire and throughout the story you can feel this leaping off the pages stronger and stronger. The love scenes moved me and they were penned down beautifully.

As secondary characters we meet the main characters from the previous parts in this trilogy. Also we meet Rudy, Lindsey’s brother, who is very cordial but trouble always seems to find him and at first he does not even understand how much trouble he is in when he is accused of murder till he realizes that this situation will not solve itself. Though all the characters are a lovely addition to this story the main focus is on Thor and Lindsey.

The balance between the romance and the suspense is perfect to a tee. The plotlines are built up slowly, gradually you will get pieces of information on the murders so it does not overwhelm you. These murders reminded me a bit of the Jack the Ripper murders and they give this story a darker vibe. While trying to solve the murders you will notice the change in Thor and Lindsey’s relationship, towards the end of the story their emotional connection is so strong that it is heartwarming to see how Thor is willing to change just to hold on to Lindsey’s love and to be accepted by Lindsey’s parents. The storyline is perhaps not mind-bending but it still urges you to read on and it is not too predictable.

This is the first book I have read from Kat Martin but it won’t be my last, now that I have been introduced to Krista and Leif from Heart of Honor and Coralee and Gray from Heart of Fire I am looking forward to read their stories. Heart of Courage with its fluent storyline, dazzling characters and passionate romance is a stately conclusion to the Heart trilogy.

Heart of Courage is the perfect mix of a lush and sexy romance, an intriguing plot and warm characters, it is all that a fantastic historical story should be!

4 stars