Book Review-The Truest Heart

The Truest Heart
Samantha James
Avon,
353 Pages
Published June 2001
Medieval Historical Romance
ISBN: 0-380-80586-X

Synopsis:
Did fate send her a villain with the blackest soul...or a lover with The Truest Heart

Her name is her only crime, yet Lady Gillian must take refuge in a humble cottage on the on the stormy Cornish coast, hiding from a king who seeks her death for her father's treason. Now destiny has sent Gillian a cure for her loneliness: a handsome shipwrecked stranger washed ashore on a perilous tide who requires a kind lady's gentle touch to heal his broken body and tormented spirit.

His own name--Gareth--is all that he remembers. Yet he knows he has found paradise in the company of an exquisite beauty whose caress is sweet rapture and whose smile warms his soul. But as his memories slowly return, so does the dark task entrusted to him by King John. If he fails, a young boy will surely perish. Yet how can he betray Gillian, whose passionate love has lit a blaze in Gareth's heart that no vengeful king's decree could ever extinguish?

My Review:
Lady Gillian after being sent away by her father into hiding, when King John wants both her and her brothers head. So she goes into hiding in Cornwall. Knowing that no one except the man that shields and protects her knows of her identity. When a mysterious injured man shows up on the beach washed on the shore after a shipwreck, Gillian risks everything to tend him. When he awakens however, she is startled surprised to find out that he remembers nothing but his name Gareth. The more Gillian tends Gareth, the more she starts falling for this handsome man who takes her breath away. She also learns to trust with her heart the more she spends time in his presence, and a startling desire rises between the two of them that could light the fires. When Gareth's memory slowly returns, he starts to realize truths about his past, that could ruin everything that he has built with Gillian, who has stolen his heart. Will Gareth be able to protect both Gillian, his love and his son who is the hands of King John? And will the love he shares with Gillian be enough?

This was a truly romantic love story that took my breath away as I was reading it. I vow that Samantha James is the sort of author that steals into her readers hearts. This is the kind of story, that will have you on the edge of your seats and wondering what the outcome is. I love reading historical romances, especially in this time period, where you never know what the outcome may be, but you know you will be feeling satisfied at the end. We have Gillian whose mourns the loss of her father, who had a hand in a assasination attempt on King John, and then being split apart from a loving brother, and to be isolated, but then finds solace in Gareth's arms and finds the greatest pleasure and love she has ever known. Gareth gets frustrated after losing his memory, not knowing of his past or family or where he has come from. But when he meets the beauiful Gillian who has helped tend to him when he was injured, he finds himself falling in love with the captivating yet innocent young woman whom has pain in her eyes. Though they both will face struggles that may seem unsurmountable, they will also discover a tender yet powerful love.

My Grade On This Book
4 Blossoms