Heart of Glass by Jill Marie Landis - a review

Heart of Glass by Jill Marie Landis is the third book in her Irish Angel Series.  I have read all three books in the series and have loved them all.  If you would like to read my review for the second book, Heart of Lies, please go here.

This is Kate Keene's story.  She is the one of four sisters that at an early age were separated from each other.  Kate ended up in an orphanage and was adopted by a couple who adopted her merely for status in the community.  Kate, at an early age, befriended Amelie Delaney and was more or less part of the Delaney family.  Then the Civil War happened and life as she knew it changed.

The story is set in Louisiana and Chapter One begins in 1976 when Kate returns to the Delaney's plantation home Belle Fleuve.  She has heard that Colin Delaney, her best friend's brother and her childhood crush, has returned to Belle Fleuve, and he has gone crazy.  What she finds breaks her heart.  What was once a beautiful plantation home is now in disrepair and Colin is living on laudanum due to a wound he sustained in the Indian Wars in Texas. But Kate sees hope as she is an architect and in no time at all she feels she can restore Belle Fleuve, as well as, Colin.

So begins the story of Kate and Colin.  The story was well told and the characters were so well written that they came to life for me.  Ms. Landis does have a way of writing characters that are so real they invite you into their world and you become part of the story.

I will suggest that that you have a box of tissues handy.  I shed more tears in this book then I think I have ever shed in any other book.  When a book can make me emotional, it is a good book.

If I were to say anything negative about Heart of Glass, it's that Kate's sisters don't show up until the very end.  I felt cheated on their reunion.  I do hope though that there will be a fourth book to tell the youngest sister, Sarah's story.  Maybe then there will be a wonderful full reunion for all four sisters.

If you like to read good Christian love stories I would highly recommend Heart of Glass, as well as, Heart of Stone and Heart of Lies.

ON a 5-Star scale - 4 1/2 Stars!!!!!

***** I would like to thank Zondervan for my review copy of Heart of Glass.  I received my copy for free in order to read it and give my honest review, which I have done. *****

Smiles & Blessings,

Heart of Lies by Jill Marie Landis - a review

I read Heart of Stone by Jill Marie Landis several months ago and enjoyed it so much I could hardly wait for her second book, in her Irish Angel Series, to be released.  I just finished reading Heart of Lies this afternoon and I enjoyed it very much.

Blurb from the back of the book:

BEFORE SHE FOLLOWS HER HEART ... SHE HAS TO CHANGE HER WAYS

MADDIE GRANDE GREW UP AS THIEF AND BEGGAR IN A TRIBE OF STREET URCHINS IN NEW ORLEANS.  As and adult hoping for a new life, she moves to the bayou with her twin "brothers" and fellow tribemates and learns to love the serenity of the swamp.  But her brothers stubbornly continue their lawless ways and kidnap the daughter of a wealthy carpetbagger and force Maddie to hide the precocious eight-year-old.

As Maddie stands at a crossroads in her life, the child escapes.  Pinkertong agent Tom Abbott is assigned to the kidnapping case.  Though Maddie is an accomplice, there is no denying their mutual attraction.  But Tom is a man of honor and principle and Maddie is a liar and thief.

The case may have led Tom to a woman he was already searching for, but will he reveal Maddie's true identity if it means giving her up forever?

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While, Heart of Lies, is second in the Irish Angel Series you don't have to read Heart of Stone in order to follow the story in Heart of Lies.  Ms. Landis does a wonderful job of reintroducing the characters from HOS but not until the latter third of the book.

Heart of Lies begins in 1875 Louisiana and tells the story of Maddie Grande.  In reading her story I almost felt like I was observing a catepiller hiding in a cocoon and then breaking free to float as a beautiful butterfly.  The reader is taken along as Maddie changes from the thief she was trained to be as a youth and turned into a caring loving young woman. 

The book starts out with Maddie's two "brothers" kidnapping an eight year old precocious young girl and bringing her to the bayou for Maddie to watch over while they work on how to collect the reward they are sure will be offered.  Maddie doesn't want to revert to her old life so she moves Penelope, the young girl, to her old friend Anita's place.  She asks Anita to watch over Penelope, but the young girl escapes and heads north.  The next part of the story has Maddie trailing Penelope, and Tom, the Pinkerton, trailing Maddie.  Maddie & Tom both catch up with Penelope and Tom brings them both back to New Orleans.  But once they arrive back in the city, Maddie....  well I won't tell you anymore or I might spoil it for you.  But believe me, it all makes for a very enjoyable read. 
If I were to have any complaints about Heart of Lies it is that I wanted more of Tom & Maddie's story.  Hopefully, in Heart of Glass (the third book in the Irish Angel Series) we will learn more about Tom & Maddie.  Because I felt I needed more of their story I would rank this book 4 1/2 stars.

I received my review copy of Heart of Lies from Zondervan for my honest review

Smiles & Blessings,
Cindy