Historical Fiction Book Review: So Pure a Heart

Publisher's Description:

"Since the night her dear uncle gave his life for hers, Hannah Young is determined to risk everything by spying for the Patriots in order to seek retribution against the British soldier who killed him. But when her former love, Joseph Wythe, insists on ensuring her safety, she must decide if the vengeance she seeks is worth the danger of his nearness. For the love she once felt is liable to grow deeper and more threatening to her heart than it ever was before. Leaving his young ward to join the fight for liberty is the hardest thing Joseph Wythe has ever done. Nearly. The most difficult happened ten years past, which he tries his best to forget. Seeing Hannah Young again after all this time does something frightening and wonderful to his soul. Though her determination to spy for the Patriots is honorable and brave, he will never allow her to take such a risk without him to protect her, no matter how she protests—and no matter how he knows he will ache all the more for the thing he always wanted and still could never have."

My Review:

So Pure a Heart, Book 4 of the Daughters of His Kingdom Series, by Amber Lynn Perry was a pleasure to read from the first sentence to the last. Though it is the fourth book in a series, it performs well as a stand-alone novel, and I was easily drawn into the story even though I have not yet read the three novels that have preceded it. So Pure a Heart may be the middle child in its family of novels, but it certainly deserves attention and accolades all its own. 

This book abounds with beautifully descriptive sentences that beg to be savored like pieces of lush dark chocolate. Ms. Perry uses metaphors and similes like a skilled artist uses paint on canvas, bringing to life a richly detailed story with each carefully chosen word and phrase. This novel wrapped me securely in its warm embrace of descriptive storytelling, and I snuggled there deeply contented and satisfied. 

Like a stream running through verdant woodland, the swiftly paced plot flowed deftly through intricate scenes of adventure, suspense, intrigue, romance, sacrifice, and redemption. The characters, authentic and multifaceted, were the gems within this treasure of a novel. Their fears, longings, convictions, and actions glowed brightly within their historical setting, and as a reader, I could not look away.

Within its pages, So Pure a Heart offers the reader an occasion of respite in a satisfying, fictional haven fashioned wholly from words woven together with finesse and devotion. It is a novel worthy of countless compliments and continuous attention. I recommend it wholeheartedly.

Click here to purchase a copy of this novel for yourself. 

*I was provided a copy of this book by the author. The review I have freely written, whether positive or negative, expresses opinions that are entirely my own.