ARC Review~The Hummingbird Heart

The Hummingbird Heart by A.G. Howard is the sequel to The Architect Song, but don't let that worry you. This book takes place 19 years after the first one finishes and focuses on the children of the original pairing. It can be read as a stand alone, and you'd still completely understand what is going. However I do believe you get a stronger connection to the characters if you read The Architect of Song first. I have been a reader of A.G. Howard for a while now, loving each and every story she's crafts, but I am going to say that this one may prevail to be my favourite. 

The characters felt unique, and each brought the pages to life. This story has a cast of characters, each having a point to the story and remaining stuck in the reader's mind. The main protagonists Willow and Julian are such a stunning pair. Their banter works to entertain readers and cheer for them through and through. Willow it now one of my favourite characters ever to be written. She's not perfect and she's a little reckless. She made me laugh more times then I could've count throughout the novel. This book is set in a time period where men have more of the power, but Willow doesn't let that hold her back. Shes stronger willed and devoted to the people she loves. Reading her character was enlightening and sadden that I won't get to see much of her in the future to come. Julian is the opposite of Willow, he's calculating and wise. In this love story it's clear that opposite personalities bring people together. The rest of the cast was just as important, each holding a quirk to unlock the greater meaning behind the story. Overall Howard did an extremely well job at crafting these characters.

The story was well thought out and written in a format that allowed for easy understanding. The Hummingbird Heart was a historical read with an easy transition into the story. It opened with a scene that allowed for readers to be transported into the century and understand what was happening. Another key thing is that the story changed setting throughout the novel moving along nicely to fit the story. Majority of the time was spent on a ship and the atom sphere gave that away. As well Howard ensured the reader's were kept on their toes with plot twists some readers may it have seen coming.

All in all, The Hummingbird Heart was a stunning sequel to The Architect of Song with new stakes and plot twists that lead for a sure to be enticing read. I highly recommend this book to readers of historical romances, mystery, and for those who read book 1. 

Title: The Hummingbird Heart {Haunted Hearts Legacy #2}
Author: A.G. Howard
Publication Date: August 15th, 2017
Publisher: Golden Orb Press 
Format: eARC provided by A.G. Howard
Description:Shortly after escaping a circus tragedy, young Italian orphan, Willow Antoniette, seeks refuge at The Manor of Diversions—a holiday resort in England born of a ghost story. For eleven years, she’s raised alongside the children of the resort’s owners: Julian, his twin brother, Nick, and their younger sister Emilia. Now that Willow is of marriable age, she's determined to escape finishing school along with everyone's efforts to make her a proper lady. The only man she wants to spend her life with is Julian, after all. Yet how can she tell him, when he thinks of her as nothing but a friend? 

As a machinist and engineer, Julian Thornton prefers a governable life. He can't allow his ever-deepening attraction for Willow to distract from his amusement park plans to lure a younger, wealthier clientele to their family's resort. In hopes to escape Willow and find investors, Julian sets off on a transatlantic ocean liner headed for the St. Louis World’s Fair, unaware Willow has secretly stowed away on the same ship. 

A tiny, mute orphan named Newton and a pair of haunted Italian shoes bring Willow and Julian face to face on deck. Forced to work together to solve the mystery of Newton and his vindictive, ghostly companion, Julian and Willow can no longer fight their untapped passions. However, time to admit their true feelings is running out, for the ghost and her murderer have enlisted them as unsuspecting pawns in a karmic game of cat-and-mouse that could cost all of them their lives.