Heart's Desire

by Jacquie D'Alessandro

One unexpected turn in the road can change everything... On her way to London to announce her engagement, a young woman's unplanned stop in the village where she spent her childhood brings her in contact with a man and an antique mirror--and both will change her destiny.

Originally featured in the anthology Masters of Seduction.

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Friends To Lovers, Novella, Short Stories, Paranormal

60 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Jacquie D'Alessandro grew up on Long Island and fell in love with romance at an early age. She dreamed of being swept away by a dashing rogue riding a spirited stallion. When Joe, her hero finally showed up, he was dressed in jeans and driving a Volkswagen, but she recognized him anyway. They married after they both graduated from Hofstra University, and are now living their happily-ever-after in Atlanta, Georgia, along with their very bright and active son, Christopher, alias "Junior", who is a dashing rogue in the making.

Reviews

[Karla · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars! Lovely!!

Unbelievably sweet, enchanting read about childhood friends who are each others heart's desire, only they've never told one another how they feel.

William and Callie have been the best of friends from the moment they met, she was four and he was six, they fell in love ten years later, but never acted on their feelings. Now Callie's sister and guardian, is married to a Duke and William knows she will never be his...she's meant for someone better than a mere shopkeeper.

"The woman he’d loved for nearly his entire life. Would love until his last breath. A woman who, because of what and who she was, and what and who he wasn’t, would never— could never— be his.

But Callie is determined to have him forever, and with encouragement and a strong push from her Aunt Olivia, she forms a plan to show William just how she feels. Aunt Olivia was an amusing character and I adored her.

There is a little magical element in the story...more like a premonition...a vision, but it worked. The writing is smooth, there is plenty of heart-felt and witty dialogue, and I was captivated by this charming couple throughout the book. The ending was satisfying, but I had hoped for an epilogue, one that brought the vision to life, still in all a captivating, delightful, cozy-up-on-the-couch read!

"“Not only does the flower describe you perfectly,” she murmured, “but it means ‘childhood memory.’ I’ve so many fond ones, a great many of which include you… sweet William.”


Sweet William

[KatLynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

Ah, Sweet William! What a sweetheart you are and what a charming, tender romance.

William and Callie grew up together, the deepest friends until one day all that changes. A love has developed that goes unspoken between them. Shortly thereafter, Callie’s circumstances change, placing her out of William’s league, or so he assumes.

Callie has returned to her small hometown and gives William every opportunity to proclaim his love for her. The question is will he be brave and bold and seek out his Heart’s Desire!

… “Please.”

“Bloody hell, earlier this evening, she’d knocked him off his feet with two words: Hello, William. Now, with only one, she’d disintegrated into ash all the years of restraint he’d adhered to so fiercely. With a groan that felt ripped from his soul, he snatched her against him….And lowered his head.”

And what a kiss!

A sweet, warm, tender love story that I read quickly and enjoyed immensely! If you like unrequited love themes and friends to lovers, I’m sure you’ll enjoy this one.

Thank you Karla for another great rec!

[Crista · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh...I loved this one!

I read Red Roses Mean Love years ago, and never got around to reading Heart's Desire which features little precious Callie all grown up!

For a novella, this one manages to squeeze quite a bit into a very few pages. Callie and William share a past in that they grew up together and were constant companions. It is obvious to the reader that both Callie and William are head over heels in love with one another, but William feels that Callie, a duke's sister-in-law deserves someone "better" than him. He owns an antique store and is a commoner.

I loved Callie as much as an adult as I did when she was a child. She is such a breath of fresh air. Honest, determined, and completely down to earth. She's a character that is easy to love and hard to forget!

William and Callie were destined to be together, and watching characters like these get their HEA's is what this genre is all about!

This author is not given near enough credit or "buzz" for her talent!

[Preet · Rating 3 out of 5]

This novella is really sweet and deals with two best friends who have feelings for each other, but are too afraid to voice them. One thinks s/he is not good enough for the other and so even though it kills them, they won't make the first move or reciprocate when a move is made. I own a couple of Jacquie's older books, and so am well aware of how fantastic a writer she is. This novella was free on amazon, so check it out!

[Mitzi]

From Amazon: One unexpected turn in the road can change everything... On her way to London to announce her engagement, a young woman's unplanned stop in the village where she spent her childhood brings her in contact with a man and an antique mirror--and both will change her destiny.

[Melindeeloo · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took a little digging but I knew I'd read this in an anthology that had stories woven around a mirrored pendant that showed the heart's deepest desire. In this story Callie and William had been childhood friends, whose feelings had become more - but it was a secret they never shared with each other. When Callie's sister married a Duke, the change in status put Callie forever out of shopkeeper William's grasp. Now Callie has returned to town and time will tell if a nudge from her sneakily perceptive Aunt and a share glimpse at a future that could be in the magic pendant can bring William the HEA he never dreamed he could have.

I really liked this story. It is short but the peeks into the pairs shared history, and the fact that D'Allesandro does such a good job of developing the depth of their longing, make this work. I'd read this before in the anthology I'd mentioned (Masters of Seduction) and it was one of the better stories in that collection. So, far I think I've read all of this author's recently released short stories (two historical and two contemporary) and I've liked them all.

[EstelaReadsRomance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unrequited love is one of my favorite themes and this sweet story, by Jacquie D'Alessandro, does not disappoint!! HEART'S DESIRE was such a wonderful read. I loved Callie and William's story and totally cheered when they found their happy ever after... with the help of Aunt Olivia (who was a delightful comic relief) and a magic antique mirror.

My star system:
5 Stars: Made me Ugly Cry AF... Loved the story... loved the characters. Made me wanna hug the author for giving me all the feels!! Will be re-reading this story again and again and again!!!

[Jessicca Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy a historical/regency romance from time to time and this hit the spot. It was a relatively short read, and it seems like it was on the top 100 Free Kindle. I thought the romance was sweet and not hurried- surprising considering it was a shorter work- and there was even a hot scene towards the end.

[Kimterest · Rating 3 out of 5]

Final feeling: sweet but offensive swearing

[Katrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was short, sweet and amazing. I loved it and it deserves a better and higher rating. :)

[Jess the Romanceaholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute, with a slightly paranormal twist. A great little novella for someone who's looking for a sweet little story with unrequited love on both sides and just a hint of steam.

4/5 Stars

[Angel **Book Junkie** · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just not my cup of tea.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

a quick, enjoyable read.

[Annie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a really cute novella! Though sometimes some of the points got a bit repetitive, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I loved both Callie and William and their friendship.

[Jo Notary]

60pgs, historical

[Quinn Fforde · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fun to get a glimpse of the Albrights again.

[L.]

Eh, it was free so I can't complain.

[SandraE · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes to get your heart's desire you have to declare it.