King of Hearts

by M. Jean Pike

After keeping a secret promise to a friend, Harper Blessings' s life is spiraling out of control. Her food truck barely pays the bills, she' s raising her rebellious brother and caring for her forgetful aunt...and she' s four months pregnant.

When Aunt Clara wanders off at a carnival and hires the carousel operator who rescues her to do odd jobs, Harper' s house-of-cards life begins to topple. The last thing she needs is a handsome drifter complicating her already problematic life. Or so she thinks.

Drifter Dalton Kingston has a few secrets of his own. Growing up as a child of privilege, he wanted for nothing...except love. Then an unspeakable tragedy causes him to walk away from it all, pushing love as far away as possible. Until love pushes back in the form of a beautiful woman who desperately needs his help, and the God he' s not sure he can forgive.

Genres: Christian

209 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2024

About the author

Changing seasons. Unexpected blessings. Love that lasts forever. These are a few of M. Jean Pike's favorite things. With a writing career that has spanned two decades, Jean combines an insatiable curiosity about humans and why they do what they do with a keen interest in the quirky and offbeat things in life to bring readers unforgettable tales of life, love, and the inner workings of the human heart. Her short works have been featured in Chicken Soup for the Soul, Whispers From Heaven, The Lutheran Digest and others. Her latest novella, The Key to Christmas, is available now at Amazon and Pelican Book Group!

Reviews

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love heals two broken souls in M. Jean Pike's absorbing romance novel, "King of Hearts."

With her aunt Clara's cognitive decline and her struggling catering business, Harper Blessings's life feels unstable in addition to her 4-month pregnancy without a father. But things become lighter and more hopeful after Aunt Clara meets a young man in the carousel that later becomes Harper's knight in shining armor. With two broken souls coming together, so does the narrative come to life.

Vivify with lifelike characters and relatable scenes, readers will be deeply connected to the lives of Dalton and Harper. Leaving his successful career as a lawyer, Dalton Kingston seeks a quiet life away from his stressful environment. With parents who possessed a materialistic worldview, Dalton was pressured to aim high, compelled by his father, Gordon. After rebelling against his parents by marrying a Jamaican herbalist, Tasha, their relationship comes into disarray, disowning him. He flees from his toxic reality, especially after the heartbreaking outcome of his wife that changes the course of his life.

Pike's excellent storytelling expressively creates a well-paced story with a graphic prose that leaves a lasting impression on readers. Some entertaining characters, such as Aunt Clara, bring surprises that her ideas made me giggle, as with her initiative that makes the whole family work to realize it. The wedding invitation was unanticipated, but it turns out to be a big blessing of all.

Pike punctuates Bible verses throughout and incorporates a few affirmations that encourage readers to remain strong and faithful. Elsewhere, people who've been wrong towards the book's conclusion realize their mistakes and change to make up for what has been lacking, such as Dallas and Babe. This book sends a powerful message of hope, family, faith, friendship, and love, which inspires many.

Character-driven with a compelling plot, King of Hearts secures attention throughout, which draws readers interested in romance with an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. Engrossed in this story, I want to grab M. Jean Pike's books!

[Barbara M. Britton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ms. Pike grabbed me on page one with a hero--Dalton Kingston--who runs a carousel ride at a carnival and shows kindness to an old lady. Dalton has some secrets to hide and traveling with a carnival lets him do just that. When he meets Harper Blessings, Kingston decides to jump off the carnival train.

Harper is busy running a food truck, taking care of her brother, and trying to keep tabs on Aunt Clara whose dementia is worsening. She doesn't plan to fall for a carnival barker especially when she's pregnant.
When Aunt Clara gives Dalton odd jobs around the house, Harper's attraction to Dalton grows.

Pike's fresh plot, endearing characters, and twists and turns to a happily-ever-after, will have you turning pages to the end. I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

I received an advance copy from the publisher, but all opinions are my own. I even ordered a copy to keep on my e-reader.

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

M. Jean Pike is a new-to-me author whose writing I instantly fell in love with. Ms. Pike’s King of Hearts tells the story Harper, a young pregnant woman, and Dalton, a man who has come through town working the Carnival circuit. Harper’s life is full of hurt, guilt, and confusion, while shouldering the responsibility of taking care of her Aunt Clara who has raised Harper and is losing her memory, taking care of her teenaged brother, and taking care of the little one inside of her. Dalton is shouldering guilt and grief himself after his wife and unborn child are murdered in retaliation by gang members after Dalton uses his lawyer skills to help justice to be served. Aunt Clara decides to go to the carnival to ride the carousel, which Dalton is operating. Dalton is unsure if he wants to continue with the carnival until Aunt Clara asks Dalton to paint her gazebo. As Dalton works on Aunt Clara’s gazebo, Dalton and Harper get to know each other better, revealing truths to one another, and in the process creating a bond like no other. In the meantime, Aunt Clara plans a party that no one will soon forget.

I love M. Jean Pike’s King of Hearts! I love all the characters–especially Aunt Clara! I love how Aunt Clara always pointed others to Christ, despite her failing memory, and that the only request she made to her niece and nephew was to join her at Church on Sundays. I love how Aunt Clara played an intricate part in everyone’s life that she touched. I thought the event(s) that surrounded Harper’s pregnancy was a unique one, different from the stereotypical unwed pregnant mother plots that you sometimes come across in Christian Fiction. (Read King of Hearts for all the details!) My heart broke for all that Harper and Dalton went through both separately and together. I love how Harper and Dalton took to heart the Wisdom that Aunt Clara shared about God as well as what they learned in Church about God. The character that annoyed me the most was Babe (read King of Hearts to find out why)! I love that Ms. Pike weaves Redemption and Grace through King of Hearts and each of it’s characters. (I especially love the Power of God’s Redemption and Grace that was shown in Harper and Babe’s lives.) I love the pace of Dalton’s and Harper’s relationship that was in the book and the reasoning that Ms. Pike gave for it in the book. I also love that there is a devotion passage at the end of King of Hearts that wraps of up what was read. (I wish more Christian Fiction books would put a devotion entry in their books!) If you are looking for an inspiring, uplifting read then I highly recommend King of Hearts by M. Jean Pike!

Have you read King of Hearts? What did you think of the book?

I would like to thank M. Jean Pike for giving me a copy of King of Hearts to review as well as the information needed for this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

My review is also on Amazon and my blog Leslie's Library Escape.

[Carrie Schmidt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harper Blessings has already experienced more deep loss than most, and the hits just keep coming. Now she’s single and unmarried (the situation with the baby’s father complicated at best), her teenage brother is being…well, a teenage boy, and her sweet Aunt Clara (who raised Harper & her brother after their mother’s death and their father’s abandonment) is battling dementia. Yet in spite of it all, Harper retains a warm spirit that draws you to her and makes you root for her success, not just in her food truck but with the baby, her complex family dynamics, and her growing relationship with the also-grieving Dalton Kingston. And actually, that’s a theme that author M. Jean Pike has tenderly woven into the framework of King of Hearts – the grace that Jesus pours out on us ‘in spite of’ our pain, our loss, our fears, and even our sin.

I really liked Harper’s character in this story; she felt authentic and relatable even if I haven’t experienced her specific struggles. I also loved that, in Harper, Pike tactfully shows us a main character who, as a Christian, has still fallen short of God’s standard of righteousness, is still facing consequences for that sin even after repentance, AND has still experienced and embraced His grace and forgiveness and mercy. Aunt Clara is just precious… and a little mischievous… which is a combination I adore in elderly characters (in fiction and in real life lol). Her moments of confusion are heartbreaking, yes, but just like with Harper the author gives Clara’s journey hope and grace. And Dalton… he’s such a good guy. His brokenness is born of grief and misplaced guilt and it’s driven him away from everything he was before, including his family. If you guessed that the theme of ‘grace in spite of pain’ comes through clearly in his journey too, you would be right… and it shows up first in his kindness toward Harper, her brother, and Aunt Clara. Not only does he become an instrument of God’s grace to them, but God uses their friendships to bring Dalton to a new awareness of God’s grace toward himself as well.

Bottom Line: King of Hearts by M. Jean Pike is a beautiful love story, not only between Harper and Dalton but also between Jesus and His children. The layered characters feel like dear friends right after meeting them on these pages, and the various plot threads (along with the steady pacing) work together to keep you engaged and invested until the end. Small town, hurting people on their way to wholeness, yummy food, sweet romance, surprise twists, and lots and lots of grace… why wouldn’t you want to read this book? Fans of Carolyn Miller and Toni Shiloh will enjoy King of Hearts too!

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book)

first reviewed at Reading Is My SuperPower

[Susan Mason · Rating 5 out of 5]

Single and pregnant, Harper has a lot on her plate with a teenage brother to look after as well as an aunt with dementia. When drifter Dalton Kingston enters her life, she has no time for him. Yet he is drawn not only to Harper but to her sweet Aunt Clara, who seems intent on bringing the two together. I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Along with a sweet romance that develops between Harper and Dalton, I loved the small-town setting filled with memorable characters. The theme of forgiveness is woven beautifully throughout the story both for Harper and for Dalton, demonstrating how God’s love can take any situation and turn it into something positive. I highly recommend this book!

[Susan Lyttek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have the box of tissues ready…
Harper Blessings is broken in so many ways. Some of the cracks, like the loss of her parents, came early on. (Her mom died; her dad ran away.) Some others, like the loss of her best friend are more recent. In the here and now, her brother keeps flirting with danger and her aunt has days where her memory falls apart. And to top it all off, she’s an unmarried Christian woman who’s pregnant. That, indeed, has its own baggage.
When Dalton Kingston intrudes upon the fragile balance she’s trying to maintain, Harper tries to insist (both to herself and others) that everything’s good, everything’s fine. Her food truck business had a good summer. The catering gigs, when she has them, please all her clients. Her brother, Nicky, is mostly okay. And Aunt Clara, the woman who raised them, remembers most of the important things. Right?
But Dalton has his own baggage. He’s been running from his “real life” for a year now. Working at the carnival was just the latest in a string of jobs to distract him from the pain. While he’s attracted to Harper, he doesn’t want a relationship either. Not when he lost the last woman he loved…
God, however, is the King of Hearts. He knows what both of these children of his need, even if they refuse to admit it to themselves or each other. He will use pain, coincidence, busybodies, and even the weather to drive these two towards each other. And towards the healing of their hearts.

[Judy & Marianne from Long and Short Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wholesome, inspirational, and heartwarming romance set in a small town where everyone knows your name.

Harper, the leading lady, is doing all she can to keep her head above water. Dalton, the leading man, is simply trying to make it through another day. They’re drawn to each other by their shared compassion and natural instinct to care for others. It’s amazing how their faith in God allows them to open their hearts again after the heartbreak they’ve experienced from people who were supposed to love them unconditionally.

I found their love story to be especially encouraging because it tackled the theme of forgiveness—-something that can be incredibly challenging. Several characters in the book demonstrate what it looks like to forgive others, and in doing so, offer hope that forgiveness is not only possible, but necessary for personal healing and the strength of relationships.

Aunt Clara is a standout character. She’s the glue that holds both her family and the town of Redford’s Crossing together. I’d even go as far as to call her an angel in disguise. Her presence is endearing and uplifting, and she brings out the best in those around her.

The writing style immediately pulled me in–from page one, when Aunt Clara wandered to the carousel and met Dalton. The plot is original, the pace is steady, and the ending is absolutely delightful.

This is the kind of story I could happily read more than once. I wholeheartedly encourage others to give it a try.

[Carol James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harper Blessings has a very full plate. She owns and operates a food truck in a city park, she looks after her memory-impaired aunt, Clara, she takes care of her younger brother, and to top it all off, she’s pregnant by a man who’s no longer a part of her life. For Harper, life is a challenge.

Life’s a challenge for Dalton Kingston, as well. He’s in hiding, running away from the pain of his previous job, life, family. He’s working in a traveling carnival and wants to go to a place where no one knows him, so he can start over.

When Aunt Clara hires Dalton to make some repairs to the gazebo in her backyard, everything changes, and fireworks begin.

Ms. Pike does a wonderful job of keeping the reader guessing. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author, and it won’t be the last. I recommend it to those who enjoy clean romance with a spiritual element.

I received an Advanced Readers Copy. I was not required to leave a review. The ideas expressed are my honest and unbiased opinions.

[Karen Malley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this story. From the very beginning, I was drawn in by Aunt Clara, a wonderful older woman with a big heart and a little trouble with her memory. The book was well written, and I kept turning pages, wanting to learn the secrets of Harper's pregnancy and Dalton's past. It's easy to root for Harper and Dalton, since they're such likable characters. Harper made a mistake in her past, but she's dedicated her life to taking care of her aunt and her brother. And Dalton is working at a carnival, but it's clear there's a lot more to him than meets the eye. It's a sweet, wholesome romance with God at the center!

[Penelope Marzec · Rating 5 out of 5]

For me, this book touched all the bases. I was drawn in by the poignant and yet hopeful plot. Unwed, pregnant Harper has far too much on her shoulders as she cares for her brother and elderly aunt. Then there's Dalton, who takes time to bring joy to the very forgetful Aunt Clara. Though the hero and heroine both have far too many sorrows to even think of beginning a relationship, they cautiously begin to trust each other helped along by dear Aunt Clara and others living in the small town as well. Not only love, but forgiveness and deep faith are featured in this endearing story. Absolutely wonderful writing.

[Jodie Wolfe · Rating 5 out of 5]

King of Hearts is my first exposure to author M. Jean Pike, and I'm hooked. Ms. Pike creates a story of mistakes, redemption, forgiveness, and God's unconditional love. You'll be rooting for the hero and heroine to find their happily-ever-after love story.

I also enjoyed sweet Aunt Clara and the patience and kindness the hero showed to her throughout the story. This is a tale you definitely want to read.

~While this book was provided for free, I was under no obligation to provide a favorable review. (2024)

[L J · Rating 5 out of 5]

M. Jean Pike has touched our hearts once again with this novel. Dalton, a ride operator at the local carnival ushers an old woman onto the carousel. Through her, he meets Harper Blessing. Both of them carry devastating events from their pasts. The twists and turns in dealing with those pasts seem to never stop. Pike has the ability to make all of her characters not just actors in a story but very real people that the reader will care about and root for until the final, touching page. I highly recommend this novel to anyone seeking a positive, soul touching read.

[Erin Stevenson · Rating 5 out of 5]

M. Jean Pike’s King of Hearts is a wonderful story with engaging characters and a plot filled with intrigue. The main characters, Harper and Dalton, were easy to sympathize with, and I connected with them almost immediately.
“He was an emotional bundle of dynamite, and she was a lighted match.”
“She was losing more and more control and her emotional house of cards was toppling.”

The author does a masterful job of leaving breadcrumbs—little clues that lead the reader closer to a full understanding of what is happening. And every time I thought I had everything figured out, another crumb dropped, and the path took another turn.

An outstanding cast of minor characters added so much depth to the story without outshining Harper and Dalton. They come together as a family, a village. This is one small town you won’t want to leave. I certainly didn’t, and I hope there will be another book set there.

p.s. The title doesn’t mean what you may think…but it’s not revealed until the very end!

[zen_s]

[dnf @ 8%]