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The Girl With 2 Hearts
You would think that if you were in line to sit on the British throne as Queen, you wouldn’t go running down to Africa during the Boer War hoping to find that bug, Jack Pierce, who left you without so much as a ‘Goodbye, Princess.’ Wouldn’t you? On the other hand, Jack Pierce is not Jack Pierce, so who you going to be mad at if you find him? The Girl With Two Hearts is an exciting, adventure-filled love story introducing Queen Victoria's fictional, errant niece, Victoria Regina Dormier. Dormier becomes a motorcycle messenger in the Second Boer War in Africa, but only to go in search of the "one who got away." Known to her fellow drivers simply as Dormier, the royal runaway has a mind of her own, some powers inherited from her late mother and a special gift from her deceased father. Dormier finds that her love, her dedication, even her Magick powers, are all put to the test as she searches for Jack, (whose other name is, uh, Alice…oh dear!) while confronting the realities that Auntie's Empire is causing some major pain down in Africa. Victoria Dormier is pretty much everything you’d expect from a young woman who is 65th in line of succession to the throne of Great Britain---a little crazy, a risk-taker, a passionate adventurer and…Jack’s girlfriend. This is a Royal like you’ve never seen one!
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 13, 2014
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
T.T. Thomas
19 books32 followersMy latest novel is out! Number 5 Babyn Yar Street: A World War II Novel—Ukraine.
Ektarina (Rina) Stepankova and Sofia Shevchenko, university students in 1941 Kyiv, have their whole lives ahead of them. The best friends look so much alike they could be twins—tall, blonde, sparkling blue eyes, alluring smiles.
But only Rina is Jewish.
Number 5 Babyn Yar Street is Rina’s story—a breathtaking, passionate, and suspenseful story of survival during the Nazi invasion of Kyiv in September, 1941. Where Sofia is slightly boy crazy, Rina is more reserved, shy, studious. That’s part of what her Russian history professor, Illia, finds attractive.
As the young women begin a university summer session in the 1500-year-old city, a new threat looms large. Over the centuries, Kyiv has gone from prominence to obscurity and back again, but nothing can prepare its inhabitants for the German war machine’s advance.
Within the first week of the invasion, Nazi forces rounded up over 33,000 Jews, took them to Babyn Yar ravine and murdered them in two days. Only a handful survived.
The women and their families maneuver a hostile and confusing Kyiv as the Soviet Red Army retreats and the Nazis advance. Staying fed, sheltered and invisible is hard. And nobody fully trusts anyone outside of family…even then—can one be certain?
In the shock and soul-crushing sorrow of brutality and inhumanity, Rina finds out that the price of freedom cannot be negotiated with the oppressors, and the reward of love is life.
I have a feeling that if you read Chaptere 1, you'll pretty much read the whole book nonstop!
Prior to Number 5 Babyn Yar, something a little (a lot) different from me. A project that began 6-7 years ago found the lockdown and lots of encouragement and became Dante Club and the Problem with Jane. I've written 6 Historicals, and I wanted a little lighter fare. Well, here we are!
It’s a bit late for Dante Club to wonder: Was it wise to accept an AI bodyguard from his ex-lover, the brilliant Dr. Celia Fang? But, Jane seriously needs an attitude fix. When you moonlight as the Robin Hood of assassins, you probably should have planned ahead. Awkward!
Almost nobody knows that Dante Club, a highly sought-after intelligence agency consultant, secretly moonlights as a reluctant assassin. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, Dante takes on a contract to eliminate the man he believes is responsible for the death of his sister and niece.
Fate and the NSA intervene, giving Dante and his investigative team the cohesion they need for an assignment that takes them into the complex matrix of international organized crime. Humanity collides with homicide on the dark, enigmatic streets of Los Angeles, where the line between morality and immorality is as thin and sharp as a fresh razor in a pile of cocaine.
And then the stars come out in Hollywood.
Hope you have the fun reading that I had writing.
I will resume historicals with the January release of The Kensington Cat, a WW II, multi-generational historical/suspense themed story. The title of the book is the name of a (fictional) bookstore in Kensington that's been around for nearly 100 years——except when it got bombed out during The Blitz. Now it's got a new owner, and the connections of the modern generation to the war, the bookstore and one another is the stuff of surprise, wonder and, dare we say it, destiny.
______
House of Bliss. At the Intersection of Obsession and True Love lies humanity.
London, 1905 When ladies of the night begin showing up dead in the dark and bawdy alleys of Covent Garden, the victims are wearing House of Bliss corsets made by Sabrina Blissdon. Now the police want to know how and why Blissdon, the bohemian but successful upmarket corsetière, appears to be dressing the dead.
Sabrina does know a few working women, from a time when she found comfort and solace with a couple of the occupants of a
Ektarina (Rina) Stepankova and Sofia Shevchenko, university students in 1941 Kyiv, have their whole lives ahead of them. The best friends look so much alike they could be twins—tall, blonde, sparkling blue eyes, alluring smiles.
But only Rina is Jewish.
Number 5 Babyn Yar Street is Rina’s story—a breathtaking, passionate, and suspenseful story of survival during the Nazi invasion of Kyiv in September, 1941. Where Sofia is slightly boy crazy, Rina is more reserved, shy, studious. That’s part of what her Russian history professor, Illia, finds attractive.
As the young women begin a university summer session in the 1500-year-old city, a new threat looms large. Over the centuries, Kyiv has gone from prominence to obscurity and back again, but nothing can prepare its inhabitants for the German war machine’s advance.
Within the first week of the invasion, Nazi forces rounded up over 33,000 Jews, took them to Babyn Yar ravine and murdered them in two days. Only a handful survived.
The women and their families maneuver a hostile and confusing Kyiv as the Soviet Red Army retreats and the Nazis advance. Staying fed, sheltered and invisible is hard. And nobody fully trusts anyone outside of family…even then—can one be certain?
In the shock and soul-crushing sorrow of brutality and inhumanity, Rina finds out that the price of freedom cannot be negotiated with the oppressors, and the reward of love is life.
I have a feeling that if you read Chaptere 1, you'll pretty much read the whole book nonstop!
Prior to Number 5 Babyn Yar, something a little (a lot) different from me. A project that began 6-7 years ago found the lockdown and lots of encouragement and became Dante Club and the Problem with Jane. I've written 6 Historicals, and I wanted a little lighter fare. Well, here we are!
It’s a bit late for Dante Club to wonder: Was it wise to accept an AI bodyguard from his ex-lover, the brilliant Dr. Celia Fang? But, Jane seriously needs an attitude fix. When you moonlight as the Robin Hood of assassins, you probably should have planned ahead. Awkward!
Almost nobody knows that Dante Club, a highly sought-after intelligence agency consultant, secretly moonlights as a reluctant assassin. Fueled by grief and a thirst for revenge, Dante takes on a contract to eliminate the man he believes is responsible for the death of his sister and niece.
Fate and the NSA intervene, giving Dante and his investigative team the cohesion they need for an assignment that takes them into the complex matrix of international organized crime. Humanity collides with homicide on the dark, enigmatic streets of Los Angeles, where the line between morality and immorality is as thin and sharp as a fresh razor in a pile of cocaine.
And then the stars come out in Hollywood.
Hope you have the fun reading that I had writing.
I will resume historicals with the January release of The Kensington Cat, a WW II, multi-generational historical/suspense themed story. The title of the book is the name of a (fictional) bookstore in Kensington that's been around for nearly 100 years——except when it got bombed out during The Blitz. Now it's got a new owner, and the connections of the modern generation to the war, the bookstore and one another is the stuff of surprise, wonder and, dare we say it, destiny.
______
House of Bliss. At the Intersection of Obsession and True Love lies humanity.
London, 1905 When ladies of the night begin showing up dead in the dark and bawdy alleys of Covent Garden, the victims are wearing House of Bliss corsets made by Sabrina Blissdon. Now the police want to know how and why Blissdon, the bohemian but successful upmarket corsetière, appears to be dressing the dead.
Sabrina does know a few working women, from a time when she found comfort and solace with a couple of the occupants of a
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 20, 2019
The Girl With 2 Hearts by T.T. Thomas is an odd duck for sure. I can’t say it was a conventional romance (not that it was marketed as such), but the main characters didn’t really have a lot of screen time together, which is always a pitty. It was told often enough that Jack and Victoria had something special but I would have loved to see more of that rather than to hear about it. The way it was done didn’t really convince me.
There was plenty of adventure in both London and South Africa (I preferred the African scenes) to keep the plot going but I was easily pulled out of the story for some reason. Too jumpy? I can’t really put my finger on it but it didn’t flow.
The research was impeccable and if you didn’t know anything about the Boer War you certainly do after reading this book. The use of magic is very subtle and often it wasn’t really clear to me what Victoria was doing. Also her actions towards Alice after she knows her secret aren’t always easy to fathom. Especially
I didn’t dislike the story (loved the whole renegade niece of the queen concept) but I feel there could have been more of Jack/Alice and Victoria together. Don’t understand why they were kept apart for most of the book.
f/f sexy times written as one big ship in storm metaphor was a first. Lol!
Themes: Who is Jack? That whole face painting/hair dying punk bit was weird, war is a useless waste of human lives, I’m glad we got the info dump after the story was done ;-)
3.7 stars
There was plenty of adventure in both London and South Africa (I preferred the African scenes) to keep the plot going but I was easily pulled out of the story for some reason. Too jumpy? I can’t really put my finger on it but it didn’t flow.
The research was impeccable and if you didn’t know anything about the Boer War you certainly do after reading this book. The use of magic is very subtle and often it wasn’t really clear to me what Victoria was doing. Also her actions towards Alice after she knows her secret aren’t always easy to fathom. Especially
I didn’t dislike the story (loved the whole renegade niece of the queen concept) but I feel there could have been more of Jack/Alice and Victoria together. Don’t understand why they were kept apart for most of the book.
f/f sexy times written as one big ship in storm metaphor was a first. Lol!
Themes: Who is Jack? That whole face painting/hair dying punk bit was weird, war is a useless waste of human lives, I’m glad we got the info dump after the story was done ;-)
3.7 stars
December 1, 2014
Honestly, I didn't expect to love this novel, just to like it. But T. T. Thomas is that kind of versatile writer: capable of producing subtle New Yorker-worthy short stories as in her series Sex on a Regular Basis; sophisticated comedies like Two Weeks at Gay Banana Hot Springs; beautifully-written historical romances like her last novel, A Delicate Refusal--and now this, a jaunty Young Adult adventure.
It's hard to review Two Hearts because it's such an improbable mix of YA, lesbian romance, adventure, historical, military, speculative and steampunk that--What? Steampunk? Well, I'm not sure, but yes, I think so. There's an airship/zeppelin thingy at some point, and our intrepid heroine, she of the two hearts, using some kind of prism device…just read it! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and no matter how much you think you know about the Boer War (actually, it's the Second Boer War--see what I mean?) you'll learn a lot of history in about as painless a way possible.
For all of you Queen Victoria fangirls out there, there are a couple of hilarious scenes involving Her Majesty, our intrepid heroine again, a clandestine cigarette and some very funny dialogue indeed. And if you're not already a Queen Victoria fangirl, if you have this outdated and mistaken notion that she was a dumpy, prudish little old lady whose eponymous era mirrored her personality, this novel will change your mind.
But trying to actually describe Two Hearts is pretty much a hopeless cause. What makes it work is its utter originality. There just isn't anything out there like it. Of course, I'm no expert on YA or lesbian fiction, but it's unlike anything I've ever read. And these days, that's a real coup. There's so much good writing going on, from so many new and newly-discovered good writers, that it's hard to stand out at all, much less be original.
Even if Two Hearts isn't unique (although I'd be very surprised to find anything remotely similar), it's damn close. Plus it's fun and charming and it made me cry at one point. Me, Ann Herendeen, who hasn't cried over fiction since the age of fifteen, with Wuthering Heights. (Rest assured, Two Hearts is nothing like that Gothick hot mess.)
Really, all I can say is, don't worry about categories and labels. Whatever your age, this story makes late-Victorian-era war fun, until it reminds us (again) just how horrible war really is. But it's an entertaining and imaginative journey from intriguing beginning to (mostly) happy ending. Don't miss it!
It's hard to review Two Hearts because it's such an improbable mix of YA, lesbian romance, adventure, historical, military, speculative and steampunk that--What? Steampunk? Well, I'm not sure, but yes, I think so. There's an airship/zeppelin thingy at some point, and our intrepid heroine, she of the two hearts, using some kind of prism device…just read it! You'll laugh, you'll cry, and no matter how much you think you know about the Boer War (actually, it's the Second Boer War--see what I mean?) you'll learn a lot of history in about as painless a way possible.
For all of you Queen Victoria fangirls out there, there are a couple of hilarious scenes involving Her Majesty, our intrepid heroine again, a clandestine cigarette and some very funny dialogue indeed. And if you're not already a Queen Victoria fangirl, if you have this outdated and mistaken notion that she was a dumpy, prudish little old lady whose eponymous era mirrored her personality, this novel will change your mind.
But trying to actually describe Two Hearts is pretty much a hopeless cause. What makes it work is its utter originality. There just isn't anything out there like it. Of course, I'm no expert on YA or lesbian fiction, but it's unlike anything I've ever read. And these days, that's a real coup. There's so much good writing going on, from so many new and newly-discovered good writers, that it's hard to stand out at all, much less be original.
Even if Two Hearts isn't unique (although I'd be very surprised to find anything remotely similar), it's damn close. Plus it's fun and charming and it made me cry at one point. Me, Ann Herendeen, who hasn't cried over fiction since the age of fifteen, with Wuthering Heights. (Rest assured, Two Hearts is nothing like that Gothick hot mess.)
Really, all I can say is, don't worry about categories and labels. Whatever your age, this story makes late-Victorian-era war fun, until it reminds us (again) just how horrible war really is. But it's an entertaining and imaginative journey from intriguing beginning to (mostly) happy ending. Don't miss it!
December 13, 2014
If you’ve read any of T.T. Thomas’ other historical fiction titles, then you know that you’re in for a real treat. But let me clarify one thing: THE GIRL WITH 2 HEARTS isn’t your ordinary, vanilla, sundry Historical Romance. You can’t fit this book into any neat, established category. No, this book is special.
Sure, the story is set in Queen Vicky’s reign, smack in the middle of the 2nd Boer War. And once again, Miss Thomas has researched her history and provides us with vivid and memorable scenes. For history buffs, that should be enough to intrigue. But Miss Thomas doesn’t stop there.
TGW2H is a potent read that has big portions of historical settings, a healthy chunk of romance, a dash of steampunk/airpunk, a pinch of magic, and a drop of fantasy. And don’t forget big dollops of humor and wit. The mix translates into a heady and roaring good read as only T. T. Thomas can deliver!
We’re introduced to Victoria Regina Dormier, the fictional niece of the Queen, and 65th in line for the British Throne. Victoria has been smitten by Jack Pierce, a quirky young man seemingly living among the street gangs. But all is not what it seems, and soon we are left wondering whether Jack is really a “Jack” and what secrets he hides.
Through the battlefields and horrors of England’s Boer War, Victoria searches for Jack Pierce, meeting and forming friendships and suffering tragedy as well. The reader is treated to airship warfare, steampunk gadgets, healing magic, a look behind the scenes at field war hospitals and the women who braved those front lines….and romance too. Victoria grows from being a spoiled, wealthy young lady, to a brave and caring young woman who must come to grips with herself and the powers she possesses.
No timid romance is THE GIRL WITH 2 HEARTS. This gender bender was a thrill to read and a totally unique tale. This isn’t your ordinary lesbian historical, or fantasy. You get more than you bargained for and well worth the read. Another T. T. Thomas winner!
Sure, the story is set in Queen Vicky’s reign, smack in the middle of the 2nd Boer War. And once again, Miss Thomas has researched her history and provides us with vivid and memorable scenes. For history buffs, that should be enough to intrigue. But Miss Thomas doesn’t stop there.
TGW2H is a potent read that has big portions of historical settings, a healthy chunk of romance, a dash of steampunk/airpunk, a pinch of magic, and a drop of fantasy. And don’t forget big dollops of humor and wit. The mix translates into a heady and roaring good read as only T. T. Thomas can deliver!
We’re introduced to Victoria Regina Dormier, the fictional niece of the Queen, and 65th in line for the British Throne. Victoria has been smitten by Jack Pierce, a quirky young man seemingly living among the street gangs. But all is not what it seems, and soon we are left wondering whether Jack is really a “Jack” and what secrets he hides.
Through the battlefields and horrors of England’s Boer War, Victoria searches for Jack Pierce, meeting and forming friendships and suffering tragedy as well. The reader is treated to airship warfare, steampunk gadgets, healing magic, a look behind the scenes at field war hospitals and the women who braved those front lines….and romance too. Victoria grows from being a spoiled, wealthy young lady, to a brave and caring young woman who must come to grips with herself and the powers she possesses.
No timid romance is THE GIRL WITH 2 HEARTS. This gender bender was a thrill to read and a totally unique tale. This isn’t your ordinary lesbian historical, or fantasy. You get more than you bargained for and well worth the read. Another T. T. Thomas winner!
January 28, 2015
Rip-roaring terrific fun. This book has it all - quirks of plot, originality, fast pace, adventure, romance, steampunk and sly humor. The characters surprise at every turn - from willful Victoria to the strong hearted Jack. And Queen Victoria? Awesomely original and fun. The book moves at a fast clip, taking the reader from the low streets and high life of Victorian London to the horrors of the Boer War. Particularly affecting was the relationship between Victoria and an enemy soldier. I highly recommend this book.
January 22, 2016
The details were brief enough to keep me interested but long enough to give me an idea of what was happening; there were scenes that for some reason did not connect in my brain as to relevancy but overall very nice story and glad to have it in my collection
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews