Walled Hearts: A Holy Love Age-Gap Ice Queen Novel

by V. Dalmatina

When Carwen Ellis, a formidable fifty-six-year-old divorce attorney who has never lost a case, agrees to a blind date in Amsterdam, she expects nothing more than a polite distraction. What she finds is Dina Knez — a quiet, highly intuitive, record-breaking swimmer with a guarded heart and a secret passion for writing sapphic romances.
From the moment their eyes meet over a rare black tulip, something ancient and undeniable stirs between them. Carwen’s carefully constructed walls begin to crack. Dina, who has spent years protecting her tender soul, finds herself drawn to the elegant, commanding blonde in ways she never imagined.
As their connection deepens from tentative messages to stolen days on a sun-drenched Dalmatian island, both women must confront the fears that have kept them isolated for so long. In each other, they discover the kind of love that heals old wounds, challenges long-held beliefs, and proves that it’s never too late to choose vulnerability, trust, and forever.
Walled Hearts is a tender, emotionally rich sapphic romance about two mature women learning that the strongest walls are the ones we willingly lower for the right person. A story of chosen love, quiet courage, and the sacred beauty of being truly seen.
A Holy Love novel — where love doesn’t just find you.
It chooses you.

136 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 28, 2026

About the author

V. Dalmatina writes Holy Love — sapphic romances where love is sacred, healing, and deeply earned.

Her stories span multiple worlds: tender contemporary romances set in sun-drenched Dalmatia, dark portal romantasy, vampire and werewolf tales, and historical romances. All are united by emotionally mature women, profound vulnerability, honest intimacy, and soul-deep connection. Whether across lifetimes through reincarnation and karmic bonds, or in this one fragile life, her heroines choose each other with courage after facing their scars. There is no toxicity for the sake of drama — only genuine HEAs, because wounded souls deserve real love and soft landings.

For thirteen years, she worked as an officer on luxury mega-yachts, circumnavigating the globe. Today she lives with her wife on a quiet Dalmatian island in Croatia, surrounded by the sea and stone that raised her. English is not her first language, and she lives with dyslexia and dysgraphia, yet she writes every story from lived emotional truth. Her interconnected universes — Heart, Afterbite, Crimson Bloom Chronicles, and others — are built slowly, honestly, and with care.

This is her sanctuary. She invites you to step inside.

#HolyLove #SapphicRomance #HealingRomance #KarmicLove

Reviews

[JT · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Walled Hearts by V. Dalmatina to be a wonderful read. I appreciate that the term broken in used in the book as it implies being able to mend, repair or heal whatever not as expected. I am a great fan of age gap/ice queen sapphic books, and this touched those for me. The characters were well developed, and the story line was more unique than many of the current books out. I love a fresh story line. Kudos for this. The emotional vulnerability and the necessity for trusting and honest communication makes this another winner for this reviewer. I think the ability to shift direction in the midst of an activity with a new friend, especially if expectations may need amending can prove a hurdle that is challenging. The way this whole process happens during the adventures the MCs encounter throughout the book is so clever yet openly written. It illustrates the importance of consent from the outset in the journey of developing relationships that allow the characters to thrive. This is another awesome read by an author who has quickly taken over my TBR list. In my experience thus far, anything V. Dalmatina pens is something worth picking up for a read. While not lengthy each books as with Walled Hearts is full of insight and speaks the language of finding a personal truth through the willingness of letting yourself be seen….completely. I received an ARC of this work and hope that my ability to review for you helps you make the great choice to pick it up and see for yourself the amazing women on the pages come to life.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just a fan of V Dalmatian books, a this was another one.

This was a wonderful read & very well written.

The characters in the book worked well together.

Not a long book l read in a day.

Well done yet again loved it 😉

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily