Heart's Desire

by Linda Hoover

Julia wants to marry for love… But her father’s secret condemns her to a love-less marriage.In 1880 Boston, Julia Phillips’s father betroths her to wealthy Lucien Harris to cover up a tragic secret. She has no interest in Lucien, but Jacob Anderson, a kind jewelry store clerk has captured her attention. Can she put off Lucien long enough to convince her parents to accept a man who isn’t in the upper-class as her husband? Jacob works with his uncle in Boston, but plans to buy land for a farm out west when he has enough money. When Julia walks into their store his priorities change. Their mutual attraction grows into love, and he wants to be the man she marries. But how can he with so little money? Julia feels increasing pressure from Lucien to pretend she’s happy about the upcoming wedding. Then, she discovers the arranged marriage is based on blackmail. Her family will be ruined if she doesn’t comply. Will God make a way for Jacob and Julia to have their heart’s desire?

369 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 19, 2020

About the author

Linda lives in west central Ohio with her husband and grandson. She earned a degree in psychology from Anderson University where she learned the voices in her head were actually characters from stories waiting to be told.

Linda got her start writing columns and a middle grade serial for the South Charleston Spectator. A retired librarian, she now enjoys being a fulltime author in her home office.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart's Desire is a light, fun romance set in the late 1800s. The main character is horrified when her parents tell her they are arranging her marriage! The story is well-written and humorous. There are twists and turns, culminating in an ending that makes me want to read the sequel. If you are looking for a sweet Christian-themed read--this is it!

[sandra curtis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kindle customer

Beautiful story. I enjoyed from beginning to end. Purchased both of her other books and looking forward to reading them.

[Linda Clarke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hearts Desire is a delightful story.
What I love most about the plot of this story is the mystery along with the romance. I love the main character because Julia believes that the upper class and middle class are equal. She also believes that when it comes to marriage that it’s her choice, but there are so many obstacles in the way. To her great surprise, Julia’s father has picked the man she is to marry and she is not happy about it. I began to wonder how Julia was going to change her father’s mind when the man she is interested in doesn’t come from the same social class as her family. How can she convince her parents that Jacob is a wonderful man and money isn’t important to her? Her parents are so stubborn that I began to wonder if Julia and Jacob would have to elope. It was a cute story and I enjoyed it.

[Betsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read by this author. I really enjoyed this Gilded Age inspirational romance set in Boston in which the main characters, Julia Phillips and Jacob Anderson, were from two different social classes and had to deal with the hurdles set upon them because of it. Lucien played the antagonist role very well with his arrogance and behavior while Julia’s family and circle of friends kept things lively and interesting. Developing personal faith was a natural part of the story. I can picture other characters from this story being featured in their own books.

[Karen Brasher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heart’s Desire

A young debutant, Julia, is forced into an engagement to someone she would never choose for herself. She falls for a guy, Jacob, who was beneath her station in life while trying to convince her parents to free her of the engagement. Read about her dilemma. Will God make a way for her to be free to follow her heart?