What do you think?
Rate this book
Pondered in her Heart
The American Revolution is no time for a widow with child to find any semblance of safety, not when schemers kill their friends and ghosts of the fallen play a phantom violin.
The year is 1775. The shot heard ‘round the world is echoing through the colonies, radiating in Pennsylvania, playing in Felicia Hawkings’ mind. As the widowed wife of Major Thomas Hawkings, the sound of musket fire can’t help but ring in her ears, silencing her husband’s music. Just after they announce they’re expecting their first child, he is cruelly torn from her.
Felicia is thrust into turmoil. Her security is gone and safety has been threatened. She knows she must remarry before her time. Two men step in, one familiar and one a stranger, willing to provide for her, but which one can offer what she needs: shelter but also the luxury of love.
It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, as it’s not only her life she must think about. And yet, the decision of a new husband is not the only thing vexing her mind. She finds Thomas’ spirit hasn’t moved on, still lingering in the house. What is it he must tell her from the beyond? Was there more to his death than meets the eye? Loyalties are tested. What starts as a basic need becomes a race for survival. Allies become enemies. Familiarity becomes dangerous. The unknown becomes a haven.
And as everyone knows, wars and violins don’t mix.
The year is 1775. The shot heard ‘round the world is echoing through the colonies, radiating in Pennsylvania, playing in Felicia Hawkings’ mind. As the widowed wife of Major Thomas Hawkings, the sound of musket fire can’t help but ring in her ears, silencing her husband’s music. Just after they announce they’re expecting their first child, he is cruelly torn from her.
Felicia is thrust into turmoil. Her security is gone and safety has been threatened. She knows she must remarry before her time. Two men step in, one familiar and one a stranger, willing to provide for her, but which one can offer what she needs: shelter but also the luxury of love.
It’s not a decision to be taken lightly, as it’s not only her life she must think about. And yet, the decision of a new husband is not the only thing vexing her mind. She finds Thomas’ spirit hasn’t moved on, still lingering in the house. What is it he must tell her from the beyond? Was there more to his death than meets the eye? Loyalties are tested. What starts as a basic need becomes a race for survival. Allies become enemies. Familiarity becomes dangerous. The unknown becomes a haven.
And as everyone knows, wars and violins don’t mix.
366 pages, Paperback
First published June 15, 2021
10 people want to read
About the author
K. Orme
1 book11 followersK. Orme is an author and publisher who has been in the professional industry for seven years although she has been writing for well over a dozen. After receiving her BA in History and Creative Writing, she opened her publishing house, Tea Notes Press, which publishes science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and historical fiction as well as the overlapping thereof. K. Orme strives to create realistic and complex characters (such as the Carton-esque Henry Moore in Pondered in Her Heart and the sickly but won’t-dare-show-it Isabeau Wollman of Of Rouge and Politics), richly aesthetic, thematic plots that span steep arcs and high stakes (like the mystery behind The Whispering Highwayman’s death in Under Darkening Skies and the fading heart of a dying kingdom in The Sovereign Jeremejevite), and a satisfying message in each of her novels. Her debut novel Pondered in Her Heart (Tea Notes Press, 2021) is a sweeping historical set in Colonial America in the burgeoning days of the Revolutionary War about a pregnant widow torn between her integrity, her loyalties and safety, and the ghost of her husband.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
April 25, 2024
I mean, I wrote it. So I think it's pretty neat. xD
But in all honesty, reading it with fresh eyes in print makes a world of a difference to me. And ah, yeah, it's just
I don't know. Hits me in the right feels as a reader. I loved plotting it and writing it, but now I love reading it. And writing my own fanfic of it. Because I'm the author and I do what I want. :)
Update: it's so hard to figure out how and which to review, because the first edition (with the cover with the barrel on it) had many typos and word salad, which is not as yummy as fruit salad. However, the second edition (with the cover that has light blue wallpaper and a red centerpiece) no longer has the massive amounts of typos and such. So, please, take my review with a grain of salt, as I'm the author, but know that it's more geared toward the edition without the typos.
But in all honesty, reading it with fresh eyes in print makes a world of a difference to me. And ah, yeah, it's just
I don't know. Hits me in the right feels as a reader. I loved plotting it and writing it, but now I love reading it. And writing my own fanfic of it. Because I'm the author and I do what I want. :)
Update: it's so hard to figure out how and which to review, because the first edition (with the cover with the barrel on it) had many typos and word salad, which is not as yummy as fruit salad. However, the second edition (with the cover that has light blue wallpaper and a red centerpiece) no longer has the massive amounts of typos and such. So, please, take my review with a grain of salt, as I'm the author, but know that it's more geared toward the edition without the typos.
February 7, 2022
Pondered in her Heart is a solid debut novel. It's not perfect, but I do think it shows the talent and potential of the author, and I like the world it introduces.
The relationship between Thomas and Felicia reminded me of the relationship between a couple I'm good friends with, so it particularly tugged at my heartstrings. I thought Thomas and Felicia were really cute together, and I found the scene where Felicia learns of his death to be heart-wrenching. From the premise of the story, I knew her first husband was going to die, but I still dreaded it and sobbed when it happened. The characters' emotions are described well, in a way that made me feel what they were feeling. I liked Felicia's friendship with Victoria, and an early interaction between them had me texting my best friend because it reminded me of the two of us. Felicia's parents are fantastic and remind me of my own parents to some extent. I enjoyed Felicia's interactions with her servants as well. I liked the tenderness between Felicia and Rose, and I felt the servants were portrayed as real people, not as mere "furniture," so to speak. As this appears to be the first entry in a larger canon of books, I do hope we will hear more about them in future stories. I want to know what happened to them after we last heard about them. Regarding the story's love triangle, I *definitely* think Felicia chose the right man for her. I enjoyed their scenes together and felt he was an honorable and loving man who really wanted what was best for Felicia, knew what to do to bring that about, and did it. Still, I felt SO bad for the other man and despite his flaws, I really liked him a lot, too--even more so after certain events. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, lol.) The story's main antagonist was great in a "love-to-hate him, he's an evil monster" kind of way, and I loved the intrigue/scheming/mystery aspect of the story.
Regarding Chapter 31... I had had a feeling something along those lines was going to happen, but I'd hoped I was wrong. Alas, I was not. T_T
I enjoyed finding references to C.S. Lewis within the text, and I enjoyed the author's humor. There's one especially humorous passage in the story which had me laughing quite a bit (even if Felicia was being a bit ridiculous, lol). This book has its heart-wrenching moments (oooh boy, does it ever), but there is plenty of mirth, love, hope, and healing to balance it out.
I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the historical setting, the humor, and the fact that it's a very clean romance story with Christian principles underpinning the text. I recommend this book to people who like clean romance and/or historical fiction. I've already given a good friend a copy of this book (she loved it) and I'm going to recommend it to my mom next.
I also want to note that the illustrations are lovely!
I think the biggest downside of this book is the poor editing. I'm sorry to have to say it, but it wouldn't be an honest review if I didn't note that the editing really is bad and makes the entire book feel less polished. I was an English major in college and now work as a proofreader, so this was particularly distracting to me. However, I would be happy to proofread the author's future works. ;)
I look forward to reading the author's next book and hope we will be seeing many more titles from her in the future!
The relationship between Thomas and Felicia reminded me of the relationship between a couple I'm good friends with, so it particularly tugged at my heartstrings. I thought Thomas and Felicia were really cute together, and I found the scene where Felicia learns of his death to be heart-wrenching. From the premise of the story, I knew her first husband was going to die, but I still dreaded it and sobbed when it happened. The characters' emotions are described well, in a way that made me feel what they were feeling. I liked Felicia's friendship with Victoria, and an early interaction between them had me texting my best friend because it reminded me of the two of us. Felicia's parents are fantastic and remind me of my own parents to some extent. I enjoyed Felicia's interactions with her servants as well. I liked the tenderness between Felicia and Rose, and I felt the servants were portrayed as real people, not as mere "furniture," so to speak. As this appears to be the first entry in a larger canon of books, I do hope we will hear more about them in future stories. I want to know what happened to them after we last heard about them. Regarding the story's love triangle, I *definitely* think Felicia chose the right man for her. I enjoyed their scenes together and felt he was an honorable and loving man who really wanted what was best for Felicia, knew what to do to bring that about, and did it. Still, I felt SO bad for the other man and despite his flaws, I really liked him a lot, too--even more so after certain events. (I'm trying to avoid spoilers here, lol.) The story's main antagonist was great in a "love-to-hate him, he's an evil monster" kind of way, and I loved the intrigue/scheming/mystery aspect of the story.
Regarding Chapter 31... I had had a feeling something along those lines was going to happen, but I'd hoped I was wrong. Alas, I was not. T_T
I enjoyed finding references to C.S. Lewis within the text, and I enjoyed the author's humor. There's one especially humorous passage in the story which had me laughing quite a bit (even if Felicia was being a bit ridiculous, lol). This book has its heart-wrenching moments (oooh boy, does it ever), but there is plenty of mirth, love, hope, and healing to balance it out.
I enjoyed the characters, the plot, the historical setting, the humor, and the fact that it's a very clean romance story with Christian principles underpinning the text. I recommend this book to people who like clean romance and/or historical fiction. I've already given a good friend a copy of this book (she loved it) and I'm going to recommend it to my mom next.
I also want to note that the illustrations are lovely!
I think the biggest downside of this book is the poor editing. I'm sorry to have to say it, but it wouldn't be an honest review if I didn't note that the editing really is bad and makes the entire book feel less polished. I was an English major in college and now work as a proofreader, so this was particularly distracting to me. However, I would be happy to proofread the author's future works. ;)
I look forward to reading the author's next book and hope we will be seeing many more titles from her in the future!
July 29, 2021
3.5/5 stars ... and every bit taken off was due to lousy editing.
There. I said it.
I met the author of "Pondered in Her Heart" during the 2021 Historical Novel Society conference and picked up her book via the on-line book store. I admit that the American Revolution is not my area of expertise, but I thought her premise sounded great: pregnant widow of British soldier marries a colonist so that her baby won't be born out of wedlock ... and the challenges that come with all of that.
In many ways, this is "Last of the Mohicans" fan fiction; the colonist is named Nathaniel Poe, like the Daniel Day-Lewis character (the original was Natty Bumppo). I'm not looking down my nose at that in any way, shape or form; it's well-done. The characters are believable 99 percent of the time, and there are some complex twists and turns in the story that keep you reading.
What got up my nose was the lousy editing. Words were missing in many places, or phrases that had clearly been changed weren't cleaned up ... and the dangling modifiers were numerous. One example: "Nathaniel thanked the tavern keep, and then turned and put a makeshift pillow under her head." He's meant to be doing that for Felicia (who has just had a baby in the tavern keep's barn), but it sure sounds like something different. Also, we never learn the tavern keep's name. There is also a ton of passive voice that could be removed and tighten up the book significantly.
There were also some continuity errors, like
At the end of the day, it really is a good story despite the book's challenges. I do hope that the author has it re-edited and releases it again. She's clearly done her homework in terms of research, and her book deserves to be the best it can be.
There. I said it.
I met the author of "Pondered in Her Heart" during the 2021 Historical Novel Society conference and picked up her book via the on-line book store. I admit that the American Revolution is not my area of expertise, but I thought her premise sounded great: pregnant widow of British soldier marries a colonist so that her baby won't be born out of wedlock ... and the challenges that come with all of that.
In many ways, this is "Last of the Mohicans" fan fiction; the colonist is named Nathaniel Poe, like the Daniel Day-Lewis character (the original was Natty Bumppo). I'm not looking down my nose at that in any way, shape or form; it's well-done. The characters are believable 99 percent of the time, and there are some complex twists and turns in the story that keep you reading.
What got up my nose was the lousy editing. Words were missing in many places, or phrases that had clearly been changed weren't cleaned up ... and the dangling modifiers were numerous. One example: "Nathaniel thanked the tavern keep, and then turned and put a makeshift pillow under her head." He's meant to be doing that for Felicia (who has just had a baby in the tavern keep's barn), but it sure sounds like something different. Also, we never learn the tavern keep's name. There is also a ton of passive voice that could be removed and tighten up the book significantly.
There were also some continuity errors, like
At the end of the day, it really is a good story despite the book's challenges. I do hope that the author has it re-edited and releases it again. She's clearly done her homework in terms of research, and her book deserves to be the best it can be.
August 13, 2021
I would like to start by saying that I thoroughly enjoyed reading Pondered in her Heart by K. Orme. Leaving a review for a genre that I have not delved too far into can be a bit of tricky situation, as many parts of historical fiction have their standards that I am simply not familiar with. But I can say that with its faults and occasional editing errors, it is a book that I would recommend to people who enjoy the genre.
First, if you have never seen Jessica McKendry's artwork, you are missing out on some beautiful art. Jessica McKendry did a wonderful job of showing emotions in a lovely and elegantly detailed manner. The eight illustrations and family tree also help to bring the characters alive in a tangible way. Both the author and illustrator are talented young women.
Onward to reviewing Pondered in her Heart.
Much like Vivaldi's "Winter" that is so often played in the Hawkings's manor, Pondered shows both the swooping highs and lows of Loyalist Felicia Hawking who has lost her beloved husband, Major Thomas Hawkings, to a rebel raid. Pregnant and in mourning for her husband, she is left with the no choice but to marry for the sake of her unborn child. But what is a woman to do? Marry the eligible Henry Moore who has everything she could ever want and could leave both her and her child comfortable? Or marry the handsome cooper and Minuteman Nathaniel Poe who offers little security and wealth? It is a classic conundrum of head versus heart with a time constraint, as Felicia must marry before she gives birth. And then there is her poor husband's will—what could possibly be keeping her from reading it? Friends become traitors, believed traitors become friends, dead men speak, and through this turmoil Felicia must do what's best for her unborn child.
Poor Felicia.
Through this stress Felicia does give the wonderful line "'...whoever he is wouldn't be replacing anything but the bullet-shaped hole in my heart, and even then, it would be but a leaky patch"' (55). This pretty much describes much of Felicia's grieving process—a process that is described as a snake that curls around her in a suffocating manner. This grief is made worse by the fact that she is not allowed to grieve because of her desperate need to find a husband.
K. Orme knows her stuff about historical costuming for the time period, the descriptions of clothing are rich and lovely. The descriptions of colonial life are realistic enough to make you feel like hitching up your petticoats and taking a trip down to Colonial Williamsburg to find a handsome young Minuteman for yourself.
Saying this, the characters can be dwarfed by the world around them. Taking Thomas for example, he is rather short lived, but has little in the way of personality. However, perhaps if he had lived longer he might have been able to show more of his true colors and we are seeing this from Felicia's POV so it is possible that she remembers him as mainly a simple loving man who plays the violin. So there are potential reasons he can be a bit flat. But Felicia…sometimes she feels dynamic enough to be sitting in the room with you, while other times she might as well be agent-less ink on a page.
This novel does tend to be plot driven, with some of the character's decisions driving the novel forward into tension and suspense. It seems that the characters in the Moore family are perhaps the most well-developed—Henry especially.
But K. Orme's use of foreshadowing is wonderful in continuously hinting toward the ending while making it the only choice forward for the characters.
Are there editing mess ups? Yes—there's no sugarcoating that fact. Are they distracting? I don't think they're too bad. They're easy to read around and you still understand the gist of the sentence. Could Pondered use a fresh coat of polish? Probably. But here we are and I didn't find it and issue that would make me put down the book for. Some readers might disagree with me, but that's individual taste.
Overall, this book could be enjoyed by readers of most ages. I did not find the language to be an issue—I've read stouter stuff in most newspapers op-eds, and the words that are listed are low-grade or even censored in some cases. It's not completely clean but it is far far from foul. The violence is quite tolerable, even in the battle or death scenes. There is a birth scene and various mentions of pregnancy throughout the book, but when reading a book with a pregnant woman as a MC, birth is should be an expected part of that process. Overall, Pondered is clean with a good message about love and sacrifice.
Keeping in mind that this is all my opinion, someone who normally keeps to the fantasy genre with little exception, I believe that K. Orme has given a strong debut novel and I, for one, am excited to see where her talents take her in the future.
First, if you have never seen Jessica McKendry's artwork, you are missing out on some beautiful art. Jessica McKendry did a wonderful job of showing emotions in a lovely and elegantly detailed manner. The eight illustrations and family tree also help to bring the characters alive in a tangible way. Both the author and illustrator are talented young women.
Onward to reviewing Pondered in her Heart.
Much like Vivaldi's "Winter" that is so often played in the Hawkings's manor, Pondered shows both the swooping highs and lows of Loyalist Felicia Hawking who has lost her beloved husband, Major Thomas Hawkings, to a rebel raid. Pregnant and in mourning for her husband, she is left with the no choice but to marry for the sake of her unborn child. But what is a woman to do? Marry the eligible Henry Moore who has everything she could ever want and could leave both her and her child comfortable? Or marry the handsome cooper and Minuteman Nathaniel Poe who offers little security and wealth? It is a classic conundrum of head versus heart with a time constraint, as Felicia must marry before she gives birth. And then there is her poor husband's will—what could possibly be keeping her from reading it? Friends become traitors, believed traitors become friends, dead men speak, and through this turmoil Felicia must do what's best for her unborn child.
Poor Felicia.
Through this stress Felicia does give the wonderful line "'...whoever he is wouldn't be replacing anything but the bullet-shaped hole in my heart, and even then, it would be but a leaky patch"' (55). This pretty much describes much of Felicia's grieving process—a process that is described as a snake that curls around her in a suffocating manner. This grief is made worse by the fact that she is not allowed to grieve because of her desperate need to find a husband.
K. Orme knows her stuff about historical costuming for the time period, the descriptions of clothing are rich and lovely. The descriptions of colonial life are realistic enough to make you feel like hitching up your petticoats and taking a trip down to Colonial Williamsburg to find a handsome young Minuteman for yourself.
Saying this, the characters can be dwarfed by the world around them. Taking Thomas for example, he is rather short lived, but has little in the way of personality. However, perhaps if he had lived longer he might have been able to show more of his true colors and we are seeing this from Felicia's POV so it is possible that she remembers him as mainly a simple loving man who plays the violin. So there are potential reasons he can be a bit flat. But Felicia…sometimes she feels dynamic enough to be sitting in the room with you, while other times she might as well be agent-less ink on a page.
This novel does tend to be plot driven, with some of the character's decisions driving the novel forward into tension and suspense. It seems that the characters in the Moore family are perhaps the most well-developed—Henry especially.
But K. Orme's use of foreshadowing is wonderful in continuously hinting toward the ending while making it the only choice forward for the characters.
Are there editing mess ups? Yes—there's no sugarcoating that fact. Are they distracting? I don't think they're too bad. They're easy to read around and you still understand the gist of the sentence. Could Pondered use a fresh coat of polish? Probably. But here we are and I didn't find it and issue that would make me put down the book for. Some readers might disagree with me, but that's individual taste.
Overall, this book could be enjoyed by readers of most ages. I did not find the language to be an issue—I've read stouter stuff in most newspapers op-eds, and the words that are listed are low-grade or even censored in some cases. It's not completely clean but it is far far from foul. The violence is quite tolerable, even in the battle or death scenes. There is a birth scene and various mentions of pregnancy throughout the book, but when reading a book with a pregnant woman as a MC, birth is should be an expected part of that process. Overall, Pondered is clean with a good message about love and sacrifice.
Keeping in mind that this is all my opinion, someone who normally keeps to the fantasy genre with little exception, I believe that K. Orme has given a strong debut novel and I, for one, am excited to see where her talents take her in the future.
October 7, 2021
The story is creative and unique and offers many surprises and gives a shocking conclusion tied up in a neat bow.
Read full review in the 2021 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.
Read full review in the 2021 October issue of InD'tale Magazine.
July 30, 2021
(Sorry for being late, K. I needed some time to collect my thoughts and then life happened and it took me a while to find the time.)
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are mine.
I give this book three stars. I wish I could give it more, but I can’t. She focused too much on the plot and not enough on making the characters meaningful. I don’t like Felicia. She is dramatic from beginning to end. And Nathaniel is one big Save The Cat (if you know, you know--it’s a writer thing), so I can’t like him either. I did like Felica’s parents and Victoria, and I have a love/hate relationship with the antagonists.
These are my two cents--and maybe you’ll like it--but it was hard for both my sister and me to get through it. It felt like it was being published a draft too early.
Characters=one star (they were consistent, and I did love a few of them)
Concept=one star (it was high-concept and intriguing, but it was poorly executed)
Style=.5 stars (too much time spent on the plot, not enough character development)
Theme=.5 stars (again, she spent too much time on the wrong things)
Editing=no stars (as an editor, it hurt to read this and know I didn’t have the time to fix it)
Content warning: death (this is a war), an onscreen birth, and quite a bit of foul language.
Disclaimer: I received a free advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are mine.
I give this book three stars. I wish I could give it more, but I can’t. She focused too much on the plot and not enough on making the characters meaningful. I don’t like Felicia. She is dramatic from beginning to end. And Nathaniel is one big Save The Cat (if you know, you know--it’s a writer thing), so I can’t like him either. I did like Felica’s parents and Victoria, and I have a love/hate relationship with the antagonists.
These are my two cents--and maybe you’ll like it--but it was hard for both my sister and me to get through it. It felt like it was being published a draft too early.
Characters=one star (they were consistent, and I did love a few of them)
Concept=one star (it was high-concept and intriguing, but it was poorly executed)
Style=.5 stars (too much time spent on the plot, not enough character development)
Theme=.5 stars (again, she spent too much time on the wrong things)
Editing=no stars (as an editor, it hurt to read this and know I didn’t have the time to fix it)
Content warning: death (this is a war), an onscreen birth, and quite a bit of foul language.
August 8, 2022
It brings you in from the very beginning. When you think something happens, another thing does. The descriptions are immersive. You can feel all of it. My favorite character was Nathaniel because he was always a man that was steadfast in what he loves. He's protective of his country and his family, whether made or blood bound.
July 11, 2021
What a great introductory story to colonial life at the time of the Revolutionary War for the young reader. The author's ability to describe her characters and their surroundings will have you walking with them during their story.
August 15, 2021
I had the pleasure of meeting the author back in July. This is a good book, great storyline a few grammatical and misspelled words and phrases but I enjoyed this book overall.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews