coffee addict books: Review: Hearts of Fire (Hearts #2) by L.H. Cosway

Title: Hearts of Fire
Author: L.H. Cosway
Series: Hearts #2
Genre: contemporary romance, new adult

The Circus Spektakulär is proud to present Jack McCabe: Fire-breather, knife-thrower, risk-taker.

My house burned down when I was just a boy, robbing me of both my parents.

Now I breathe fire, eat the poison that almost killed me.

Crowds come to see me night after night. Men for the spectacle, women for the thrill. I’m an oddity to be stared at and desired. With each flame I spit, I risk my life.

I wear scars on my body that will never go away, but the scars inside my head are far more difficult to overlook.

My brother doesn’t know me, and if I have it my way he never will.

Life was going exactly the way I’d planned until Lille came along. She wanted to run away with the circus, have an adventure, but this world was never meant for her.

I try to keep her safe, because she doesn’t know the dangers that are out here on the road. She doesn’t know the monsters that lurk behind the bright lights of the ring. In truth, I could be considered one of them.

We were fashioned from different cloths, never intended to mix. So I watch her. I try not to touch, even when her eyes invite me.

Join us in the Spiegeltent and let us give you a show. Allow my Lille to draw a picture for you in paint and sweat and skin.

The truest love is always the hardest to let in.

This is a standalone romance that tells the story of Jack McCabe, Jay Fields’ long lost, presumed dead brother. It is not necessary to have read Six of Hearts in order to enjoy Hearts of Fire.

Amazon US | Amazon UK

MY REVIEW

Hearts of Fire by L.H. Cosway

My rating: 5 of 5 Stars

5 turpentine & kerosene STARS

“You’ve got me under your skin now, Lille.”

I'm in love with this book. I absolutely adored reading Hearts of Fire over the last few days. I just didn't want it to end, so my snail pace reading was to some extant deliberate. Overall I would say it was just a really lovely read that hit all the good spots for me. Just a few things you can find in this book: adventure, fantastical elements, a beautiful love story, a little edge, incredible sexual tension, steam caused by fire and scorching hot chemistry; as well as friendship and a lot of heart.

After being slightly disappointed with Six of Hearts I went in with a little caution but I shouldn't have worried. For me L.H. Cosway didn't disappoint one bit with the second instalment in the Hearts series. I was spellbound from the first page and I was eager to go on this journey together with Lille and Jack and Lola and Marina and all the other odd characters we meet along the way.

“Here lies the story of Jack and Lille
Two hearts so big and yet so little.”

Lille Baker is a dreamer and an artist. She lives with her head in the clouds, dreaming of a adventures and fulfilling her bucket list. Mostly because her reality just doesn't live up to her wishes and is at times rather cruel. Her mother is a rich control freak, who doesn't love herself and who lets all her anger out on her daughter. She supervises her studies, her boyfriends and even takes away most of Lille's wages she earns during her summer job.

But then one day the Circus Spektakulär comes into town and with the circus comes Jack McCabe - the fire breather, knife-thrower and risk taker. The enigmatic man catches her eye and her curiosity.

And then everything changes.

Lille runs away with the circus!

“Make mistakes, Lille. Walk on the cracks. Break the rules that were made to be broken.”

I personally think that Lille is a very sweet heroine. She is good through and through. A little naive, but she has to be to even contemplate entering into this endeavour. No one in their right mind would - or better yet - should just run away with perfect strangers. But she does and to be fair she really isn't all that safe as a woman travelling across Europe with a circus.

I love her for her unusual and amusing way of looking at the world. In that regard she is very child like and innocent. But on the other hand she speaks her mind and when she finds the courage to stand up for herself it is quite beautiful to witness.

Right from the start Jack and Lille have this very intense connection. Mostly based on sexual attraction, but also curiosity and trying to understand the other. Their chemistry is off the charts and being in Lille's head all the time and witnessing her overactive imagination, as well as her out of control libido sure helps to bring that across.

“Life twists some of us in strange ways, ways that shape us to always be alone, and I'm one of them.”

Jack on the other hand is for the most part a mystery, not only to Lille but also myself. It takes a good while before you get some glimpses into his past and what's hidden under all the grumpiness. They start out with a cat and mouse play, dominated by Jack's whiplash inducing actions that transforms into a trusting friendship before it becomes anything else. And let me just tell you when it becomes something else...scorching hot...literally!!

Other than the love story, Hearts of Fire also tells the story of the hard circus life and its ups and downs. The reasons why some use it as an escape and others just never knew a different way of living. On top of that there are some rather unsavoury characters around and they don't shy away from causing trouble for the whole community.

“Would it make you feel better to know that we all get the same number of hours in a day, days in a year? Some people might be rich and some might be poor, but none of them can buy time. It is one of the fairest systems in the world.”

Of course if you read Six of Hearts the name Jack McCabe might ring a bell. We are indeed talking about Jay Fields' dead brother, who is not so dead after all. Which also means there may or may not be a little magician cameo along the way. ;) Who knows?

I have seen a few very mixed reviews for this book, but in all honesty for me it was a heart warming and beautiful read. I devoured every page and I can already tell this will be one of my most re-read books in the future. Escapism at its best. Just the right book at the right time. Also, I loved the chapter titles, they are so wonderful and in the end they made me cry. If you read the book, you know what I mean...

And of course, at last but not least there is King...another mystery. But we won't have to wait much longer for his book - King of Hearts. *grabby hands*

Hearts of Fire is the second book in the Hearts series, but can be read as a standalone. There are some reoccurring characters and the storyline from Six of Hearts plays into this book as well.