Your Scarred Heart
by Adele Clee
My review:
“Your Scarred Heart” is a book I would give 6 stars to if I could! It’s the 4th book in the ‘Ladies of the Order’ series by Adele Clee. You can read and enjoy this book as a standalone, but once you read it be aware that you’re going to want to go back and read the other books in the series.
I’m finding this review particularly tricky to write, because as much as I want to share a lot about the book, I don’t want to share much at all. There are so many layers to the story that it’s best for you to experience them the way the author intended. I truthfully could not put it down once I started reading.
Nora is fleeing an incredibly difficult past. She lives in fear of several different terrible things catching up to her. The one stroke of good luck she’s had in her life is the opportunity to work as an inquiry agent. Much to her dismay, her first client is terribly scarred, and suspected of having murdered both his brother and his sister-in law. Sylvester hates his scar, the terrible reason for it, and what it has done to his life. The anger and frustration that consumes him fills his every moment. When he wants to hire an enquiry agent, he’s aware that he’s being assigned a female agent; that itself is difficult because he no longer trusts women at all. Further complicating everything for Nora and Sylvester is the incredible attraction they feel for one another.
This book is beautifully written. The torment of the lead characters is conveyed so well that you feel their emotions. The descriptions in the book are so finally crafted that you can picture everything happening as if you were in their reality. Secondary characters are multifaceted and add immeasurably to the story. As the tension continually builds, there are twists and turns throughout, several of which I never expected. The lead characters change and grow as a result of their connection, and it’s a wonderful experience for the reader.