What do You think about The Hidden Heart (1986)?
Kinsale knows how to write the beautiful just as she well as she knows how to write the ugly. Her books are so full on. I wanted to hate this book for the ugly – for the meaningless cruelty in tearing apart these innocent characters. Honestly, I didn't want to review this because I just don't want to ever have to look upon this book again and having it on my shelves will be a painful reminder of what I went through reading this. This book made me angry at the misunderstandings. If only I didn't love the characters so much! That's why I have given this book three stars to be fair. It is well-written, I just did not like the direction Laura Kinsale took it. It made me queasy and very distressed. That is all I have to say on that front.The Rest of the ReviewKinsale always pulls on something much deeper than attraction and lust in her romances. His ash-gray eyes met hers in a direct encounter, and in the instant of contact there was communication, an intensity revealed beneath those half-closed lids that shocked her. His look held hidden wildness, and more: for a moment there was romance and adventure and a kind of madness there, a frustration, held in check and then banished by the flick of his gilded lashes as he looked away.At first glance, Tess and Gryph fascinate each other. It's not lust or love it's just fascination. Gryph is no smooth-tongued devil. As with most Kinsale heroes, he has a very low self-esteem and when his lady love attacks him he can do nothing but stand there and take it with his tail tucked between his legs. Why couldn't he just open his damned mouth! He would've saved Tess, himself and me a lot of trouble.But he pays for it dearly. Poor Gryph. The things Tess puts him through. Sexual Content: Graphic sex scenes between good guys and depraved behaviour from the bad guy
—Zoe and the Edge
I am sorry Ms. Kinsale ... I have worked my way through other highly emotional books of yours and felt the effort quite worth it. This one almost did me in, though. As much as I love a good tortured hero type, I could not warm up to this one, Gryphon, until the very end and then I was expected to forget the other 360 pages and lose my heart to him.Even the intrpid heroine, Tess, rubbed me the wrong way with her occasional scheming and TSTL attitude that Gryf's problems with her were only about the fact that she wasn't a "proper lady."Still, though, Madam Author, you know your way around such a story and had me running the gamut from tearing up to laughing aloud (the parrot scene near the end was much-needed comic relief). My rating does not reflect my opinion of your writing talent; only this particular tale. I am still a faithful fan.
—L8blmr
Another angsty, captivating read by Ms. Kinsale. It’s the third book of hers I’ve read this summer thoroughly enjoyed it. Tess, our heroine, is a wealthy heiress and aristocrat who was raised primarily by her father. They traveled across the globe as he performed scientific research, primarily into plants. She developed important skills such as the ability to skin a snake, but never became a lady of the Ton (high society). Right before her father dies, she promises him that she will move back to London and get married (why she promised that I’m not sure, but it’s a central tenet of the story). Her father was rightly worried about her daughter becoming the victim of fortune hunters, taking advantage of her naiveté to seize her large dowry. He makes his trustee promise to send a guardian along with Tess to London, though Tess is not to be informed. The guardian is Captain Gryf Frost, a blocked runner with a secret past. {spoilerish comments ahead} When they arrive in London, the friendship between them blossoms, but obstacles are constantly thrown up in their way. A jealous woman who wants Gryf for herself tells lies which wrenches them apart. Gryf feels attracted to Tess but doesn’t believe himself worthy of her love. Tess wants to marry him but he refuses her love so she marries the one person he can’t stand, a cousin whose father who essentially killed Gryf’s family. Oh the drama abounds - it goes on from there, but I won’t recount everything. The characters are wonderful, particularly Tess. A female of intelligence who knows her mind and is not afraid to go after what she wants. She knew she loved Gryf and was willing to stick it out to make sure that they eneded up together. Exotic locations and vivid descriptions. It was a fun read with lots of conflict, though it came close to going over the top at times. The number of obstacles got crazy. The end seemed to drag a bit,esp with Gryf’s continually wrestling with his feelings of inadequacy. Rated on my five star romance scale.
—Elizabeth
