The Heart of A Vicar Blog Tour, Review and Giveaway

Young love is all too fleeting, as Harold Jonquil painfully discovered years ago when Sarah Sarvol, the niece of a neighboring landowner, captured his heart. After an idyllic few weeks in the throes of blossoming love, reality intervened. They could have no future. Following their disastrous parting, Harold attempted to push aside thoughts of love and regret, but Sarah has never left his heart. Now, years later, he has achieved his lifelong aspiration of becoming the local vicar. However, the role proves more difficult than he imagined. He feels hollow and uninspired -- until the most important person in his past returns, challenging him as no one ever has.

When Sarah's ailing uncle summons her back to the family estate in England, there iso only one person from her past she is reluctant to see again: Harold Jonquil, the only man who has ever claimed her heart. But when she comes face-to-face with her former beau, she hardly recognizes the aloof and dull man before her. She is determined to help Harold rediscover the passion he once felt toward his chosen profession. Soon, despite their exasperation with each other, they cannot deny the stirring of feelings long buried-- but is it too late for second chances?

Sarah Eden created a fictional family called the Jonquils with seven sons and an honorary son. Each son has/or will have a novel telling the story of how they met their spouse. Each story also references what is going on in the lives of the other brothers and build on each other. She also created a second family for regency romance readers called the Lancasters. The last Lancaster book, Loving Lieutenant Lancaster, sets place at the Jonquil home and some of the plot elements from that story carry over into The Heart of a Vicar.  The Heart of a Vicar tells the story of Harold and is the seventh book in the Jonquil series. Here are the books that are part of the Jonquil family's story:

• The Kiss of a Stranger (Honorary Brother, Crispin)
  
• Friends and Foes (Philip Jonquil)
  
• Drops of Gold (Layton Jonquil)
• As You Are (Corbin Jonquil)
• A Fine Gentleman (Jason Jonquil)
  
• For Love or Honor (Stanley Jonquil)
• The Heart of a Vicar  (Harry Jonquil)

Here are the books of the Lancaster series:

• Seeking Peresphone
• Courting Miss Lancaster
• Romancing Daphne
• Loving Lieutenant Lancaster

I've read Eden's other books in the series (some several times over) and Harold is usually portrayed as a tightly wound vicar that has trouble interacting socially. The Heart of a Vicar really shows a different side of Harold and how lost he feels within his role as a vicar. Sarah inspires him to be himself and to figure out what he wants in life. I liked Harold better after reading his story and understood him a bit better. In the other novels, he comes out a bit pompous and socially awkward. I usually cringe a little when he interacts with his brothers. It was interesting to see the reasons behind his behavior and get to know his character better. I loved getting to know his hobbies. It really made his character more interesting and dynamic. He's now one of my favorites. I was annoyed at times with Sarah for pushing Harold too hard to change, but I knew what Harold was going through as a reader and she didn't. The Heart of a Vicar also revisits several of the other characters from Sarah Eden's books. If you read them out of order, it would ruin the twists and suspense leading up to this story. I've been anticipating this book for a while and I wasn't disappointed. I can't wait to read the next book in the series! I know it'll be at least a year before the next one comes out, but I can't wait! If you haven't read about the Jonquils and you enjoy romance, I would very highly suggest reading these books. I own most of the series and reread them almost yearly. To learn more about The Heart of a Vicar, click here.

I would also suggest following Sarah Eden on social media. Sometimes, she does giveaways for her books and gives "slight" hints at what is to come. Her Facebook page is here and her Instagram is here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 
Please note that I received a free copy to facilitate this review, however, my opinions are my own. The giveaway is facilitated by the publisher. There are affiliate links in this post that help to facilitate the maintenance of this blog.