About.com Rating

The Bottom Line

Historical fiction is not a genre I usually enjoy reading, possibly as the few I've read have been rather dry and dull. Picking up Dorothy Clark's Family of the Heart, I settled back for what I thought would be a ho-hum read, but was pleasantly surprised. From the moment I opened the book until I set it down with a sigh, I was hooked. The writing is fresh and uncluttered and the story quite believable—something a lot of writers seem to struggle with.

Pros

• Great story

• Believable characters
• Stays true to the era

Cons

• Historical genre may be a turn off for some

Description

• Genre: Historical Romance
• Release Date: September 2008
• Author: Dorothy Clark
• Publisher: Steeple Hill
• ISBN: 9780373827954
• Format: Paperback, 276 Pages

Book Review - Family of the Heart by Dorothy Clark

Clayton Bainbridge is a lonely widower who blames his toddler daughter for the death of his wife. He spends the majority of his time working as an engineer in order to avoid the daughter who reminds him so much of her mother. When he hires Sarah Randolph to be the little girl's nanny, he gets more than he bargained for.

Sarah is running from painful memories, and as a member of a highly respected Philadelphia family, she doesn't take to being ordered about by Clayton.

Can the love of a little girl bring these two headstrong people together?

Dorothy Clark takes the reader on a journey of love, hope and healing. The characters are well-written and suit the style of the story. Family of the Heart is a very enjoyable read.

I also like the fact that the child's character doesn't dominate the story but enhances it.

One last thing that I do have to mention is the cover. Steeple Hill did a fine job with it, as it completely captures the essence of the story.