Author: Martha Keyes
Series: Regency Shakespeare #1
Genres: Historical Romance
Format: eBook, Print
Pages: 247
Date: March 3, 2020
Publisher: Indie
She wants him back. He’ll have anyone but her.
Mercy Marcotte doesn’t deserve a second chance at love. At least, that’s what she’s believed since jilting Solomon Kennett, the man she loved, when his fortunes took a turn for the worse. But Solomon is back from the West Indies, rich, aloof, and about to offer for Mercy’s best friend. Mercy resolves to stay out of it—until her friend runs off with another man. She can’t stand by while Solomon is humiliated yet again.
Whatever the past, Solomon Kennett is taking control of the future. He is certain he will get what he wants now that he has proven himself worthy of consideration by even the most fastidious of fathers. When the woman he is supposed to propose to is kidnapped by another man, he feels honor-bound to go after them—only to be followed by Mercy, the woman who spurned him years ago. With end goals, loyalties, and history at odds for all involved, nothing is as it seems. The last thing anyone needs is a love potion to further entangle things. Skeptical in the highest degree and determined not to surrender control to his heart, Solomon finds himself wondering if there isn’t perhaps something to the potion after all.
A Foolish Heart is a sweet Regency retelling of Shakespeare’s timeless classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
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I am quite certain this is the first Shakespeare retelling I’ve read. I don’t remember much about A Midsummer Night’s Dream so I don’t really know how closely this book followed it but I do remember Shakespeare’s ability to write a quirky story full of outlandish missteps and misunderstandings. And we certainly got that in this retelling. You get two romances in the story with a good amount of angst. And poison. And the spouting of poetry. And two happily ever afters. And since this retelling is set in Regency England there are elements of the story that reminded me of Jane Austen’s Persuasion as well. I don’t know if that was on purpose or not. This story is fun to read though it has anguished moments. And perhaps some elements of the story seem outlandish in Regency England but remember it was Shakespeare’s idea first. Slightly outlandish was the goal.
No sex, language or violence
*I received an ARC of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.