Heather’s Bookshelf: Heather’s Journey
Author: KC Foster
Released: 05/01/24
Genre: Historical Romance
“Ignorant input can be a fatal human flaw.”
“Heather’s Journey” introduces nineteen-year-old Heather Randolph living in the US in the 1930s as a young, black female. Heather is living a safe albeit sheltered life with her father and 12-year-old sister, Mae, at their store in Sterling, Illinois.
Dreaming of a different life (and a tall, dark, and handsome man), Heather could have never prepared for the next chapter in her life.
A tragedy suddenly tears apart her life and leaves her reluctantly in charge of her 12-year-old sister. Their mother-turned-singer, Sylvia, who abandoned them years ago shows back up with nefarious motivations and a claim on Mae.
Seeking the help of those she can trust, Heather turns to Renato. He’s a handsome and suave Puerto Rican bootlegger who worked with her father. Renato is also trying to find a fresh start after the death of his friend and employer. Intent on rejoining his family in Georgia, Heather begs Renato to take her and Mae with him.
Reluctantly, Renato agrees, leading to a series of dangers often orchestrated by their conniving mother and a racist society. Will Renato and Heather make it to their new lives and what exactly is this seeming connection between the two lost souls?
Trigger Warning: violence, racism, murder, assault
Overall, I enjoyed this story. It’s technically a historical romance, but it’s really a story all about relationships and how those around you can have such influence on your perceptions and actions. Heather as a main protagonist is sweet, suspicious, loving, and untrusting. She’s complicated. It is in this complication that she provides a seemingly realistic POV as well as someone to root for. Her sister, Mae, provides the comic relief as well as exacerbation to many of the sticky situations the sisters find themselves in. Their mother, Sylvia, is a truly horrible person and the author does a nice job allowing the reader to dislike her for many good reasons. Then there’s Renato, who is a good person with a sketchy past who has made some questionable choices along the way. A good variety of personalities, backgrounds, and character types provides the landscape for the importance of their interactions and relationships along the way. There’s some really great imagery in this tale including that of the live oaks. I have a large one in my front yard and the descriptions of the Spanish moss and draping of the branches was beautifully written. The pacing of the story was a little bit inconsistent and the first 20 pages did not seem to match the rest of the story. Having finished the book, I’m still honestly a little confused about what the first few chapters added to the book or really what even happened. It found its way somewhere in the middle and by the end I truly hoped Heather, Renato, and Mae would find what they sought. The ending wrapped everything up nicely and felt complete.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A historical romance filled with societal constrictions during a complex time in US history. A convoluted beginning develops into an emotionally charged story.
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