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 … 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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A brilliant re-telling of a classic.
With the loss of the family fortune, Solomon must now seek his own fortune. Now feeling going to the West Indies is the way to do it he wants his Mercy to go with him. Mercy is young and her family has put the fear of a horrible life if she continues to agree to marry Solomon so she makes the decision to quit the engagement. Two years later Solomon is back in London and things are different he has a decision to make will he court and marry Deborah? There is perhaps a bit of thumbing his nose at Mercy since Deborah is not only Mercy’s friend but her cousin too. There will be challenges to that idea, danger, rejection of love and, mistrust and doubt in this tale. This was a brilliant re-telling of a classic I enjoyed it a great deal and highly recommend it. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.
I had an ARC copy of this book, but this is my voluntary and honest opinion. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the twists and turns and misunderstandings of the characters which kept it interesting. The characters were believable and the plot interesting. I would recommend reading this regency novel.
This story was absolutely delightful. As a fan a Mid-Summer’s Night Dream I was interested to see how she would tweak it. I loved all the subtle nods to the original and found it fascinating how she twined in the different original characters. I especially appreciated Mercy’s character development. Her grown maturity was well written. The author created really great tension and some awesome scene shifts. As a whole it was highly entertaining; a some how fanciful and yet realistic regency.
This was a fun read. You don’t have to be a fan of Shakespeare to enjoy this sweet tale of forgiveness and reconciliation, but if you are you will recognize some of the elements from A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Of course the story has humor, and there are misunderstandings. There’s one lady who is commanded by her father to marry, not the man she loves, but the man her best friend loves. There are no fairies interfering with the main characters, though there is someone playing cupid.
I liked both Mercy and Solomon and was almost immediately rooting for them to work things out. I didn’t like Deborah very much.
I’m happy this is the first in a series. I really enjoyed this concept and look forward to the next book. There was one character I could easily see in a retelling of Much Ado About Nothing. Dare I hope?
This is a fresh story in the Regency romance genre, utilizing one of Shakespeare’s plots. The tale is thick with intrigue and full of changeable yet constant hearts. Well written, the pacing kept me turning pages. Characters were clearly developed and memorable.
This review may contain spoilers.
I really liked this book that featured a likable h and H. Two years prior to the current setting Mercy Marcotte had fallen in love with Solomon Kennett but refused his proposal of marriage when his fortunes took a turn for the worse. That being her first season she didn’t realize at the time that what she felt for Solomon was unique and genuine. Solomon was devastated by the rejection and sets off for the West Indies to make his fortune. When he returns to England a rich man, Mercy is forced to face her feelings for him once again. None of the men that have courted her in his absence can compare to her feelings for him. To complicate matters, her uncle is so impressed with Solomon’s business acumen that he wants Solomon to marry his daughter, Mercy’s cousin to combine their fortunes. Unfortunately for Solomon, that young lady has other plans in mind with a different suitor. The author has created a delightful tale of mayhem, heartbreak, and true love prevailing.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Fantastic storytelling! Unique retelling of Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s NIght’s Dream while capturing the original mystique. Plus, it’s easy to read, so you don’t have to be a Shakespeare enthusiast to enjoy.
This being a Shakespeare retelling set in Regency England it wasn’t a typical regency romance. I appreciate it was still firmly set in the Regency era and written with historcial accuracy. The story had a whimsical feel. I also was able to feel the sadness, hoplessness, hope and love of all the different characters in their different cirmcumstances. I love Matha Keyes’ way of story telling. I think it has a nice flow, characters and dialogue.
When I first started reading A Foolish Heart, I was intrigued to see how author Martha Keyes was going to blend Shakespeare and Regency romance. I have to say she did a great job and I am very much looking forward to see what she does with the rest of her series. This novel is a twist on A Midsummer Night’s Dream. while I am not super familiar with that particular work, I easily recognized the skill it took to create this novel. The characters were wonderful, the plot felt so unique, and I enjoyed the way the romance played out amidst all the chaos that was happening. This was a fun book to read and I definitely recommend it.
A regency novel based on a Shakespeare play. What an unique and original idea! I adored this story. The wonderful characters; the Shakespearean influence. A wonderful work from an wonderful author based on an incredible playwright.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.