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. … 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 is 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?
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“Holy Harry” finally gets his story told, and what a story it is. Harold Jonquil is a vicar like everyone knew he would be, but he’s not THE vicar he imagined he be or wants to be. He doesn’t think he can be himself and a vicar at the same time–what would the parishioners think if they knew of his “unvicarly” hobbies of rock climbing and knowing Irish drinking songs?
Thank goodness Sarah Sarvol comes back into Harry’s life. Being an American she isn’t as formal, and upon her first visit to church she tells Harry she had expected more. “More of the vicar you ought to be”, and challenges him to see who is better at vicaring. Sarah also explains that the quote Harry often says to himself, “Act well your part; there all the honor lies.”, doesn’t mean ‘Act well a part or ‘a part as defined by others.’
I loved seeing Harry change from the stiff, almost aloof vicar to one his parishioners would know truly cared about them. I was upset with Phillip and Layton’s endless teasing of him and was so happy when Mater came back to Lampton Park. It was wonderful to get updates on all of the Jonquil brothers and their families. Is it a “stubbornness of Jonquils” or a “horde of Jonquils”? Whatever it is I’ll gladly take more.
I loved Sarah and felt for her, and her brother who had to live with their mean-spirited and spiteful uncle. She’s such a sweet and caring person and the perfect person to help Harry find himself. She had great advice for Harry A vicar can do a lot of good simply by allowing himself to be human.
Sarah M. Eden makes these characters so real to the reader, sometimes we forget they’re not real people. We laugh at their silliness and cry for them when they’re going through difficulties. This is a wonderful addition to the Jonquil series.
“Act well your part; there all the honor lies.”
From the captivating cover to the setting in Regency England and on to the riveting story of “Holy Harry”, The Heart of a Vicar had me turning pages far into the night. I love Sarah M. Eden’s writing, and the Jonquil family has wormed its way into my heart. Each of the seven brothers has his own personality and quirks, and I enjoy the way they interact with each other—the way they joke and tease one another but also rally as a family when needed. Eden is a master at creating realistic, endearing, and colorful characters. She also excels at witty banter and humorous situations. I loved Harold and Sarah’s connection and their rapport with each other.
“Did we decide on ‘a horde of Jonquils,’ then?”
“I cannot believe I get to be part of it,” Sarah could not hide her amazement. “I cannot believe you want to be.” His grin brought out her laugh.
“I did challenge our good vicar to a competition of saintliness.”
Beautiful themes of the importance of family, overcoming fear and doubt, and the power of love are woven through the story and add depth and dimension to it. This book can be read as a standalone, but to get the full effect of this fun family you might want to start with the others. They are all fantastic books and so enjoyable. I’ll be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy from Covenant Communications/NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
We don’t hear to much about Harold in the other Jonquil books, and while he isn’t my favorite brother I was excited to read his story and know his character better especially after Stanley’s book. I absolutely LOVED “The Heart of a Vicar”! I don’t know how she does it, but Sarah Eden never fails to create a fantastic book. It was a page turner. I was laughing and crying and holding my breath in anticipation. Harold and Sarah are such lovable characters and their story was endearing. If you are not familiar with the Jonquil family or the Lancaster family for that matter, you are missing out! I very much recommend any and all of Sarah M. Eden’s books.
What’s not to love about this book! I have read all the Jonquil and Lancaster books. They are all wonderfully written. The stories and family ties just keep you wanting more. This book was no exception. This book can be read alone, but truly it is best to read it in sequence of the series, As many of the characters crossover from book to book. We still have Charlies story to hear, hopefully soon!
Another great read by Sarah M. Eden. I love her books, and it was great to get Harry’s story. Both he and the heroine are endearing and realistic with hardships and trails that they have to overcome. Of course, there was tons of the family around, so we get a lot of little epilogues showing how the other heroes and heroines are doing with their “happily ever afters”. Now, I’m just dying for Charlie’s book.
LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. stories of the Jonquil brothers! So fun to read “Holy Harry’s” story! (that’s what his brothers call him-fitting as he does become a Vicar)
I loved ever bit of this story and wanted more! This book is SO. GOOD!
I highly recommend the entire series!
“The Heart of a Vicar” by Sarah M Eden
I ended up LOVING this story. When I started my journey with Harold and Sarah I was not so sure I had selected the right story for me. I persevered and quickly found my rhythm with the story. Soon I was all tangled up in their lives; and, time would fly by as I traversed the choices and hurdles life was putting in their paths. This is a clean sweet romance full of joys, sadness, and tender moments that made me cry buckets. If I were in a book club.. this would make an excellent choice for discussions galore. I requested an ARC of this story from the publisher via NetGalley. And, yes I was one of the lucky ones to receive a free copy for reviewing. As you can tell I really loved this story and I suggest you add it to your SBRS (Stack of Books to Read Soon).. Happy Reading !!
Harold Jonquil is trying to be the best vicar he can be–and yet, despite his efforts to suppress any un-vicar-like tendencies (like singing drinking songs!), Harold seems to be failing. He isn’t connecting with his congregation as well as he would like, and his brothers constantly remind him of his shortcomings. When Sarah Sarvol, the girl he fell in love with years before but couldn’t pursue a relationship with, returns to the area to live, she quickly points out his shortcomings and even tells him she’d make a better vicar than him…and Harold soon sees that she has a way of connecting with people that he lacks. Has he been wrong to dedicate his life to being a vicar?
When Sarah and her brother Scott return to England so Scott can assume his responsibilities as their cankerous and cruel uncle’s heir, Sarah is determined to be happy–even if it means seeing Harold Jonquil, the man who broke her heart. She’s shocked by the changes in him, none of which seem to be for the better, and trying, to break through the hollow and indifferent exterior he projects to see if there is more below his surface, she challenges him to a contest to see who can be a better vicar. As Harold starts to show signs of his old self, though, Sarah finds that her old feelings for him start to resurface, but having been hurt by him once, does she dare trust him with her heart again?
Oh my goodness! I’ve heard Sarah M. Eden say a couple of times that she can’t wait to introduce us to the real Harold Jonquil, and now I see what she meant.. We’ve seen quite a bit of Harold in the other books in the series, but always through his brothers’ eyes, and he was definitely my least favorite Jonquil, based on what I saw through his brothers–he had a holier-than-thou attitude and seemed entirely lacking in real feelings. Well, by the end of the first chapter of this book, I was ready to punch his idiotic (but lovable) brothers in their noses and slap myself upside the head for ever believing anything they said about him! The author did a terrific job of showing his true character–with tons of feelings and vulnerabilities and insecurities. He was just a wonderful character, and I loved getting to see who he really is and seeing how Sarah helped him be more willing to show his family and his parishioners who he really was. I also loved seeing Sarah’s bright personality and how she was determined to be happy in spite of difficult circumstances. And while I was put out with the other Jonquil brothers for their shabby treatment of Harold, I loved seeing what was going on in their lives and seeing how they did come through for Harold when he needed them, and I especially loved seeing Harold find his place among them and his community. This was just a beautiful book, and I adored everything about it. This is an easy 5 stars and one of my picks for the best books of 2019.
I read an ARC provided by the publisher via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
I am a huge fan of Sarah Eden’s books. The first kindle book I ever read was her book, “Kiss of a Stranger”. I love the stories of the Jonquil family members. This book was about Harold or Holy Harry as his brothers affectionately refer to him. He has wanted to live the life as a vicar. But he used to be fun-loving and now he is dull and without much personality.
Sarah Sarvol had been the niece of one of the Jonquil’s neighbors. She and Harry had developed a sort of attachment but on their last day together, Harry kissed her and then pushed her away. He said they could never have a relationship and not to write him because he would never write her back. She was angry and hurt and she pushed him in the stream. Now, several years later, Sarah is back from America and Harry is the local vicar, but he isn’t the kind, loving, compassionate man she knew.
Can she help him to see who he really can be? Is it possible to rediscover their feelings for one another? Sarah Eden is a master storyteller who is able to make you feel the emotions of the characters flow from the pages of her books. I was given an arc copy of this book and then bought it before even reading it. I wholeheartedly offer my honest review.
Oh I love the Jonquil family! This was such a beautiful story. I loved getting to know Harry better. He is such a wonderful character. Sarah is amazing! The whole family is amazing. I love the Jonquil Rescuers. They are such a great family. Mater is wonderful and such a great part of this story. I would love to read a prequel that tells Mater and Mr. Jonquils story. He is such an amazing part of this family, it would be wonderful to read their beautiful love story. From the very beginning I was drawn in and hated when I had to take a break. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was great.
In true Sarah M. Eden fashion, we have complex characters that we really care about (how could we not love the Jonquils!) and beautiful moments as well as funny ones. This book has everything you could ask for.
Sarah Sarvol has left America and returned with her brother Scott to England. Having spent time in the area as a child, she is returning to her uncle’s house so her brother can learn his duties as the heir. Her uncle has no use for females and considers her a poor relation. She is forced to live in the governess quarters and not socialize with others. Even through her trials, Sarah believes you make your own happiness and is a very outgoing and optimistic person.
Harold Jonquil has spent his life knowing that he would be a vicar, and he has been ridiculed by his brothers for it. They love calling him “Holy Harry” and using the term pious as an insult.
Harold has always looked up to his father and considered him exemplary. His goal is to emulate him and follow his advice. “Act well your part; there all the honor lies.” He believes that this means he must always be serious and hide all of his “strange” tendencies like climbing things like a monkey and singing songs about drinking.
Harold and Sarah were once sweet on each other until something happened that left them both heartbroken; and Harold soaking wet. Years later they are reunited and drawn together by a challenge.
I have been looking forward to reading Harold’s story. I knew there had to be a reason for him being so serious and proper all the time. This was not the story I expected. While the reasons behind Harold’s mask were similar to what I anticipated, I never expected the real Harold hiding underneath! He has some unusual and really fun quirks, and I loved seeing his relationship with Sarah. There is such a sweet tenderness with those two that is like calm in all the chaos.
Harold is so lonely and vulnerable. He is an introvert and has problems socializing with others. His belief of how the perfect vicar is to behave causes him to be even further separated from people, and he keeps his true self hidden. He is such a fun person when he is in personal settings and allowed to be himself. I loved his relationship with his housekeeper.
None of the Jonquil relationships are easy. They deeply love each other and grow closer together as they go through emotional and even heartbreaking times.
The Heart of a Vicar is the sixth book in the The Jonquil Brothers Series. So many beloved characters from previous books come back and even play large roles in the story. Philip and Sorrel have been such a special couple to me since the first book, and it is heartbreaking to see what they have to go through. Layton, another one of my favorite characters from a previous book, is still going through a lot of emotional turmoil as is his daughter. Just as in real life, things do not always wrap up easily. While this book can be read as a standalone, I love how many story-lines continue with previous characters. This book makes me want to binge read this entire series again.