About the Book
Book: Thawing the Viscount’s Heart
Series: Belles of Christmas: Frost Fair, #3
Author: Mindy Burbidge Strunk
Release Date: November 7, 2020
Genre: Sweet Regency Romance, Christmas Lit
Spending Christmastide with her was the last thing he wanted.
After the death of her father, Gabriella Babineaux, left France to live under the protection of a family friend in England. The Frost Fair on the Thames seems the perfect place to begin her introduction into English Society, but when she bumps into a gentleman on the ice and he dismisses her merely for being French, she worries she will be a dismal failure at the upcoming Season. How will she ever find love if she cannot even fit in?
Aaron Campbell returned from the Napoleonic wars to assume a family title that was never meant to be his. A fact his mother never fails to point out to him. Hoping to escape his responsibilities for a few hours, Aaron attends the Frost Fair where he bumps into a French girl whose voice triggers unpleasant memories of betrayal. Now he cannot seem to push the voice from the past out of his mind. When Aaron returns to his country estate for Christmastide, the last thing he expects is to spend the holiday with the woman from the fair—the woman who reminds him of all he’s tried to forget.
As their time together passes, Aaron begins to see differences between the woman in his house and the one who betrayed him. But can he allow himself to overlook her heritage and instead see her as the woman he loves?
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My Thoughts
Thawing the Viscount’s Heart by Mindy Burbidge Strunk is a lovely Historical Romance. The plot is engaging and kept me turning pages well into the night. The characters are unique and endearing. I found Aaron and Gabby to be well-developed protagonists, and I loved getting to see each character’s unique perspectives throughout the story. The chemistry between Aaron and Gabby is spectacular. Electric sparks fly whenever they’re in the same room, which made the swoony moments seriously breathtaking. Overall, Thawing the Viscount’s Heart is a wonderful read that got me into quite a happy, smiley, Christmas mood!
One aspect to this story that really made me take note is how Gabby is treated by others. Gabby is French, born and raised, but is in Britain awaiting her first London Season. Her guardian is a British Lord who brought her from France to England so she could find herself a husband. At the time of this story, Britain is at war with France so tensions run high as soon as Gabby opens her mouth to speak. Because she is French and cannot hide her accent very well, many of the British people she comes into contact with spurn her immediately. Many refuse to see Gabby as Gabby and choose to see her as France. Painted with a broad stroke, Gabby is THE enemy on Britain’s soil. My heart hurt for Gabby. Of course, once people get to know her they mostly love her, but it’s the hate she always encounters, the ugliness spewed at her, that hurt me deeply. What struck me the most is how some characters hate just to hate. What a horrific, dark, sad life to choose to live when one hates just because. Imagine all one is missing out on. But Gabby is amazing. She never really lets anything get her down. She always extends an olive branch. When it is accepted, she is grateful and gives her whole heart to the relationship, but when it is not she just moves on. In this, I found Gabby to be quite a remarkable heroine!
Thawing the Viscount’s Heart is a really sweet read that I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend. If you are looking for a well-written, heartfelt Regency Romance that will also get you into a holiday spirit then Thawing the Viscount’s Heart is the book for you.
I purchased a copy of this novel in eBook form from Amazon.com on November 6, 2020, in order to review. In no way has this influenced my review. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The Christian Fiction Girl 