Title: Hearts of Blue
Series: Hearts #4
Author: L.H. Cosway
Release Date: November 19, 2015
She upholds the law. He breaks it.
Two blue hearts, both alike in bravery
In not-so-fair London, where we lay our scene
From gun crime to petty theft
Where family is blood and survival makes hands unclean
In this place, we find two hearts who should be foes
And yet, amidst the turmoil their love still grows
Misadventure abounds and the divide will bring them strife
But with luck, death doesn’t always mean an end to life.
Hearts of Blue is a standalone contemporary romance that tells the story of star-crossed lovers Karla Sheehan and Lee Cross, a police constable and the thief who steals her heart.
Karla is a hard-working, upstanding, idealistic Constable who sees the world in black and white. There are good guys and there are bad guys, and it’s all just as simple as that. Until the day she opens her heart to Lee Cross—a felon who has a dubious relationship with the law—and realizes that the world is made up of shades of gray. Not all criminals are bad guys and not all bad guys are criminals. The two develop some powerful feelings towards each other, but is it enough to overcome the tremendous barriers that keep them apart?
Oh! The angst! This book took me on an incredible emotional rollercoaster as Karla dealt with what she saw when she opened her eyes to the world around her, and tried to make sense of her feelings for Lee. Karla is sweet and principled and trying so very hard to save the world. She’s strong in body, mind and spirit, but fights for control of her emotions, her heart turning her into a heap of goo when Lee is present. Her feelings for a man she should despise confuse her and, as someone who fell in love with Lee basically immediately, I was frustrated with her a lot for being so idealistic and bullheaded, and not seeing the amazing person in front of her.
It was hard for me to understand Karla—and sometimes hard for me to like her—but her situation was impossible and watching her fumble her way through it was emotionally exhausting. That said, I also admired her for standing by her beliefs, even when her heart wanted to toss everything out the window and fall hopelessly and helplessly in love with Lee (you know, like I did).
Lee is an impish rogue. He could not be more opposite of Karla—his world is entirely made up of shades of gray. Where Karla is cautious and buttoned down, Lee is wild, devil-may-care, and completely (well, almost completely) free-wheeling. He’s sexy and smart, funny and fiercely protective of the people he loves. It’s easy to understand how he turned Karla into a heap of goo, and less easy to understand how she was able to keep a clear head at all—ever—while he pursued her.
Together, they are hot. I mean, nothing about who they are as individuals should allow them to work as a couple, but when they come together it is intensely sexy. Karla loses some of her inhibitions and becomes a little wild, and Lee settles down a little bit and becomes wonderfully tender and focused. It’s beautiful, the way they draw these opposite things out of each other—as though they are two halves of a whole.
I was completely gripped by this book—by turns it left me frustrated, heartbroken, unbelievably turned on, breathless and aflutter with butterflies, and then…just satisfied. Happy. It was a rollercoaster ride, but oh, it was so worth it, because the ending? The ending was everything.
I’m beyond excited that there are more Cross brothers in my future. I kept thinking that I wanted to learn more about the brothers so I may have let out a little squeal of joy when I saw that my wish was being granted! So excited and ready for more!
~ Review by Shelly
L.H. Cosway has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation, and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.
She thinks that imperfect people are the most interesting kind. They tell the best stories.
