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nerdydreamer107's review against another edition
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
andrealianne's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this so much. Give me trans witches and cowboys in 1870s (?) Texas/Oregon any day, especially if I get to read some of it while in Austin. I want an entire full length book about Cecily and Roy.
kaa's review against another edition
5.0
Really lovely, with grief and kindness running deeply through the story. I thought both the magical elements and the romance were very well done. Roy and Cecily were so sweet and so good for each other.
inkphoenix13's review against another edition
4.0
The only reason I can't give this a higher rating is because I WANT MOOOOOOORE.
ariengoblin's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
4.5
bookdeviant's review against another edition
5.0
I would like to thank the author Austin Chant for providing a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
See more of my reviews on my blog the Book Deviant
I don’t know how often I mention this, but I’m a huge sucker for gothic stories–even romances, which normally aren’t my thing. But I usually make exceptions for trans romances, and a trans gothic romance sounded perfect. And, really, there’s no other way to describe this book. I loved the characters, and I loved their relationship. I loved the atmosphere and the setting, the writing and the plot. There was literally nothing in this book that I didn’t love.
You first meet Roy, and Cecily’s reputation. Two different ways to introduce characters, but two wonderfully well thought out introductions that charmed my way into the heart. Roy was just an excitable character, and the description of “dogged enthusiasm” fit him really well when it came up. When Cecily finally made it onto the page, I couldn’t get enough of her. She was independent, loving, but also very pessimistic. Roy and Cecily’s personalities clashed, which ended up making them the perfect couple. The way they met was hilarious, because Roy should have been terrified of her, but was instead just curious. Again, dogged enthusiasm fits perfectly.
The way trans-ness was included in this book was what really hit me in the heart. It was honest, but also hopeful, if that makes sense. You constantly got fed Roy’s insecurities about being trans, with how he worried if he was “found out”. And it hurt, but it was so reassuring to read. And, I hadn’t known this when I started reading, but Cecily is trans too, and I was so shocked I nearly started crying. A trans m/trans f romance, in a gothic, western setting?? It was a book of my dreams.
Five stars - Overall?
Austin wrote yet another trans novel that really dug it’s way into my heart. There was literally nothing in this novel that I found myself frowning over, which, to be honest, is extremely rare. Austin knew the perfect length it should have been, and cut himself off. I almost consider myself spoiled with how indulging this story was for me.
Would I Recommend?
Totally, especially if you’re looking for Own Voices trans lit. I found myself comforted with the story and the characters. I literally just finished it, and I already am deciding when I should reread. Tomorrow? Tonight? How about while I’m at work?
Trigger warning for violence, mentioned transmisia, death of a loved one, and murder.
See more of my reviews on my blog the Book Deviant
I don’t know how often I mention this, but I’m a huge sucker for gothic stories–even romances, which normally aren’t my thing. But I usually make exceptions for trans romances, and a trans gothic romance sounded perfect. And, really, there’s no other way to describe this book. I loved the characters, and I loved their relationship. I loved the atmosphere and the setting, the writing and the plot. There was literally nothing in this book that I didn’t love.
You first meet Roy, and Cecily’s reputation. Two different ways to introduce characters, but two wonderfully well thought out introductions that charmed my way into the heart. Roy was just an excitable character, and the description of “dogged enthusiasm” fit him really well when it came up. When Cecily finally made it onto the page, I couldn’t get enough of her. She was independent, loving, but also very pessimistic. Roy and Cecily’s personalities clashed, which ended up making them the perfect couple. The way they met was hilarious, because Roy should have been terrified of her, but was instead just curious. Again, dogged enthusiasm fits perfectly.
The way trans-ness was included in this book was what really hit me in the heart. It was honest, but also hopeful, if that makes sense. You constantly got fed Roy’s insecurities about being trans, with how he worried if he was “found out”. And it hurt, but it was so reassuring to read. And, I hadn’t known this when I started reading, but Cecily is trans too, and I was so shocked I nearly started crying. A trans m/trans f romance, in a gothic, western setting?? It was a book of my dreams.
Five stars - Overall?
Austin wrote yet another trans novel that really dug it’s way into my heart. There was literally nothing in this novel that I found myself frowning over, which, to be honest, is extremely rare. Austin knew the perfect length it should have been, and cut himself off. I almost consider myself spoiled with how indulging this story was for me.
Would I Recommend?
Totally, especially if you’re looking for Own Voices trans lit. I found myself comforted with the story and the characters. I literally just finished it, and I already am deciding when I should reread. Tomorrow? Tonight? How about while I’m at work?
Trigger warning for violence, mentioned transmisia, death of a loved one, and murder.
chocolatemeerkat's review against another edition
4.0
This was so sweet and utterly adorable perfect for halloween. Though I do wish it was a tad longer.
lydia_hennessy's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
vezreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
For such an incredibly short book the world building and character development was so good. Roy, a Transgender cowboy becomes infatuated with a powerful witch, but she's obsessed with bringing her dead girlfriend back to life. It's great! The characters are really complex and I fell in love with them!
I loved that Cecily, the witch has a business making magical body parts for people with disabilities. The author thought about practical uses for magic in this world and came up with something both unique and believable.
I loved that Cecily, the witch has a business making magical body parts for people with disabilities. The author thought about practical uses for magic in this world and came up with something both unique and believable.
queerlyreading's review against another edition
5.0
Caroline’s heart wasn’t a story that I was expecting to like, truth be told. I picked this book up because it’s short and has a trans main character, and because I’ve heard amazing things about Peter, Darling, another book by Austin Chant (and one I can’t wait to read).
So while I didn’t have high hopes, I can safely say that every single hope I could have had for a book was blown out of the water by this one!
This book is SO good.
Caroline’s Heart is a refreshing and hopeful story that follows Cecily, a witch who lost her soulmate years ago. She has nothing left of her but the clockwork heart that once beat in Caroline’s chest. While it’s supposed to be impossible to bring back the dead, Cecily’s resurrection spell is nearly complete. But her plans of reuniting with her lost love are foiled when a cowboy she barely knows but is inexplicably drawn to is fatally injured, and the only way to save him is to give up an essential piece of the resurrection spell.
Again, this book is SO GOOD. I am absolutely THRILLED that I was so wrong about it.
I don’t even know where to begin with verbalizing HOW MUCH I love this book (clearly).
I didn’t think I was going to like this, because I don’t generally read much historical fiction (read: any at all), but this one was so pleasant. Chant took all the good parts about the past—chivalry, old-fashioned cowboys, hardworking (and hot) men—and left out all the bad—literally all forms of bigotry and discrimination—and together it was PERFECT.
Like, so unbelievably good.
I was immediately enchanted by Roy, a simple man living a simple life with simple wants. He’s hardworking and honest, and he is immediately attracted to Cecily and interested in her magic in a way that was really heartwarming. While the other men who work with him on the ranch are hesitant around her, he’s more than willing to politely introduce himself and ask her questions.
I really liked that. Again, he’s a simple man, but it’s so apt for the time period that this book is set in, and it makes for a really, really interesting opposition to Cecily who, at the beginning of the book, is shrouded in a magical aura of mystery.
But she’s so much more than just that, and I adored learning about Cecily just as much as Roy. I found that Cecily was stuck in the past, clinging to something that she knew she had lost but didn’t want to let go. Her pain and longing were emotive and prevalent throughout the start of the story, and I truly felt for her. The addition of Roy brings her startlingly into the present, and the way that Cecily let go of her past and embraced that was… it was really good.
The way that these two came together, the slow, sweet, almost-courtship that unfolds as Roy heals and Cecily battles with her grief, is beautiful. It was a sort of slow build that crept up on me, and more than anything it felt unbelievably in an honest, heartwarming way.
I just loved these two characters and the way that they fell in love with each other. It was such a natural unfolding, and I felt like I fell along with them.
When I realized that this was a book with not one, but TWO trans protagonists… I nearly lost my fucking mind. This is so rarely something that is seen, and I was OVERJOYED to read about a trans man loving a trans woman. This little tidbit threw this book into being one of my FAVOURITES of all time, and this will be a story that I reread many, many times in the future.
Not only is their slow courtship unbelievably sweet, but their quick coupling is seriously hot. I adored the way that Chant handled the brief sex scene in this novella, and the way that it was written was amazingly ambiguous while being incredibly clear and detailed.
Honestly, there isn’t a single thing about this book that I didn’t like, or wish had been different. While a shorter read, Caroline’s heart is packed with longing, sweet flirting, interesting magic, and a slow courtship that bleeds into a beautiful, hopeful look at the future. Despite being written in the past, this is a novella about trans love and trans JOY, and it will forever be a comfort read that I will dearly cherish.
I just have to hope that this one comes out (or back out?) in print, because I want a physical copy SO BADLY!
So while I didn’t have high hopes, I can safely say that every single hope I could have had for a book was blown out of the water by this one!
This book is SO good.
Caroline’s Heart is a refreshing and hopeful story that follows Cecily, a witch who lost her soulmate years ago. She has nothing left of her but the clockwork heart that once beat in Caroline’s chest. While it’s supposed to be impossible to bring back the dead, Cecily’s resurrection spell is nearly complete. But her plans of reuniting with her lost love are foiled when a cowboy she barely knows but is inexplicably drawn to is fatally injured, and the only way to save him is to give up an essential piece of the resurrection spell.
Again, this book is SO GOOD. I am absolutely THRILLED that I was so wrong about it.
I don’t even know where to begin with verbalizing HOW MUCH I love this book (clearly).
I didn’t think I was going to like this, because I don’t generally read much historical fiction (read: any at all), but this one was so pleasant. Chant took all the good parts about the past—chivalry, old-fashioned cowboys, hardworking (and hot) men—and left out all the bad—literally all forms of bigotry and discrimination—and together it was PERFECT.
Like, so unbelievably good.
I was immediately enchanted by Roy, a simple man living a simple life with simple wants. He’s hardworking and honest, and he is immediately attracted to Cecily and interested in her magic in a way that was really heartwarming. While the other men who work with him on the ranch are hesitant around her, he’s more than willing to politely introduce himself and ask her questions.
I really liked that. Again, he’s a simple man, but it’s so apt for the time period that this book is set in, and it makes for a really, really interesting opposition to Cecily who, at the beginning of the book, is shrouded in a magical aura of mystery.
But she’s so much more than just that, and I adored learning about Cecily just as much as Roy. I found that Cecily was stuck in the past, clinging to something that she knew she had lost but didn’t want to let go. Her pain and longing were emotive and prevalent throughout the start of the story, and I truly felt for her. The addition of Roy brings her startlingly into the present, and the way that Cecily let go of her past and embraced that was… it was really good.
The way that these two came together, the slow, sweet, almost-courtship that unfolds as Roy heals and Cecily battles with her grief, is beautiful. It was a sort of slow build that crept up on me, and more than anything it felt unbelievably in an honest, heartwarming way.
I just loved these two characters and the way that they fell in love with each other. It was such a natural unfolding, and I felt like I fell along with them.
When I realized that this was a book with not one, but TWO trans protagonists… I nearly lost my fucking mind. This is so rarely something that is seen, and I was OVERJOYED to read about a trans man loving a trans woman. This little tidbit threw this book into being one of my FAVOURITES of all time, and this will be a story that I reread many, many times in the future.
Not only is their slow courtship unbelievably sweet, but their quick coupling is seriously hot. I adored the way that Chant handled the brief sex scene in this novella, and the way that it was written was amazingly ambiguous while being incredibly clear and detailed.
Honestly, there isn’t a single thing about this book that I didn’t like, or wish had been different. While a shorter read, Caroline’s heart is packed with longing, sweet flirting, interesting magic, and a slow courtship that bleeds into a beautiful, hopeful look at the future. Despite being written in the past, this is a novella about trans love and trans JOY, and it will forever be a comfort read that I will dearly cherish.
I just have to hope that this one comes out (or back out?) in print, because I want a physical copy SO BADLY!