Review: A Heart Most Faithful

A Heart Most Faithful book cover on blue background

As part of the Restful August Challenge, I'm delighted that I've been able to dive into a new Regency novella from Carolyn Miller, which is available for free. Not only is A Heart Most Faithful a great introduction to some of her historical series, but it also sets readers up for a new series to come!

Book Synopsis

A kiss, a dance, and a second chance...

After an embarrassing encounter in a London ballroom, Miss Anne Talbot has tried to put Lieutenant Peter Colborne far from mind. His behaviour, as inexplicable as it was reprehensible, has left her certain her fate is spinsterhood, and is determined to protect her all-too-eager younger sister from making a similar mistake. But when a family emergency demands she return with her mother and sister to their Leicestershire village, she is shocked to discover that perhaps Mr. Colborne hadn't forgotten her at all...

A brand new Regency novella involving second chances, glimpses of beloved characters, and an aspiring female novelist with an eye for romance.

Source: BookFunnel

Book Thoughts

What a precious novella where we get to meet Anne and Peter. I love their story and their desire to be faithful to God above all else. The words about how our hearts are fickle and can lead us astray indicate just how in tune they are to the Father's will, making this story both memorable and charming. I appreciate that both characters can admit to their faults as they acknowledge the past and look to the future with hope and love. If you're looking for a great introduction to the rest of Carolyn Miller's Regency books, A Heart Most Faithful sets the tone in welcoming readers to stories of faith where the presence of Jesus can be felt between the pages.

Book Summary

Format of book: 📱
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Recommendation: 👍

Comments

Didactic Scenes

I love researching and recently looked into Harlequin's Love Inspired line's submission guidelines to find out if there were certain parameters in the stories they accept and publish. One of the lines that stood out to me was: "Mandatory faith element that is integral to story and shows rather than tells, avoiding didactic, preachy tone or doctrinal language." This had me thinking about one of the cinematic attributes I've heard over the years between British and American movies and television, where one tends to show the story and have people reason it out, whereas the other can get into further detail, eliminating the need to piece things out as much when watching a story. I wish I could find the source for this thought as it's shaped how I view and compare a lot of mysteries and dramas (I confess that I may be a tad too shy for British comedies)—broadly speaking, of course. As a result, I can understand how didactic language isn't always pleasant to s...

Christian Book Review Programs

Over time, I've been on the hunt for Christian book review programs that readers can join. As a result, I've been able to compile the following list which may be of interest if you are seeking review copies of Christian books. This list mostly applies to print and ebooks, although some publishers offer audiobooks as well. If further information is available for any of the publishers below (or any missing publishers), please let me know as I am happy to update this list—thank you! Please note that you can also search for these publishers on NetGalley and other review sites in case there are no review programs available to you or you don't qualify for one 😊 List last updated: September 23, 2026 Christian Publishers 10ofThose Availability: U.S., Canadian, and U.K. residents Format: Only books published by 10ofThose qualify for review requests so as to avoid impeding with other Christian book review programs Genre: Christian non-fiction, children's books Email for availabi...

Shopping from Home

One of the things I've appreciated about being more picky with my reading is that I have a little bit more self-control in purchasing books now. I'll admit that up until most recently, I was pretty indiscriminate in purchasing Christian books simply by virtue of it being Christian, even if I had never heard of the author before or had only seen a picture of the book online. However, in the past few months, I've enjoyed getting to exercise more discernment in what books I choose to pick up. This has resulted in an unofficial book buying ban without me fully realizing it at the time. While there were a few books that I picked up a few weeks before Christmas, I've largely gone without getting additional books since then. Part of this is because I can wait a long time for sales to appear! The other part is that I'm trying to pick better books for my home library knowing how many books I might have to part ways with over time. This had me thinking about which books I wou...