A Tale of Two Hearts: Book 2 in Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep

A Tale of Two Hearts: Book 2 in Once Upon a Dickens Christmas by Michelle Griep is a moving love-story by Barbour.
Every chapter starts with a quote from a beloved book by Charles Dickens and the novel is surrounded by a Dickensian spirit.
London 1853, more precisely Golden Egg: Mina Scott is the daughter of Jasper Scott, owner of the inn. Avid reader of Dickens's books, (although her dad doesn't want that she reads because according to his point of view, she wouldn't find any man) Mina Scott secretly loves William.
William stops by at that inn once in a week for some ale.
One day he asks her a big pleasure: to become his wife for deceit.
After all William thinks, Mina is culturally prepared; she will avoid bad figures.
The purpose of William? He would want to be the heir chosen by uncle Barlow; mr Barlow is a man with a great property and pretty wealthy; Will has a serious problem and for this reason he is searching to become the heir.
But, you know: it would be perfect, considering that in the past he hasn't been a saint, to introduce a reassuring good girl, a wife, in grade to "present him" a good reputation as a good man at the eyes of his uncle Barlow.
Mina is in love for Will and of course she loves to make him happy although she understands that not all the people involved in this story are so clear.
She also understands visiting that estate various times, that more than luxury it is important to be beauty inside, it is important to be good and honest people. This important message will also be launched by Will, when he will decide to help someone lost.
With the time Mina understands why Will wanted to be so badly the heir, and although this story starts with a crush, a deceit it will end with a wonderful happy end for all the protagonists, and all the problems will be, for once, like in a dream, or better, I should write, in a book, sorted out.

Keep close to you a box of Kleenex because some passages of this book are truly moving.

Highly recommended.

I thank NetGalley and Barbour for this eBook.

Anna Maria Polidori