Unclaimed Heart

My Thoughts: I'm not a huge fan of of any kind of historical romance or setting. Usually I just pass them up because I'm more of the in the now type of girl. But this was a very cute book. We meet the main character Constance. She is very likable. Her mother left her father and her a long time ago. Her father wants to find her mother. So does Constance. So she sneaks upon his ship upon departure. She than meets a boy name Alexandre. He is in a much lower social standing than herself and she knows he is not "suitable" for her. I actually liked this book lot more than I thought I would. Overall: Took a little while for me to really get into, but I'm glad I spent the time reading it. Its a good choice if your in the mood for historical romance between forbidden lovers. Cover: I think the cover is cute. I especially like the water and how it just adds to the cover of the book. It is very beautiful! Good choice!!! (Reviewed by Princess Bookie)

This was a charming book. It has everything a young girl would want in a historical novel and nothing that a Mom would cringe at. The setting is 18th Century British/Ceylon. Our heroine stows away on her Fathers ship in search of her Monther. Along the way she finds adeventure and romance. Also she and her Father, both hurt by the dissappearance of her Mother, find each other. The writing is simple. The book is slim. There are a few kisses but nothing more. The setting is exotic. Should be a great read for girls in Middle School and High School. As a Mom, I enjoyed it too.

What hit the YA Lit world with yesterday's release of "Unclaimed Heart" by Kim Wilkins is nothing short of adventurous, romantic, and even daring in its scope of storytelling. Wilkins weaves a tale of emotional conflict between her main character and the the social rules of the day. Constance Blackchurch has always wondered about her mother, who disappeared 16 years ago, so when she overhears her father and aunt discussing the matter, she can't help but to listen. With a father who isn't ready to accept that she is a young woman and no longer a young girl, he refuses to take her along in search of her mother. Being bold and headstrong, Constance finds her own way by stowing on her father's ship. What started out as an innocuous journey to find her mother, turns into a rite of passage for Constance. Her foray onto the ship introduces her to an unlikely friendship, and then an unlikely romance, with a pearl diver who has been owned since he was a child. The reader is generously given the backgrounds by Wilkins so that when the tension and attraction builds between the characters, the foreshadowing has laid the tracks, and the reader is pleasantly entertained. "Unclaimed Heart" would make a great beach read or for one of those lazy Saturdays when you get to curl up and spend the day reading. Enjoy this new release. The imagery will tantalize, the story will entertain.

Constance Blackchurch has lived her entire life with her Aunty Violet and cousin Daphne while her father runs his merchant business, sailing all over the globe. Constance's mother disappeared sixteen years earlier in the middle of the night, and no one has seen her since. One day, when Constance's father is home for one of his rare visits, Constance overhears a conversation not meant for her ears: her father has received word of the whereabouts of her mother. When he refuses to take Constance with him, she stows away on his ship, risking her father's wrath. On their way to Africa, Constance meets Alexandre Sans-Nom, a pearl-diver. They are drawn to each other, and as Constance's father continues to push her away, Constance learns that Alexandre may be the only one who can help her find her missing mother. Unclaimed Heart is a romantic, adventurous, and gripping read that demands to be finished in one sitting. Constance is a courageous and bold character, but her sometimes childish behavior and mistakes make her an authentic and convincing character that is struggling with the need to be wanted by her parents, both her distant father, and missing mother. Constance's relationship with her father is interesting to read and Constance struggles to be the daughter her father wants her to be even though it goes against what she hopes to do in life, and her father grapples with accepting her as a young woman, not the child her believes her to be. The dynamics between them are handled in a realistic manner for the time period, helping illustrate how oppressing the time period can be for women. The setting of the novel isn't exactly specific, but the landscape is expressed with vivid imagery, adding to the dreamy air of the book. The historical details when it comes to the marine aspects of the book aren't overdone, but yet it is evident that it was carefully researched. All of these details, combined with Wilkins' easy and magnetic writing style, make for a daring and glittering novel that is a wonderful escape from reality.

Seventeen-year-old Constance Blackchurch has grown up in England with her aunt and cousin. Her father, captain of a merchant ship, has always been away at sea for months at a time, and Constance feels she barely knows him. Her mother disappeared one night when Constance was a baby, and no one has heard from her since. Then, shortly after returning from his latest sea voyage, Constance's father receives a letter telling him that his wife was seen in Ceylon years ago, not long after her disappearance. He immediately decides to sail for Ceylon to see if she is still there. Constance's father, who still thinks of her as a child, tries to hide the news from her and is upset that she has found out. Frustrated with him, and determined to find her mother, Constance decides to stow away on his ship - quite a daring plan for a young lady of 1799. When her father finds out he is furious, and she expects to spend the rest of the voyage in lonely solitude. Until she meets Alexandre, a young Frenchman not much older than her, who works as a pearl diver near Ceylon and has escaped his cruel and greedy employer. Constance and Alexandre are instantly drawn to each other, but she knows a relationship between them would never be accepted by her father because of their different social classes. As Alexandre helps Constance search for her missing mother once they arrive in Ceylon, they grow even closer. Will they find a way to be together despite the rules of society? Unclaimed Heart was a very quick and enjoyable read full of romance, adventure, and history. The love story was very sweet, and the setting was unique and exotic. I highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy romance and historical fiction, and I hope to see more books from this author in the future. And as a side note, I love the cover. It's so pretty!