Reviews with content warning for Death - Caroline's Heart

CAROLINE'S HEART is a story of grief, love, and connection between a witch and a cowboy. Cecily has been trying to magically call her deceased lover's soul to bring her back to life. Roy is a cowboy who figured out too late that he dislikes his job. He meets Cecily when she comes to the ranch, and he’s fascinated by her and her magic. When Roy gets injured while protecting Cecily, she saves his life and he recuperates at her home. As they spend time together, the bond between them grows until, eventually, Cecily is faced with a choice between the ghost in her past and a chance at the future.

The story has such an intimate focus, only lightly involving anyone besides Roy and Cecily. Even though half of the story is from Cecily’s perspective, she’s so focused on trying to bring back Caroline, her deceased lover, that most details of her thoughts and history only are shown when she opens up to Roy.

The world building is consistent without trying to be particularly dense, which works very well for such a brief story. It takes advantage of a well-trod setting in the historical American west to do a lot of the heavy lifting, focusing more on the relationships between the characters and how Cecily uses her magic. Roy and Cecily have been navigating different kinds of prejudices, but their bond is more about how they connect to each other than whatever difficulties they have in relating to other people.

Things I love, in no particular order: The relationship between Roy and Cecily, the way Roy takes it on himself to make Cecily's life better even though she's capable of surviving, how much space there is for Cecily's grief and healing.

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cronasbookshelf's review

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emotional mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

such a heartwarming queer story♡ i wish it was a little longer but i do think the author made a great job developing roy and cecily's relationship even though its a short book. as a transmasc-enby i think roy's portrayal as a person and also as a love interest is so refreshing and amazing, he's such a nice person, even when he feels unsafe because of the men he's surrounded with at work, he's bright and admirable, and i just adore how caring he is towards cecily!! being completely honest,

i didn't really think the last scenes were necessary, because the author already established that they do see each other as love interests and care deeply about each other. though, i must say, its also very refreshing to read a sex scene were trans people are comfortable in their bodies without being invalidated because of it !! i enjoyed the way the author portrayed their sexual intimacy :)

. overall, a great quick read, my queer heart is full and happy

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invaderday's review against another edition

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emotional mysterious fast-paced

4.75

wish this was longer!!! i wanted to explore the magic system a bit more, i really liked the imagery of magic threads and frames used as looms.

absolutely loved the premise. cowboy gets mixed up with a witch, and it's all very trans and a bit romantic :) and the whole thing with caroline's heart was such an interesting bit of story, i just really really enjoyed it. great little novella! easily could have read more

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mandkips's review

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emotional reflective slow-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

4.5

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lennie_reads's review

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emotional hopeful 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

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crackedspines_'s review

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dark emotional reflective 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

This book is so far out of my comfort zone. It’s an adult romance, it’s about cowboys in the south. I was excited, but also a bit hesitant, to pick it up. But I’m so glad I did. Caroline’s Heart is a strange little book, and I say that fondly. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever read.
The characters are so strong and well-developed. Cecily is introduced as a prickly, aloof witch, and throughout the story she both grows and reveals more of her story. Roy is the absolute SWEETEST. He may be 25 but he is my BABY.
Despite the historical, south setting, Caroline’s Heart is full of trans joy and acceptance. A little thrill went through my heart when Roy was met with complete acceptance and understanding.
The magic system in this book was utterly fascinating. The more I learned about how magic worked in this world, the hungrier I grew for more! Maybe I just don’t read enough fantasy, but I thought the magic was so cool and very different.
At under 100 pages, Caroline’s Heart is an extremely quick read. It took me a while because I am disabled but for most people it would be quick. And I did read the last four (out of nine) chapters all in one go.
I can’t wait for this book to go back into print in July so I can buy a physical copy and annotate the SHIT out of it.

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