A heart-wrenching historical saga set against the background of two very different worlds in Edwardian London
When Charity Browne arrives at The Fitzroy Hotel on her way to a country house party, she knows there’s more to the invitation than a weekend of in the country. She’s old enough to be married and her future prosperity depends on a good match.
Sparks fly when she collides with dashing Jack Carter, a magician’s props manager and the hotel housekeeper’s disreputable brother.
Meeting a small, mute boy at a home for waifs and strays run by her uncle makes Charity question her values. Her attempt to help him leads her to attractive and worthy Dr Adam Radcliffe, a man she met over the weekend. Together they uncover a web of deceit, betrayal and lies surrounding the boy’s family.
Fate unites Jack and Charity in a quest to save the boy from unimaginable evil. Jack’s mesmerising charm captures her heart, but is love an illusion?
Meanwhile Daisy, the hotel housekeeper, faces challenges of her own with a troublesome chambermaid.
Can love conquer all, or will Charity’s head overrule her heart? Will Daisy manage to keep her job?
Discover the compelling twists and turns in the third Fitzroy Hotel Story, a perfect read for fans of Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs.
Is love an illusion? Or can it bridge the gap when two worlds collide?
Buy it for Kindle at £2.99 here.
Paperback £8.99 here
Large Print here.
Reviews
Hollies Happiness & Healing Book Review
I received this book for free. This does not impact my review in any shape or form.
A Heart Full of Hope by Kay Seeley is a historical romance about following your heart and understanding what it means to have long-lasting love rather than love based on infatuation alone. Charity Browne is a young, rambunctious woman who is strongly encouraged to find a match by her aunt and mother. She runs into a man named Jack Carter, and it’s love at first sight. She finds herself smitten, only to fall harder when she realizes the heart of gold behind his roguish charm. Things are further complicated when another suitor, the local doctor, Adam Radcliffe gently nudges Charity’s heart in other directions, a genuine gentleman who will do everything he can to ensure her happiness.
I enjoy the dynamic between Charity, Adam, and Jack. It’s not as high stakes as some of the other romances I’ve read, and the characters can look beyond themselves and their love interests. I adored how much Jack bonded with Billy and Sara, and even though he clearly cares for Charity, he can let her go and give her the life she deserves, all the while pursuing his dreams. Personally, Charity’s free to choose who she wants to be with (she can be single if she wants to, though I doubt her mother would be happy about that), but I feel she could do more good with Adam than Jack. I talk about this from personal experience; to be in a helping profession, especially as a teacher or therapist, you need to know the resources in the community. And while Charity can definitely help Jack entertain the masses, her real passion lies in helping the people in front of her. I can definitely see her as a case worker of some kind in Adam’s practice, or a coordinator for the boy’s home to ensure that people who have experienced abuse have a haven to go to.
Moreover, I enjoyed how Daisy stood up for Elise, despite all the shit that girl put her through. She reminded me of a girl who flew too close to the sun, impulsively acting on her heart’s desires without thinking of the consequences. Still, Daisy was able to mend some of the bridges Elise burnt. This reflects something worthwhile; like Charity, Daisy looked out for people who weren’t as privileged as her, especially women in the workplace. She gave them a place to belong and a financial way to fight back, albeit very subtle. It asks what she’d think of the feminist revolutions we’re experiencing now.
Seeley values providing a voice to the oppressed. Charity and Daisy are reflections of England’s changing standards of living. The more improved those standards are, the more likely seeing someone vulnerable, like children or women, being impoverished, reflects a moral failing in the culture. It’s probably the reason these women got involved. While women were chained by gender norms, the women in Seeley’s story are much more empowered. Their voices actually matter. Maybe that’s why the book is called A Heart Full of Hope. Love plays an important part in these women’s lives, but they don’t allow love to dictate their lives and instead use it to power their actions and figure out what’s next. And honestly, it’s very wholesome.
I absolutely loved this book. I can see readers fatigued by the dark romance trend take comfort in this lighthearted story. As such, I would give this book a 5 out of 5 stars.
Tizi’s book review
Charity Browne knows that her arrival with her aunt at The Fitzroy Hotel comes with high expectations from her parents.
Especially as she is also invited to a country house party, everyone expects her to find a good much.
But at the hotel, she meets Jack Carter, brother of Daisy who works at the hotel herself. While there is certainly an attraction between Charity and Jack, there is also a big difference in social class.
Nevertheless, their paths keep on crossing, especially when Charity is invested in the life of a small mute boy she meets in a home for waifs and strays.
That brings her on meeting handsome Doctor Adam Radcliffe, who also took an interest in little Simon/Billy’s health.
With more intrigues surfacing around the boy’s past, Charity also has to make a choice herself, because where will her own future be? With Jack and his charm, or with Adam and his unlimited compassion and kind heart?
It’s a bit weird to think that just a hundred years ago, life was so different from how we live now. How just one hundred years ago the only ‘purpose’ of women of a certain social class, was to find a good match. And how shocking it would be to marry ‘beneath you’…
So I was happy to see that Charity knows what is expected from her, yet wants to find a good match, and that doesn’t only mean a good match on paper.
Because Charity for sure deserves to marry out of love too, as she is a kind – hearted and caring person.
That does not only show in the concerns she has when her own aunt is acting out of character, but also how much Charity is invested in Simon/Billy. She cannot just forget that little mute, and she wants to do as much as possible to help him.
And that means, that Charity’s path crosses with Jack Carter. I wasn’t a real fan of Jack at his first appearance, as he screamed ‘player’ all over the place. He has the charms and he isn’t afraid to use them when he needs something.
But I had to readjust my opiniated opinion of him, because quickly we also see a gentler side of him, a side that is as much invested in Billy’s fate as Charity is.
I must admit that I also found me very much invested in Billy. I had so many questions, about his past, his present and what would happen to him. It broke my heart when revelation after revelation came out, and I read what poor Billy all had to endure, and how it affected him…
It even angered me to see how evil people can be, especially people who are supposed to do good.
But I was happy to read how that evil is compensated by the good of so many other characters, and I am not only talking about Charity or Jack. Because also Adam is quick in showing his kindness and also his determination to discover the truth.
He is also a patient person, as he demonstrates this towards Charity after revealing his feelings for her.
I could understand Charity, that it is not easy to understand the real meaning of your own feelings. Is it love? Or is it something else? And what when your heart seems to pull in two different directions, wanting to do the right thing, but also want to follow your own heart…
I also liked it to read about other characters working in the hotel, like Jack’s sister Daisy. And we see how Daisy has her own kind of struggles and yet she manages, despite how everything seems to work against her, to keep her kindness and humanity, even towards someone that perhaps doesn’t deserve it…
In this book we see how lives get entwined, no matter how different those lives are. And it was nice to see how people, even from different social classes, can fight together against injustice and even cruelty.
And we see the determination in a young woman, to understand what her heart truly wants, and adamant on following her what her heart tells her to do.
Bookish jottings
An Edwardian saga full of atmosphere, drama and intrigue, A Heart Full of Hope by Kay Seeley is a terrific yarn readers will be wholly swept up in.
Charity Browne is well aware of the fact that she is at that age where her family are expecting her to make a suitable match. On her way to a house party, she stops at the Fitzroy Hotel and collides with the charming Jack Carter, the hotel housekeeper’s wayward brother whose disreputable reputation precedes him. Sparks immediately begin to fly between the two of them, however, Charity is about to find out that there will be even more surprises in store for her at the Fitzroy Hotel…
On her visit to a home for waifs and strays, Charity begins to question her beliefs and her values especially when she is confronted by the harsh realities of those less fortunate than her. As she tries helping a young deaf boy, she crosses paths with Dr Adam Radcliffe and together they unravel a web of lies and deceit about the boy’s family. As she begins to work closely with Adam, Charity’s heart is torn in two, but who will she choose? Disreputable Jack or kind-hearted Adam? Will she make the right decision? Or is she about to make a huge mistake she will regret for the rest of her life?
Kay Seeley’s vivid, colourful and emotive writing is sure to delight readers as they find themselves completely immersed in this entertaining and captivating saga of love, courage and hope full of wonderfully observed characters, tender romance and beguiling drama. A Heart full of Hope is a wonderful tale ideal for losing oneself into that will delight fans of Margaret Dickinson and Anna Jacobs.
Teaandbooks
This historical saga is part of the Fitzroy Hotel series. It’s set in London, during the early 1900s.
When I read a book like this, I always hope for an atmosphere, and to feel as though I’m escaping into the book’s setting. I felt the author created that atmosphere straight away, the writing had a sort of charm about it, and I formed images in my mind of what Edwardian London was like.
The protagonist, Charity, was a character who came to life easily for me, from the author’s description. I considered her first name, because it struck me as pretty and quite unusual. I wondered if her name might reflect her personality in some way, as I felt it should be most associated with a kindly nature. I knew that to find out what kind of character she was, I had to carry on reading.
The author brought Hotel Fitzroy to life, and it seemed a warm, pleasant location for the events of the story to take place. I warmed not only to Charity, but to some of the other characters too. In the latter part of the story, there were some moments that tugged at my heartstrings, when I began to question some of Charity’s choices.
I found this a very easy, pleasant read, and it was quite heartwarming too. If you like historical sagas, consider giving this a try.
Buy it for Kindle at £2.99 here.
Paperback £8.99 here
Large Print here.