Asyra was born in England but grew up in India and because of her light skin and blonde hair she was shunned by everyone in the village where she lived. When she was nineteen, she received word that her maternal grandmother had arranged a marriage for her in England.
A Heart's Home
Laura J. Marshall
Tiny Bubbles Publishing
June 2013
A Heart’s Home by Laura J. Marshall is a wonderful and heartwarming Christian story. Asyra was born in England to an English mother and an Indian father. Asyra’s father was greatly disliked by his father-in-law so he returned to India and took baby Asyra with him. Since she had very light skin and blonde hair, she was shunned by the entire town and all her life she had wondered who she was and what purpose she had in life. Even though the people of the village shunned her, they came to her for her herbs and other home remedies. When she was nineteen, her maternal grandmother sent word that a marriage had been arranged for her and she was to return to England. She was accompanied to England by Braddock, her grandmother’s agent and older brother of her intended groom, and Mrs. Campbell who acted as chaperone. Their departure from India was quite unsettling for the French attacked the seaport town and Asyra’s life was in great danger. With the help of an old friend of Braddock’s, the three managed to escape from the French and set sail for England. During the long voyage, Asyra and Braddock became very close and she realized that she could not marry the man her grandmother had picked for her husband. After they arrived in England, things really got interesting for Asyra decided that she would be the woman she wanted to be and not knuckle under to the desires of others.
The characters were so well developed that I felt as if they were real people and some of them I loved and some I disliked greatly. One could not help but love Asyra and I just wanted to stand up for her against the unfeeling people of the village. During many of the action scenes, especially the one when they were escaping the French, I was almost holding my breath and felt as if I should try to help them. I was completely drawn into the story and the dialogue was just right. In the part of the story when Braddock was teaching Asyra to read almost brought tears to my eyes. I especially liked that Asyra had a strong faith in God and lived her life as a Christian. Laura Marshall has a talent for writing a story that just pulls you in and you cannot put the book down until you have read the last word. I hope that she will write a sequel to this for I want to know what happens to Asyra and Braddock.
I recommend this book to everyone who likes a great Christian romance with a good bit of suspense and action and that leaves you with a warm feeling in your heart when you finish the book.