“Clothilde.” He spoke her name on a breath like a prayer. Then he lowered his head and kissed her.

What a perfect scene! It truly belongs in a romance novel. The only problem is, the women being kissed is not Clothilde, her name is Siriol De Calendri. Triston, the hero in the novel, is still full of guilt because of the death of his late wife, Clothilde. Siri greatly resembles Triston’s late wife, but is very different from her in personality and spirit. This is where the Historical novel begins. Can Siri win Triston’s heart and help him heal from the past? Will Triston be able to keep Siri safe from the many enemies that threaten he and Siri’s future together? You will need to read Illuminations of the Heart to have these questions answered.

I enjoy reading Joyce DiPastena’s books. They are known for being “clean” romances. Now days, the idea of a clean romance is a very rare thing. This is not to say that you won’t be swept away in the growing romance between Triston and Siri and the heat felt between them. They are clearly attracted to each other and their shared kisses made me yearn for a “Triston” in my life. You can safely read this book, as well as your teenage daughter, and know that no sex will be spattered throughout the pages.

As for historical fiction lovers, this book will greatly appeal to you. Joyce does incredible research into this time period. I always feel like I learn new things when I read one of Joyce’s books. She has a “Glossary of Medieval Terms” at the back of the book. For example, do you know what “Crenellated” means? What does “Fealty” mean? Do you know what a “Hauberk” is? I found this Glossary very helpful as I read the book.

This sweet romance from Joyce is 425 pages long. It is well worth your time to read it. Hide away in a room, pull out the chocolate or popcorn, get comfortable and escape to the medieval times. I enjoyed getting lost in the romance and suspense that is interwoven in Illuminations of the Heart.

If you would like to win your own copy of this new novel here are a few ways to enter:

-Look up one of the meanings to one of the medieval words I mentioned in this blog post. Tell me the definition to the word/s and that will count as one entry.
-Post a comment telling me what is your favorite kind of Romance novel. What era appeals to you the most. This will be another entry for you.
-The third thing you can do, is to become a follower of one of my blogs, here at LDS Women’s Book Review or “Why Not Because I Said So” and it will count as two entries.

One winner will be chosen from entries posted at both blogs. So start posting to win your own copy of this wonderful romance. You have one week to enter the contest. It will end next Monday night, Sept. 21st and the winner will be announced the next day.

Learn more about Joyce, her writing and research at:

http://walnutspringspress.blogspot.com/
http://www.joyce-dipastena.com/
http://jdp-news.blogspot.com/
http://medievalresearch.blogspot.com/
http://medievalvignettes.blogspot.com/

You can purchase Illuminations of the Heart at Amazon.com and DeseretBook.com