Wed to a wealthy older man when she was just a girl, Lahsin Yew runs away from her abusive home to find a new life. At seventeen, sheas about to enter her Second Passage, when her Flairaand perhaps her HeartMateawill be revealed. Lahsin finds sanctuary in a secret garden, where she meets Tinne Holly. Though he is her HeartMate, he cannot tell her, and her troubled past prevents her from trusting any man. Pretending to find her by chance, Tinne helps her through her Second Passage. But when the truth is revealed, can she forgive his deception, and learn to trust in her destiny?
Critical Reviews:
Owens's latest entry in the Heart series (Heart Dance, etc.) is a touching tale of learning to trust again. Lahsin Burdock Yew is an underage noblewoman being abused by her brutish husband. When she comes of age, she repudiates her marriage and flees to a sanctuary where she can go through her Second Passage, a difficult and sometimes deadly ritual that will cause her magical Flair to be revealed. Meanwhile, nobleman Tinne Holly is recovering from a scandal: his wife has divorced him, making it the first divorce in noble history. Tinne knows that Lahsin is his Heartmate (his soul mate), but he is forbidden by law from telling her. Instead he goes to the sanctuary to heal his own broken heart and try to protect Lahsin from her Passage and help tend to her emotional wounds. But as they grow closer, the specter of Lahsin's ex-husband looms, threatening her freedom and their happiness. Even for readers unfamiliar with the Heartworld, Owens makes it easily accessible and full of delightful conceits such the Residences, houses with consciousnesses and personalities.
