A Lila Review: The Scholar’s Heart (Chronicles of Tournai #3) by Antonia Aquilante

Rating: 4 stars out 5

Youngest son of a royal duke, Etan is a scholar at heart who juggles his work for the prince with his studies of the history and legends of Tournai, something of particular interest to him because he shares the magical Talent that runs in the royal bloodline. Etan’s peaceful world turns upside down when his best friend—the man he secretly loves—unexpectedly marries a woman. Though Tristan values his friendship with Etan and has always been attracted to him, he is a dutiful son, raised to shoulder responsibility for the family business one day. That day comes far sooner than anticipated, and he makes a deathbed promise to his father to marry the woman his father chose and become head of the company and family.

A year later, Tristan is a widower with an infant daughter and a mother who demands he marry again quickly—something Tristan resists. Circumstances throw Etan and Tristan together, and even as they succumb to the desires they’ve always harbored, Etan battles his feelings, wary of being cast aside again. When Tristan’s daughter is kidnapped, Etan and Tristan must come together to find her, find the person responsible, and support each other through the ordeal… and maybe beyond.

The Scholar’s Heart is a tale of fantasy and a love story that turns into love.  The prologue sets the pace for Etan’s and Tristan’s relationship. Our first look at how they interact showed us how much they meant to each other, even when they took the other for granted.

By the start of the actual story, Etan is heartbroken, and Tristan walks the line between loving his infant daughter and mourning his wife. It’s this event that brings Etan back into Tristan’s life and rekindles their relationship after almost a year apart. Their easy banter and camaraderie came back with ease.

After several awkward meetings and tribulations, the MCs agreed to explore their desires. Then, they fight their feelings for each other. Etan’s trying to figure out if getting his heart broken one more time is worth it, and Tristan has to fight his mother’s insistence to remarry and have more kids.

The author did an excellent job getting the reader to be part of the events surrounding Ethan and Tristan. I didn’t read the previous two books in this series and didn’t miss any important element. The main characters in book #1 & #2 are an integral part of this book, but we get enough information to know who they are and how they got together without getting spoilers from their full stories. The reader would only need to read them to satiate their curiosity.

Some of the story events were predictable or over the top, but overall, they worked to create a cohesive story. The extra POVs felt unnecessary when we get everything we needed from Etan and Tristan. The pacing was off in the middle of the story making it drag a bit, and the kidnapping mentioned in the blurb doesn’t happen until past the halfway point in the book. At least, the resolution didn’t occur immediately.  Even when I don’t think the reason behind it was strong enough to carry the story.

The combination of settings, the characters, writing style, and folklore makes an enjoyable read– filled with smexy scenes and romantic details. Definitely, a nice fantasy story with the potential for another book in the near future.

The beautiful cover by Anne Cain matches the essence of the previous books in the series and shows Tristan and Etan in an intimate moment during the story.

Sale Links: Dreamspinner | Amazon | ARe

Book Details:

ebook, 294 pages
Published: May 30, 2016, by Dreamspinner Press
ISBN: 9781634772631
Edition Language: English

Series:  Chronicles of Tournai
Book #1: The Prince’s Consort
Book #2: The Artist’s Masquerade
Book #3: The Scholar’s Heart