The heart conveys messages beyond what ears can hear.
After the death of her fiancé, Catherine Johnson, a New York schoolteacher in 1902, travels to Nebraska to teach in a one-room school and escape her sad memories. One afternoon, violence erupts in the sleepy town. Catherine saves deaf stable hand, Jim Kinney from torture by drunken thugs.
As she takes charge of his education, teaching him to read and sign, attraction grows between them. The warmth and humor in this silent man transcends the need for speech and his eyes tell her all she needs to know about his feelings for her. But the obstacles of class difference and the stigma of his handicap are almost insurmountable barriers to their growing attachment.
Will Catherine flaunt society’s rules and allow herself to love again? Can Jim make his way out of poverty as a deaf man in a hearing world? And together will they beat the corrupt robber baron who has a stranglehold on the town? Romance, love and sensuality abound in this jam-packed, old-fashioned tale with plenty of heart and some steaming hot sex.
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Reviewer: AJ
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Can deep, passionate love from the heart transcend the need for speech between two lovers?
In 1901, Catherine Johnson leaves the comfort and security of her family’s home in White Plains, New York to become a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Broughton, Nebraska. In an effort to escape the sadness festering in her heart from the death of her fiancé and in desperate need of a change of scenery, she embarks on an adventure that at times not only puts her in harms way, but also could lead her to the love of her life. When violence erupts on her way from the mercantile store, Catherine takes it upon herself to save the deaf stable hand, Jim Kinney, from being brutally tortured and almost killed by a group of drunken thugs. But, what Catherine doesn’t expect is the instant connection she feels to Mr. Kinney when their eyes meet. Is it love at first sight, or a simple miscommunication between two strangers?
Intrigued by the handsome, silent man with dark eyes, Catherine decides to take charge of his education by teaching him to read and sign. She’s intent on giving him the key that will set him free from his cage of silence. However, the more time they spend together, the stronger the attraction between them builds until it becomes unbearable and one of them is forced to act upon these feelings. As Catherine and Jim begin to explore their attraction to one another, will the difference in their social standing and the stigma of Jim’s handicap become insurmountable barriers to the love blossoming in their hearts? Is their growing love for one another doomed before it has an opportunity to develop and prosper? Only time will tell.
Jim Kinney is a silent man with a warm heart and a sense of humor that would attract any woman if she were truly judging the man by his character. Although Jim is deaf and lacks the ability to communicate with the townspeople, he’s anything but feebleminded. He knows the alphabet, how to count money, and that words have meanings, even though he needs someone to take the time and help him decipher them. In truth, Jim is no different from the townspeople in that he has hundreds of thoughts swirling around in his head, displacing one for another as they eventually emerge into new ideas. The only real difference resides in the fact that no one has ever taken the time to teach him how to communicate with the townspeople. That is, until Catherine steps up to the plate and takes control of his education. In essence, Jim is an honest, hard-working man that the townspeople have chosen to overlook as a contribution to society and their community because of his disability.
Desperate to prove he’s worthy of Catherine’s love not only to Catherine, but also to the rest of the world, Jim takes a job with Mr. Karak, a corrupt robber baron who owns the majority of the town. Jim believes that if he can earn enough money to purchase a business of his own, he will no longer be considered an unsuitable partner for someone of Catherine’s social standing. Unfortunately, in taking the position with Mr. Karak, he puts himself in harms way. Can two people from different worlds and stations in life figure out how to love one another unconditionally in spite of the stipulations society places on them? Are they willing to take the risk regardless of what people might say to find their Happily Ever After? Guess you’ll have to read the book to find out.
I was catapulted into this story, the personal journeys of Jim and Catherine, as well as the rest of the people in this small Nebraska community and there was no turning back. A Hearing Heart is riveting and full of adventure. There is never a dull moment in the book between the bar brawls, the shoot outs, and the intense passion emanating between Jim and Catherine, and each characters personal journey as they learn more about themselves and each other. Yet, at the same time, this is a story guaranteed to warm your heart, keep you intrigued from page to page and leave you breathless as the sexual tension between Catherine and Jim take on a life of its own. I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t want to put it down and couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Moreover there were times I wanted to scream at the townspeople of Broughton for their stupidity in judging an individual by their social standing instead of their character. Ms. Dee has done an excellent job of portraying the importance of social standing in the 1900s. The sad part is that the more the things change, the more they stay the same. The imagery used in A Hearing Heart is so vivid that you feel as though you’re in the 1900s on the prairie, where earning a dollar a day is considered a lot of money. Two thumbs up to Ms. Dee for giving us a romance that touches the heart and soothes the soul. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends.
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