Monday, August 6, 2012

Casablanca, My Heart by Hannah Warren


Casablanca, My Heart by Hannah Warren


Description
What happens when a Romance writer meets a Moroccan prince from Casablanca, the city of her dreams?

Author Heather Simpson is taking a cruise on a break from her husband when she is approached by the handsome Ghalib, a French-Moroccan aristocrat who seems to know everything about her and who has been eager to meet her for years. When the ship docks the next day in Casablanca, Ghalib invites her into his home and into his heart.

As she returns to her husband, was this a short steamy fling or a significant event in the web of coincidences that brought them together and as surely parted them again?

Sometimes it seems we are destined to meet up with the love of our life for only a fleeting moment, leaving us thinking, 'Did fate work so hard to bring us so little or is there more to come?'

Review
It's hard to believe that this is Ms. Warren's debut novel. This book is, in short, a stunning work of literary fiction. The prose is graceful, elegant, and the reader can feel the love and care the author took in writing. Every sentence is a delight, every paragraph a feast for the senses. Ms. Warren is a skillful writer who paints vivid pictures with words, and the reader can quite easily see the world that she describes. I got chills in several places, such as the scene the morning of Luc's funeral.
Ms. Warren's characters are realistic and deep. Heather's character is heartbreakingly lovely and wounded, and the growth she undergoes is admirable. The Persian Prince, Ghalib, is no less realistic and I think it was very important to show his past during the second half of the book. It sets up the hows and the whys very nicely. Even the secondary characters have been thought-out and all contain very human flaws and admirable traits. This book serves to show that fate has a large part in our lives. Accidents happen, bad things happen, but every experience we have is a small part of a bigger purpose. Heather and her prince found their purposes through strife and heartache.
It's an excellent debut novel, expertly written and a true joy to read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a wonderfully crafted love story that is elegant, smart and just plain brilliant. (By Jessica L. Degarmo)

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