Take My Heart by Marie HigginsMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Genre: Historical Romance
Source: Received electronic copy for review
Book Description: Switching roles and the pursuit of freedom come together in the hunt to discover who can be trusted and who is really the traitor during the Colonial times.
Mercedes Maxwell’s sister’s last wish was for Mercedes to find evidence against Kat’s husband, William Braxton, and have him hung as a traitor to the crown. Mercedes isn’t naïve when it comes to capturing traitors, because her own deceased husband had once been an agent for the King when they lived in England.
When she meets William Braxton for the first time, all is not as it seems. Portraying her twin, Mercedes knows this is the only way to get close enough to William to discover his secrets. What she finds along the way are little surprises she hadn’t counted on, especially when she begins to give her heart to a man who may be a spy against the crown.
My thoughts: I sighed in contentment with a grin on my face as I finished the book.
There are often stories of twins who switch places. In this case it is the evil twin and the good twin. The evil twin, Katherine (Kat), set her sister up by claiming she married an evil man who was part of the revolutionary movement in Colonial America. The good twin, Mercedes, sees it her duty as a loyal British citizen to bring down the man who made her sister suffer.
Obviously, the situation on both sides is not what it appeared to be. The evil husband turns out to be an amazing man. It doesn't take long to fall in love with him. Her dilemma is how to right the wrong her sister inflicted on him and his children.
There is much more to the story. I enjoyed the plot and would love to read more books by Marie Higgins. This book is a clean romance.
Read a Guest Post By Marie Higgins!
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Balancing Motherhood, Work, and Writing
I started writing with my youngest daughter was six years old and in Kindergarten. Now she is 24 and out of the house with kids of her own. When I first started writing, I worked part time, so it was easier to balance my life. But there were problems along the way…
When my muse first came alive, it was such a new experience I didn’t want to do anything else. I loved creating romantic stories and falling in love over and over again. But there were times I didn’t put my family first. I made sure my family was fed, clothed, and off to school, but in the evenings, there were times my characters were talking to me so fast, I closed my computer room door and didn’t venture out to see what was going on with my family. Pretty soon my daughters started failing their classes, and I was having too many arguments with my husband about my writing.
It was time to prioritize…
My husband’s biggest beef with me spending so much time with my writing was that I hadn’t made any money…that nobody was publishing me. Well, he just didn’t understand that a writer needs to hone their craft first and send out the best manuscript possible…the first time. So I hate to admit it, but I ignored his rants most of the time. lol
My daughters, however, I couldn’t ignore. I tried to spend more time with them and help them with their homework. I tried to have more one-on-one talks with them. Unfortunately, my youngest daughter still took the wrong path at an early age and defied me constantly. She started her family very early (age 16) and by this time, all I could do was try to support her and be there for her. I felt that I had neglected her because of my writing and that’s why she made bad decisions in her life. By this time, I was making money with my books, so my husband stopped arguing with me. lol But all this time I felt like I was the reason for my daughter’s problems.
So to give any advice to those writers who have families, my words would be… Put your families first! They grow up so fast and soon they aren’t there, and having regrets isn’t very fun at all. But how can one balance their jobs, families, and writing? After your day job is done, after you’ve spent time with your family, then—and only then—should you spend time writing. If you have to carry a little notebook to jot down notes, or even carry a voice recorder to record your thoughts, then do it. You will find time for writing your stories, I promise, just don’t ignore your family. You’ll always be a mother to your children no matter how old they get, so you want to keep communications open and let them know you will always love them. Then, and only then, will you have peace of mind to write romances!
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About Marie Higgins:
Since Marie Higgins was a little girl playing Barbies with her sister, Stacey, she has loved the adventure of making up romantic stories. Marie was only eighteen years old when she wrote her first skit, which won an award for Funniest Skit. A little later in life, after she’d married and had children, Marie wrote Church roadshows that were judged as Funniest and Best Written. From there, she branched out to write full-length novels based on her dreams. (Yes, she says, her dreams really are that silly)
Marie has been married for twenty-six years to a wonderful man. Together, they have three loving daughters and several beautiful grandchildren. Marie works full time for the state of Utah, where she has lived her entire life. Marie plans to keep writing, because the characters in her head won’t shut up. But her husband smiles and pretends this is normal.
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Thank you for a great review and for having me on your blog today!
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