Review: Heart of Stone by John Jackson

Dublin, 1730
When young and beautiful Mary Molesworth is forced to marry Robert Rochford, widowed heir to the earldom of Belfield, she finds that her idea of love is not returned. Jealous, cruel and manipulative, Robert ignores her after she has provided him with a male heir, preferring to spend his nights with his mistress. Power-hungry, Robert builds up a reputation that sees him reach for the highest positions in Ireland.

Caught in an unhappy marriage, Mary begins to grow closer to Robert’s younger brother, Arthur. Acknowledging their love for each other, they will risk everything to be together. But Robert’s revenge threatens their lives and tears them apart.
Will Mary and Arthur find a way to escape Robert’s clutches?
Based on real events, Heart of Stone is a tale of power, jealousy, imprisonment, and love, set in 1740s Ireland.

Shona's review 3 of 5 stars

Robert was a very angry man, quick to blame everyone else for his shortcomings. And his attitude to his family, probably standard for the time, was certainly lacking. Robert and his brother George were certainly cast from the same mould, and Arthur was such a breath of fresh air after meeting those two, so its easy to see why Mary would develop feelings for her brother in law.

The book is set in 1740's Ireland, and at times the country almost felt like a character in its own right. This book is fairly easy to read, yes there were certain terms used that may not be used nowadays but it was fairly easy to double check pronunciations and meanings, which meant that when i felt the story line was dragging on a little (some of the scenes felt unnecessary at the time, though their purpose was shown later in the book) it was easy to push on through and keep reading. 

For me there wasn't enough romance to convince me that this was in fact a romance novel. This felt more like a diary entry of Roberts movements for work with a little of his marriage and familial relationships thrown in.