Reviewed by Valerie

TITLE:  Heartwood

SERIES:  Daydream, Colorado #2

AUTHOR:  A.M. Rose

PUBLISHER:  Self-Published

LENGTH: 301 pages

RELEASE DATE:  April 25, 2021

BLURB:

You have to have roots before branches

Tate had been defying that sentiment all his life with terrible results. Unanchored, he existed with a gift so heavy it felt like a curse, made to do other people’s bidding, waiting for the perfect moment to break free. He expected to find somewhere he could be at peace, and find out who he was. He didn’t expect to find Daydream. Or Darian.

As Daydream’s healer, Darian was making sure everyone and everything in the magical community was healthy and thriving. He offered his time, his magic, and his care without ever asking for anything in return. When he was asked to keep an eye out for a man running away from trouble, he expected he’d wait for him, help him heal, and go back to his regular duties. He didn’t expect to find Tate. A man just a little bit broken but entirely beautiful. A man that needed a place in the world.

As Tate’s presence starts filling the empty spaces in Darian’s life, they’ll both start to wonder. Could Darian be that place for Tate?

REVIEW:

Heartwood is a charming and beautifully detailed story set in the magical town of Daydream, Colorado. It’s so magical, in fact, that it’s undetectable to outsiders, ie. people without magical abilities (I almost wrote muggles). This is the second book (plus a prequel) in the Daydream, Colorado series by A.M. Rose. This time around, the town healer, Darian, finds his true love.

We’ve met Darian previously. He is the keeper of the woods and the trees, bushes, shrubs, flowers and other plants on his farm that provide the remedies he uses to treat Daydream’s citizens. He can communicate with his plants, in a way; they are animated and shake to get his attention or point him in the right direction. He’s a huge, strong, bearded man whose appearance belies his gentle nature and protector instincts. Interestingly, his many tattoos move over his skin to alert him of danger to his plants, his land, and the town woods.

Those tattoos communicate to him one evening that something or someone is in distress nearby. He finds a very sweet, very sick young man named Tate who has been running away from evil men, including his father, who are chasing him. Tate is not from Daydream but he seems to have latent magical powers. He doesn’t understand, though, why strange things happen to and around him, and knows no one else like him. His father – his only parent – is abusive and manipulative and has been using Tate for nefarious purposes. But Tate can’t control his magic and is fearful of causing more bad things to happen

Darian takes in Tate and is enamored with the cute, timid man. His protectiveness kicks in and he summons his friends to befriend Tate, help keep him safe, and teach him the control he needs over his supernatural abilities. Those friends include the warm cast of characters we have come to love in the previous books: Ben and Sage, Drew and Mason, grumpy librarian Nick, and Malachi, the Head Witch. Mason and Tate have a special bond. If you’ve read the other books, you will remember that Mason had “glances” (visions) of a man in trouble running for help. That man is Tate. The bickering between Nick and Malachi over who gets the upper hand in teaching Tate all things magic is very entertaining.

A.M. Rose takes full advantage of their fantasy setting to create vivid imagery of a magical world. From the expressive plants in every corner of the home, garden, and greenhouse to the colorful produce at the farmers’ market, I feel I am envisaging Daydream exactly how the authors conceived it. Their world is whimsical with levitating objects, teapots that pour themselves, and stacks of books floating behind the librarian.

The sexual tension is strong between Darian and Tate. Darian is an adorable mess struggling to keep his emotions in check before knowing Tate reciprocates his feelings. After numerous stops and starts, their first kiss is tentative and sweet. Darian delivers the most heartwarming I Love You speech ever in chapter twenty-four. *Swoon*

Heartwood is a welcome addition to the series. It’s darker than its predecessors with the plot involving Tate’s father, but it’s also more fanciful with the focus on Tate learning magic. Between the lovable leading men and their romance, the well-developed side characters, and the gorgeous world building, this is a book I can easily recommend with 4.25 hearts.

RATING: 

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