Emily Lane: Hearth or Heart

Hearth or Heart by Emily Lane
Series: The Bowman Girls #1
on July 13, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Romance / Historical / Regency
Pages: 296
Format: ARC
Source: The Author
Buy on Amazon

To save her family, she must reform and marry her wayward cousin. But her heart has other ideas.

After her father's death, Effie Bowman and her eight sisters are left penniless and homeless. Their only salvation? The scandalous Mr Thornaby, the new custodian of their estate.

But Mr Thornaby's wild behaviour threatens everything. To protect her family, Effie must moderate him.

She recruits the help of Sir John Callander, society's most determined widower. He's powerful, arrogant, and has no interest in remarrying.

Yet as the season unfolds and Effie pulls Sir John deeper into her schemes, she begins to realise something dangerous: she may be trying to tame the wrong gentleman.

I received this book for free from The Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Emily is a new author writing in the traditional, kisses only style that presents the first in a series.  Hearth or Heart is reminiscent of Joan Smith, with humor, strong family relationships, and a tone that is immersive.

The FMC, Effie, is the eldest and has that energy — a bit managing, direct, and motherly. This comes into play with a chance encounter with one of The Corinthians of the ton, who Effie quickly spins into her orbit with a managing hand.

The beginning is slow (it’s a slow burn romance, after all), but becomes very engaging .  The cadence and language demonstrate Lane’s love of the genre, although can be demanding for readers new to the genre or who are used to contemporary prose. For Regency Readers, however, there is a lot to enjoy with this new talent, particularly if you are on the hunt for kisses only that takes a more traditional approach.

There are some other issues with the book that may trip up Regency Readers.  The math (2o pounds of pin money could have bought a horse), a lot of Pride and Prejudice homages which are overdone, and there is a kidnapping.  Am I the only reader tired of kidnappings?  (You are probably saying yes, Anne, that is your darn pragmatic brain again calculating the probability of kidnapping).

For trope readers, it hits friends to lovers, makeover, and adoption. The kids in the book are cute but not too much, the many sisters while confusing to keep straight offer a warm chatter, and the FMC/MMC have that type of chemistry that reminds me of Frederica.  He is a droll, lofty sort but he’s still charming.

This is low heat, with only a few mature themes (drunkenness and mistress innuendo), and a small altercation that ends with injuries.  There is also child abuse hinted at with a secondary character.

The FMC is enjoyable, and the middle to end are fast paced, and I do like the wry and dry MMC, so found a lot to enjoy about this read.  I think if you go into knowing some of the above cautions, you will have a good time — and Lane shows real promise to become a reliable traditional style author.  I would recommend this for readers who are looking for a more traditional, low heat Regency with some of the well-worn tropes and nods as a comfortable, cozy read.