Review: Four Walls and a Heart by Celia Lake

Four Walls and a Heart (Charms of Albion #3)
by Celia Lake

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Cozy Historical Fantasy Romance
Age Category: Adult
Type of romance: m/m

Blurb:
In 1884, Gil wakes in the Temple of Healing with a life changing injury. Nothing in his life is ever going to be the same. He now has to figure out where he’ll live and what he’ll do. All his choices are all miserable in their own way.

Magni becomes curious when his old friend’s name comes up several times. After discovering Gil’s return to Albion and his injuries, Magni is more than willing to visit, remembering how Gil was the spark of wit in gatherings while they were both apprentices. But of course, Gil would never be interested in him as anything other than a friend in a time of need.

When Magni has to leave town for a few weeks due to a complex case, he rents a house at the Brighton seashore. He even welcomes Gil’s company, as Gil regains strength before another needed surgery.

Neither of them expected the minor mystery of the house across the street and a fortnight in close quarters to change both their lives.

Four Walls And A Heart is a m/m novella of 40,000 words exploring Gil and Magni’s romance in the summer of 1884. Set in the magical community of Great Britain, it is full of books, architecture, seaside amusements, and navigating living with a new disability.

My Review

After I finished reading Pastiche I knew my next read by Celia Lake would be Four Walls and a Heart. Magni and Gil are side characters in Pastiche and their romance is daydream established in that one, so I was eager to go back in time and see how they fell in love in Four Walls and a Heart.

This book shortly starts after Gil is back in England after losing one of his legs in the war in the Sudan. He’s staying at the temple of Healing. Magni finds out he’s back and stops by a visit. The two have known each other from their apprenticeship at the guard and Magni keeps stopping by as Gil recovers. Eventually they end up spending two weeks in a house near the sea as Magni has to get out of town because of a case and that’s when their romance really blossoms. There also is a slight mystery involving the house across the street and Gil eventually figures out what caught his eye about it.

This was a great story. It touches upon some heavier topics with Gil losing his leg and not doing very well mentally at the start, but despite that most of the book still manages to feel cozy, hopeful and uplifting. There’s something very comforting about this author’s books so far and they really pull me and I want to keep reading. I like the historical setting the way that comes to live. The world building and the bit of magic that are sprinkled throughout the story are both very well done.

I enjoyed seeing these two grow closer and the way they discussed books was fun to read about. I also thought Magni was so thoughtful the way he visited Gil at the temple and brought him books and flowers. I liked seeing these two grow closer and figure things out. I also liked seeing Gil figure out what was next for him and see how his interest in architecture got sparked. These two were very sweet together and I just loved seeing them figure out a way to be together and how they find the barn that will become their home. The epilogue is lovely and forms a nice bridge between this story and Pastiche. It was so fun to see Magni react after meeting Richard and what will lead to Richard becoming his apprentice.

To summarize: After reading Pastiche I wanted to read about how Magni and GIl fell in love and picked up this story next. I really enjoyed this one, it mainly focuses on the romance between Magni and Gil. As well as Gil’s recovery from losing his leg and finding a new direction in life. I had a great time reading this one and enjoyed seeing these two fall in love. The writing keeps me hooked and there’s just something about this author’s books that really works for me. The historical setting is well done and I like the world building and the way the magic is sprinkled throughout the stories. Despite the heavier topics it touched upon it mostly feels light, cozy and uplifting and I like that blend of hopeful tone with also some heavier topics that get touched upon. All in all I really enjoyed this one.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon
– B&N
– Kobo

You can also read my review on Goodreads and Bookbub.