Title: Hearts of Steel (The Blackstone Legacy #3)
Author: Elizabeth Camden
Pages: 336
Year: 2023
Publisher: Bethany House Publishers
My rating is 4 out of 5 stars.
Liam Blackstone is a young man who was kidnapped as a young boy. Liam’s true identity was eventually discovered, and he has been reunited with what is left of his family, his father and mother having preceded him in death. His biological family are the wealthy Blackstones, and they control U.S. Steel. Liam has been given a seat on the board to represent the “working man” as that is what his life experience has been. He longs to be the man he thinks his father wanted him to be, to be a better man. He meets Maggie Molinaro and urges her to fight against the wealthy man trying to cheat her out of what is owed to her. He joins Maggie in an effort to protect her in an escalating battle with a wealthy businessman, who is out to cheat and deceive as many people as possible to make money for himself.
Maggie Molinaro is a young woman who knows what it is like to be poor, without a roof over her head and wondering where her next meal will come from. She lives with her aunt and uncle and quit school at the age of fifteen to help them run their ice cream business. She knows how to do every job in the business from manning a pushcart around town, to making ice cream, to repairing machinery. She saves every penny she can as she vows never to be poor again. When a wealthy man tries to get away without paying a bill for her ice cream, she confronts him in person to get her money. Little does she realize she has painted a target on her back and this man will stop at nothing to see her business fail. Her new friend Liam shows her his tough side, but also his compassion and generosity for his fellow man.
I would have liked to see more of a faith journey in the story. God is mentioned a little or not at all in the first half of the book. There is also a strange, almost religious, practice with Uncle Dino and a twig from an olive tree. However, I did enjoy learning about the beginnings of the ice cream industry. I advise reading the author’s note at the end of the book as it separates fact from fiction. This author does a wonderful job of taking historical fact and weaving it into an enjoyable fictional tale.
Note: The opinions shared in this review are solely my responsibility.