Say Cheese: To Capture His Heart Review
If you wanted Bridgerton but less problematic, Nancy Campbell Allen is your gal.
“Evangeline Caldwell finished developing the last of Sir Henry Blake’s family photos and wiped her hands on a cloth.”
I’ve been thinking a lot about Bridgerton lately.
Not for any particular reason, but my social media feeds has certainly been populated with a lot of Bridgerton content ahead of their third season, which doesn’t even have a release date yet. So while I’ve been in need of a little historical romance, I’m not quite desperate enough to dive into the novels. (One of my favourite booktubers, Jack Edwards, has a video where he talks about whether the books are worth reading which I’ll link below.)
Last year, I reviewed The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart, about a matchmaker who falls for a police officer while trying to help him solve a murder case. It was a charming book even if it didn’t really leaving a super lasting impact on me, so I was surprised but incredibly honoured when Shadow Mountain Publishing sent me an advanced copy of the sequel To Capture His Heart.
I didn’t even know there were plans for a sequel, to be honest, but looking back, I’m surprised I didn’t spot the groundwork being laid for one.
To Capture His Heart follows two of the side characters from the previous novel, photographer Eva Caldwell and detective Nathan Winston. After meeting through the happily betrothed Bakers from our first novel, the two are starting to fall for each other, although neither are willing to make the first move.
When Winston’s mother organises a matchmaking event, the detective invites Caldwell to attend as the event’s official photographer, and as his unofficial date. The official line is, of course, to spare himself from being set up—Bridgerton season one anyone?—but it won’t do any harm if he just happens to actually have feelings for Caldwell.
But when Winston starts to receive threatening messages from a criminal he thought he had locked away for good, he realises his fake dating scheme is the least of his worries.
Similar to The Matchmaker’s Lonely Heart, To Capture His Heart is an incredibly charming novel with a surprising sense of humour. I read it while I was at work, still groggy from having woken up earlier than I would care to, and it was an easy read that held my attention well.
I think I actually liked the sequel a little better than the first; I felt like Nancy Campbell Allen had settled into her stride more with this book so she was able to focus more on the characters and their nuances. Where I found Hampton to be stubborn and childlike at times, Caldwell is more closed off and quick to lash out at times. She seems more relatable to me.
Her mistakes are not simply glazed over — which I always like in my books. Both of our romantic leads have their fair share of baggage; love will not suddenly turn them into angels. They take the time to comfort and help each other through their issues while navigating the beginnings of their relationship and you can really see them grow as people over the course of the book.
Where To Capture His Heart falls short is in its antagonist. While the criminal was built up to be this really tough and merciless person, the storyline is resolved way too quickly. From the climax to the book to its end, I would say it was only about 30 pages, and I actually was stunned it was tied up the way that it was. It was all a bit too deus ex machina, no matter how dedicated you are to the suspension of belief and I’m willing to close many eyes.
Had To Capture His Heart focused on just being a romance novel, the book would have shined so much more. If you were thinking of picking up this book, I would definitely say to manage your expectations. Had I gone into this expecting a mystery novel, I think I would be more disappointed. But I wanted a romance and I got it so it’s all good in my book.
Rating: 4/5
To Capture His Heart by Nancy Campbell Allen will be released by Shadow Mountain Publishing on 12 Oct 2022.