The Melting Heart

by Claudia Jameson

It wasn't that the job was difficult!

It was April's employer who baffled her -- Comte Emile Jacquot de Nimes, popular novelist, one-time acclaimed artist, at present a recluse.

His wounded soul broke her heart, and somehow she must show him how to live again--and love again.

Nothing was insurmountable ... except the one thing April most that his love would be for someone else....

Genres: Harlequin, Hqn, Harlequin Romance, Contemporary Romance, Slow Burn, Category Romance, France

191 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1983

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

April Baxter gets a job as a live-in secretary for six months to a novelist who is currently writing his latest book. His name is Count Emile Jacquot Nimes and he looks familiar to April, but she can't quite place him. She later discovers that he is popular artist Jacquot who was blinded years ago after a plane crash. April was an admirer of his work and she even owned an imitation of one of his a famous paintings. Emile is hiding away from the world, he even claims he's a hermit, living in the English countryside with his servant Finn. At first he is moody and abrupt with April, but her friendliness and kindness begin to get Emile out of his shell and he starts to do things he hasn't done in years. (Play the piano, eat supper with April, laugh and talk more, etc...) April finds herself falling for Emile, but what will happen when her employment time (six months) is over?

April was a sweet heroine. She didn't think she had a chance with Emile because she thought of herself as plain and plump. But Emile sees the beauty within her. I liked how Finn (the servant) even grew to like and respect April. I also liked Emile... he was tall, dark, handsome, and also kind and thoughtful. I really liked April and Emile as a couple and I was looking forward to these two getting their happy-ever-after. There were no sex scenes in this book, just a sweet romance. At times we even got Emile's point of view, too.

A lovely, heartwarming read.

[Naksed · Rating 3 out of 5]

English, Plain Jane is hired by blind, hermit, French Count to live at his chateau for six months and type his novel. She falls in love instantly and does her best to draw him out of his aloof, distant, cutting persona.

She slowly succeeds in melting his heart, which has been frozen since he had the accident that blinded him and after which his beautiful model wife immediately divorced him.

Nothing much happens aside from the protagonists' inner turmoil and day-to-day life at the chateau: taking dictation in the tastefully decorated library, long walks in the lush, flowery, picture-perfect garden, wine-tasting in the impressive cellar, etc. Very Beauty and the Beast feel, except he is the Beauty and she is far from a Beast.

They fall in love but keep their feelings secret. He finally sends her off for her own good. They both go into a few weeks decline. He consults an expert to see if he qualifies for a dangerous, eyesight-restoring operation. Expert tells him no.

So he goes back to brooding in his chateau when heroine bursts in and pounces on him. She has figured out his seekret, self-sacrificing love and she is having none of it. She proposes to him and he is finally convinced they can have an HEA WITH his disability, not IN SPITE of it.

This one was kind of corny and the heroine's obsessive, neurotic, internal monologue was a bit exhausting. BUT kudos to the writer for holding off on the cliche Harlequin ending of hero miraculously regaining his sight. At least, we were spared that.

[Melanie♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lovely old fashioned story about an artist who was blinded and became a writer and a kind-hearted girl who fell in love with his damaged soul.
It was very sweet and nostalgic.

[DamsonDreamer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a pure in heart, otherworldly romance and, unusually for me with these HPs/HRs, actually gave me a powerful emotional response. I'm saying little because I came to this 'cold' and you'll benefit from a non spoilered reading. But to remind me it's the one where plain, ordinary April goes as shorthand secretary to a "closed world" beautiful english mansion à la Beauty and the Beast and reawakens said Beast, thriller writer and gorgeous french man Comte Emile Jacqot de Nîmes. It was absolutely lovely and very vintage.

[Franny · Rating 3 out of 5]

This light romance had a whole different twist in it, for which I was grateful. The man is blind; the girl is his stenographer, and she has just moved into his mansion to take dictation for his next book. She will be there for six months. She knew him as a fabulous painter before the plane crash that blinded him. What she can't help doing is trying to get him out of the terrible gloom that has settled all about him. Will he be able to see and accept her love for him, or will he remain forever blind, both outwardly and inwardly? You'll enjoy the great insights you see into a blind person's life, as well as learn something about the London countryside and phraseology. It makes you wonder how you would act under the same set of circumstances. Happy reading!

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The Melting Heart” is the story of April and Emile.

This is a beautiful story with a caring heroine who goes to work for the blind hero, and falls madly in love with him. From becoming his eyes and ears, to exploring the complexities of this scarred man- we see a devoted heroine admire a recluse but kind hero.
The supporting characters including her brother and his right hand man were well ingrained into the tale, there’s lots of angst, wild love confessions, a dramatic separation and a happy ending. And don’t go by the blurb, there’s no OW drama.

Safe
4/5

[Kathleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this paperback 25 years ago but it made an impression. The hero is blind. He is a famous artist. He doesn’t paint anymore. He’s writing a book. Along the way he grows to love his stenographer but cannot accept that she could love a blind man. He is without hope. He believes that she idealistically thinks that he will regain his lost sight. Her solution is clever.

[Dystopian Mayhem · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of a very few Harlequin romances that I've read and enjoyed, and reread it more than once. I like how the author moved from the Heroin's to the Hero's POVs and really appreciated how she kept it fairly clean read.

[Adelais · Rating 3 out of 5]

Досить милий вінтажний любовний роман, де навіть деякі проблиски реалізму зустрічаються. Головна героїня добра та трохи наївна і вже вважає себе старою дівою, та ще й трохи повненькою (двадцять шість їй на хвилиночку, слава богу, ми вже не там живемо), зате чудова стенографістка, а головний герой не просто граф, а ще й художник в минулому і письменник прямо зараз. Ну ви розумієте - орлиний профіль, артистичні пальці і всякі співи за роялем додаються, а стенографістка йому потрібна, бо кілька років тому після авіакатастрофи осліп і дружина кинула, залишився тільки дворецький. Тепер він сидить і пише романи про суворого детектива, але героїня, як поціновувачка його мистецького таланту, так це не залишить і витягне знову до людей і на природу.
Оптимізм героїні якраз до речі, а от жертовність її трохи задовбувала, чесно кажучи. Але в мене взагалі дуже невеликі вимоги до любовного вінтажу, а тут герой з поцілунками наперехват не ліз і взагалі підвищував їй самооцінку, а героїня коли-не-коли наша людина, попри всю наївність: побачила, як герой в басейні купається голяка, і така - ну хоч помилуюсь, якщо нічого не світить! Звичайно, все закінчилось добре, не в останню чергу з допомогою дворецького, а герою не стали магічним чином повертати зір.

[yassminn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up another older romance today, but unfortunately it just didn’t hold my interest. The writing felt overly plain, and I was surprised at how much space was given to the heroine’s everyday routines—sitting in her room, watching the snow, eating dinner, or making a phone call. I couldn’t imagine how such details could keep a reader engaged, let alone entertained. Perhaps there are readers who enjoy this kind of quiet, domestic storytelling, but for me it was simply too dull to continue.

[StMargarets · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many feels. Plain, plump heroine falls in love with her blind writer boss. Neither think they deserved happiness - hero because he's blind. Heroine because she's ordinary and boring.

It takes heroione's lawyer older brother to talk some sense into her.

This is a long, slow burn but the payoff is beautiful. I liked both the H/h and I'm convined of their HEA.

Just a gem of a book.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the cover to this book but the story itself lacked just a little. I don’t know what disappointed me about it, but something just felt off. I loved Finn, the butler, though. He was fantastic! I want a sequel where he finds love.

[Halima]

It is a good book, truly we learn to hold on and fight for what we want, never giving up is a virtue

[Ellyn (Mrs. Darcy in my Dreams) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lost steam with this one! This didn't have enough angst, but it was a sweet romance.

[Mona Elsayed · Rating 5 out of 5]

finally, a blind hero that stays blind

[Lika · Rating 4 out of 5]

Perfect 🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️❤️😍😍🗣️🗣️🗣️🗣️😍😍❤️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🤯🤯🤯💕💕🙈🙈🙈😁😁🙏🏻🙏🏻👌👌👌👌🫡🫡