Mia, aged eighteen, undergoes surgery and is given a replacement heart. But afterwards, she experiences a battlefield... dream? She sees the aftermath of battle with wounded men begging for water and wild hogs feeding on bodies. Given that she lives in Gettysburg, she might be confused. But it feels very real. She's on heavy meds and not strong yet but it's time to return to school. While Mia loves history and English, both her parents are doctors and expect her to go into medicine. She loves reading Louisa May Alcott and helps the history guide Beth speak on Alcott's presence in the town. Sneaking into a Underground Railroad tunnel, Mia has further visions that just increase her worries that something is going seriously wrong. Or is this caused by the meds?
HEART MURMURS are not the only problem. Mia is too weak to ride her beloved mare and shares a class with newcomer Morgan, who has a mangled leg. They become friends and Mia starts to feel more strongly for Morgan, but then he reveals to her that there are secret guardians of the nearby battlefield, and he's one - not a normal person - and what's more, the supposed homeless girl whose heart donation saved Mia's life was a guardian too.
RR Smythe has combined history, literature and romance in this paranormal tale, which can be quite scary and has vivid imagery. She is drawing on her experiences as a paediatric therapist,and other medical literature which seems to suggest that heart transplant recipients can in some cases experience the memories of the donor. There is also detail about the lives of authors LM Alcott and Edgar Allan Poe, the latter making a guest appearance so that we see where he may have got some of his gothic horror inspirations. HEART MURMURS is an unusual tale which will suit the many fans of paranormal books and provides us with a young heroine getting back on her feet in more ways than one.
Mia Templeton is dying. Or was dying. After receiving a
heart transplant, her world is forever altered. Before her
eyes open, she overhears her donor was a murdered girl of
the same age. Whispers invade Mia's head before she's even
left the recovery room. She develops tastes for foods she
once hated, and dreams so vivid, she feels they're someone
else's memories. Her personality is altered—once a
quiet doormat, she's now inexplicably flippant, and
confident. And her unexplained longing for the new boy at
school is borderline obsessive.
Morgan Kelley is new. Adopted by his aunt, a descendant
of Louisa May Alcott (Little Women), he's thrown into life
at a new high school, and as a historical guide for his
aunt's store—a homage to all things Alcott. Conspiracy
theories abound about his mangled lower leg—but
no–one has been brave enough to ask. Till Mia.
Something is awry with the Underground Railroad tunnels
beneath his aunt's home. Mia and Morgan enter the world of a
secret Literary Society––and are drafted to help
bring a rogue Literary giant to justice, solve the mystery
of her heart donor, the the real fate of Beth from Little Women.
No excerpt available.
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