Review: The Heartbeat Thief by AJ Krafton

"A talented writer can convince a reader that fantasy is real; a gifted author makes it look easy from the opening scene. Such is Krafton's brilliance in The Heartbeat Thief." --Rachel McClellan, Amazon bestselling author
                               
Haunted by a crushing fear of death, a young Victorian woman discovers the secret of eternal youth--she must surrender her life to attain it, and steal heartbeats to keep it.

In 1860 Surrey, a young woman has only one occupation: to marry. Senza Fyne is beautiful, intelligent, and lacks neither wealth nor connections. Finding a husband shouldn't be difficult, not when she has her entire life before her. But it's not life that preoccupies her thoughts. It's death--and that shadowy spectre haunts her every step.

So does Mr. Knell. Heart-thumpingly attractive, obviously eligible--he'd be her perfect match if only he wasn't so macabre. All his talk about death, all that teasing about knowing how to avoid it...

When her mother arranges a courtship with another man, Senza is desperate for escape from a dull prescripted destiny. Impulsively, she takes Knell up on his offer. He casts a spell that frees her from the cruelty of time and the threat of death--but at a steep price. In order to maintain eternal youth, she must feed on the heartbeats of others.

From the posh London season to the back alleys of Whitechapel, across the Channel, across the Pond, across the seas of Time...

How far will Senza Fyne go to avoid Death?

The latest in dark fantasy from Amazon Bestselling Author Ash Krafton...It's a little bit Jane Austen, a little bit Edgar Allen Poe, and a whole lot of stealing heartbeats in order to stay young and beautiful forever... 

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In 1869 England, beautiful Senza Fyne is in love with her charmed and privileged 17-year-old life, so much so that she is willing to avoid losing it at any cost. When death begins stalking the people she loves, she becomes increasingly fearful of dying. That's when she meets Knell, a mysterious  stranger, who offers her a solution. By the time she realizes the cost for his salvation is too high, it’s too late to take it back. 


Senza's  heart no longer beats, so she she is forced to steal the heartbeats of others in order to survive, to never age, to remain eternally youthful. She meets some interesting people throughout the decades, and visits some interesting settings, such as Whitechapel during the reign of Jack the Ripper. 

The story spans more than 150 years, with the heroine moving from city to city, country after country. The story might have been darker, with more interaction with Death or even Knell, but it holds the reader's interest. The ending holds a fun surprise. and ties the story up nicely. This New Adult novel is sure to be a hit.


Book Bling gives it 4 stars.

Ash Krafton is a writer of all things spec fic. She believes spectacular endings make the best beginnings... Why not? One billion black holes can't be wrong. 

The second bravest thing she's ever done was volunteering to go first when her Girl Scout troop visited a High Ropes challenge course somewhere back in the eighties. (Thankfully, few photos exist.) The third bravest thing was wearing her purple Colin Stuart boots with the extreme stiletto heel to her kids' school open house one year. (Three floors, all steps, no brakes.) The top of the Brave Things list, however, remains to be written.

Contact Ash through her website: www.ashkrafton.com
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/ashkraftonauthor
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ashkrafton

And don't forget to say hello to her alter ego, AJ Krafton, who writes New Adult speculative fiction. AJ's début book THE HEARTBEAT THIEF, can be found here: http://amzn.to/1FZb0Vk

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