This book had me hooked from the very first line and fully in its grip by the end of chapter one. Our Gifted Hearts is haunting, atmospheric, and absolutely brimming with tension—both emotional and supernatural. I could not put it down.

Fortune is one of those main characters you root for instantly. She’s been through so much—loss, grief, fear—and yet she still has this quiet strength that made me love her more with every page. Accused of witchcraft and forced into marriage to survive, she ends up on an eerie, remote island with a husband she barely knows, and let me just say… this house? This island? Not giving “safe haven” at all.

The vibes are gothic and immersive in the best way—creaking walls, locked doors, tunnels that shouldn’t exist, and that constant feeling that something isn’t quite right. I was just as curious (and freaked out) as Fortune was. And don’t even get me started on the housekeeper and mother-in-law. Perfectly untrustworthy.

The relationship between Fortune and Isaac unfolds so slowly and carefully, with so much emotional weight behind it. It’s a romance, yes, but it’s also a story of healing, trust, and survival. Every little moment between them felt earned.

The writing is beautiful and lyrical without ever being too much, and the pacing kept me turning pages way past when I should’ve been asleep.

This is for readers who love a slow-burning gothic mystery with emotional depth, rich atmosphere, and the kind of romance that sneaks up on you. I’m still thinking about Fortune and that island, and I’ll be shoving this book at anyone who will listen.

An absolute standout.

A decent little gothic tale. It had a little same-y aura that comes with the genre, I think, that made things a little too predictable. But that's in a good old-fashioned way that makes it easy to recommend.

Young Fortune must flee her small village, accused of witchcraft, with the help of a stranger who proposes marriage. When she arrives at the remote island that will be her home, she finds herself with a husband who is absent for long periods of time, isolated with only her mother-in-law and the few servants for company. She soon discovers that everyone is harbouring some disturbing secret.
This atmospheric novel gives us the feeling of being immersed in a fairy tale for adults, with a sweet but strong and determined female character who faces terrible circumstances.
Perfect for fans of ghost stories and mysteries with a gothic touch.

Our Gifted Hearts delivers a haunting tale wrapped in gothic atmosphere, emotional complexity, and a slow burn of dread that creeps up on you when you least expect it. What begins as a quiet, almost pastoral narrative about grief and survival quickly unravels into something much darker, and I found myself completely absorbed by the quiet power of Jennifer Kennedy’s storytelling.

The story centers on Fortune, a young woman whose life has been shaped by past trauma and present isolation. Her world is small: a farm, a grieving mother, and a village that’s slowly turning on her. After a woman is executed for witchcraft, the community’s fear and suspicion land squarely on Fortune’s shoulders. What follows is a desperate choice—to escape the flames by agreeing to marry a stranger named Isaiah and leave everything she’s known behind.

At first, the promise of a new life seems like a relief, a way out. But Kennedy doesn’t give us a fairytale. What Fortune finds instead is a home thick with secrets, and a husband who is not at all who he claimed to be. The tension builds quietly, but with increasing intensity, and by the final chapters I had full-body chills. The twists hit hard, and the revelations are as shocking as they are heartbreaking.

Fortune is a deeply compelling character—stoic yet vulnerable, practical yet hopeful. You want to root for her, to see her safe, but the book never lets you forget that safety is a fragile thing. Her emotional journey—from repression to resilience—is written with care, and I appreciated how Kennedy layered in themes of generational trauma, misogyny, and the dangerous allure of escape.

The setting deserves its own praise. Whether it’s the hostile village she flees or the eerie island she arrives at, each place is so richly atmospheric you can practically feel the cold wind or smell the earth. There’s a quiet horror in how places can become prisons, and Kennedy captures that beautifully.

If I had one critique, it’s that some of the more dramatic reveals toward the end could have used just a little more space to breathe. Still, the impact is undeniable. I was left stunned, heart racing, and completely satisfied.

For readers who like:
-Historical fiction with gothic vibes
-Slow-burning suspense
-Themes of emotional resilience and the cost of survival

Final Verdict
Our Gifted Hearts is equal parts chilling and poignant—a beautifully written exploration of fear, survival, and what happens when you trade one kind of danger for another. Jennifer Kennedy offers a tale where every decision has weight, every kindness may be a trap, and nothing is quite what it seems. A deeply atmospheric, gripping read that left me shaken in the best way.

Grateful to NetGalley, Angry Robot and Jennifer Kennedy for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this story in exchange for an honest review.

This book grabbed me in from the start I loved the characters the storyline was amazing it was a page turner thank you for this read

An interesting novel is a very informative and chilling novel that shows that sometimes moving somewhere new doesn’t always solve your problems. I willbadmit thast maybe the novel would be happier after the main character got away from the conflict in her hometown. However, the place she ended up going to ended up being filled with suspicious secrets and people. However, when you think about all those things that happened made the novel much more interesting
We are introduced to a young woman named Fortune who after having a traumatic experience in her youth closes her heart off from love. She spends her days taking care of her aging mother and tending to chores around the farm. One day a woman from their village is executed for being a witch shortly after the execution the town decides to turn on Fortune accusing her of witchcraft.
After much encouragement from her mother Fortune decides to enter a marriage of convenience with a visiting stranger named Isaiah whose homeland is an Island where she won't have to worry about the people of her village coming after her. However, once she arrives she realizes that this solution was not ideal at all. She soon finds out the home is riddled with secrets and that her husband isn't the same caring and compassionate individual that she orginally met.

I received an arc copy from Netgalley and all opinions are of my own

This book gave me goosebumps and I was shocked lol. It was so good. Almost towards the end of this book, it was so interesting like why are they doing this lol? I really enjoyed it. I loved it. The art on the cover is cute and it really does represent the story of this book.