"Being in love looked rather painful from what she observed." (Finnula Crais)
Curiosity is what made me pick up Ransom my Heart. After reading excerpts of Ransom My Heart in Ten Out of Ten, I wasn't expecting much from it. I expected a bodice ripper romance novel and that's exactly what I got, but I must say that I'm mildly surprised.
The heroine, Finnula Crais, is extremely likable. She's kind, fierce, brave and outspoken. She's good with a bow and arrow, has keen hunting instincts and she wears pants. On the other hand, the hero, Hugo Fitzstephen is extremely boring. He is a handsome womanizer with a knightly heart and he is not much else.
Ransom my Heart has some of my favourite romance tropes such as strangers/enemies-to-lovers, love interests being forced together due to the most absurd circumstances and fake dating (or in this case, fake marriage). However, I've read books that make better use of these tropes. There isn't much chemistry between Finnula and Hugo. From the moment Hugo meets Finnula, he's attracted to her, but that attraction is mostly sexual. All he cares about is getting Finnula into his bed. The sex scenes in Ransom my Heart are also pointless and does nothing to further the plot or develop the romantic relationship between the main characters.
I wasn't expecting much of a plot. The plot is predictable, but it is comical and enjoyable. However, the plot only really appears in the last half of Ransom My Heart and it's extremely clear who the antagonists are.
There are three aspects that stand out for me in Ransom My Heart:
1) The Crais family. Finnula's siblings have distinct personalities and I would have liked to see more of them.
2) I didn't expect Sheriff de Brissac to have a heart. I thought he was going to be an antagonist, but he's a genuine character and a hero.
3) Gros Louis is one awesome dog!
I wasn't really invested in Random My Heart nor was I emotionally attached to the characters or the events that took place.