Book Review:: Rules of the Heart | Janice Hadlow

Have you ever been swept up in an engrossing historical timepiece that runs on romance? If not, you need to pick up Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow. If you have, you’ll understand exactly why I’m telling you to pick up Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow. Lady Harriet Bessborough is a triumph and Hadlow structures her story in a way that keeps your heart in your throat the entire time.

Rules of the Heart by Janice Hadlow Book Cover

What can I say about this book? I certainly didn’t expect to be under its spell so quickly and entirely. I tend to enjoy an odd historical novel here and there, but rarely am I gripped by them the way this one gripped me.

There is passion, risk to reputation, promises and broken promises, jealousy, heartbreak, motherhood, friendship, protection, longing, betrayal, guilt, and love, so much genuine love it cannot be stopped, despite the risks and unconventionalities.

To be honest, I read this book months ago, and I still think about it. It is one of those haunting stories based on real-world characters and their lives that might seem flat if encountering them in a textbook format, but writers like Hadlow bring those often-flat biographies and paint them with vivid, exquisite detail in novels like this one.

Please don’t miss this. Even if you think you don’t like historical novels. This one is a straight banger.

Note:: I received an early copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Details

Title::Rules of the Heart
Author::Janice Hadlow
Genre::Historical Fiction
Publisher::Henry Holt & Company
Length:: 480 pages
Published::January 20th, 2026
The Litertarian Rating:: 5-Stars