The Cool and Warmth of Hearts by J.A. Santana


The Cool and Warmth of Hearts by J.A. Santana
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Romance, Contemporary
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Astilbe

The Cool and Warmth of Hearts is a poetic compilation of fiery romance, harrowing heartbreak, cosmic union, and the sheer enigmatic nature of it all. Masterfully bridging the gap between Shakespeare-inspired styles and modern romantic poetry, J.A. Santana invites the reader to contemplate love’s euphoric crests and inevitable troughs, and find serenity when that tumultuous oscillation quietens. Whether these poems conjure nostalgia, hope, anguish, or joy, one thing is for certain: they will awaken the parts of the heart that have remained dormant for eons. The poignant words upon these pages will linger in one’s psyche, long after they have been read…

Love has a power that is all of its own and nothing stirs the human heart more than poetry that explores this sensitive emotion and brings it to life in a vibrant and compelling explosion of verse. You will discover a collection of romantic love poems that transcends time and brings every aspect of love to the forefront of your imagination.

And whether you are in love and are drinking in all of its pleasures or are mourning the loss of something you once held dear, The Cool and Warmth of Hearts offers flashes of solace and something for everyone in their moment of need. Dip in and out at your leisure and contemplate the moments that love shares with us in life’s journey, whether they still remain or have been lost forever.

Love illuminates some of the best and worst moments in life.

It was delightful to see how many references the author included to classic love poems, myths, and stories from many different eras and cultures. Some of them were as simple as him mentioning the names of famous lovers, while others took a little more time to piece together since he switched between dancing around those topics and describing his speaker’s own beloved in vivid detail. I enjoyed the layers of meaning all of this brought to his poems, especially when they could be interpreted in multiple ways depending on the reader’s preference.

Speaking from a stylistic perspective, I would have liked to see more predictable rhyming schemes in these poems. Some of them included few to no rhyming words at the end of each line while others rhymed words far more often. I enjoy many different types of poetry and am generally just as comfortable with rhymes as I am without them, but it did feel a little odd to me to leap between multiple styles in the same collection. This was even more true for the poems that seemed to change style midstream.

One of the things I appreciated the most about this collection was how it described every stage of romantic love, from the first warm and gentle twinges of a crush to the fiery heat of a love affair to the ashes that overflow everywhere when a romance ends. The fire metaphor was an excellent one for this topic, and I continued to be surprised by the many parallels the author pointed out between literal and metaphorical flames.

The Cool and Warmth of Hearts was an apt read for Valentine’s Day.

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