My first Julie Anne Long book was “What I did for a Duke,” followed by “How the Marquis was Won” (by far my favorite!). Since then, I’ve enjoyed her Pennyroyal Green books, but none of them held up to those first two – until now.
I love books that move me, that suck me in and make me stay up until the wee hours, to read yet one more page. I love authors that create the “slow burn,” and characters who take the time to learn about each other and develop a relationship born out of something more than just lust. This was all that, and I enjoyed every word. Every page was witty, several scenes took my breath away, and I didn’t want it to end. Based on the simple theme of kindness, Long somehow does this so much justice without sounding cliché, trite, or predictable. I think this was one of her finest books.
I loved Jack, the 5 year old son of Elise, the heroine. He couldn’t have been a sweeter little boy, but Long uses him in all the right places without making him out to be just another cute kid. I loved the endearing way he refers to the H, a tall and large man, as “Giant,” as if it’s his real name. The secondary characters were interesting and colorful. Long does a wonderful job making characters and scenes come alive, page after page.
There is some fairly graphic sex – I could have done without the detail, but it Certainly. Was. Hot. But best of all was that slow burn – whew! Such a lovely build up of tension and romance.
I did have some concerns - the H is supposed to be French, but I realized I read him with an English accent – until about ¾ of the way through when he starts saying “oui.” I found this a bit jarring, and would have liked to have “heard” his French accent a little more consistently.
POTENTIAL SPOILER (but ,come on, this is an HEA………)
I also had this clinical concern about the absence of birth control – I would have expected at least an ……. effort? A comment? A concern? Particularly in light of Elise’s history.
Other than that – I loved every bit of this book.
And the ending is a great segue to the next one!
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Top reviews from other countries
avidreader
Excellent series, would recommend reading all the books before the final story is published
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 6, 2015
Happily Hopeless Romantic
...and ended with pure romance!
Reviewed in Australia on April 3, 2015