Book Review for "Just Like Heaven" by Julia Quinn

You know that feeling of satisfaction, when you can't help but sigh with contentment. You have a little grin on your face and all is well with the world. Well, this is how I felt returning to one of my favourite authors, Julia Quinn. She has a knack for making her characters so likable and so very enjoyable. It's effortless. That is true talent. I am laughing frequently as I read, making passersby stare and question my sanity. I first enjoyed Ms. Quinn's tales in the Bridgerton series, gobbling them up like literary candy. It was with joy and a tiny bit of trepidation that I picked up the first book in her newly released series "Just Like Heaven". I wasn't sure if I would like the heroine she chose, one of the Smythe-Smith characters from the Bridgerton series. Boy was I wrong. Honoria Smythe-Smith is wonderful. She is an endearing young woman whose looks aren't overwhelming but whose sense of humour and honest love of family is heartwarming. Our hero, Marcus, also known as Lord Chatteris, isn't a rogue. He isn't even overly attractive! Gasp! He is your every day gentleman! A man with morals, a man who does the right thing. A dependable man. A man who longed for a family to love and for a family to love him. What's even better is the fact that this story is based upon two characters who have known each other for fifteen years. Yes, Marcus has known Honoria since she was six years old. Daniel, Honoria's brother, is Marcus' best friend. Hence Marcus' presence at the Smythe-Smith's home for many holidays, birthdays and special occasions. He was always there. Always the quiet, dependable Marcus. Honoria knew him like the back of her own hand. Marcus knew every quirk of Honoria's personality. Suddenly, each discovers they hold deeper feelings for the other, a realization that knocks them off their feet. I cheered for Lord Chatteris and his quest for a sense of belonging. I loved how his feelings began to take charge, overwhelming him in their urgency.

“He’d spent his life being a perfect gentleman. He’d never been a flirt. He’d never been a rogue. He hated being the center of attention, but by God, he wanted to be the center of her attention. He wanted to do the wrong thing, the bad thing. He wanted to pull her into his arms and carry her to her bed. He wanted to peel every last inch of her clothing from her body, and then he wanted to worship her. He wanted to show her all the things he wasn’t sure he knew how to say.”

This is a sweet love story that will make you smile. Yes, there are scenes that will make you laugh out loud. Yes, you will delight in the wonderful characters. Yes, you will want to fall in love all over again. Sigh.....I am feeling content again.

Book Review for "Scandal in Spring" by Lisa Kleypas

He loves her and has loved her for years. But Daisy Bowman would never know it and Matthew Swift is determined to keep it that way. He harbors a hidden desire he must keep to himself in order to protect her from his past. What is he hiding? What is so unforgivable that he cannot profess his need for this woman, even when she beckons him with her innocent desires?

As with the previous books in the series, I thoroughly enjoyed this tale, the last in Lisa Kleypas' Wallflower series. I got lost in her easy, free-flowing style and her witty sense of humour had me chuckling throughout the story. The banter between the hero and heroine was so enjoyable and hilarious that I was laughing out loud, especially during the heated "lawn bowling" game. Of course, neither character would admit defeat, something I can totally relate to. There is hope for we five foot lasses in this tale. I, only being an inch (or 2????) over five feet, could easily connect to the petite Daisy. She was a different kind of beauty, not the striking, regal vision of refinement. She was an every-day beauty....romantic and fiesty, my kind of gal. I loved how Daisy fell for Matthew, someone she never fathomed could possess all of the qualities she had sought for so long. In Matthew Swift she found someone whose presence she reveled in, even more than her precious books, someone who made her senses come alive with the brush of a fingertip, someone who accepted her for who she was, quirks and all.

Daisy rushed at him and whacked his chest with the book. She hated it that she felt so alive with him. She hated the way her senses drank in his presence like dry earth absorbing rain. She hated his handsome face and virile body, and the mouth that was more tempting than any man's mouth had a right to be.

Matthew was a wonderful hero, a man with a duality of character that even women today seek. He could be a cold-hearted, aggressive businessman, very smart with a strong work ethic and a tenacious and unyielding drive to succeed. As we learn Matthew's secrets, we learn why this tenacity exists within him. Yet Matthew also possessed a gentle and playful side, easily apparent in the "goose" incident as well as his many debates with Daisy about her romantic notions of men. What I adored the most was his devotion to Daisy. He loved her for so long, secretly keeping his feelings to himself as he reveled in every glimpse of her face, every movement of her hands, every breath that she took. When a man keeps a lock of your hair in his pocket for years, knowing he could never possibly have you, I call that love and devotion. Thus, when Matthew finds himself alone with Daisy and she innocently proclaims her desire for him, he couldn't help but question this unfathomable reality.

"Do you know what I want from you?" she heard him ask hoarsely. "Do you understand what's going to happen if we don't stop?"
"Yes."
Matthew lifted his head and gave her a doubtful glance. "I'm not as innocent as you might think," Daisy said earnestly. "I'm very well read."
He turned his face away, and she had the impression he was fighting a smile. Then he looked back at her with piercing tenderness. "Daisy Bowman," he said unevenly, "I'd spend eternity in hell for one hour with you."

Wow! Eternity! Sigh.....I would spend an eternity with Matthew Swift myself. And you can spend a few hours with him as well if you read this historical romance, another success by the very talented Lisa Kleypas.
"Scandal in Spring" is book #11 in the 2011 Historical Romance Challenge.

Book Review for "It Happened One Autumn" by Lisa Kleypas

They say that opposites attract. I'm not sure. Are these individuals truly opposites, or do they see in the other what lies beneath the surface of their own selves? Is the brazenly out-spoken female just saying what we all wish we had the guts to say? Is it this bravery that makes her so endearing and desirable to a man who plays by the rules? I believe this is the case when Marcus, Lord Westcliffe, finds himself desiring the unfathomable Lillian Bowman.

Marcus is a serene, straight-laced, proper English gentleman, not to mention the most eligible and wealthy man of the peerage. A true blue-blood. Along comes Lillian Bowman, an American girl, the daughter of a self-made millionaire. Having already read book one in this series, I knew that there was a tension growing between Marcus and Lillian. They made it quite clear to one another that each did not like the other. The verbal battles between the two were numerous. Yet these arguments masked a mountain of sexual tension between the two. The reader knows it is just a matter of time before one breaks down and gives in to these desires. But who will it be? How can this distinguished man align himself for life with such a boisterous woman when he is expected to marry a truly elegant, proper English lady in order to carry on the bloodline? These opposites do attract....but can it last a lifetime? Can they ignore their obligations and follow their hearts?

I loved the heroine in this book. She was no lady....at least not a properly behaved lady of the 1800's. Lillian didn't wait for a man to ask her opinion....she gave her thoughts freely at every turn. She didn't accept what everyone told her was best....she questioned all of the rules of propriety. She was brazen, bold, stubborn, sharp-tongued, and very, very funny. A wonderfully head-strong woman. A gal I would love to hang out with. As for Marcus, he was a hero that I came to love. In book one, I thought he was a pompous a__! But this talented author reveals Marcus' history and the torment he went through as a child, and soon enough, I too was falling for this straight-laced gentleman who is really crying for a reason to let loose.... to reveal some of the rebellious boy within. I couldn't help but melt when he finally uttered what lay in his heart for Lillian:

"Rest. You'll need to regain your strength.....because once we're married, I won't be able to leave you alone. I'll want to love you every hour, every minute of the day." He nestled her more closely against him. "There is nothing on earth more beautiful to me than your smile....no sound sweeter than your laughter....no pleasure greater than holding you in my arms. I realized today that I could never live without you, stubborn little hellion that you are. In this life and the next, you're my only hope of happiness. Tell me, Lillian, dearest love....how can you have reached so far inside my heart?"

Lisa Kleypas has an uncanny ability to create believable characters. They are humourous, lifelike, even human! They become people you want to have tea with....chat with....gossip with. The reader connects with them easily. They make us laugh and cry; we feel empathy for them and we identify with them. We fall in love with them and cheer for them when they reach their happily ever after. I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment of the Wallflowers series, so much so that number three is already awaiting me on my E-Reader. With the click of a button, I will be once again immersed into history and immersed into a romance that will sweep me away with a sigh.
"It Happened One Autumn" is book #10 in the 2011 Historical Romance Challenge.

Review for "On the Way to the Wedding" by Julia Quinn

A man who believes in love? A man who believes in romance? A man who awaits the "one"....the one who will knock him off his feet the moment he lays eyes upon her? I didn't know such a man existed....until I met Gregory Bridgerton in Julia Quinn's final installment of the Bridgerton series.

Gregory is the youngest male in the Bridgerton clan and he is the most genuine when it comes to his feelings...a true romantic at heart. While attending a party at his eldest brother's house, Gregory is struck down by the sight of the most beautiful blonde he has ever laid eyes upon. He must have her....this must be love, for he cannot breathe, cannot fathom life without the awe-inspiring Hermione. He lavishes her with attention, only to receive nothing in response, for Hermione's heart has been given to another. But there is hope for Gregory in the form of Hermione's best friend, Lady Lucinda. Lucy thinks that the youngest Bridgerton male is a very suitable match for her best friend and thus sets out to help Gregory woo Hermione. But of course, Lucy soon falls for the witty young Bridgerton herself. But she cannot......for she is to be married soon, an arrangement made long ago. But what will happen when Gregory realizes that he is falling for Hermione's best friend? How can he marry a woman who is about to marry someone else?

Once again, Julia Quinn does not let her readers down in this final book in a wonderful series. Reading about the heroine was like looking in the mirror at a young version of myself. Lucy is eager to please, always reliable....expected to do the right thing, always wanting things to be in order, for everyone to be happy, even at the cost of her own desires. Things are supposed to be a certain way and that gives our Lucy peace and comfort. But then along comes chaos in the form of a dark-haired, blue-eyed man with a sparkle in his gaze and the ability to make her laugh...make her feel safe...make her feel like herself. I rejoiced when Lucy decided that she was going to satisfy her own wants, her own desires....put herself first, even if it was for one night. A night she would cherish for the rest of her life, even if she was married to another man, a man she could never love like she loves Gregory. Our hero is a lover of love. He wants to be in love, to find his soul mate, and he fights to the bitter end for her, even after being rejected in the most public way. One's own heart cannot help but soar when Gregory professes his love for Lucy in front of hundreds. I melted. I encourage you to read this book. Join this cast of characters on their journey of discovery into the true meaning of love. You will laugh, you will cry, you will sigh, and you too will want what everyone wants.....an everlasting love."On the Way to the Wedding" is book #9 in the 2011 Historical Romance Challenge.