| Title | : | The Kiss of a Stranger (The Jonquil Brothers, #0) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 1608611752 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9781608611751 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | - |
| Publication | : | First published November 10, 2008 |
Trapped between an unwanted marriage and a hasty annulment, which would leave his reputation tainted and Catherine's utterly ruined, Crispin begins guiding his wife's transformation from a socially petrified country girl to a lady of society. Their unfolding relationship reveals encouraging surprises for both of them, and privately each of them wonders if theirs may become a true marriage of the heart. But their hopes are dashed when forces conspire to split asunder what fate has granted. As a battle of wits escalates into a life-threatening confrontation, will it be possible for Crispin and Catherine to live happily ever after?
The Kiss of a Stranger (The Jonquil Brothers, #0) Reviews
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Whenever I read one of Ms. Eden's regencies, I always end up wanting to re-read all the rest of her books as well. I find her books to be a tad addicting. I've read this one a few times, each time it sucks me in and I have a hard time putting it down. Even knowing how everything plays out, the characters are captivating and the story compelling.
I love our heroine Catherine. She has had a hard eight years, after loosing her loving father she becomes the ward to her abusive uncle. I think having such a positive childhood would have helped her endure the hardship her uncle has put her through for the past eight years. Knowing her past and the abuse she suffered, her self-doubt and mistrust of others is believable. It's easy to see how she misinterprets Crispin's behavior at times and tends to assume the worst. I liked that the abuse wasn't dwelled on, it's a part of her past, but it's never so heavy in description to become overly depressing. I prefer reading lighter reads and felt this stayed on the lighter side, while still tackling a heavy topic. I loved that once Catherine is away from her Uncle and shown kindness from Crispin, Lizzie, Philip and others she begins to gain self-confidence and a desire to stand up for herself. I did enjoy her character growth and would love to see what she is like years down the road when she has healed even more.
I also loved Crispin and thought he was a great leading man. I loved how his love for Catherine kind of sneaks up on him. She brings out a great side of him, and for the first time in his life he actually feels needed by someone. I don't know if he really understood everything Catherine had been through and often jumped to the wrong conclusions, but I think the more they are together and open up the deeper their understanding will be and I thought they were a great couple and well suited for one another.
Overall, this is a fun marriage of convenience story. I love the characters and would recommend to any regency fan.
Content
Romance: Squeaky clean - kissing
Language: None
Violence: Mild-moderate
Religious: None -
Given the fact that one of my biggest pet peeves in plot devices is H/h drowning in misunderstandings that threaten to destroy them while refusing to SPEAK to each other and clear them up, four stars is actually a miracle for me. Understanding others may not have the same prejudices, however, Ms. Eden's quality won't be penalized.
Aside from said fact that the characters spend the entire book angst ridden by their own stupidity (the not talking thing,) this is a very sweet, well-written story. One that delivers a nice escape without added steam. -
2.5*
It'd rate it higher if it was a novella.
Because despite having a fairly good story and likable mcs, this becomes quite a (not so) merry-go-around. If the mcs are sweet and nice (albeit bit tstl), the other-people and villain are cartoonishly caricatured.
The h is an abused and browbeaten young woman, niece to a villainous man who wishes to be rid of her. So, when he catches the H giving her a kiss, he forces the two to marry instantly. The H, btw, had kissed the 'servant girl' to get rid of a persistent miss who had a tendency to appear everywhere he goes - even here, at a country inn.
The H brings his new dowdy wife to London, thinking an annulment could be had within days but to his chagrin, it doesn't happen that way or that easily.
Meanwhile, an expected makeover later, we have an 'Incomparable' - meek but with tiny claws.
The mcs' characterization - the H is said to cynical but that's not how he's actually portrayed in the book. He's shown as sweet, generous, attentive and amusing and uses silly humor to make the h feel comfortable or to get a smile from her.
While the h is supposed to be meek and timid. But I loved her newly acquired passive aggressive moves especially visavis the two ow - one she gives '3 drops of cream' in her tea despite knowing she's sensitive (lactose intolerant?) to cream, and secondly when she plays the same piano piece at a musicale, after a lackluster and mechanical display by the other woman, just to show how's it's properly done. Meeeoow!
Apart from this and some sweet banter that gets sadly repetitive, the book has nothing more to offer but a complete non- or mis-communication. The H is sweet and beta where I prefer Hs who thump a villain or two. Here, the uncle and another dandy make the h uncomfortable (and more) but the H doesn't lift a finger. -
On an intellectual level, I understand that this book has many failings. There's not quite as much plot as there are pages; the author could have gotten rid of about fifty pages and had the same (or a better) story. I don't even read romance novels, and I know the forced-to-get-married plot is overdone and cliche. Parts get repetitive. Some bits are just advertisements for the author's other books; it's fun that all of Eden's novels take place in the same universe, but if you haven't read her other works, it's quite tiresome that she keeps strongly hinting that SOMETHING is going on with Phillip but she's not going to tell you what until you read the novel he stars in. And much of the characterization is quite baffling. At no point did I understand her uncle's motivations, real or feigned. The same goes for Finley . . . and Miss and Mrs. Glafford . . . and Miss Bower . . . in fact, any character who is remotely villainous is completely unreadable. It's like the author knew she needed to create conflict so she created antagonists but never thought about their motives; even villains usually have reasons for what they do, purposes they're trying to accomplish, but these characters just do mean things just because they're mean people. The heroes fare better, but they're not brilliantly written sometimes either: halfway through the book, the hero's sister tells him that he's a terribly gloomy, cynical person, and I was genuinely startled because nothing he had done, said or thought up to that point had indicated that this might be the case. Saying a character is a certain way doesn't make it true.
And yet I loved it. A ridiculous amount. I read the whole thing in one sitting and then have gone back several times to re-read favorite parts. The main characters are quite likable and I genuinely cared about whether things were going to work out for them. Many writers have struggled with the whole they-both-like-each-other-but-circumstances-and-their-own-lack-of-communication-keep-them-from-doing-anything-about-it plot, which can get ridiculous and irritating (Bones, anyone? Or pretty much any other TV show?), but this one is handled reasonably well; you usually buy her reasons for them not just saying "Hey, I like you." The period details are nice and don't slow down the story, and having the heroine grow up in an abusive household was a twist that you don't see a lot in stories set in this time period; it added an interesting layer to her character and to the proceedings. And most of all, it was ridiculously romantic. I may have giggled in parts, which is unusual for me. And for me that overcame the book's failings. -
Nice and clean HR but it got a bit repetitive and I couldn’t help to keep thinking, just communicate already people!
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Following an attempt to get away from a title pursuing lady, Lord Cavratt makes the unfortunate mistake of kissing a woman in the garden of an inn and her uncle forces them to marry against both of their wishes. While awaiting annulment, Crispin enters what turns out to be a traumatized lady into Society, which leads to a number of surprises. While the couple grows closer, the confusing and complicated situation escalates into a life-threatening confrontation.
The Kiss of a Stranger is the prequel to The Jonquil Brothers Series by Sarah M. Eden, published by Covenant Communication Inc. The story is set in London 1814 and focuses on Crispin Handle, Lord Cavratt who makes the unfortunate mistake of kissing a maid in the garden of an inn, only the maid turns out to be Miss Catherine Thorndale, whose abusive uncle pushes for an immediate marriage so he can throw her out. An annulment would leave both Catherines’s and Crispin’s reputations in shatters. The whole thing seems a confusing mess with the looming threat of her abusive uncle.
Main character Crispin Handle, Lord Cavratt seems a kind person, if somewhat inexperienced with women. I felt he continuously dropped the ball in his relationship with Catherine. Fortunately he stepped up as the plot progressed.
I felt heart wrenchingly sorry for secondary character Catherine Adelaide Thorndale. She has musical talent and hidden personal resources. When life becomes quieter I am very pleased to see she thrives. She is my favorite character of this story.
I find it jaw dropping how Sarah M. Eden manages to keep the light hearted writing I enjoy so much in place. The signature funny and bantering dialogue I love is included.
The least favorite part of this story I felt were everything to do with uncle Thorndale.
As much as I hated his character I must admit he added a great dramatic effect to the story. I was surprised by the extreme anger and violence which made me suspect he was suffering from some kind of mental disorder.
My favorite part of the story was the romance between Catherine and Cirpin. I felt it quite amusing how he spent such a long time in complete denial of his feelings for her. I enjoyed the verbal fencing conducted in private, which made them get to know each other better and become closer.
Conclusion: The Kiss of a Stranger is the heart wrenching story of a sudden and mistaken kiss, an unwanted marriage and an unexpected closeness and love developing in the midst of violence and threat.
I would recommend The Kiss of a Stranger to anyone, particularly fans of Sarah M. Eden or readers of historical fiction. Similar authors to explore might be Julianne Donaldson or Esther Hatch. All opinions in this review are my own.
Rating: 4 stars / 5
Main reasons: interesting plot, great villainous character, fabulous writing, -
Insanely sweet Regency romance between an honorable hero and a sweet heroine and some nice low-key banter..
In trying to escape an extremely annoying young stalker the H gets caught in a MOC with a meek and abused young woman. Sweet and slow romance with the two H and h head over heels for each other but toostupidblind to see it.
Throw in a perfectly VILE guardian who abused and abuses the heroine and a couple of evil other women wannabes that pop in to spice things up. The OW get more of a comeuppance than usual, but I would have liked to have seen more.
What keeps this from being a 4 star is the H and h relentless refusal to acknowledge their attraction and love for each other. I mean, COME ON!
Still a sweet and charming read with no sex but a few passionate kisses for those readers who like a little less skin in your romance. -
This is one of my favorite Eden titles so far! I felt so authentically all of Catherine's pain and how Crispin tries to help her without realizing how deeply his heart is becoming involved. The two nearly bumble their way apart, but interesting and dangerous complications continue to occur and lead to an unexpected ending.
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This entire book was based on the couple never actually talking to each other and on perpetuating misunderstandings by guessing what each other were thinking. Despite that being one of my least favorite Romance plot devices, I still enjoyed it quite a bit. It was a good escape.
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If I was 12-16 years old I would have given this 4 or 5 stars. Actually I can't believe I read it but here is what happened: There was a very charming review in last Sunday's DN paper. The next day I decided to see if it was at the library. It was written by a local girl and published by a Utah publisher (Covenant) I was 121 in line for the book at the library. Wow, this must be good! The next day on a shopping trip I stopped in at Seagull and a hundred books were stacked in the entry on sale, even. So, I plunked down my money and took it home. Maybe it would be fun, I thought, Austeneske, regency, I am weak when you say that.
The plot was a bit unbelievable. A handsome Lord kisses a young woman in a garden, he presumes is a serving girl, only to find that she is a lady of "birth" with a very mean, angry uncle who is looking for a way to get her off his hands. Lord Cavratt is forced to marry the maiden, pretty much on the spot and takes her home to his opulent London residence where he plans to pursue an immediate annulment.
There is a Pygmalion transformation in the heroine, Catherine, as Lord Crispin and his sister do an immediate makeover. Her evil uncle has kept her a captor in her father's home after her parents are dead and he inherits their manor. She has been direly abused and neglected in his care for 8 years. Thus, she is nothing like the ladies of the ton that Crispin despises and he becomes increasingly infatuated with her freshness. The miss-communication between the two gets tedious midway through the book. It needed a little adventure that only happens in the last chapter. This is the kind of book that young girls should be reading instead of vampire books. Mine is available. -
3.45 stars - pg13 (physically & verbally, violent, abusive relative)
So..... I may be about to lose all my GR friends..... Sarah Eden is one of my all-time favorite authors. And I love all the other books in this series. But, I strongly recommend that anyone new to her writings should start with book #1 Friends & Foes. If I didn't already love Crispin (the hero) from his appearance in books 1-3, I probably would have rated this book even lower. I adore him in the other books, but this book...not so much. In the other books he has the same sense of honor toward women as his close friends, the Jonquil brothers, but it sure doesn't show up all that much in this book. It feels like the author couldn't decide how to write his character, or who he really was; it was conflicted. This book feels a bit less polished to me.
Some more negatives from my second read through: The whole kiss-in-the-garden-and-instant-marriage premise for someone of Crispin's stature, seemed a bit implausible. ~~ The uncle was too over-the-top and we never fully understood just why he was so evil. ~~ Also, I can't stand melodrama, and there's definitely a melodramatic undercurrent here. ~~ There were contrived plot obstacles that had me rolling my eyes. ~~ There's just too much constant misunderstanding and non-communication between hero and heroine. The story starts out as an overblown misunderstanding and continues in that vein, with small and large misunderstandings throughout. It painfully, frustratingly carries on with the same nonsense pretty much chapter after chapter. I cringed throughout much of it. ~~ While reading the book, I read someone else's review (can't remember whose) and copied down these words that I totally agreed with: "Persistent misinterpretations of the other's statements, despite actions that could speak louder than words." "He/she wanted to say, but he/she just couldn't." "The device grows weary." <--- my sentiments exactly!
Having said all that horrible stuff, and having now lost all my GR friends, I must say that I still liked the book, and there were even some parts I loved! I've read it twice (although I almost stopped reading the second time through). All of her other books I plan to read many times again in the future, but probably not this one. I love Crispin and Catherine in the other books, but in my opinion, this one just wasn't up to the standard of Sarah Eden's others.
The first time I read it I rated it 3.80-4.40 stars.
The second time I read it I rated it 3.00-3.80 stars (and had a hard time finishing it). -
Nov. 2022:
I remembered loving this book the first time I read it about 7 years ago… This time around just cemented that love!
Crispin is our ever amazing Rusty Ramshackle Knight! I absolutely loved him! Again! 🥰
He was just so sweet with and protective of Catherine. And she really needed someone on her side. Someone to help her feel safe and loved. Crispin was perfect for her!
Catherine’s story made my heart ache. I felt so awful for what she had to go through. Still she was kind and not without some backbone. She was a great balance to Crispin! I really hope to see some peeks at them throughout the Jonquil series! I want to see them happy and settled!
Just a couple things about the worst part of the book: That Uncle… our villain was ATROCIOUS! I hated him. And he said “Wench” way too much… 😂😂🤣
Anyway…
Sarah’s writing is just so comforting. I’ve only read a few of her books, admittedly. But, every time I do, her storytelling sweeps me away. Her characters are so interesting and full of depth. You can’t help but love them!
I’m so so looking forward to finally reading the rest of the Jonquil Family series!
I also loved the sneak peek we get of Phillip! I LOVE him! I’ll have to revisit his book soon too…
Nov. 2015:
It seems I am to be yet another victim of Ms. Eden’s wonderful stories... This was my first book by her, but I’ve heard such great things that I have a few more of her books on my shelf waiting for me.
Crispin was such a gentleman. So sweet and every bit the rusty knight! Catherine was sweet and I felt her emotions and hated her uncle! Oh and FAIRY CAKES!
This is a new favorite! Crispy and Catherine have a new place in my heart. -
4.5 Besides a few "if they just asked each other that question all would be resolved" moments, delightfully entertaining. Made me stay up late to read, Lovely hero and heroine, grin-inducing banter.
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This was the story of an extremely bullied and cowed heroine, Catherine whose uncle is such a monster of a man. He deprives her of proper clothing, treats her like she less than an animal and marries her off to the H to get rid of her. Then, when he discovers that she is due to inherit fifty thousand pounds from her late mother's estate he tries to declare her marriage illegal or null just so that he can be her guardian again and steal all that money.
The H was a real Prince Charming type of man who took full responsibility for inadvertently placing the heroine in a compromising situation. He not only married her but took great care of her and helped her gain confidence in herself. Then he fell in love in with her while denying that the feelings he felt were actually love. It's pretty much the formulaic experience that romance heroes undergo when "love" suddenly overtakes their lives.
There were a couple of very spiteful wannabe OW who had been trying to get the H to marry them. These women were utterly shameless. It was unbelievable that they could be treated so disinterestedly by the H yet still keep coming back trying to break up his marriage. I can't fathom that women ( even in fiction ) could lack that much pride.
The heroine's dastardly abusive uncle tries to kill her towards the end and it is this that finally brings the MC's together as they declare their love for each other. This was an average novel for me. I can't say I hated it but I didn't love it either. -
This book started off great, Crispin in trying to escape unwanted attention from a socialite, kisses a woman he does not know. He enjoyed himself until interrupted by an unhappy guardian. He has a hasty accidental marriage. I loved the beginning.
The middle was a little frustrating. The couple were indecisive and given to a lot of self doubt. Add in the evil uncle and I was slightly frustrated. Fortunately, for me, the book was written by Sarah Eden and she is an amazing author. I love her quick whit and the banter that she has perfected. There was quite a bit of smiling at the silliness.
There is some dramatic moments and some danger in the book. I did like how Crispin and Catherine were able to gradually have feelings for each other. I just wish they didn't take so much time figuring it out. :)
This was not my favorite Sarah Eden book. I did enjoy it and I will continue reading everything that she writes. She's that good. -
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and hated having to put it down. It was a nice change to find a hero who is not a rake, a gambler, a-man-with-a-deep-dark-secret-past etc. Instead, Crispin is an all-round decent sort of fellow with a wicked sense of humour, wit, style and a degree of sensitivity not often found in romantic heroes. Sure, he's got his faults (he has a tendency at times to be too flippant) but it was a refreshing change, and I think I'd probably go for a guy like Crispin over any number of devilishly charming rogues!
The premise is a little thin to start with - hero and heroine forced into a marriage of convenience through a mis-timed kiss - but there's more meat in the book than that when we meet Catherine's abusive uncle who, although he can't wait to be rid of her, won't leave her alone once she's left with her husband - as it seems she stands to come into rather a lot of money which uncle wants to get his grubby mitts on.
I was really drawn in by the characters in this story, and the way their relationship evolved was very well done indeed. There's no smut - only a few kisses - but I don't think that going beyond the bedroom door was necessary, and I venture to suggest that it might have actually spoiled the overall effect.
This one is definitely going on my "must read again sometime" list! -
Crispin has no desire to marry any of the rich society girls who have been stalking him ever since the beginning of the season. So he hightails it to the country.
Sadly, one particularly obnoxious young woman follows him. Desperate and by no means cautious, our dear Crispin latches on to the first young maid who comes wandering by and kisses her. All with the intention of ridding himself of an avaricious bride.
Mission accomplished.
Unfortunately it turns out the girl isn’t a maid, but a lady. And her uncle is worse than any of the scheming mothers who’ve been shoving their daughters at Crispin throughout the entire season. Within a matter of minutes Crispin is married to . . .?
Turns out her name is Catherine.
While not technically a story about one of the Jonquil Brothers, Kiss of a Stranger is actually related to the series and chronologically first. This is the second book I have read by Sarah M. Eden, and I enjoyed it and flew through it nearly as quickly as Friends and Foes. Catherine is my favorite character within the novel, and I felt her traumatized reaction to her uncle’s presence was very realistic. -
Crispin (Lord Cavratt) scandalously kisses a young woman in the gardens to vex a lady in pursuit of him. He assumed she was a serving girl, but found an angry uncle, demanding him to marry her after that "compromising" kiss. After an immediate marriage, the couple goes back to London, expecting to get an annulment, but finding something even more unexpected instead.
I loved the humor between Crispin and Catherine. Very witty comments and funny "inside" jokes. They had a magical chemistry, although they were both insecure about it and in denial. Lizzie, Crispin's sister, was a very fun character as well. A bossy, busybody kind of a younger sister.
I thought the story was well written and fun. I love a good regency romance!! -
Feb. 2014:I LOVED it. Crispin is awesome and Catherine was sassy. They're perfect together. I didn't really want the book to end because I was having too much fun reading it. <3
Reread 11/2014: Oh this book just makes me happy. The silly banter between Crispin and Catherine is so fun. Such a great read.
Reread 07/2016: Everytime I reread any of Sarah Eden's books, I have to reread them all. I read Seeking Persephone last week and now The Kiss of a Stranger. I think I'll read all the Jonquil brothers now. *sigh*
Aug. 2018: Love this book. I wanted to read something I knew I would love. This book did it's job perfectly.
Aug. 2021 Happy Sigh… -
This story isn't going to blow your mind, but Oh My Gosh, will you enjoy reading it. I am completely delighted to have found funny, clean, snappy Regencies again. In fact, in honor of this book, I'm creating a new category on my Goodreads shelf: A Great Friday Night Read. On those increasingly rare Friday nights that I get the chance to curl up with a book and read all night guilt-free (like Father/Sons campouts), this is exactly the kind of book I would want to spend it with.
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So many WRONG and ABSURD things in this book. Don't get me wrong this book had potential but it was completely ruined.
Just to give you an example of the absurdity of some of the parts of this book take this example:
So for example a man goes to his niece's house, a married women's, and abuses her, more accurately her terrorizes her, and a few second later he is being invited again by her husband who knows what kind of a man her uncle is to have dinner with them which the man accepts and her comes round 2 of abuse in which he abuses her AGAIN in her house in front of her supposedly 'gentleman' of a husband, and this man get to walk out of the house unharmed without even a word of reproach. I mean I was so frustrated and angry while reading this book, it is just so ABSURD in so many ways. If you read many Regency books you have an idea of what is considered 'proper' manner and what happens when someone breaks these proper manners, I mean the 'English proper manners' are sort of legendary and the characters in this book just took these 'proper manners' and threw them out of the window, it is just sooooo 'stupid'
I am sorry I couldn't found a better way to describe it. I only gave the book 2 stars because I felt that the plot had some potential. -
4.5 Stars. I really enjoyed this! The story had all the elements I love in a book! I loved to see Crispin's sister try to fix everything and set Catherine up with someone else, and the jealousy that brought out in Crispin! One thing I would have liked to be different though(just personal preference) was, I would have liked to see Catherine make a fool of herself in the company of the Ton and have Crispin feel protective of her and come to her rescue, instead of her being able to hold her own and prove she could stand up to "the best of them". Still, very well done and enjoyable. I loved to see Catherine begin to realize she needed to just stand on her own, and stand up to her uncle, and not just hope Crispin would keep her to keep her safe and give her security. I loved the way the story went and the wit that was throughout. I love Sarah M. Eden's other books just a bit more though...they are TOP-FAVORITES!!! Love this author!!
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4/14/20 - Just love to escape into this Sarah Eden world.
1/18/18 - Sigh, this I think is still my favorite of hers. And since I've read it four times I know what is going to happen but does that keep me from frantically reading it to make sure it doesn't change...no.
And we get introduced to Philip, Earl of Lampton- one of the Jonquil Brothers - stellar!
Moral Note: Some physical & emotional abuse (hitting, belittling, etc.) between Uncle & niece, language clean, romance clean.
12/29/13 - Still my favorite of hers. Love Crispin's character.
12/22/12 - Re-read - I think this is my favorite Eden book so far. I love the chemistry between the two.
1/16/2011 - Loved it, I love this author! I wish I could get a hold of her other books. -
As much as I enjoy these books, really, I think it would be ultimately beneficial for readers of Eden to read a maximum of three of her books, as they are all essentially the same, with slight plot differences.
Anyways, the plot of this book is thus: Crispin and Catherine meet on page 5. They are married by page 12. The rest of the book is spent trying to get closer to one another, figure out whether they'll stay married, and fending off the unwanted attentions of a scummy creepo loser who is interested in Catherine.
I mean, basically the only main difference between this and every other Eden book is that they're already married.
However, I am eight books deep into Eden and I have a feeling I'm not gonna be stopping there. -
Gracioso, tierno y mono, con el toque justo de emoción; lo he disfrutado mucho.
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Desipite the fact that this book was an ode to miscommunication, I really enjoyed it. The banter between the main couple kept me turning the pages.
Tropes: forced marriage, miscommunication
Content: 3 kisses (no more), attempted murder, abusive guardian
4 Stars -
Rating: 3.5 (maybe even a 4, it depends on the mood really)
This book was a real treat. I'm so glad that I had decided to read this. Its been quite a while since I've read a historical romance, so this was really refreshing. I'm going to try and keep this review quite short so here we go:
This was such a sweet book. It's very fast-paced and quite light-hearted and humorous at times. And I will say that I LOVED the beginning of the book. I thought that the characters -the hero in particular- was so, so sweet and honourable (loved him). And the storyline was quite intriguing. Having said all that, there were a couple of things that were a bit iffy for me.
The book was just so repetitive. There's this constant on and off/ will they won't they with the two characters- it started getting really tiring. As well as the fact that these characters had so many misunderstandings with each other- a lot of their cute moments/ general relationship started to get overshadowed by all the fights that they had with each other. Not to mention the fact that the hero had to keep apologizing- now that was just annoying. To me, it just took a lot away from the overall plot- these characters just needed to have a conversation with each other. I also wished that the book was a bit longer to really give the characters more depth- the heroine in particular. I just wanted to know more about them/ give them some more personality. Tbh a lot of these things can be overlooked/doesn't really matter- I'm just a bit moody atm.
(now this is more of a me thing, but I would've liked to see more smexy times between these characters+ maybe an epilogue- the ending felt really rushed).
I know this review might be a tad bit confusing and slightly vague- but eh. Even though I did have some problems with it (looking back on it, my review does seem really negative- trust me, I actually liked this book), I do have to acknowledge a lot of the good. I loved the hero- he was a sweetie, and loved this authors way of adding humour to a story. Overall this was a pretty decent book. I would definitely recommend this if you're looking for a quick, clean, sweet romance to read. -
I'm a little late to the Jonquil Brothers party but now that I'm here, Oh. My. Goodness. Can I go to this world and join them? They seem like such a wonderful group of people. This story pulled me in as soon as I started reading it. I loved Crispin's (Lord Cavratt) wit and the funny thoughts that go through his head--I highlighted so many of them. One I loved was within the first few pages "If she talked long enough, perhaps she would wear herself out to the point of dropping onto the ground in a swoon. After enjoying the blessed silence for a moment, he could then make good his escape." 😅
Trying to deter the advances of Miss Bower, Crispin lets his emotions get the better of him and he does something rash that leads to the sudden forced marriage to a Miss Catherine Thorndale. Crispin thought she was a servant at a party but she's the poor, abused niece of Mr. Thorndale of Yandell Hall who can't seem to wash his hands of her fast enough.
Because of the emotional and physical abuse suffered at the hands of her uncle for the past 8 years, Catherine is quiet, withdrawn and doesn't trust others. She doesn't expect Crispin to treat her any differently than her uncle had, which was only a step above that of a servant.
I liked Crispin's sister, Lizzie, how she befriends Catherine and gets her to blossom. Catherine gets to see how Lizzie and her husband, Edward, interact with each other and with Crispin. Lizzie and Edward were such a fun couple, and I everyone can use a friend like Lizzie. Their kindness to Catherine surprised her and that alone made me feel so much sorrow for all her uncle had put her through.
One of my favorite parts was tea with the fairy cakes. I did get a little frustrated that it took so long for Crispin and Catherine to finally let each other know their true feelings for each other. Other than that I loved this story and look forward to reading more about the Jonquil brothers and their families.
