Barbara Wallace

Whit and Jamie were a fairy tale waiting to happen...emphasis on the waiting though because their match was on spot back in college AND in present times, if only they learned to express themselves and not simply try to guess what the other person really wants. OMG! I was ready to throttle one or the other then AND now when things were getting dicey!

I loved the dynamic these two had. The chemistry was there, no doubt, but they could appreciate each other beyond the superficial. When the real sharing started happening, both for the writing project and catching up on the last few years, the connection they forged didn't feel new, but rather reinforced. There was simply no way that you couldn't see these two making it work...if they could get out of their own way! Neither of them was a fool, but a fool for love was definitely a twice owned title. Watching them grow together again, feeling the feelings they shared, experiencing both the memories and the new ones created was heartwarming. Despite their chosen extracurricular activities of the past, your heart was racing just as much as they declared a snow day, enjoyed the full pleasures of the Roman Baths, and each others company.

All in all, a great read! It's not all a walk down memory lane to an uncertain but hoped for HEA, because both characters have had to deal with dark things in the years between, some darker than others. It does go to show you that with perseverance, an open heart, and time, new beginnings are still possible...and love can conquer all.



*ebook received for review; opinions are my own… (plus d'informations)

I really enjoyed Linus and Stella together, a deep friendship yet plenty of sparks, too.

While this is the third book in a trilogy this can absolutely be read as a standalone, there are a couple exchanges between Linus and his siblings that may resonate a tiny bit more if you’ve read the other two books but it’s in no way difficult to follow the sibling dynamics if you haven’t had the opportunity to pick up the other two books yet.

Stella, after an incident in New York travels to London accepting a temporary job as estate manager for an eccentric actresses’ heir, who just so happens to be a cat. I loved Etonia Toffee Pudding and I’m not even a cat person really, her pretentious yet also silly name continuously put a smile on my face as did her little personality moments sprinkled here and there.

This story plays out over the course of a year and the author really made the most of that time, building the trust between Linus and Stella, showing them confiding in each other, moving from friends to more, from short-term to complicated. I couldn’t have been happier with the pacing, you might think twelve months is a lot to squeeze in over less than two hundred fifty pages, but it’s impressively accomplished here never rushed, never feeling like it’s skipped over anything vital, just hitting the most important beats, like for instance, the brief yet powerful Christmas section, instead of going overboard with the season (which I am all for when there’s room for it, there wasn’t room here), the focus smartly narrowed to two emotionally driven aspects of the holiday, meeting the parents and a gift exchange that very much affected both the personal and romantic arcs.

There’s a small mystery throughout the novel as certain items have gone missing from the estate, while it’s easy to determine the culprit, the mystery component is worth it for one of my favorite moments where you see Linus’s affection for Stella in full effect, you see him totally there for her even though their relationship isn’t in the best place at that point.

That’s probably what I loved most about this book, that supportive quality, there’s no alpha nonsense going on, no game playing, just this ever present sense of how much they’re growing to care about one another, there was something genuinely heartwarming in their connection, particularly in how it allows Stella the safe space to change her life for the better.

I received this book through a giveaway.… (plus d'informations)

This is the second book in a trilogy and although there are some moments (one great one in particular involving Susan and her sister-in-law) that may be a little more rewarding if you’ve read the first book, this can still be enjoyed as a standalone novel.

While the fake-dating is as usual a fun trope, it’s the emotional depth of Susan and Lewis and their relationship that most stood out to me. I really liked the insight into their backgrounds and experiences so that you had a solid understanding of how their insecurities came to be, and more than that, I liked how frequently they confided in one another and that those conversations gave the sense that these two were truly getting to know one another.

With some romance novels everything happens in such a whirl that it can be hard to buy into the happily ever after, but even though this one also takes place over only a matter of weeks, their ease with talking to one another, the foundation that’s built through those conversations over the course of the novel made it pretty easy to see Susan and Lewis having a future.

I received this book through a giveaway.… (plus d'informations)

After six months of his wife being presumed dead, Thomas happens upon Rosalind who has no memory of Thomas or their daughter.

Initially, I had doubts that an amnesiac would go six months without attempting to figure out who she is, but the author came up with fairly sound reasoning for why someone in Rosalind's position might hesitate to dig around in her past.

There is festiveness in the story in the form of some shopping, tree-trimming and a fun nod to Santa, though the focus is most definitely on the marital conflict. What I liked about their conflict is that rather than just have one party to blame and groveling for forgiveness, both Thomas and Rosalind were at fault for the problems in their marriage, both characters had changing to do if they were going to make the relationship work.

While I would have enjoyed a few more interactions with the daughter, I know there are plenty of readers out there who aren’t crazy about children in romance novels, so that’s really just a personal preference thing.

Liking Thomas’s sister, Susan, is probably a personal preference thing, too, she’s prickly and forthright which might not be everyone’s cup of tea (including her brothers), but her scenes were one of the highlights of the book for me, and so I left this book eager for the next one in the trilogy where Susan takes center stage.

I received this book through a giveaway.… (plus d'informations)