London barrister Jason Jonquil has spent his entire life working to establish his identity as a gentleman, a man of refinement like his father and brothers. But when fiery Spanish beauty Mariposa Thornton walks into his office, he finds himself losing his grasp on his dignified character. The woman is infuriating, pushing him to the limit of his legendary patience. However, her case seems simple … simple enough—a small matter of inheritance. Or so he believes.Once a well-born lady, Mariposa fought to survive the brutalities of Napoleon’s war on Spain. She braved horrific perils and undertook dangerous missions on behalf of those fighting against the invading French army. But her greatest battle still lies ahead: after being separated from her family, Mariposa sets in motion a plan to reunite with her loved ones in England. To avoid drawing the attention of the French, Mariposa dons a carefully crafted persona to conceal her true purpose. As Jason and Mariposa are drawn together by the case, they come to know the people beneath the masks they both wear. When the truth of Mariposa’s quest is revealed, the couple is pulled into a mystery that will test the limits of their courage—and expose the true desire of their hearts.
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Absolutely love this book – Mariposa is one of my favorite Sarah Eden heroines! And it’s great to see Jason, who is regarded as the UPTIGHT twin, meet his match. I’ve reread this one a couple of times and loved it more with each reading.
3.5 stars
As Jason was the least-liked of the Jonquil Brothers for me, I was glad to read this book and see a bit more of his side. He always came across as cold and distant before, but now I understand what was going through his mind a little. I may not agree with his views entirely, but I can understand what he was getting at.
Mariposa is perfection! I loved her character from the very beginning. I loved her teasing and quick wit, but also her sensitivity and deep care for others, especially her family. I also loved the little inside jokes between Jason & Mariposa that would surface. The turnips and potatoes!
And, as seems to be the case in every book in this series, I grew to love Phillip and Mater’s characters even more.
The only thing I didn’t love about this book is it felt a little forced and drawn out. Maybe not my favorite book in the series, but the characters are fabulous, and I love the added depth that the element of Spain and Mariposa’s being Spanish adds to the book.
I adore this book. One of my favorites in the series. It makes me laugh and cry both. Mariposa’s cover persona is hilarious and I chuckle the whole time she confounds Jason. So well written. And his cover story on the post ride is hilarious as well. I laughed so hard the first time I read it. Subsequent readings have made me smile and sometimes I go back to read that part just to enjoy it a second time.
Jason is one of the brothers that you don’t really get to know in previous books. He is too busy with his career to spend much time with his family. And when we do see him he is pretty stuffed shirt. It is fun to see him relax and become his old cheerful self again. And it is wonderful to see him get a long better with Phillip.
Mater always seems to be able to give pointed insight and she is very wise in her sights for Jason. I love Mater. And even without ever meeting him, since he died long before the series begins, I love Mater’s husband. His impact on the lives of his boys is very clear.
And in this book Jean is also a wise voice who give Jason wonderful advice and a sense of hope. Love him too.
While there is a great deal of laughter in this book, there is also a good deal of sorrow. Mariposa is dealing with what the war has done to her and her family and Jason is still dealing with the loss of his father. But even in the sorrow there is a sense of hope.
I love all the Jonquil brothers and even though I have a TBR list that is hundreds of books long, I craved to read about the Jonquils again so I’m reading the series yet again. I just love them. And I look forward to the next one coming out. It can’t be soon enough to suit me.
Update: listened to the audio book and it was great too.
I enjoy Sarah M. Eden’s books when I am looking for a nice, easy, light-hearted read. It’s a clean regency romance continuing on with the Jonquil brothers. This book is number four and based off of the brother, Jason the barrister. Time period-wise is super imposes off the third one, which I enjoyed.
I liked the story line and found it very cute and an overall quick and enjoyable read.