She’s not supposed to think he’s hot.Em has known Ward Knightley all her life, and she’s never thought he was hot before. He’s always been only a family friend–thirteen years older than her and far too bossy. He gives her brotherly advice and lectures her when she does something silly, and the rest of the time he just laughs at her. Sure, he’s smart and handsome and funny and kind. But he’s not … he’s not hot.
He’s really not.
He’s not supposed to be anyway. But once Em starts seeing him in a new way, she can’t think about him the way she did before. She’s usually good at arranging the world around her. She helps her friends find jobs and romantic partners, and she always has herself under control. But nothing is controlled about the way she’s now wants Ward as so much more than a family friend.
If only he didn’t still think about her as a little girl.
Pemberley House is a series of modern reimaginings of Jane Austen novels, and the books are set in a historic mansion in Virginia that has been converted into condos. If I Loved You Less is loosely inspired by Emma.
ey that has been converted into condos. Each book will be a modern reimagining of a Jane Austen novel.
more
Reread review:
I loved rereading this one again. Ward was a great hero and watching him and Em see each other in a new light and making something out of it was fun and smexy. I had forgotten about how much Em liked trying to fix everything and everybody. Great reread!
Original review:
Ward has known Em since she was born. Thirteen years older with a divorce behind him, he carries the weight of the Knightley’s on his shoulders.
But Em’s newest task to help a friend find her way in life has him trying to get her to see that she’s forcing her own expectations on the girl. And as their confrontations grow more and more heated, he’s beginning to see Em in a different light.
”He’d wanted her so much. Now that he was conscious of it, he couldn’t make himself forget or ignore it. And it seemed to get stronger every time he saw her.”
Em is everyone’s friend. She’s caring and giving and is always willing to help someone in need. When her latest project causes a clash between Ward and herself, she is fed up with the way he always views her. She is not a child and should not be lectured to, but that’s how Ward has always seen her. But when she suddenly sees him in a different light, things begin to change.
I really enjoyed getting to know Ward. He is very controlled and definitely bossy, but he’s also determined to change his lecturing ways if it will keep Em in his bed. His divorce has left him scarred and therefore he tends to cut Em out before she can do the cutting. This added to the angst between these characters.
The fact that Em had her mind set on how her life would play out was another hurdle that they had to overcome. She did grow and develop to the point that she was able to see what she was doing with some of her good deeds and it was heartbreaking when she realized it. Both Em and Ward evolved into individuals that were ready to take the next step in a relationship.
The age issue was never really a problem, for which I’m glad as this couple had enough to contend with to throw that into the mix. As all of this author’s books, this is fast paced without long drawn out inner monologues. The steam level here was more than I was expecting, I’m not complaining, and showed that Em and Ward definitely had the chemistry thing down.
Overall, this is a great book that will leave you with a smile on your face and “feel good” vibes in your heart.
3.5 stars.
This was lovely.
This time we have Em and Ward, they’ve known each other since forever. Since Ward is much older than Em, the minute feelings for each other start changing, they rebel against them and convince themselves that nothing is there.
Thing is, feelings don’t go away and now each interaction between them gets awkward and awkward, those little banter talks start meaning something more.
I have to say, both of these guys annoyed me from time to time. She saw him making every mistake in the book, at times when all he did was make a comment; and he still treated her like a child, which was annoying.
Also, SO not a fan of her Dad, it was frustrating to see him how he manipulated Em, and she bought it all. I know it wasn’t intentional on both their parts, but their dynamics were way off.
Still, all in all it was an entertaining read and looking forward to reading the next book in the series.
*Thank you to the author for providing a copy for which I’m giving my honest opinion*
This is another Jane Austen’s inspired book by Noelle Adams from her Pemberley House series.
Emma has been in the other book and she is so Emma! Helpful, naive, really connected to her family, friendly and mentoring. She is the essential character. But what she did not see it happen is how Ward Knightley would become so essential to her life and how she would love him despite of her loyalty to her father.
This is a lovely and almost historical book to read because characters are so driven by emotions that they cannot control and try very hard too! Emma wants to be a good girl and Ward does not want to trust and suffer, but in the end they are soul mates.
You will love this book!!
4.5 Sweet Stars!
I loved these two!!! Em is the girl who takes care of everyone, especially her Dad so I was happy to see her get the spotlight in this one. Ward was truly one of a kind and not someone I would likely see Em with, so I loved how their friendship evolved. I enjoyed seeing the rest of the gang interact throughout this one and to see Riot get her life back on track. I can’t wait for more from Pemberley House.