Lord Philippe Lavay once took to the high seas armed with charm as lethal as his sword, and a stone-cold conviction: he’ll restore his family’s fortune and honor, no matter the cost. Victory is at last within reach — when a brutal attack snatches it from his grasp and lands him in Pennyroyal Green.
An afternoon of bliss brings a cascade of consequences for Elise Fountain. She is shunned by her … shunned by her family and ousted from a job she loves, and her survival means a plummet down the social ladder to a position no woman has yet been able to keep: housekeeper to a frighteningly formidable prince.
The bold and gentle Elise sees past his battered body into Philippe’s barricaded heart… and her innate sensuality ignites his blood. Now a man who thought he could never love and a woman who thought she would never again trust must fight an incendiary passion that could be the ruin of them both.
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Beautiful Story!
One of my Pennyroyal Green favorites. Interesting plot, wonderful characters, and stirring romance. A delightful tale of reconciliation and new beginnings.
I didn’t want it to end. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve been so entranced and moved by little moments within a book since Sherry Thomas’s “Ravishing the Heiress.”
Both the heroine and hero of this book are equally strong, equally yielding and caring, and equally worthy of the other’s love. This author paid such particular attention to every detail. Nothing in the book is superfluous, and it contains very few “tried and true” metaphors and such. The dialogue is smart and witty, and the development of the relationship is masterful. I could only dream of telling a story this well.
If I have any complaint, it might be the relative ease of the heroine’s “re-entry” into her family. That made it seem as if, perhaps, she might have been in a much better situation much sooner had she only even asked. But by that point in the story, I didn’t care. I only wanted to see her and Lord Lavay find their HEA.
I am thrilled to find a new-to-me author that hit every one of my sweet spots in a historical romance. Can’t wait to read the other books in this series.
PS Obviously, as this is my first “Pennyroyal Green” book, it didn’t matter at all that I read it out of order (in case you were wondering). It stands entirely on its own.
4.75 Stars
This was another big win from the series. I’m not going to go into tons of detail, since all the things I feel for this author and her writing style are still true and defined in my previous reviews. But…
Here are few highlights:
* I loved the now physically broken and recovering Lavay who we had previously met under better conditions in book four. It was fun getting to know him even more and see that he’s also a wonderful romantic hero.
* The heroine was another of JAL’s with a sordid (for the times) past. With the exception of maybe one heroine in this series, all have been wonderful characters with a nice balance of strength and vulnerability. Elise is another one. The determined love and care that she displayed for her son was a joy to read. And oh my goodness, I simply adored Jack and the spot-on portrayal of a five-year-old boy with hard-to-contain energy and boundless curiosity. Elise’s acceptance of her lot in life because of the choices she made before and for her son was admirable. She felt like a feminist before her times, but not in a fanciful or unbelievable way. She challenged the norms but didn’t ride ram shod over every convention.
* The romance between these two characters from different classes was lovely. The way this author writes seduction is dazzling and she manages to amp up the sexiness without the characters even touching. Now that’s a skill.
*There were a couple of chapters towards the end that weren’t as satisfying, but the very last page was divine. I’m excited to finally read the climax to this deftly developed series.