The Awakening of Miss Henley

Emma Henley, cruelly dubbed as “Homely Miss Henley” by society is in her fifth season and still unmarried. Truth be told, she has her own income, and has no interest in marriage, unless it’s a genuine love match. Since that outcome seems more unlikely every day, she’s determined to set up her own household, which she’ll share with her friends, while devoting her time and energy to her political activities.

Theo Collington is the younger son of a marquess, and, therefore, not the heir. His father encouraged him to live the typical rakish lifestyle enjoyed by many young gentlemen of the ton, including affairs with bored women, unfortunately, many of whom are married. When his latest mistress causes a bit of a scandal, he decides to end their alliance and take a breather before becoming involved in another relationship.

Emma and Theo are acquainted, and she caught his attention by putting him firmly in his place when he pretended to remember their previous introduction. Theo accepted her setdown graciously and with humor, and the two became friends, enjoying their banter and plain speaking. Emma knows exactly the kind of man Theo is, and has no illusions about him, or his interest in her. Still, she can’t deny how his good looks and charm cause her pulse to race, and her imagination to run wild. Theo sees beyond what others consider her plain looks to see the passion in her eyes about the causes she supports. He finds her intensity and her forthright manner extremely appealing, and he can’t help but wonder if her passion would extend to the bedroom. But she’s an innocent, and off limits to him, so he’ll have to be content to enjoy their friendship.

Their early morning rides together in the park and their amusing conversations soon have Theo and Emma becoming closer than ever, and desire is simmering below the surface though neither has openly addressed it yet. When Emma’s dream of her own home is finally about to come true, she and Theo decide to have a no-strings, limited affair. If marriage is not in her future, she’ll at least have a taste of passion, and there’s no one else she’d want to share that with.

Though they exercise discretion and caution, as can be expected, circumstances happen that seem to only be rectified by a quick marriage. Emma still holds fast to only wanting to marry for love – though she admits she’s come to love Theo, he’s made no such declaration to her. Theo comes to realize that he’s also in love, how can he convince Emma, when she believes that he’s only duty driven?

I loved watching the growth of Theo’s character, who, with Emma’s influence changed from a shallow rake to a man willing to embrace his artistic, passionate side. This required considerable courage, as it means standing up to his father, who berated his talent years ago. Theo’s care of Emma’s introduction to passion showed him to be a generous and loving man, and their intimacy was steamy and joyful. Whether in passion, or just in conversation, Emma and Theo have a connection that is rare, and one that is lovely to witness. THE AWAKENING OF MISS HENLEY is a romantic and enjoyable read, and I’ve no doubt that Emma feels beautiful in Theo’s arms, and IS beautiful to him.

As reviewed at Roses Are Blue: https://wp.me/p3QRh4-ZL

Unusual situation with the h being not the usual pretty young girl but a wonderful friendship develops between the H & h and you see them slowly realize that they love each other. I thought the characters were interesting, the H is a much nicer person than he seems at first and grows up a lot during the book. Neither of them have any idea what love really is until almost the end of the book. I enjoyed the characters, the book seemed somewhat long and rambling at the end but i did like the characters.

“The Awakening of Miss Henley” (nook) is a captivating story which kept my interest from beginning to end. I loved how Emma and Theo sparred and gradually fell in love. After a few tears I sighed at the HEA.

Miss Emma Henley is still unwed after five seasons. She is rather plain and not rich enough to attract a fortune hunter. She has decided to live on her own with two of her friends when the season ends. Lord Theo is a rake and an excellent horseman. He has decided to change his ways and go back to his art. As these two meet, passions flair. Follow the twists and turns and bumps in the road for this couple.
I received an advance copy of this book and I voluntarily wrote an honest review.

Miss Emma Henley has decided to forgo marriage. She does not want to be for breeding and housekeeping, plus men are not faithful creatures and she wants love and fidelity. she is also known as Homely Emma Henley, her sister is very beautiful and she is not. She wants a taste of passion before she retires from society and she asks him.
Lord Theo Collington is very handsome and charming and every woman wants him. But he does not want to marry a shallow woman as most ton ladies are. His father wanted him to do manly pursuits like gambling, drinking and entertain ladies. He has become a great Rake and that is reputation. He is just bored of it all.
He likes honesty and straight talk. I love the story, the main characters are so adorable they love to tease each other and she tells him straight out if he is doing something wrong. It is a fun tale even with the sexy overtones. It is easy to read but only over eighteen bunch should read it.
I received this from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

“Five seasons and still unwed. Not that she had not had opportunities to marry. She had not once been tempted to accept and her own mother described her as ‘not pretty enough to tempt a rake and not rich enough to tempt a fortune hunter.'” paraphrashed but it really set the story going forward.
How can I best describe this utterly delightful story? Once I began the first page, I was immersed into one of the best stories I have read this year. I could only admire Miss Emily Henley as she would not settle for less than a real marriage to someone she cared about. She was to the point of setting up her own household and luckily she had the funds, where she could pursue her true interest. Political concerns of restricting child labor and extending the vote to women and many more.
But she did enjoy her conversations with the handsome Lord Theo. Oh yes he was a libertine but their banter was so surprising and he did not want to get married anymore than she did! Little did she know his thoughts about her…
“There was something about her-some restless, passionate, driving force he sensed just beneath the surface calm-that called out to him, as compelling as physical beauty.”
A slow journey of friendship and sparks of attraction that literally comes off of the pages. Julia Justiss has created such a memorable story with all the ingrediants that I adore in historical romance. I truly cannot wait for the next story in this series and know I will be revisiting this one again. Perfect.

A fantastic start to a new series, The Cinderella Spinsters by Julia. I thoroughly enjoyed this book from start to finish. Julia knows exactly what her readers enjoy and delivers every time! In this story, you have two characters who see the world where they live completely different.

Lord Theo Collington is a younger son who has the world at his feet, a carefree rogue who loves the ladies as much as they love him. He is handsome, witty and can always be depended on to be entertaining. No one knows the real Theo, even Theo. He has camouflaged himself so thoroughly that he doesn’t even think about what will become of him, he has no purpose except to be a rogue and behave as his father dictates. Deep down Theo is a talented artist that is dying to come out, but his father has forbidden him to indulge in a female past time. So he goes on his merry way until he meets Miss Henly, who has no compunction about telling him how worthless he is!

Miss Emma Henley is a plain spinster who has plans for her life that do not include men, marriage, and children. She and her two best friends plan to move in together and make the world better for all women. They write letters to MPs, donate their time at charity schools and raise money to help women learn a trade and get the positions that will help them become independent and not have to sell their bodies to survive.

Every time they meet she scolds or insults him and he laughs and always comes back for more. At first, he is amused by Emma and then he finds that he cannot help seeking her out. Emma looks forward to their conversations even though she cannot understand why a handsome popular rake would find her amusing. When Emma proposes a plan that could change both their lives forever things get intense and both find their futures are changing in ways that they never imagined.

I loved this story because of the way Julia lets her characters evolve, grow and discover what is truly important in their lives. This is a story that will make you laugh and cry. I am a big fan of Julia’s books and know you will be too!

Emma Henley is a woman a head of her time. She has spunk and courage. She won’t be forced to marry just to fulfill society’s expectation. I liked her style. She’s intelligent and avidly supports social reform. It was easy to care for her. Lord Theo is a charming, handsome rake. He spends his time with the ladies and is a sought after companion. It was interesting to watch Emma and Lord Theo form a powerful connection. This was highly unusual for an unmarried innocent to develop such a close relationship. Their liaison was very romantic. I loved this story! Both characters say they have no desire to marry, but I could see they had developed strong feelings for each other. I wanted a HEA for Emma and Theo. I just wasn’t sure it was in the cards for them. I hoped that wounded pride or stubbornness wouldn’t keep them apart. Julia Justiss wrote a emotional romance that kept me enthralled. I hated that to be accepted in society that they had to hide their real passions. I’m excited for the next books in The Cinderella Spinsters series.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

Miss Emma Henley knows she’s neither pretty nor rich enough to land a husband. Instead she’s thrown her passion into good causes. This Season she’s enjoying the verbal sparring with Lord Theo. The dashing rake is just as determined to stay unwed as she is.
We met Theo and Emma in the Sisters of Scandal series & I’m so glad they’ve now had their story. Emma is straight talking & Theo is drawn to her & enjoys their morning rides in the park. I loved their verbal sparring & how their relationship changed & developed. The wallflower & the rake is a trope I always enjoy, this was no exception. The chemistry between the pair was there from the start, simmering away until it combusted at their first meeting in the house on Judd Street which was breath taking. I loved their insecurities & how they boosted each other so that they both grew confidence. A captivating, enthralling read, which I found very hard to put down & I look forward to the rest of the series.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

Gorgeous story! Emma is determined to live her life with her two friends independent of men. She has all her planning done and is ready to move on. She doesn’t believe she is beautiful enough to inspire any man to commit to her. Theo is a player. He is rich, titled and handsome. He doesn’t believe he has it in him to be married and faithful to one woman for life. They enjoy arguing with each other and find themselves battling their feelings fo each other.

The story is filled with lots of wit and snappy arguments. As these two grow closer together they find strength and courage in being close. They each have to modify their beliefs and decide what is going to make them happiest.