Historical Romance of the finest caliber.
I knew from the beginning that I was going to love this book - that I was going to love Tom and Cassandra together. As this is the 6th book in Lisa Kleypas' series The Ravenels, I had already made the acquaintance of Tom, but I had kind of dismissed him as a bully to begin with. However, as the series progressed, Tom's worth was slowly revealed and in this book he really comes into his own. This is the most fitting story for him and it made me love him as a character.
"The two of them formed a complete unit... a togetherness...
that contained infinity. Their marriage had a beginning and end, but every
day of it was filled with forever. It's a beautiful concept."
- Tom
WHAT I LOVED
Tom and Cassandra: I am used to relationships in historical romance evolving quickly over a couple of days or - if they're completely drawn out - a few weeks. I loved that Tom and Cassandra's relationship was nothing like that. They took their time and it was great and new. Their chemistry is just amazing - they have such great banter! I loved Tom's withdrawn character and Cassandra effervescence. They went great together.
Maybe if he read enough novels about the problems of fictional
people, he might find some clue about how to solve his own.
Originality: Anyone who knows me and my reading habits know that I am a sucker for originality. To me, there is no greater sin than reading a book I feel like I have already read before. That's how I feel with unoriginal books. That, however, was not the feeling I got here. Even though I read a lot of historical romance and thought I had seen it all, there were so many things in this book that felt original, like a fresh breath of air; the ending, the build up, the romance! I can't get into too many details without ruining the experience for you and that's the last thing I want to do!
"Marry me, Cassandra- and we'll tell them all to go to hell.”
- Tom
Negotiation scene: The negotiation scene between Tom and Cassandra was one of the most adorable and and perhaps most romantic scenes in any Historical Romance I have ever read. Again, I cannot go into detail here - but when you get to it remember my words: Most. Romantic. Ever!