5 stars I really enjoy Bianca Blythe’s books. Although she generally won’t make you feel the uncomfortable emotions of her characters (to the point of sobbing), she does convey those emotions effectively so the reader empathizes. Despite the fact that you generally know what is going to happen, the journey to get to the end is enjoyable, filled with clever conversations and observations. Sebastian and Genevieve are the stars of this book. Genevieve shot Sebastian in the previous book, All You Need Is a Duke, thinking that he was a highwayman. He has continued to hold a grudge, and as a result, they despise each other. When he hits his head and Genevieve’s mother concocts the story that they are married, we all know that won’t end well. We also know that when Sebastian finds out and leaves, Genevieve will be ruined, but they really don’t have too many options and her mother just grabs onto the first idea that she has. Ms. Blythe has a flair for language and I loved the phrasing of some of the things her characters thought and said, especially when it comes to her ability to understate the obvious. For example, when Genevieve first views the cottage where they are going to live, she laments the roof, thinking: “...it was thatched, a structural success architects had spent centuries surpassing.” Later, Genevieve makes an amusing observation about the land surrounding the cottage, having “a long-ago-destroyed topsoil unsuitable for anything except the occasional amble.” Sebastian, while contemplating his behavior toward Genevieve thinks to himself: “His former nurse would be horrified at his words, but she’d also taken pleasure at spanking him when not demeaning him for being naughty, and Sebastian didn’t care what she thought. Besides, she was dead.” Later, when he awakens after the blow to his head, “Pain ripped through it, accompanied by an odd pounding, as if some tin miner had crawled into his head and had decided to dig his way out, armed solely with his hammer and chisel.” I thought that was a great description of a terrible and inexplicable headache. A conversation near the beginning beautifully exemplifies the relationship that Genevieve and Sebastian have, subsequent to her shooting him but prior to his head injury: “Does everything about you require constant compliments?” Genevieve asked. “Even homes you rent to others?” He blinked. “I don’t require compliments—that would be absurd. Though, I will say, I absolutely deserve them.” This back-and-forth bickering only lasts for as long as Sebastian knows who he is and that he is supposed to hate Genevieve. Once he hits his head, he becomes a sweet, considerate, and loving “husband,” compelling her to actually fall in love with him. The amnesia trope is not new, but as with so many of this author’s stories, it’s told in a new way with extremely engaging and sympathetic characters. The final result is a highly enjoyable book, and this is what makes me continue looking forward to her next release. I loved it. July 24, 2020
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