Wonderful Story of Second Chances

“Life is short. Love matters most.”

THE STORY: Lord Phillipe Lavay, a prince of the house of Bourbon, is recovering from life threatening injuries in Pennyroyal Green. Lavay’s life is at a crossroads. He needs to make enough money to repurchase his family home and he needs to determine whether it will be through his dangerous work for the Crown or through marriage. Elise Fountain has come down in life. A former teacher at a girls’ school, Elise is a fallen women with an son — and no husband. She finds herself desperate and needing a position as the housekeeper for Lord Lavay.

OPINION: This is a wonderfully gentle story where the relationship between Lavay and Elise builds slowly. The two begin as combatants with sharp words and clever repartee. Respect builds between them and also caring as Elise cannot ignore the physical pain she sees in Lavay. The differences in their stations are so great that it seems impossible for them to imagine that they are perfect together, but of course, they are.

The character of Elise is amazing. A woman who trusted wrongly, who took a chance on love and lost, she accepts her mistakes even as they are something that have utterly damaged her life. She has a wonderful relationship with her son and accepts him as the joy she has gained from the pain her choices have brought her. I liked how Elise takes pride in her work and always demands the best from herself and others.

This story is paced incredibly well. For a woman who has been burned before, I would have thought worse of her had she rushed into another relationship. Instead, Elise knows that she cannot afford to make another mistake for herself and for her son. Lavay ultimately knows and respect this as well. These two complex characters are a joy to read about.

Julie Anne Long always does these stories about living with moral mistakes and complex issues regarding sexuality — especially for women — incredibly well. This one is another book in that vein.

WORTH MENTIONING: Olivia and Lyon fans rejoice…the end of this book is the beginning of what you have been waiting for.

FINAL DECISION: The story here is not original nor is the ending unexpected, but Julie Anne Long has a wonderful way of working her characters and the emotions such that the end result is fresh and engaging.

CONNECTED BOOKS: IT STARTED WITH A SCANDAL is the tenth book in the Pennyroyal Green series. It can be read as a standalone although various couples from prior books make appearances.

STAR RATING: I give IT STARTED WITH A SCANDAL 4.25 stars.

Ian Eversea Meets His Match

BETWEEN THE DEVIL AND IAN EVERSEA is the ninth book in the Pennyroyal Green series. Ian Eversea, the rogue who famously attempted to seduce the Duke of Falconbridge’s fiancee in WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE and ended up going home naked, meets the Duke’s ward Titania “Tansy” Danforth. Tansy is an American heiress who has come to England to find a husband approved by the Duke.

I really liked this book because it was about how people create masks to hide pain in their lives. Both Tansy and Ian have created superficial flirty personalities in order to keep people at a distance. While at first these two appear superficial, they are actually hiding depths that are discovered when they are together.

At the same time, this book is very funny. The reactions of men to Tansy are simply hysterical. Men are just entranced with her. The subtle competition over flowers with Olivia and the reactions of the other women in the book was also amusing. At the same time, we see Tansy’s caring nature in how she treats people. My favorite part of the book is her list of qualities she desires in a husband which she adds to throughout the book.

I also enjoyed spending time with the Duke and Genevieve again. Because of the situation, Falconbridge is a significant part of this book and his actions in this book made me like him even more than before.

While not necessary to read all the books in the series before this one (though I highly recommend starting at the beginning and reading all nine), I believe that a reader will enjoy this book better if they read at least WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE because of the continuation of the story from that book.

Finally, I really hope the next book us about Olivia and Lyon because the events of this book leave me concerned.

This Book Grew On Me As It Went On

IT HAPPENED ONE MIDNIGHT is the eighth book in the Pennyroyal Green series. It is the story of Jonathan Redmond, the youngest son of the Redmond family. Jonathan meets Thomasina de Ballestros one night while she is skulking outside a dude’s window. The two end up as friends as Tommy ends up involving Jonathan in various schemes. Jonathan has been given an ultimatum by his father: marry an appropriate woman by the end if the year. Of course, Jonathan begins to have non-friend feelings for Tommy, who is definitely not appropriate.

I loved the development of the relationship in this book. Tommy and Jonathan begin to discover in each other a purpose in life. The two become entwined in Tommy’s schemes and Jonathan’s investments. I could feel how these two grew and changed throughout the book. I also very much liked how they both moved together to solve the problem of them seemingly not being able to be together. Jonathan is a great hero and I really felt his love for his family in this book. This book also resolves some of the lingering problems from the other books in the series (still waiting for Lyon and Olivia).

A NOTORIOUS COUNTESS CONFESSES is the seventh book in the Pennyroyal Green series. It is the story of a former courtesan and the vicar. Evie Duggan has risen from poverty to being a countess. After her husband’s death, she moves to Pennyroyal Green, but finds that she cannot escape her past. She meets Adam Sylvaine, the vicar. These are interesting character and the book does a great job of exploring sin and repentance, acceptance of one’s choices even if they are frowned upon by others, and loving one’s neighbor. Evie does not regret her choices because she believes she made the best choice she could considering her circumstances. Adam comes to accept her choices as well.

I liked the main characters in this book. Evie is tough and yet has a soft heart that she has hidden. Adam learns more about love and acceptance than he could have imagined. I liked this book, however, while I completely accepted Adam’s conversion, the reaction of the others in the town was just too simplistic. I also really didn’t like Evie’s consideration of returning to her former life. I thought by that point in the story, Evie’s reaction was too cold-blooded.

These are just small complaints, however, with a book that I enjoyed overall.

HOW THE MARQUESS WAS WON is the sixth book in the Pennyroyal Green series. It is the story of Julian Spenser, Marquees Dryden who is determined to restore his family’s legacy by marrying Lisbeth Redmond. His plan, however, begins to crumble when he meets Phoebe Vale, Lisbeth’s paid companion. They discover in each other people of passion who have created facades in order to overcome the difficulties in their pasts. Soon plans have to change in order to accommodate their feelings for one another.

This book starts out near the end of the story and then goes back and explains how the characters got to that point. I loved how the relationship between Julian and Phoebe develops. Phoebe is no shrinking violet. She is fiery and strong. The attraction between the two completely makes sense. Unlike most books using this troupe, the difficulty between the characters arises not from the difference in their classes but rather Julian’s determination to restore the properties his father lost. I really liked these characters and I smiled and laughed at the situations the two found themselves in, especially how the ton wanted to emulate Julian.

While part of a series, a reader will not miss much by not having read the previous books.

WHAT I DID FOR A DUKE is the fifth book in the Pennyroyal Green series. It is the story of Genevieve Eversea who finds out that the man she loves intends to propose to her friend. She is set adrift by this information and that is when she meets Alexander Moncrieffe, Duke of Falconbridge. The duke cultivates a relationship with Genevieve because he intends to seduce and abandon her in revenge for Genevieve’s brother having seduced the dude’s fiancee.

I loved this book. The book builds slowly as the duke begins the relationship seeking revenge and ends up in love. By the time the last chapter arrived, I was completely transfixed with the story and the relationship between Genevieve and Alex. The story is complex and Long does not take the easy way out by making the choices of the characters simple. Long has an amazing way of bringing characters together who at first seem so different but in the end are so clearly of the same “species” as Alex says.

I absolutely recommend this book. I would rate is a 4.5.

I KISSED AN EARL is the fourth book in the Pennyroyal Green series. It is the story of the wayward Violet Redmond and the newly minted Earl of Ardmay, Asher Flint. A gypsy fortune predicted that Violet would take a sea journey. Violet who is impulsive stores away on Flint’s ship as he goes in search of a pirate who might be Violet’s missing oldest brother.

These two characters are so well match: arrogant, passionate, determined, strategic. The two are engaged in gameplay and gamesmanship throughout the book. Being at odds over Violet’s brother the two cannot see a future together and yet they are kindred spirits. I loved the interplay between Violet and Flint. Both have reasonable positions and the book does not shy away from the difficulties they face.

I could not put this book down. The strong, clear unadorned language of the book allows the emotions and choices of the characters to shine. This is my favorite of the series so far.

I recommend this book — and you can read this book without having read the prior books.