Series: Pennyroyal Green, #8
Traits & Tropes: spare son; illegitimate heroine; class difference
Publication Date: 06.25.13
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Sussex/London, England
Heat Level: 2.5
Rating: 5 stars!
Narration Rating: 5/5
Jonathan Redmond is known for breaking the hearts of London’s debutantes, though this was never his intention. With his handsome face and his family’s money, he can’t help but attract the ladies, but he’ll do whatever he can to avoid the marriage ultimatum his father has thrust upon him.
Thomasina de Ballesteros has all the men of London clamoring for her attention, but none of them knows who she really is. She has entirely too many secrets to keep and has no interest in entertaining rakes, especially the notorious Jonathan Redmond.
Thomasina embodies all the things Jonathan has never wanted for himself. Yet, somehow, he finds himself drawn into Tommy’s world of risk-taking and soon discovers a part of himself he never thought to meet, the one capable of great love. She soon has him reconsidering everything and drawing up new plans for his life, ones that might now include love and marriage.
This may be a new favorite for me in the Pennyroyal Green series, or at least a close second to A Notorious Countess Confesses. I absolutely adored Jonathan as a hero and Thomasina was a lovely heroine for him. Everyone in his life underestimated him and his family clearly didn’t really know him at all, even those he was closest to. This tugged at my heartstrings, but it made Thomasina shine even more because she did believe in him and saw the real him pretty early on in their acquaintance. I loved that neither Thomasina nor Jonathan really shied away from their feelings for one another, even though they were both scared. Thomasina was terrified and even considering other options, but when Jonathan asked her to trust him, she did and that’s one of the strongest and most realistic examples of love I’ve yet read. I adored the fact that Jonathan stood up to his overbearing father, refusing to be cowed and instead going after what he wanted for himself, even telling his father off for his heavy-handed machinations.
All of this would’ve been cute enough for me but add in the fact that Jonathan just couldn’t stop himself from helping others and stepping in when he saw someone in need of help, and I was a little in love with him myself. It was so gratifying to see all that finally culminate into something good for Jonathan and his nearly immediate dedication to working to end child labor just made him that much more perfect. Thomasina’s story was heart-rending, but I loved that she wouldn’t let herself be intimidated by those more powerful than herself or scared away from loving Jonathan. These two believed in each other and each was perhaps the first to truly see the other for who they are and that was perhaps my favorite part of the story.
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/4031301023
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4328536494
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