Series: Pennyroyal Green, #11
Traits & Tropes: second chance; forbidden; feuding families; self-made hero
Publication Date: 09.29.15
Genre/Setting: Historical; Regency; Sussex/London/Plymouth, England; Cadiz, Spain
Heat Level: 3.5
Rating: 4 stars
Narration Rating: 5/5
Everyone says Olivia Eversea broke Lyon Redmond’s heart and drove him away, hence why no one has seen him in years. Many men have tried to court her since then, unsuccessfully, so society is shocked when she agrees to marry Viscount Landsdowne and the two set a date. Now everyone is waiting impatiently and placing bets on the outcome of the wedding, and the potential return of the Redmond heir.
Lyon has always worked to get what he wants and since he met her, that has been Olivia. She was forbidden to him, and he left to seek his own fortune, but he’s never forgotten her. He’s spent years amassing a fortune and has become a powerful force in his own right. When he learns of her impending wedding, Lyon decides a reckoning is due and it’s time for the two of them to decide if their love is still alive and worth fighting for or if it will destroy both them and their families.
I’m usually not a fan of second chance stories, but this is the epitome of the second chance/forbidden love trope done well. Lyon and Olivia felt so inevitable that it was impossible not to root for them to be together. It would’ve been stronger for me if Lyon had remained celibate in his absence, even if that's a bit unrealistic, but his love for Olivia was no less clear or believable. Everything he did in his five-year absence to better himself was to try to be worthy of her, and to fulfill some of her/their shared dreams, so it all felt like this huge grand romantic gesture, and I loved that. Lyon may have forced Olivia’s hand a bit, but he also left her decision about her future ultimately up to her. I liked that this gave her autonomy, but also that it set things up so that they each had to choose the other and I think that made the romance stronger. Lyon finally stood up to his father and claimed the life, and the wife, he wanted, and I never tire of that in romance; a hero who stands up for his heroine is always a hit. Rather than leave me depressed as second chance stories often do, this one left me feeling hopeful instead. I am sad to have finished the Pennyroyal Green series, but I am very happy with how it wrapped up with cameos from all the previous characters and this book will go on my keeper shelf.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5076854746
https://www.bookbub.com/reviews/3034551552
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