I read this last month (one of the few I actually read) and I really did love it. It tugged on my heartstrings. Kleypas writes Liberty’s life so well that even I could feel hurt or sad or happy for her.

I could feel the tension between her and Hardy and I understand how he changed and influenced her. I admire Liberty for all the sacrifice she’s done for her sister that of course, I was rooting for a happy ending for her. I like Gage. Even if he’s not my favorite “hero” of all time, I could not help but like him as he tried to help Liberty and her sister (he and Liberty’s sister were pretty cute together).

I’m pleased with how things were resolved in the end although I do think that a bit of it was too hurried. Then again, it might have been good not to add any more drama.

Started Reading: March 25, 2007
Finished Reading: March 25, 2007

When I started reading this, I immediately thought it was bound to be very funny, if not very good. The first few pages were already giving me amusement:

“ll have the carriage readied and have the valet pack my clothes. We’ll leave within the hour. Incidentally, if you decide to back out of our agreement at any time during our journey, I will strangle you.”

She shot him a sardonic glance. “You w-wouldn’t be so nervous about that if you hadn’t tried this with an unwilling victim l-last week.”

“Touche. Then we may describe you as a willing victim?”

“An eager one,” Evangeline said shortly, looking as though she wanted to be off at once.

And I do love a character who asks good questions. xD

“That’s the story?” St. Vincent asked with an incredulous scowl. “The heather comes from the tears of a girl over her dead lover?”

“Aye.”

“Then how in God’s name can it be a token of good luck?”

Sebastian was a selfish kind of rake (as Cam said, “The only love match is between St. Vincent and himself.”), arrogant too, and he has moments when he flaunts it. They’re common in most historical romances, but Sebastian hasn’t lost humor (or the ability to invoke humor from the reader) that you don’t get tired of having another one of those soon-to-be-transformed rakes playing a role in the novel. I like his wit very much. =D

Meanwhile, heroines are usually diamonds of the first water, traditional ugly ducklings recently turned into swans, that it’s actually refreshing to find one who stammers and is somewhat shy. And she’s not annoyingly perfect, thank goodness. Not very stubborn, obedient to an extent, and she doesn’t defy the hero at every chance. Definitely a change. A good change. =)

The story was alright, though it did left some things unsettled. I mean, St. Vincent (a.k.a. Sebastian) vowed revenge against Evie’s uncle/family (okay, not exactly revenge, but it came close to “not getting away with it”) but no final conclusion to that issue happened at the end of the book. And it ended so abruptly…so I wasn’t really satisfied with how it was ended. A few other chapters would’ve done the trick, I think.