Scan barcode
ella_s93's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
waclements7's review
3.0
This was an enjoyable enough read—it kept me reading to find out what happened, but there were many points at which I almost quit. I was discussing my feelings about it with my boyfriend. He inadvertently got sucked into watching a version of Trollope’s He Knew He Was Right one evening, and he laughed when I was complaining about Philip and named the Trollope title. That pretty much sums it up. Philip thinks he’s right, no matter how many people he makes unhappy, and it takes criminal acts to make him realize otherwise. Maybe for these books I should start rating them by how many boots to the head the hero should get. And it also has one of my second favorite tropes—lack of communication. Although, to give Rose credit, she really does try to have meaningful conversations with Philip. There are enough redeeming qualities to give it three stars, though. It’s well-written and the dialogue and characters are good. Drake is a cute boy, and I think it’s hard to give young kids who are so essential to the plot sort of fun personalities. He’s a regular little boy with a best friend and I thought that was well done.
msmattoon's review
2.0
They were already together from the first page, and it didn't hit any of my buttons.
joanav's review
2.0
I've received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
Review in Portuguese: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/livro-love-to-remember-de-bronwen-evans.html
A Love to Remember had the perfect ingredients: a hero haunted by the past and a heroine who would make him see that he deserves to be happy. Too bad that in the end everything was very quickly wrapped up with a nice bow.
Rose is always described as an independent woman who doesn’t want to get married, but we readers only get to know her when she wants to get married again and, in my opinion, she shows very little of her independence – which made her a character I didn’t particularly liked.
Philip is the typical tortured hero, which made sense, and in the end of the book he gets to the conclusion that he should be happy and honour his brother by having a nice life.
My problem with this book it that it was mainly contrary to the synopsis. And the little mystery it had I figured it out right away. The characters all felt weak to me and, honestly, I should stop now or it will only get worse.
In short, a disappointment.
Review in Portuguese: http://pepitamagica.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/livro-love-to-remember-de-bronwen-evans.html
A Love to Remember had the perfect ingredients: a hero haunted by the past and a heroine who would make him see that he deserves to be happy. Too bad that in the end everything was very quickly wrapped up with a nice bow.
Rose is always described as an independent woman who doesn’t want to get married, but we readers only get to know her when she wants to get married again and, in my opinion, she shows very little of her independence – which made her a character I didn’t particularly liked.
Philip is the typical tortured hero, which made sense, and in the end of the book he gets to the conclusion that he should be happy and honour his brother by having a nice life.
My problem with this book it that it was mainly contrary to the synopsis. And the little mystery it had I figured it out right away. The characters all felt weak to me and, honestly, I should stop now or it will only get worse.
In short, a disappointment.
mapey's review
3.0
Thank you Netgalley for sending me an ARC of this book! All opinions are my own and not influenced in any way.
A Love to Remember is a historical romance novel about Rose and Phillip, two people who have always loved each other but refused to marry. Eventually, Rose does want to marry and have children, but Phillip is still dead set against that lifestyle, so they break up. Unfortunately, they still have feelings for each other and have to cope with being alone. Will they end up back together, stay friends, or what?
I didn't really like the plot until the last 1/3 of the book, where everything became high stakes and dangerous. Rose was the typical "strong, independent woman" up to a point where she seemed to just become useless and dependent on Phillip for everything. I understand wanting to marry, there's nothing wrong with that, but she just becomes so helpless and fragile.
The romance was interesting. There weren't many sex scenes, which surprised me, considering most adult romance novels have one almost every chapter. The relationship between Phillip and Rose was very dependent and needy, and it seemed a bit uncomfortable to read about at times.
The book wasn't amazing, but for what it was, it wasn't horrible. If you want a quick, sappy romance novel with some actually decent plot, this is for you.
A Love to Remember is a historical romance novel about Rose and Phillip, two people who have always loved each other but refused to marry. Eventually, Rose does want to marry and have children, but Phillip is still dead set against that lifestyle, so they break up. Unfortunately, they still have feelings for each other and have to cope with being alone. Will they end up back together, stay friends, or what?
I didn't really like the plot until the last 1/3 of the book, where everything became high stakes and dangerous. Rose was the typical "strong, independent woman" up to a point where she seemed to just become useless and dependent on Phillip for everything. I understand wanting to marry, there's nothing wrong with that, but she just becomes so helpless and fragile.
The romance was interesting. There weren't many sex scenes, which surprised me, considering most adult romance novels have one almost every chapter. The relationship between Phillip and Rose was very dependent and needy, and it seemed a bit uncomfortable to read about at times.
The book wasn't amazing, but for what it was, it wasn't horrible. If you want a quick, sappy romance novel with some actually decent plot, this is for you.
swancreates's review
3.0
I have to admit, the way Bronwen Evans writes, keeps you engaged until the end of the book, but the plot of her books have gotten utterly ridiculous.
The deduction that Rose had towards Phillip was exhausting to read. I mean my goddess, this man has shown you at every corner that he does not love you enough to marry you UNTIL something horrible happened to you that can take you away from him forever and you call that love? like girl, leave that man alone and find someone that actually loves you.
I love how the author wrote Rose. She wasn't a blushing virgin that was obsessed with being virginal, in fact, nobody cared about her escapade except maybe her brother (gross, I know). And I loved that about this book.
I understand Phillip's guilt, but the length he took it to was ridiculous and he hurt many people in the process, especially Rose and her son. I was rooting for Rose to quit him completely and find someone new because even at the end of the book he admitted that he didn't think he would have married her if a series of events didn't happen. And that's just sad. So sad. I would never want a love like this.
All in all, the story kept me engaged all the way through, and the writing was solid and for that, it gets a solid three stars. Especially since the last book in the series was such a disaster, I almost didn't read this one.
The deduction that Rose had towards Phillip was exhausting to read. I mean my goddess, this man has shown you at every corner that he does not love you enough to marry you UNTIL something horrible happened to you that can take you away from him forever and you call that love? like girl, leave that man alone and find someone that actually loves you.
I love how the author wrote Rose. She wasn't a blushing virgin that was obsessed with being virginal, in fact, nobody cared about her escapade except maybe her brother (gross, I know). And I loved that about this book.
I understand Phillip's guilt, but the length he took it to was ridiculous and he hurt many people in the process, especially Rose and her son. I was rooting for Rose to quit him completely and find someone new because even at the end of the book he admitted that he didn't think he would have married her if a series of events didn't happen. And that's just sad. So sad. I would never want a love like this.
All in all, the story kept me engaged all the way through, and the writing was solid and for that, it gets a solid three stars. Especially since the last book in the series was such a disaster, I almost didn't read this one.
agirlreadsbooks's review
4.0
YES- Strong woman(mother) who did not give two flips what society deemed appropriate conduct! I loved Rose-after one terrible marriage she made the choice to be a wonderful mother during the day but enjoy unemcumbered passion at night. This lands her in the bed of her best friends brother, Phillip. After the death of his brother Phillip turns to Rose for sexual solace, two years later their affair is still going strong; but marriage is not an option for Phillip and Rose has made it clear that once was enough. However, sometimes minds can change. The chemistry between these two is evident but can Rose convince Phillip that it is more than sex.
Rose is such a strong character-I really loved her. Phillip is a tormented soul that sometimes drove me mad. A mix of passion, hurt, deceit, and some treachery make for a fun read.
Rose is such a strong character-I really loved her. Phillip is a tormented soul that sometimes drove me mad. A mix of passion, hurt, deceit, and some treachery make for a fun read.
chymerra's review
4.0
I know I have mentioned in other reviews how much I like historical romance and I do know that I have mentioned, on several occasions, how much I dislike reading books that are in a series out of series order. Well, A Love to Remember not only fulfilled my historical romance craving (I have read contemporary a lot these days) but it also can be read as a standalone book. Which made me very thankful because I have enjoyed the two books I have read out of this series.
What I really enjoyed about A Love to Remember was that Rose was no innocent virgin. She was married and widowed at a young age….leaving her to explore her sexuality. That is something that is almost unheard of in most historical romances that I have read and to be honest, it was very refreshing to read. There was no de-flowering scene when Philip and Rose had sex and Rose knew what she liked and she knew how to please Philip. I. Freaking. Loved. It. Don’t get me wrong, I love a romance where the virgin is de-flowered but sometimes it gets old. So when you have an older woman (26 for that era was considered old) who decided that she was going to be in charge of her body (again, for that era…totally unheard of since women were considered men’s property) and who fully enjoyed sex, I couldn’t get enough.
I really liked Rose too. She had a mind of her own, knew what she wanted and wasn’t about to let a man order her around. She loved with her whole heart…be it her son, Drake, or Philip, who she had loved her years. But she was also realistic and knew that her and Philip’s relationship was just sex based….even though she loved him. I also like that she wasn’t at all bothered by her “Wicked Widow” reputation. But I did find some fault with that. While I loved that she was sexually aware and that she took lovers, I really couldn’t help but think “Would have the ton really accepted her in real life“. Honestly, that is probably the only thing that I could find to complain about with this book.
Philip, I wanted to strangle most of the book. He kept things so close to his chest that I kinda wanted to shake him and say “Dude, you love her…just go tell her.” But no, being a typical man, he refused to act on his feelings until it was almost too late. While I wanted to strangle him, I did feel bad for him. He had survivor’s guilt over surviving the battle that got his older brother and heir killed. It affected everything that he did from that day forward. It almost cost him his relationship with Rose. It took two acts of violence to wake him up.
Speaking of that, I didn’t see that plot twist coming. Nothing leading up to it until Rose received the note in her bedroom, threatening to tell Philip her secret (want to know what…read the book). Then everything slowly started to come out and I was shocked by who the villain was. I was totally not expecting that person to be the bad guy.
The sex scenes were burning and I loved that there was no “introduction to his member” scene. Actually, the first chapter of the book, they are going at it doggy style…so yeah. Rose was experienced (see what I wrote above) and I think that brought a little extra oomph to the sex scenes. And when their feelings started to get involved, it made the sex even hotter, in my eyes.
The end of the book was your typical HEA and I loved how everything was pulled together for the epilogue I can’t wait to read the next book!!
How many stars will I give A Love to Remember: 4
Why: Great characters, great plot line and some pretty burning hot sex scenes
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex and some mild violence
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
What I really enjoyed about A Love to Remember was that Rose was no innocent virgin. She was married and widowed at a young age….leaving her to explore her sexuality. That is something that is almost unheard of in most historical romances that I have read and to be honest, it was very refreshing to read. There was no de-flowering scene when Philip and Rose had sex and Rose knew what she liked and she knew how to please Philip. I. Freaking. Loved. It. Don’t get me wrong, I love a romance where the virgin is de-flowered but sometimes it gets old. So when you have an older woman (26 for that era was considered old) who decided that she was going to be in charge of her body (again, for that era…totally unheard of since women were considered men’s property) and who fully enjoyed sex, I couldn’t get enough.
I really liked Rose too. She had a mind of her own, knew what she wanted and wasn’t about to let a man order her around. She loved with her whole heart…be it her son, Drake, or Philip, who she had loved her years. But she was also realistic and knew that her and Philip’s relationship was just sex based….even though she loved him. I also like that she wasn’t at all bothered by her “Wicked Widow” reputation. But I did find some fault with that. While I loved that she was sexually aware and that she took lovers, I really couldn’t help but think “Would have the ton really accepted her in real life“. Honestly, that is probably the only thing that I could find to complain about with this book.
Philip, I wanted to strangle most of the book. He kept things so close to his chest that I kinda wanted to shake him and say “Dude, you love her…just go tell her.” But no, being a typical man, he refused to act on his feelings until it was almost too late. While I wanted to strangle him, I did feel bad for him. He had survivor’s guilt over surviving the battle that got his older brother and heir killed. It affected everything that he did from that day forward. It almost cost him his relationship with Rose. It took two acts of violence to wake him up.
Speaking of that, I didn’t see that plot twist coming. Nothing leading up to it until Rose received the note in her bedroom, threatening to tell Philip her secret (want to know what…read the book). Then everything slowly started to come out and I was shocked by who the villain was. I was totally not expecting that person to be the bad guy.
The sex scenes were burning and I loved that there was no “introduction to his member” scene. Actually, the first chapter of the book, they are going at it doggy style…so yeah. Rose was experienced (see what I wrote above) and I think that brought a little extra oomph to the sex scenes. And when their feelings started to get involved, it made the sex even hotter, in my eyes.
The end of the book was your typical HEA and I loved how everything was pulled together for the epilogue I can’t wait to read the next book!!
How many stars will I give A Love to Remember: 4
Why: Great characters, great plot line and some pretty burning hot sex scenes
Will I reread: Yes
Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes
Age range: Adult
Why: Sex and some mild violence
**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**
More...