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3.63 AVERAGE
3.63 AVERAGE
She burst into tears--and not mere weeping, but great, racking sobs, as of a long pent-up grief.
He started to reach for her and caught himself in time. "Stop it," he said, clenching his hands. "Stop it."
"No! You're such an idiot!"
"You're hysterical," he said calmly, while his heart pounded. "Don't make me pour a bucket of water on your head."
She stamped her foot again. "I'm already w-wet, you m-moron!"
"Oh good. What I always wanted. An irrational female bawling and stamping her foot, because she can't have her own way." --Clara & Raven, one of their many golden interactions
5++ stars!!
This book was utter perfection. I cannot begin to describe and express how much I loved this story, these characters, their blooming romance, their banter and hilarious interactions, and really just everything about this novel. I highlighted and bookmarked SO MANY passages and quotes that I feel like broadcasting some of these is the best way to show my love and devotion to this novel. Enjoy! :)
Lady Clara is pretty much your typical daughter of the ton. She is beautiful, well-mannered, and has been meticulously groomed by her mother to someday marry a duke and become the duchess of a well-respected family of Society. However, she longs to be free of the expectations of polite Society and to be able to express her emotions and thoughts as a sentient being instead of being viewed as simply a pretty face.
Her beauty surrounded her like a great stone wall. Men couldn't see above, beyond, or through it. They certainly couldn't see past it.
This was because men only looked at women. They didn't listen to women, especially beautiful women.
Oliver "Raven" Radford is a brilliant barrister--he is clever, perceptive, straightforward to a fault and cares little for the niceties required to be successful in polite Society. He is renowned for his decisiveness and success in the courtroom, and is able to achieve such victories by being able to detach himself from his emotions and think solely with reason and logic.
He said, "I realize your ladyship is very bored, being loved to death, but you ought not to let ennui dull your reason. My world is not like the fantasy one you live in. Mine demands I work within the bounds of the law, with the cooperation of the police. We didn't learn Toby's whereabouts until the small hours of morning. I've suggested a plan, and the police are prepared to carry it out. Nobody needs you."
As a result of this ability to disconnect, he often comes across as obnoxious (as everyone is so apt to point out and remind him of) and callous.
"Lady Clara," he said. "You're punctual to the minute." He didn't take out his pocket watch. He had an accurate idea of time, especially when it was wasted. Of the last five and twenty minutes, all but four, by his measure, fell into that category.
His scientific and straightforward nature is usually more than enough to deter members of the ton from interacting with him, but Clara sees him as so different from the usual simpering men who offer for her hand and so utterly unaffected by her beauty that she can't help but continue to seek him out. And as a result, Raven is forced to abandon his preconceptions and realize that she is more than a beautiful face constantly being courted by members of polite Society. That she is intelligent and possesses a sound mind (though he loves to tease her about it as they continue to grow closer), and that he has come to value her thoughts and input and her presence in general.
"You're so charming."
"Everybody says that," he said.
"No, they don't. Never. No one has ever said that about you in all your life, I'll wager anything."
"Perhaps they did not exactly say charming," he said. "Perhaps... Yes, now I recollect, the phrase was 'tolerable in very small doses.'"
"And yet I missed you," she said. "Fancy that."
"I missed you, too," he said gruffly.
Their banter was pure freaking gold. I loved watching them interact and tease and flirt with one another, while still managing to deny their growing affection for each other. They had inside jokes and loved teasing each other, but ultimately learned to support and trust one another and I just loved them together. Raven still remained a pompous ass, but he learned to acknowledge Clara's thoughts as well, while Clara continued to adore Raven's intellect and still be the strong duchess he needed. She was not afraid to stand up to him and refused to be intimidated by him or his wit, which he found as endearing as he did aggravating.
"You have a point," he said. "An excellent point, by the way. Do you know, I was cleverer than I thought, when I decided to marry you."
"You decided!"
"Yes, after you left me no choice." --Raven and Clara on who is cleverer
Overall, I ADORED this novel. I would not change a single thing about any of the romance, [slight] angst, mystery, adventure, danger, possessiveness, murder plot, obnoxiousness (on Raven's part), or frustration (on Clara's part) contained in its pages. Everything came together and meshed so beautifully and perfectly, and I savored every single written word. I cannot recommend this one enough, and I will definitely be checking out more of Chase's other novels!
My Oliver "Raven" Radford, serious and obnoxiously endearing Barrister and Marquess of Bredon :D
[Random side note: I just realized that this is my 300th book on my "favorites" shelf!! Very fitting, I loved this one!]
emotional
funny
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
this was SIGNIFICANTALLY better than the previous book. like miles ahead. it had the classic Loretta Chase banter and meet-cute/reconnection that was missing in leonie's book. i will have to say that upon them getting married the book #draggedddd i mean after the 80% mark i started skipping pages, and in the end, jacob freame ended up being the least scary villain there was. the ambush started and ended so fast it seemed like it could've been condensed into a couple paragraphs. so two stars only for clara and raven being such a great match, and then minus three for the unnecessary drama that dragged on the last 100 pages. so while chase's writing has redeemed itself (partly), im going to take a break from her for a little.
DNF. Got to about the 7th chapter and said, “To hell with this.” I just can’t get into either character. Or the plot. Or the writing. Bleh. Next book.
This review was originally posted on Nelle's NightStandClara Fairfax
A wonderful woman pressured to be the "perfect' lady. She was a hellion when she was younger but now is the darling of the ton. She receives biweekly marriage proposals and is exceedingly gorgeous. She is entirely bored with society life
Oliver Radford
A brilliant Barrister who finds fashionable society a bore. He's in line for a Dukedom though which is not at all to his liking. He enjoys his life arguing trials in the courtroom. He's a very stiff character.
What I liked
The prologue! I love that they have just a little bit of a backstory. The barter between them is delightful. The fake "trial" for her hand in marriage. Radford's being in costume during it was grand. The fact that they marry halfway throw the book so we get to see what married life between them is like.
What I didn't like
Oliver's constant thinking that women weren't smart in general. Oliver was just a bit too stiff. The lack of closure with Oliver's cousin Bernard didn't sit well with me.
It was a quite enjoyable book. A nice spin-off of the Dressmaker books. Although it's listed as Dressmakers #4 because Clara was jilted in a prior Dressmaker book.
Another re-read that bumped this up to five stars for me. This is just so much fun, especially with the backstory I was missing the first time, and I could listen to these two banter all day long. The trial scene alone! Swoon.
This was such a fun and delightful romp of a book. I absolutely adored the chemistry and banter between Clara and Raven. I also had the immense pleasure of meeting Loretta Chase at KissCon New England yesterday, and can confirm she is just as wonderful in person as all of her excellent writing and passion for romance suggests.
I know I said this about the last Loretta Chase book I read but THE BANTER WAS SO GOOD. The pet names they would throw out at each other honestly game me life. They were so incredibly good together I couldn’t stand it. And to think I wasn’t completely sold in the beginning. I should know better than to doubt LC.