I've probably said it before, but Julia Quinn is my favorite historical romance author. And this book is a great example of why she's so awesome. This was the perfect light, fun afternoon read.
Honoria Smythe-Smith grew up in a large family, but as the youngest she was always a little apart from the rest. She grew up idolizing her older brother Daniel and his best friend, Earl Marcus Holroyd. Now she's 21 and the last still living with her mother. Daniel is out of the country, and Honoria is starting to feel desperate to move out and start a family of her own - she hates living in an empty house with her mother. When Honoria runs into Marcus while out one day, it starts the rekindling of their childhood friendship. When they were kids, Marcus was practically part of her family, but with Daniel gone she doesn't see much of him anymore.
When Marcus falls into Honoria's mole hole (seriously) and twists his ankle at a social event, Honoria is quick to help him recuperate. He's an only child and has no other family. And him getting injured may be the best thing that's ever happened, because they start to realize that friendship could be the perfect starting point of romance.
OK, so this was a great romance for a few reasons. Firstly, it wasn't insta-love, which is usually what romance novels are. Since they've known each other for fifteen years, there's already a decent foundation there. There's also no huge dilemma or problem or big misunderstanding. They're friends, and they bond while Honoria is helping to nurse him back to health. And there's no super-sexy-stuff until the very end, which is how I prefer my romance novels. I don't read them for the graphic stuff, I read them because they're light-hearted and funny and they make me smile. This book totally did.
Also, I liked both of the main characters. Honoria was sweet and not too dramatic. And she totally steps up and does what she needs to for the people she cares about. And Marcus is a surprisingly funny guy for being such the shy, quiet type. There were quite a few parts that had me laughing out loud. Plus, they both like sweets. It's just great to read about a male main character trying to get his hands on an eclair.
So basically, this was a great fluffy romance read. Was it super emotional or passionate? No. But it was light and breezy and I'm totally in a good mood just after finishing it. So it's a win for me.
Sarah Says: 4.5 stars
