2017, 320p, Contemporary Romance
My Rating=5 Stars
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher, which did not affect my review in any way
Ever since Emma read Pride and Prejudice, she's been in love with Mr. Darcy and has regarded Jane Austen as the expert on all things romantic. So naturally when Emma falls for Blake Hampton and he invites her home to meet his parents, she is positive an engagement is in her future. After all, Blake is a single man in possession of a good fortune, and thus must be in want of a wife.
But when it turns out that what Blake actually wants is more of a hook-up than a honeymoon, Emma is hurt, betrayed, and furious. She throws herself deeper into her work as CMO of Kinetics, the fastest growing gym franchise in the nation. She loves her work, and she's good at it, which is why she bristles when her boss brings in a consultant to help her spearhead the new facilities on the East Coast. Her frustration turns to shock when that consultant turns out to be Blake's younger brother, Lucas.
Emma is determined not to fall for Lucas, but as she gets to know him, she realizes that Lucas is nothing like his brother. He is kind and attentive and spends his time and money caring for the less fortunate.
What she can't understand is why Lucas continues to try to push her back into Blake's arms when he so clearly has fallen as hard for her as she has fallen for him. It isn't until Lucas reveals to Emma that he was adopted into the Hampton family that she begins to understand his loyalty to Blake as well as his devotion to the child April-she is Lucas's biological niece.
Emma opens up to Lucas about the feelings of abandonment she has harbored ever since she was a child and her mother left the family. As she helps Lucas deal with his past demons, she is able to exorcise some of her own.
Realizing that her love life is as complicated as anything Jane Austen could have dreamed up, Emma must find a way to let Blake know that it's time for him to let her go and to let Lucas know it's time for him to love her back.
I love the Proper Romance line and the cover and title of this book made it impossible for me to pass up. I was hooked from the beginning and couldn't put it down until I finished! Emma is in a tough situation. She's in love with Blake but after a disastrous event, finds herself drawn to his brother, Lucas. And then Blake decides to fight for her. There's some drama as she tries to figure out what to do.
I enjoyed getting to know the characters in this book! There was one in particular that I didn't like very much in the beginning and was surprised that I changed my mind by the end. I also like how each chapter starts with a Jane Austen quote which relates to what will happen in that chapter. What I love the most about this book is that it's clean!! I can freely recommend it to anyone, whether they are a Jane Austen fan or not.
She has one husband, three kids, one dog, and a varying amount of fish, frogs, and salamanders (depending on attrition).
She loves writing, reading, hiking, playing with her kids, and watching her husband make dinner.
She hates mayonnaise.
1 comments:
This sounds delightful and has an amazing cover. Thanks for sharing it Mel, and congratulations to Julie!
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