Because Your Mine

Hi all, Catherine here.
By now I'm sure everyone has come to the conclusion that I'm a bit of a Lisa Kleypas nut. I've read every historical romance the woman has written, and I've enjoyed watching her grow as a writer with every passing book. 

Synopsis

Because the Dream...

Young, high-spirited Lady Madeline Matthews is expected to wed an aging, lecherous lord. But she would rather shame herself in the eyes of society than sacrifice her freedom, and resolves to render herself unmarriageable by indulging in a torrid affair with Britain's most acclaimed actor and notorious womanizer, Logan Scott.

Because the Heart...

He is legend in the footlights and in the bedchamber. But when the curtain falls, Logan is an intensely private, guarded man still tormented by past betrayals that cut deep into his pride and his heart. Now a forward little minx who seems completely out of place in the bright, sophisticated world of the London stage is disrupting his orderly existence with her constant presence, her unspoiled beauty and vibrant charm. And what begins with an onstage kiss threatens to blossom into something more rapturous and real. But first Logan and Madeline both must drop the masks they hide behind...and reveal their true selves in the golden glorious light of love.

 Because You're Mine is considered a stand-alone, although there are some characters we have seen in other books. Kleypas has a way of weaving her characters throughout books. She claims the loves them too much to let them go. :-)

Loved:
I love that she does an excellent job of showing the different class structures. She also seems to be meticulous about accurate details, which add authenticity to the storyline. I also like the fact that all the women in her book have a backbone. They dare to go outside the social norms to do what is best for them. This book is a perfect example. Madeline Matthews runs away from boarding school after she is forced into a betrothal with a disgusting older man. She decides to ruin herself by allowing the famous actor, Logan Scott to take her virginity. Little does she know that he is a complex man who is extremely private. (We get a better glimpse of his character in Kleypas' Somewhere I'll find you, and so I'd recommend reading that one first.) Love Logan's characters, his understanding of the world, and his willingness to fight for what he's worked for. Kleypas has extremely well-rounded characters in everything she writes. She has a way of giving each one unique mannerisms or speech patterns that set them apart from the rest.

Didn't Love:
I struggled with the conflict in this one. Small spoiler alert here, (though not major). Logan knows that Maddy has a secret. He knows there's someone else and that she was so unhappy she left everything and ran. He states over and over that he doesn't care. And when he finally realizes that he loves her, he says he'll fight for her, he'll help her if she'll only confide in him and trust him ... which, of course, she doesn't. She tries to leave, and he's all "what's the matter sweetheart", but then her father shows up and tells him that she has run away and that she is betrothed to the old, smelly guy. After all that, Logan suddenly says something to the effect of "take her, I don't want to see her again." I'm like whaaaat? Really?! After all they've been through he's not going to fight for her? He's just going to hate her for something he's said the entire book didn't matter?

While it seems a minor point compared to other books, I've gotten spoiled with Kleypas and her tight story lines (especially the Wallflower and the Hathaway series), and so this is a major plot hole that should have been filled. Logan would never finally give his heart to someone and then cast her aside because daddy came to his house and said she had to go. It reeked of insincerity.

Loved again:
Once I got over that part, the rest of the book unfolds in an amazing way (if you can overlook Scott's sudden hatred of our lovely Maddy, and the way he ruthlessly treats her). I did like the way Maddy grows throughout the book while never losing her kind spirit. She is one of those characters that is strong yet kind and vulnerable, which drives Scott crazy!

Well done, Kleypas. Well done.

Overall I'd give this book 3.5 stars. If you like all things romance, this one's a keeper!
Posted by: Chi

The Devil Heats up Winter!

The Devil in Winter

Synopsis: A devil's bargain

Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage!

Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.

But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts -- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions...or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

My Review:
This is by far my favorite in the series! I know, I know. I said that about Lillian's story, but this time I really mean it!

Evie Jenner is a great character, but what I love most is the character's growth. In the previous books, Evie was portrayed as a shy, stuttering girl who really didn't have much of a backbone. But page one of The Devil in Winter we learn that Kleypas has been holding out on us. Evie not only has a backbone, but one made of steel. She's been through hell and back has survived on sheer force of will. I love that by the end of the story, she brings St. Vincent to his knees (literally :-).

Undoubtedly St. Vincent is one of the best characters I've ever read. Kleypas is a master of character development, and she shines with St. Vincent! Every bit of his dialogue is tempered with a slow, lazy cynical flavor. His been-there-done-that attitude lets the reader know right away that he has seen it all. There is nothing in or out of the bedroom that he hasn't experienced, and certainly nothing that would interest his lackadaisical way of life. But then Evie storms into his home, and, whether he likes it or not, she completely changes him in a way he never imagined. 


The only thing that bothered me about the book was the way Kleypas refers to Cam (who is a main character in her Hathaway series). Cam is 25 or so, and she keeps referring to him as "a boy". Not only did it pull me out of the story, it messed with my image of Cam (who is a tall, gorgeous horse of a Rom with dark hair, and tanned skin). He's one of my favorite leads in all of her historical work, and I'm afraid to re-read Mine till Midnight because I don't want to look at Cam differently. I like him just the way his, thank you very much! I definitely don't want to see him as a "boy". :-) 


The Cam issue did nothing to hinder my love of the story though, and so I have to give another fantastic 5-star review for the Kleypas Wallflower series!
Posted by: Chi

It Happened One Autumn

 The Synopsis:

Four young ladies enter London society with one necessary goal: they must use their feminine wit and wiles to find a husband. So they band together, and a daring husband-hunting scheme is born.

It happened at the ball...

Where beautiful but bold Lillian Bowman quickly learned that her independent American ways weren't entirely "the thing." And the most disapproving of all was insufferable, snobbish, and impossible Marcus, Lord Westcliff, London's most eligible aristocrat.

It happened in the garden...

When Marcus shockingly—and dangerously—swept her into his arms. Lillian was overcome with a consuming passion for a man she didn't even like. Time stood still; it was as if no one else existed...thank goodness they weren't caught very nearly in the act!

It happened one autumn...

Marcus was a man in charge of his own emotions, a bedrock of stability. But with Lillian, every touch was exquisite torture, every kiss an enticement for more. Yet how could he consider taking a woman so blatantly unsuitable...as his bride?

 My Review:

This is the second in Lisa Kleypas' Wallflower Series. I fell in love with the characters last summer, and when I get a moment or two I find myself rereading this one more than the others. I simply love the play between the characters.

Lillian is a pistol. Her American upbringing so sets her apart from the English girls she's competing against. Kleypas does an excellent job of distinguishing between the two. Also, Westcliff is truly a man's man, but deep down he's gentle and sensitive. Kleypas does an amazing job of making his character strong, arrogant, and a bit pious at times, but not obnoxious. We get to see his complexity, and I love that we get to see him grow. There is one part toward the end where I think that his character would have gone a little darker. I hate spoilers, so I won't give it away, but let's just say I doubt Westcliff would have let our villain get away with what he did unscathed. I think he would have killed him, or at the very least seen him spend quite a bit of his life in prison. If you've read it,I'd love to hear if you agree with me!

Despite the bit at the end, Kleypas has hit another one out of the park. I highly recommend this book!
Posted by: Chi

Kleypas Mania!

  
Last summer, Rennie (AKA Italia Trent, or better known as the ren in Chirenjenzie :- ) and I had a discussion about male leads in romances. At the time, it seemed that the men in books were stereotyped. In YA, the all-knowing bad boy seemed to dominate. Contemporary ran with the experienced as well, but these men had serious baggage. And then there was the men of the historical romance. These are virile men who know their place, and kept their woman right by their side.

A lively discussion ensued about creating one character that held great traits of each genre. It would be interesting, wouldn't it?

I hadn't read historical romance in years, but what I did remember of them I didn't like. The brutish you-are-my-woman type didn't appeal to me, but Ren insisted that I read a historical romance or two to broaden my understanding of the male psyche. I balked at first, hating the idea of sifting through pages of submissive English waifs being used as doormats. But I had to fly to Chicago that weekend, and so, determined to keep an open mind, I picked up a Lisa Kleypas book from the airport bookstore.

I almost missed my flight. :-)

Oh, mylanta! While Rennie was right about the complexity of the male leads, I didn't fall in love with the genre, I fell in love with the writing!

Kleypas has a way of bringing well rounded characters to life. She uses subtle inflections and mannerisms to make each character distinct, naturally weaving their personality into each paragraph. The stories move at a leisurely pace, but not so slow that the reader becomes bored. Descriptions are woven in at just the right times as to not become tedious, but what I really love is that after reading over twenty of her books, she has the ability to make each story fresh.



And so, my posts in the month of January and February are going to be dedicated to Kleypas's Wallflower series, and her Bowstreet series. The first will be posted in a few days, so be sure to check back!

Chi