An unexpected reunion
Now a forbidden temptation
At a country party arranged to find his widowed brother a
wife, William Talton is surprised to see Ginny Penneyjons, a shy, beautiful
girl from his past, among the prospective brides! Their connection is as
intense as ever, but William must resist her, for he's honor-bound to sacrifice
his own heart in favor of his brother's. Yet a stolen kiss with Ginny is about
to test William's resolve not to claim her for himself!
Good book. Ginny is a beautiful young woman who is
extremely shy. Not only is she uncomfortable in social situations, she actively
resists participating in them. She is understandably cynical about the
attention she does receive, noting that nobody looks past her face to the woman
inside. Ginny spends her free time writing stories in her journal. Her Aunt
Adelia is determined to see her married and conspires with her best friend,
Violet, Lady Hawkwood, to match Ginny with Violet's widowed son, Phillip.
Ginny looks forward to the upcoming house party at
Hawkwood, not because of Phillip but to see his younger brother William again.
Ginny and William met when they were twelve and sixteen, shortly after each had
lost a beloved parent. They snuck away from the others and spent time together
talking about their losses, exploring, watching ducks, and sheltering in a cave
from a storm. Ginny never forgot William and how easy it was to talk to him.
William and Phillip are very close, and he wants nothing
more than to see Phillip happy again. William is a bit of a rogue who enjoys
flirting with the ladies but has no plans to marry anytime soon. He knows the
pain that both Phillip and his mother experienced at the loss of their spouses
and doesn't want to risk that for himself. William gladly agrees to his mother's
request to help entertain the various young ladies at the house party. He also
agrees to help Phillip sort out those young ladies who best suit him.
From the moment Ginny arrives at Hawkwood, it is clear
that her aunt and Lady Violet intend to throw her and Phillip together at every
opportunity. Ginny agrees to see if they suit but makes no promises otherwise.
The real draw for her is seeing William again. Neither one has forgotten each
other, and the day they spent together, but are unsure if the other feels the
same. Interactions between them are a little tentative until they admit the
connection is still there. I loved the scenes of them together as they catch up
on the changes in their lives.
Ginny knows she should concentrate on Phillip. She finds
him almost as easy to be with as William, but something is missing. There are
some excellent scenes of Ginny and Phillip together, especially when Phillip
asks her some very pointed questions. I ached for William because he loves both
Ginny and Phillip. He won't do anything to come between them, but it gets
harder each day to think of them together. His misery overwhelmed him the night
of the ball, and he knew he had to get away. I loved the conversation between
Ginny and Phillip that sent them searching for William and Ginny's decision to
set out independently.
I loved seeing Ginny overcome her fear of storms and
William finally admit his feelings to her. I liked seeing their story come full
circle with their shelter in the cave that night. The story ended with a couple
of fun twists, from their trip to Gretna Green to who they found there. I loved
the exchange of letters between Violet and Adelia that ended the book with love
and laughter.
The secondary characters were terrific parts of the story.
Violet invited a variety of young ladies to the house party, even though she
didn't intend for any of them to win Phillip's heart. Lady Della was incredibly
annoying. I liked Elizabeth and how she and Ginny became friends. I wasn't sure
about Lady Kirkwynd at the beginning, but she grew on me. I liked her a lot by
the end and would love to see her get her own book.
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