His childhood nemesis…
…is the woman he can't resist!
Chaperoning Charity Brookes while she's on a singing tour
should be easy for Griffith Philpot—he's spent his whole life sparring with her
over her flighty ways! But as he discovers that she's much more than the
impetuous girl he thought he knew, a passion ignites between them… Sharing a
steamy kiss leaves him torn—he's supposed to be responsible for guarding her
virtue!
Terrific book. The Philpot and Brookes families have been
friends for many years. While Charity's best friend is Griff's sister, Dorothy,
she and Griff have never gotten along. Griff believes that Charity is flighty,
spoiled, and selfish, while Charity thinks Griff is a humorless prig. But
underneath the antagonism simmer feelings that neither wants to admit. Charity's
singing career takes off, leading to a month-long tour in the north. Charity
plans to take her BFF with her and enjoy some adventures away from London. Then
Griff announces his intention to chaperon the trip, ostensibly to protect Dorothy
from Charity's bad influence. Charity is understandably furious to have Gruff
Griff the Fun-Stealer tagging along.
Griff is a practical man, an engineer by trade and by
avocation. Charity drives him nuts with her flirting, stubbornness, and
sometimes reckless behavior. There's something about her that gets under his
skin, and even moving away for four years didn't get her out of his system. Finding
out about her trip sends him scrambling to find a reason to go along.
The trip starts rough as Charity schemes to do everything
she can to make Griff regret coming along. She comes across as something of a
brat, pouting because she didn't get her way. Griff isn't much better; his
smugness at thwarting her is not an attractive attribute. Meanwhile, poor
Dorothy is caught in the middle. I enjoyed that first day, as Charity put a
crimp in Griff's plans by forcing a stop at a different inn. It's there that
Griff begins to get an inkling of the real Charity Brookes when she puts on an
impromptu performance for some soldiers.
Forced together as they are, both Griff and Charity soon
discover that their impressions of each other are not entirely accurate. While
Griff is secretly a huge fan of Charity's singing, he never understood how much
work went into it. I loved seeing his growing respect for her and how that
respect opened his eyes to other feelings. I also enjoyed seeing Charity begin
to see past Griff's gruff exterior. His passion for his work fascinates her. His
rescue of her during a panic attack opens her eyes to the more sensitive man he
keeps well hidden. I loved seeing his protectiveness come out when he saw the
toll the tour takes on her.
But as their unexpected feelings for each other grow, so
too do their insecurities. Charity knows what his opinion of her is because
he's complained about her often enough. Even if she has feelings for him, they
can go nowhere. At the same time, Griff knows he's falling for Charity, but
with all of the fancy suitors she has, why would she be interested in a plain
old Mister? But just as things start to look promising between them, Griff's
jealousy (spurred by his insecurity) erupts in a burst of anger and accusation.
I ached for Charity because she didn't deserve any of it. When she confronts
him about it later, both of them fling hurtful words at each other. Their
passionate anger turns to passion of another kind. Unfortunately, the next day
Griff's reaction manifests in some boneheaded statements rather than telling
her how he feels. Charity naturally wants something more that matches her
feelings. So she runs for home, leaving Griff behind wondering what to do.
I ached for Charity, who buried her hurt in her work to
exclude all else. When he returns to London, Griff's reaction shows that he
still cares but has no idea what to do about it. That is until Charity discovers
that she isn't just rundown from overwork, and they find themselves married.
Neither knows how the other feels and because of it must find a way to live
together. I liked Griff's determination to make their marriage work. In a
hilarious scene with his two brothers-in-law, Griff comes up with a plan to win
his wife's heart. He really won my heart with his sweet care of Charity when
she was so sick, and I loved how that chipped away at the wall around her
heart. But when her past runs up against his insecurities, Griff again allows
his fears to explode in anger. I cried for Charity and her devastation at his
words and cheered for the support she received from her family. Fortunately,
Griff had learned his lesson and realized what a monumental idiot he was. He
did a stellar job of groveling, with witnesses, in an emotional plea for
forgiveness. I loved that Charity was woman enough to admit her own mistakes in
a memorable final scene.
No comments:
Post a Comment