The One That Got Away By Victoria Alexander, Eloisa James, Cathy Maxwell, Liz Carlyle

Summary

The Trouble with Charlotte by Victoria Alexander - “The Trouble with Charlotte” is a novella in Victoria Alexander’s Effington Family & Friends series. It’s listed by the author and other online book sites as falling between The Pursuit of Marriage and A Visit from Sir Nicholas in the series ordering, which as far as I can tell is based solely on publication date. However, based on the storyline, it has to take place chronologically sometime before Love With the Proper Husband. That’s because the story is basically being narrated by Marcus Holcroft, the Earl of Pennington and the hero of that book, who is relating the events to his good friend, Reginald Berkley. Marcus is telling Reggie about nearly falling in love with Charlotte, the heroine of this novella, but then her believed-dead husband, Hugh, suddenly returns, putting the kibosh on his plans to court her.

Charlotte and Hugh experienced a passionate, whirlwind, love affair in their youth that led to marriage. However, the entire first year of their life as a couple was little more than a series of heated arguments. To get away, Hugh purchased a military commission and went off to fight Napoleon, leaving Charlotte all alone. Then news came of Hugh’s demise in a major battle. During the ensuing six years, she has carefully cultivated the facade of a merry widow who enjoys indulging in casual affairs, but in reality she never got over Hugh, who was the love of her life. But when he suddenly turns up on her doorstep after all this time, she can scarcely believe it’s really him, and she isn’t sure how she feels about his resurrection. She loves him, but their time together was so contentious, she doesn’t want things to go back to the way they were again.

Hugh was badly wounded during the battle of Albuera, including a head injury that caused amnesia. Through a clerical error, he ended up being mistaken for a German soldier and sent to Bavaria, while Hugh’s name was listed as deceased. Because he bore a resemblance to that soldier and the man’s family hadn’t seen him in years, they accepted that Hugh was Johann, and he lived with them until several years later when his memory finally returned. Still, he didn’t go back home, because he also recalled what an unpleasant person he’d been and thought that Charlotte would be better off without him. But eventually he decided to go home after all. However, he has much to make up for to gain Charlotte’s forgiveness.
As I started reading “The Trouble with Charlotte,” I thought that I might enjoy it more than some of Victoria Alexander’s other books in the series, which have been hit and miss for me. It seemed a little more on the serious side at first, but by the end, it had switched to the author’s trademark light and breezy style. I felt like there were certain things that weren’t explained well and/or stretched the bounds of credibility. Eg. Hugh didn’t speak German, yet he accepted that he was German. Didn’t he think and speak in English and wonder why that might be? Also Hugh and Charlotte appeared to have had major marital problems before he left, but that all seems to be glossed over. Instead each of them tends to easily accept that the other has changed, and in fact, is reluctant to be together because they think of one another now as paragons of virtue that they can’t live up to. This was all a little too silly for me and I felt that the story would have been better if the rifts that had torn them apart in the first place had been examined more closely and healed rather than magically disappearing in the light of their love and newfound emotional growth. It just felt like they needed more time to reconnect and get to know each other again. Also, I felt like said growth was more told than shown, so I was having trouble feeling the connection between them and believing that it was going to work this time. I think my favorite part was Marcus giving both of them his unvarnished opinion along with some sage advice before telling them that they were both quite mad. That part was actually pretty funny because it was more or less how I was feeling. Overall, this novella was a mildly entertaining story, but after a string of so-so reads in the series, it unfortunately wasn’t one that reinvigorated my interest in this author’s work. Star Rating: ***; Sensuality Rating: 3

Much Ado about Twelfth Night by Liz Carlyle - "Much Ado about Twelfth Night" is a delightful reunion romance from one of my favorite authors, Liz Carlyle. As usual, she didn't disappoint. Because of the title, I thought this novella was about the celebration of Twelfth Night, but the Twelfth Night in question ended up being a champion racehorse that pretty much everyone in the story, except the hero, wanted. This made for a fun comedy-of-errors storyline, as the hero overhears a conversation between the heroine and her brother about the horse, and thinks they're talking about him. That part really made me giggle.:-)

Edward is a classic introvert who prefers to be alone, so when a gaggle of family and friends descends upon his newly inherited, but falling-down estate, he wishes he could go back to the continent, fighting Old Boney. It was positively endearing how Edward could command his troops with absolute precision, but he was tongue-tied around women, or perhaps one woman in particular. He just couldn't seem to make his mouth say the right words, which sometimes led to him babbling, but in the heat of love-making, he could be very sweetly seductive. On the outside though, Edward is the picture of the perfect soldier, stoic, coolly composed, and a bit brooding. It's funny that everyone around him sees that he's still in love with Sophie, but he doesn't initially recognize it. Edward is the responsible one in the family, always looking out for everyone else. It broke my heart that Sophie unintentionally broke his heart. It's easy to see through Edward's cool facade that he's hurt. He really thinks she doesn't care about him in a romantic way and never will.

In reality, Sophie has loved Edward since she was a teenager. He actually proposed to her when she was seventeen, but she turned him down flat, because she wanted his love and thought he was only doing it out of a sense of duty and pity. Little did she know that, by doing so, she completely shattered his heart. After Edward joined the army and went to France, Sophie never married. She and her younger brother were orphaned a couple of years before Edward proposed. During the last eight years, she poured all her time and effort into running the family estate and never really put herself on the market, mainly because she never wanted anyone but Edward. The family also owns a very lucrative horse-racing business, and now Edward is in possession of a prime racehorse that Sophie and her brother desperately want for their stables. This leaves her with no choice but to see Edward again if she wants to buy the horse, but when Edward mistakenly believes that she's coming back to persuade him to marry her after all, it leads to some amusing misunderstandings. Sophie was a sweet young woman with a bubbly personality, who cares very much about others. The thing I liked most about her is that she sees how much responsibility Edward takes on, and worries about there being no one to watch out for his well-being. Of course, she would love to be that person, but doesn't think he loves her in that way.

"Much Ado about Twelfth Night" was a funny, sweet, and endearing story. The only reason I chose to knock off half a star was that Edward and Sophie were both pretty stubborn and had some difficulty communicating effectively. If not for their matchmaking elderly grandmother, I'm not sure they ever would have gotten back together, but alls well that ends well. Overall, I had a really good time reading this novella. It was another winner for me from Ms. Carlyle. Star Rating: ****1/2; Sensuality Rating: 4

A Fool Again by Eloisa James - “A Fool Again” is a novella that I thought was a stand-alone story. I’d swear I checked multiple times to see if it was part of any of Eloisa James’s series and never found a connection, but after reading it, I noticed that Amazon and GoodReads now have it marked as part of her Duchess in Love series. It seems that Tobias, the hero of this novella, is a brother to Simon, the hero of Fool for Love, the second book of the series. In any case, I felt that “A Fool Again” stood pretty well on its own, and other than a mention of Simon, there doesn’t appear to be any other connection to the series.

This story is about Tobias, who was a bit of a hellion in his youth, and Genevieve, who walks a little on the wild side, too. The pair grew up as neighbors but didn’t really get to know each other until a party when she was eighteen. After spending a few hours together, they impulsively decided to elope and made a run for Gretna Green, only to be chased down by her father. However, along the way, they succumbed to passion, leaving Genevieve compromised. Her father quickly married her off to a much older man, while Tobias broke her heart by disappearing to India. Seven years later, Genevieve finds herself a young widow, but her miserly husband has only left her a small stipend to live on unless she marries one of his business partners after two years of enforced mourning. Lucius, one of the two partners is a younger man to whom she’s attracted, so over the next year, she starts getting to know him, and just as she’s convinced she’s fallen in love with him and intends to marry him, Tobias returns, pulling out all the stops to woo her back.

Tobias is a sweet, seductive man who’s just my type. He’ll do anything to get Genevieve back. He knows exactly what he wants and isn’t inclined to take no for an answer this time around. I love a man in pursuit who unapologetically wears his heart on his sleeve for the woman he loves and that’s precisely the type of man Tobias is. Genevieve is a passionate woman who deep down knows there’s something missing from her relationship with Lucius, but after the disaster of being branded a loose woman following her unsuccessful elopement with Tobias, she’s determined to be a more proper lady. However, it doesn’t take long for her to succumb to her feelings for Tobias once he’s in her life again. I thought these two were perfect for each other. They both have passionate natures and keep each other on their toes. It’s clear that their chemistry is off the charts hot and in their heart of hearts, neither one truly wants anyone else but the other. “A Fool Again” was a sweet, lighthearted, delightful tale that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but at the same time manages to be emotional and sexy. I thoroughly enjoyed this novella. It was my first read by Eloisa James, but most definitely won’t be my last. I very much look forward to reading the other books in the Duchess in Love series and checking out her other work as well. “A Fool Again” was originally published in this anthology but was later reprinted as a stand-alone ebook. Star Rating: *****; Sensuality Rating: 3.5

Nightingale by Cathy Maxwell - “Nightingale” is a stand-alone novella about two former loves who, after youthful mistakes, get a second chance to spend their lives together. Dane and Jemma had known each other since childhood and fell madly in love when they were young. Dane had plans to become a clergyman and devote his life to helping others, something that Jemma supported, and they were thinking of getting married, but then she went off and married a titled gentleman seemingly out of the blue, leaving Dane heartbroken. Years have gone by, during which Dane went to India, where he hardened his heart and made his fortune. Now he’s back in England, but his life seems rather empty. Then one night, he’s challenged to a duel by Jemma’s brother who is too drunk to know any better. Jemma, who is now a widow, comes to Dane to plead her brother’s case. She offers to let him bed her in exchange for sparing her brother’s life, but they both quickly discover that such close intimacy opens their hearts to one another again and that they can no longer live without each other.

I came very close to giving this novella more than four stars. It’s a very emotional story that tugged on my heartstrings, and it’s also deliciously steamy. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realized that four stars was the appropriate rating for me. The entire story takes place over a single night, during which Dane and Jemma reconnect, make confessions, offer forgiveness, and declare their undying love. Their prior connection made all of this more realistic, but it’s still pretty quick. Also the characterizations aren’t really deep. They’re good enough for this shorter format, but I wouldn’t have minded getting to know Dane and Jemma a bit better. Dane seemed like a good guy who’d had his heart smashed and reacted in a relatable manner, and despite everything, deep down, he has never stopped loving Jemma. I didn’t dislike Jemma, but the fact that she’d made promises to Dane, which she broke, didn’t entirely sit well with me either. It might have been the clichéd route to take, but I would have been more accepting if her family had unduly influenced her decision to marry the other man. Instead, it was chalked up to youthful naiveté, and was a decision she regretted almost immediately after saying her vows. She appeared to have grown since then, but I felt like she could have had more compelling reasons for what she did. Overall, though, in spite of a few weaknesses, I did very much enjoy “Nightingale,” and it makes me look forward to trying more of Cathy Maxwell's work in the future. “Nightingale” was originally published in this anthology but was later reprinted as a stand-alone ebook. Star Rating: ****; Sensuality Rating: 4
Review provided by The Hope Chest Reviews