Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn
Rated 5 out of 5 White Roses.
Content rated with the Yellow Rose.
Lady Honoria Smythe-Smith would like to find a husband and the sooner the better. She had suitors a plenty during her first season, but then for some strange reason, they ceased to call on her. Now, the annual Smythe-Smith musicale was coming and she is determined that this year be the last year she have to play her violin. Some family traditions are great to uphold, but the musicale is… well, it’s definitely… err… epic. She really needs to find herself a suitable man to marry and now.
Marcus Holroyd, the Earl of Chatteris, has a promise to uphold and nothing will stop him from keeping it. When his best friend, Daniel, asked him to watch over his little sister while he was away and make sure she did not wed any idiots, he took his duty quite seriously. Marcus has known Honoria since she was a little girl. Her family was and is the only family he has ever known in his lonely existence. So when he promised Daniel he’d look out for her, he made sure to do just that. She just had no idea he was scaring all the unacceptable suitors away.
It just happens to be a mere coincidence that all the men she has considered so far were definitely not acceptable.
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May I just say that this, my fellow book enthusiasts, is what a romance is all about. I started Just Like Heaven thinking I would read a few pages before bed only to find that I couldn’t put the book down. It is funny and sweet in all the right places. Who knew mole holes and laudanum could be so amusing? The humor in this read was actually very clever as well as entertaining. It totally drew me into the story and I didn’t want to get out.
I really only have two issues with the story that in the long run are not that big of a deal. The first being that there were characters introduced (like Miss Wynter for example) and some statements were made that may lead to the reader thinking that they are more involved in the tale only to find nothing more about them. Makes one wonder why the continued reference. Then there’s the happily ever after. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t bad. I just wanted more. But one could also argue that that’s a testament to a good story and its writer when a reader wants more.
I just fell in love with Honoria and Marcus. The way Ms. Quinn wrote Just Like Heaven makes them feel very real and not just realistic. I think I especially like that the resolution wasn’t a melodramatic affair. The main characters were simply honest and forthright and they understood each other very well. Together they made for a perfectly imperfect couple and I can’t help but want to hear more of their story.
Hugs & Kisses,
The Lustrous Courtesan
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Just Like Heaven
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