10 Things I Love About You.

Usually romance novels are my escape; they make me happy and they make me hopeful. Sometimes, as much as I try to stop it, they make me lonely. I rarely feel bad about being alone. Yes, I would like to meet someone to spend my life with. No, it hardly ever makes me feel like an absolute shit to not have met them. I'll admit to being jealous of the couples I see, sometimes I even wish it were me and not them. I promptly feel bad for not being happy about their happiness. Today is one of the bad days. Why do wonderful stories sometimes make me feel awful? Because occasionally when I resurface from a good book I feel bereft; I want to keep reading about the happy-in-love people but I cant, this then makes me realize that I'm alone and the chances of me getting my own happy ending are almost nil. It didn't help my mood today to discover that my sister is talking to a piece of bronzed-blond-Greek-God mancandy. How could I take that in stride? Read another romance of course. Love stories are my disease and my cure.

In short: Sebastian Grey is an author/tons of fun in bed. He's an almost heir full of honor masquerading as a rake. The Earl (Seb's nasty uncle) hates him and is looking for a broodmare so that he can have a son so that Seb doesn't inherit. The uncle has his sights set on Annabel Winslow. Annabel is trying to find a rich husband so that her family doesn't starve. She can't seem to talk herself into marrying for money and is repulsed by the Earl. Seb and Annabel have a chance encounter after the Earl attacks her and she flees from the party to the heath. They share a passionate kiss and part ways, never introducing themselves. They meet again, are properly introduced, their attraction blooms. There is a slight withholding of information on Annabel's part. Sebastian is woefully ignorant. The two cause a scandal (which is actually hardly any type of scandal at all). The Earl learns of this and makes himself even more of a nuisance. Annabel is on her way to becoming a pariah. Seb comes to the rescue. Happily. Ever. After.

I have been a fan of Julia Quinn since I picked up The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever. J.Q. has a warm sense of humor and her characters reflect this. Sebastian is an irresistible mixture of naughty and nice. He has a wicked sense of humor, a sharp tongue, and wears a mask so that the world thinks he's brainless but charming. Charming is right, brainless couldn't be further from the truth. Annabel is a country girl. She has no idea why the people in London talk in riddles and get so worked up over nothing. She's out of her element and she has an old, overweight, Earl who reeks of fish and brandy chasing after her. Olivia and Harry from What Happens in London are present and active in the book. This is definitely a bonus seeing as how I loved Harry and Olivia.

While the Cavendish novels were good reads they weren't anything like the other J.Q. novels I had read. I think Ms. Quinn has found her stride again with this one.

Final Grade: A.