Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsTwo Plus Two Equals You. Sigh.....
Reviewed in the United States šŗšø on February 11, 2013
I rarely give five star ratings to historical romance books. Why? Well ... to be honest, they are all pretty much the same, a dime a dozen. When I enjoy one I will freely hand out the four star ratings, but it takes a special kind of book to rise to a five star rating. One Good Earl Deserves a Lover by Sarah MacLean is one that hits this mark perfectly. On the surface the elements of this story are similar to a thousand other books in this genre. Unconventional, nonconformist heroine? Check. Rogue of a hero with a tortured past who also happens to have a heart of gold? Check. Fight against the conventions of society? Check. Giant problem that will keep the two lovers apart? Check. So like I say, this story doesn't seem much different than much of what is out there. BUT ... it is the execution of the writing that makes the difference. Somehow, even though I'm reading a story so much like many others, it always felt fresh to me. I found myself flying through the pages, desperate to see these two find their happily ever after. I read it all in one sitting. And then, the true mark of a five star book ... I couldn't stop thinking about the story after I had finished. I dreamed about it. I immediately wanted to pick this book up and re-read my favorite scenes. I loved it.
The details:
Pippa is the highly intelligent, very odd younger sister of Penelope, the heroine of the first book in this series. She is engaged to be married to the very conventional Lord Castleton, a kind, but somewhat dull man who does not match her intellect at all. But Pippa doesn't really believe in love since it is something that her scientific mind cannot understand or quantify. However, her scientific mind requires her to understand everything that marriage will require ... everything. Unlike talking to her sisters, or maybe a friend, or even her mother, Pippa decides that the best course of action is for her to head over to her new brother-in-law's business partner, Cross, and enlist him as a "research partner" in her quest for knowledge about the more carnal and sensual parts of marriage. She wants to learn about temptation and ruination. Now I have to admit that as I read the setup for this in the opening chapters of this book I had to roll my eyes. The idea seemed soooooo ridiculous to me. Who does this? It seemed like such an idiotic plan, one that an author has to cook up in order to create a story. But, as I read on I found the premise for this story easier and easier to believe. Pippa really was an odd duck. She never did things that made much sense, and her proposition to Cross seemed exactly like something she would have done. So after an initial hesitation to embrace this story, I found myself totally wrapped in it. Needless to say, Cross is not enthusiastic about helping Pippa with this project. He's not so excited about encountering the wrath of Bourne when he learns that Cross has "schooled" Pippa in the art of seduction. So he balks. Again and again and again, no matter how much it kills him to push her away. It turns out that Cross has a brilliant mind of his own, and he matched Pippa quite well, but he has some major demons in his life to overcome, and for much of the book it seems as if these demons are too strong for him to conquer. But he never factored Pippa into his plans, and she is not one to allow these demons to rule the day.
My thoughts:
I loved Pippa. She was unconventional in every way. There might be some out there who find her scientific observations about EVERYTHING to get a bit tiresome. But I never did. I thought her attempt to put aside her growing passion for Cross by trying to label all of the bones in his arm or leg or whatever was kind of cute. I liked how she was a good mix of strength and vulnerability, and I especially appreciated how, even in the face of disappointment, she didn't go off to wallow in her own misery. She stopped to face things head on. That is extremely rare in these sorts of novels. People never communicate. Pippa does. She sees a prostitute in Cross's office. It looks bad. She could run, but she doesn't. She hangs around and confronts Cross directly, mostly avoiding too much unnecessary angst. Brilliant. Refreshing.
Cross was wonderful as well. He appears to have a very hardened exterior. He has a carefully cultivated reputation as a rogue and a ladies man, but it is all an act to protect himself from society. He actually has a heart of gold, caring for others as much as he can in order to atone for the sins of his past. He is smart enough to understand all of the random references that Pippa is constantly throwing out. He appreciates her quirkiness, the only other person on earth to do so. He is in a mess of a situation, and solving his problems only seems to make things worse. But I rooted for him. He was an easy hero to love. My favorite scene? When he climbed three stories to see Pippa and explain something that he had done that hurt her greatly. What a great hero for this story! Loved him!
The pacing of this story was perfection. So much sexual tension throughout this story. In this day and age authors don't place enough emphasis on that tension. They are too quick to throw couples right into sexual situations from the beginning. But this book was perfect. Cross would not touch Pippa, and that lack of touch was more enticing and more exciting than any sexual scene could have been. It was mouth watering. Cross showed more of the strength of his character in those scenes than he could have in any other way. Perfectly done! And I loved the ending so, so much. What an excellent scene. I could picture it in my head as if I was watching a movie. It still makes me smile to think of Cross on his knees in that situation (which I won't spoil by sharing). It was just wonderful!
So I highly recommend this book for fans of historical romances. It's a gem, and I'm super excited to read Temple's story later this year. Something tells me that it is going to be a winner as well!
