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Book Review
Jun. 5th, 2023 09:27 pmAgain the Magic
By Lisa Kleypas
This romance novel was a two-for-one in that it tells two love stories. The slightly more primary one is between Aline and McKenna. They fell in love as teenagers, and their love has proved enduring beyond measure. However, Aline is an earl's daughter and McKenna a stable-boy. when their attachment is discovered, Aline has to convince McKenna she feels nothing for him and send him away in order to shield him from her father's wrath. Shortly thereafter, Aline's legs are horribly scarred in a kitchen fire. When they meet again twelve years later, McKenna is bent on breaking Aline's heart as she broke his, but finds himself unable to cause her further pain. Aline's younger sister Olivia, living a very retired life as a result of a scandal in her youth, meets Gideon Shaw, a wealthy American businessman, during a house party.; Their attraction is instant, but Gideon is something of an alcoholic, a problem he must overcome in order to win Olivia's heart.
I largely enjoyed this novel and found it satisfying despite a couple of minor issues. The force of Aline and McKenna's love was beautiful in the way it broke through barriers of class, shame, and hurt. They both had to overcome a lot of deep pain and it is wonderful when they finally do. McKenna is a bit too much of an alpha male for my liking, and Aline is at times frustratingly stubborn in her conviction that she cannot have McKenna. But their happy ending is hard-won and well-deserved enough to feel very satisfying. Olivia and Gideon's romance is much sweeter, and he is softer around the edges and thus more to my liking. Olivia, unlike her sister, is much more willing to reach for what she really wants. I like the way she helps Gideon see his way to sobriety without being the entire motivation or taking on all the labor. He does the work himself. I also really loved the sibling relationships between Aline and Olivia and their brother Marcus.
By Lisa Kleypas
This romance novel was a two-for-one in that it tells two love stories. The slightly more primary one is between Aline and McKenna. They fell in love as teenagers, and their love has proved enduring beyond measure. However, Aline is an earl's daughter and McKenna a stable-boy. when their attachment is discovered, Aline has to convince McKenna she feels nothing for him and send him away in order to shield him from her father's wrath. Shortly thereafter, Aline's legs are horribly scarred in a kitchen fire. When they meet again twelve years later, McKenna is bent on breaking Aline's heart as she broke his, but finds himself unable to cause her further pain. Aline's younger sister Olivia, living a very retired life as a result of a scandal in her youth, meets Gideon Shaw, a wealthy American businessman, during a house party.; Their attraction is instant, but Gideon is something of an alcoholic, a problem he must overcome in order to win Olivia's heart.
I largely enjoyed this novel and found it satisfying despite a couple of minor issues. The force of Aline and McKenna's love was beautiful in the way it broke through barriers of class, shame, and hurt. They both had to overcome a lot of deep pain and it is wonderful when they finally do. McKenna is a bit too much of an alpha male for my liking, and Aline is at times frustratingly stubborn in her conviction that she cannot have McKenna. But their happy ending is hard-won and well-deserved enough to feel very satisfying. Olivia and Gideon's romance is much sweeter, and he is softer around the edges and thus more to my liking. Olivia, unlike her sister, is much more willing to reach for what she really wants. I like the way she helps Gideon see his way to sobriety without being the entire motivation or taking on all the labor. He does the work himself. I also really loved the sibling relationships between Aline and Olivia and their brother Marcus.
