Mistress by Midnight

Courtesan Court #2

by Maggie Robinson

First comes seduction. . .As children, Desmond Ryland, Marquess of Conover, and Laurette Vincent were inseparable. As young adults, their friendship blossomed into love. But then fate intervened, sending them down different paths. Years later, Con still can't forget his beautiful Laurette. Now he's determined to make her his forever. There's just one problem. Laurette keeps refusing his marriage proposals. Throwing honor to the wind, Con decides that the only way Laurette will wed him is if he thoroughly seduces her. . .

Then comes marriage. . .

Laurette's pulse still quickens every time she thinks of Con and the scorching passion they once shared. She aches to taste the pleasure Con offers her. But she knows she can't. For so much has happened since they were last lovers. But how long can she resist the consuming desire that demands to be obeyed. . .?

Includes excerpts from "Off kilter" by Donna Kauffman, "My fair highlander" by Mary Wine, and "Pride and pleasure" by Sylvia Day, (p. [275]-296).

Genres: Historical Romance, Historical, Romance, Regency, Regency Romance, Historical Fiction, Fiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Maggie Robinson is a former teacher, library clerk and mother of four who woke up in the middle of the night, absolutely compelled to create the perfect man and use as many adverbs as possible doing so. A transplanted New Yorker, she lives with her not-quite perfect husband in Maine, where the cold winters are ideal for staying inside and writing hot historical romances and her latest venture, the Lady Adelaide Mysteries. Her books have been translated into nine languages.

She also wrote two erotic historical romances as Margaret Rowe.

Reviews

[Dinjolina · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book...I mean...this book...I just...ick!
I guess you could call it a life study but still...ick! Ick,ick!

There are a lot of characters in this drama, but when I consider the ones that had the biggest influence on the plot I have to say that I only liked the heroine and her kid Bea.
All the others and I mean ALL of them, including the hero and his son were just...just...horrible.

-The man
First of all...the damn flashbacks! I never had any idea when they ended or began. Sure, you could see it if you read carefully, but I hated that feeling where I started reading the next sentence and realizing that I was no longer in the past!
Any way…I have no idea who I hated more. The young hero, or the older hero in the ‘today’. His younger self was love struck, sure. Did I feel it outside of his thinking about the heroine? No. Why? Because he went along with anything his uncle did or said. He married very spinelessly in order to ‘help his tenants’ but I came to realize that he left as soon as his kid was born and did not work on the properties when he was there. Sure, sure, his wife took over but I just got this feeling that nothing really good happened by that marriage. We see that in the ‘today’ of the story that property was pretty shabby and not very much helped. So why did he marry for God sake? And while he was out of England he made his own money. Why did he not do this to save his land? Well, if he did the LOGICAL thing then there would be no plot now, would there?

-The wife
Oh my God! The wife! Where should I start? It seems that trough this whole book both the hero and the heroine were wallowing in the guilt that they did wrong by the poor poor wife! Oh, oh! And the darling died! Oh, oh! I don’t care. I don’t even care for the fact that she was a friend of the heroines after the hero left. I find it creepy even.

So, she was older then the hero. She picked him. She let her father ruin him so she could marry him. She just took took took. In the scene where she talks to the heroine for the fist time I was feeling sick. Really. If this BITCH came to me, and told me what she told the heroine? I would never in a million years become her friend. And there would have been a chance of me killing her on the spot.
Basically she said that she planed it all, and that she would do it again even thou she knew he loved another woman! Why? Because she wanted the title. And her son will have a title! Plus she knows that she would have had him whole if it were not for the heroine. Why, she even loved the hero a little!
Yeah, right. When did she start loving him? Hmm? When they were together for not a full month having sex while he was drunk and trying to not look at her?
Also, she told the heroine that she had such a fun normal honeymoon! And after that she asked the heroine not to tell her husband that they had a little girl because he could leave her then. And take her son. And I mean after all the trouble she went trough to get a kid and and a title it would so not be fair for her husband to leave her and take her ticket in to the ton, right? Right?
See where I am going with this?
She was a bitch. Lets be real, she just was. So why the f.ck does EVERYBODY go around and mourn her having angst fits about poor dear wifey of the hero being unhappy. She took lovers, for gods sake! And what do the hero and the heroine think about that? They think she should have taken them to eeeeeease her hurt. The poor dear. No. Nonononon,NO! She ruined everybody's lives. Why do they caaare?

-The son
The little rat! I am not even going to waist my time statin all the why-s. I wanted to reach in to the book, take him out and kick him multiple times when he started going crazy over the fact that Bea was his sister. He was plain mean-having a hissy fit over the picture of his father's mother that looked like her, calling her a bastard and telling her he did not want a sister? Well, guess what you little peace of sh.t? You were the one that was not wanted and born out of an eeeevil contract. Take that, you little worm! It kind of makes me sick to think that he is indeed the successor and the firstborn.

-The heroine
She was a sweety. I liked her and I was so hurt I almost cried over some of the things that were done to her. I wanted also to shake her when she mourned her ‘friend’. What was she thinking? Sheesh. And feeling guilty for wanting Con? For luring him? And at the same time making him unable to love his wife? Ohhh, you bad bad girl! Get a grip. His wife stalked him, as she herself states ‘before he had a mustache’. Creepy.
I did cry when she met him in the scene after his honeymoon. I was angsty myself with the fact that she could not tell him she was pregnant because then his father in law would not pay for her babie's schooling. But then he has sex with her and after that tells her he can oh,my God not be unfaithful because his wife is going to have a kid? Talk about a slap in the face. What a moron! I felt like somebody sat on my chest while reading this. And to be frank, this made me hate the hero even more. I don’t care if he was celibate for 10 years after his wife got preggers. I do not care if he banged her out of duty. I d not care that he married for money. That scene? When he fu.ked the heroine only to tell her his wifey was having a kid? Well, who cares for anything that he could have done after that? I don’t. Even if 10 years have past.

-The plot and plot devices
The writing was good. It all could have been good. I hated the premises but that still could not have changed a thing if the plot devices were good. Alas, they were not. The mistress part made me go crazy because I had the feeling that it was rammed in there just so the author could make this a theme book. It was stupid. And all that followed…the trip to the country with the kids? It was so forced I could almost feel the author trying to move things along. Horrible.

-Points that made me super crazy.
The hero thinking about the need to pluck the heroines eyebrows. WTF?
The hero ordering the heroine to have a whole body shave. I do not even want to think about the fact that she will have to shave ..everything in the future. Ugh.
The heroine feeling evil for ‘making’ Con love her.


So,all in all?To big of a stress inducer for my taste.

[Mandi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a DNF (did not finish) for me.

The hero is very jaded and felt very mean to me. I didn't like the circumstances used to force the heroine to become his mistress. We are told he really wants to love/marry her - but I didn't feel it - at least in the first 150 pages (out of 272). He is so manipulative - which really turns me off. I get that he is hurt..and the heroine is hurt for things that happened in their past...but his behavior does not appeal to me at all.

I did enjoy book one in this series. Unfortunately, not this one.

[Marcella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying that I loved this story. I don't want anyone to get discouraged from reading this book because I only gave it 3 stars.

This book involves a man named Con who attempts to once again win the heart of his love and soul mate Laurette. They loved each other a great deal but because of Con's uncle and the unfortunate financial situation he placed Con in he was forced to marry someone else and leave Laurette behind.

Although Con's method of winning her back was convoluted and may have come across as cruel, he had the best of intentions. She had flat out refused his marriage proposal a year prior so he felt this was the only way. Con had her brother accumulate debt; not that it was difficult since the man was a gambler. To pay off his debts and save their home, Con makes Laurette his mistress for 6 months.

Now I won't give anymore of the story away because its something that I feel a reader should explore and discover on their own.

However, the reason why I gave this book 3 stars even though I truly loved the story was that there were many things in between the telling of the story that seemed to drag on. It felt like a movie reel playing the same part over and over again. And for me the most frustrating part was the end. It was abrupt and frankly left me quite unsatisfied. I wish there would have been more finality at the end instead of just an abrupt after thought.

The book is well worth the read. The story is really beautiful I just wish there had been more. I feel that there is something missing and incomplete about it.

[Akina · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a good book but I didn't like how the point of view kept changing as well as the timeframes. One paragraph told in the present, the next paragraph told in the past, the next told in the present by a different character. It was hard to keep up sometimes. That annoyed me a lot in the beginning and kept me from reading the book through at one sitting.

But I liked the story and the characters. I loved how you could see what motivated the H from the beginning of the story. I admired his determination even though he had to be cruel to be kind.

[Keri · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 Stars.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Con and Laurette were childhood friends who became sweethearts and had plans to marry. Plans that were ruined when Con was forced to marry for money to save his estate and the lives of the people who relied on him. 10 years later Con's wife is dead and he is determined to have a second chance with his one true love but Laurette isn't sure. She may still have feelings for Con but so many things have happened and she has a big secret she needs to protect. Con is prepared to go to any lengths to get Laurette back, the trouble will be convincing her he's right and getting her to believe that they were meant to be together.

I loved the first book in this trilogy Mistress by Mistake so I was really excited to get hold of an advanced copy of Mistress by Midnight. I have to say that Con didn't make it easy for me to like him at first, the way he has behaved in the past and the measures he takes to get Laurette back into his life don't show him in the best light and made me feel quite sorry for Laurette. However, as the story progresses and you find out more about his history you realise that he has been a victim of circumstances as much as Laurette and his wife were. Although he didn't steal my heart in quite the same way that Bay from Mistress by Mistake did I was definitely hoping for a happy ending for Con and Laurette.

Laurette is a strong character and one who has suffered a lot because of Con's family. Her life hasn't been easy but Con is determined to make up for the past and he wants to give her the future she deserves. I liked the fact that she stood up for herself and wasn't a weak character who just welcomed Con back with open arms. She only agrees to spend time with him to protect her brother which makes her a better woman than me because I think in the same circumstances I'd have left my brother to clean up his own mess!

It was nice to get a glimpse of life on Jane Street, especially as there was a bit of a crossover from Mistress by Mistake so you get to see things in the first story from a different point of view. I also loved the chemistry between Con and Laurette, things may be a mess between them but they definitely get along just fine in the bedroom. I'm looking forward to reading the final story in the trilogy Mistress by Marriage and will be keeping an eye out for more of Maggie Robinson's work in the future. If you're a historical romance fan I'd definitely recommend giving this series a try

[Virginia Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maggie Robinson again spins her storytelling magic in "Mistress by Midnight", offering one of the most delightfully imperfect heroes you'll ever meet! Desmond Ryland, Marquess of Conover, has always loved Laurette Vincent. Childhood friendship budded into adolescent infatuation, later becoming adult desire and devotion in full bloom. When Con is forced to marry a wealthy older woman to fulfill the social and financial obligations of his family, Laurette is devastated. She and Con continue to meet even after he is married, risking much and desiring even more. Con's wife bears him a son, but Laurette keeps secret from him the fact that she also bore his child, a daughter. Con's marriage is one of convenience, and his unhappiness with his forced separation from Laurette leads him to escape by traveling abroad. He remains gone for many years, writing to his son, and never forgetting his "Laurie". When his wife dies, Con at last returns home to become a father to his son. He also wants to marry Laurette, and he is stunned when she turns down his proposal. He is also shocked, but delighted to learn that he and Laurette have a daughter, and he determines to set all his mistakes to right. He often goes about things the wrong way, acting on his heart's desire without thinking things through. Laurette is a very strong-minded woman, fierce in her lifelong love for Con, but afraid to believe that they could find true happiness. Despite his unconventional ways, Con is so very appealing! He never wavers in his love for his "Laurie", often telling her how much he cares. He was manipulated as a young man into a situation that solved some issues just as it created a world of complications and heartache. Con is not a perfect man, but he is a worthy man, and love at last comes home to his heart.

[Mitzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mistress by MidnightPretty good story but not as good as Bk 1 ‘Mistress by Mistake’.

Con and Laurette are childhood friends and young lovers. They say their marriage vows to each other under the stars the night before Con is forced into a marriage for money. Con leaves on his honeymoon and when he returns a month later his wife is pregnant. He can’t stomach having been forced into this marriage so he leaves to seek his own riches.

In the meantime, Laurette is also pregnant. She gives their daughter to her cousins to raise and befriends Con’s wife and son during his absence.

10 years later, Con decides to return and be a father to his son…only to discover that his wife has just died. He seeks out Laurette and proposes marriage…she turns him down. Although she understood he had to marry, she refuses to lose her heart to him again.

He then plots to get her back any way he can and blackmails her into becoming his mistress for 6 months. Con also knows about his daughter but doesn’t tell Laurette…and of course she hasn’t told him either.

There are lots of flashbacks describing the strength of their young love for each other….(a few to many, imo)…And because of the love they shared (they’ve both been true to their vows the entire 10 years he is gone) it’s difficult to see why Laurette is being so pig headed and won’t marry him.

They do get their HEA…..I liked both H/h and kids…there is lots of very steamy sex…and even though I didn’t think this book was as good as the first, I’m looking forward to reading book #3.

[Georgie-who-is-Sarah-Drew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I disliked the inequitable power dynamic between H&h. I prefer interactions with more wit, and fewer insults. Though Robinson writes well - I've enjoyed her other series - the Courtesan Court series seems to be laced with an unexpectedly misogynistic streak.

[Özlem · Rating 1 out of 5]

Serinin bizde çıkan ilk kitabı Beni Bekletme oldukça kötüydü. Fakat beeelki yazar %1 bile olsa kendini geliştirmiştir diye kitaba başladım. Sonuç %0 :D

Konu olarak oldukça iyi, işleniş sıfır. Kitap hemen Desmond'un Laurette'yi metres olarak kendine almasıyla başlıyor. Kadın karakter zamanında Desmond'un evlilik teklifini reddediyor fakat bunu mantıklı temele oturtacak hiçbir şey yok. Desmond da kadın bana güvensin diyeceğine hemen hain planlara girişince kitap bas bas "ben okunmaya değer değilim" diyor.

Ayrıca Bea ve James de 12 yaşlarında dense de gayet 30'larına yaklaşan birey gibilerdi. Ayrıca bu 2 karakter Desmond-Laurette hakkındaki gerçekleri öğrendikten sonraki tavırları da sonuçlanmadı. Sadece ciddi olarak durumlar açıklandı hepsi bu.

İnşallah Epsilon seneler sonra bu yazarı bir daha karşımıza çıkarmaz demek istiyorum fakat yayın evinin kalemi zayıf veya vasat yazarlara defalarca şans vermeyi sevdiği de acı gerçek.

[Meranda Semeniuk-Wappel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love this series! Love historical fiction!

[Christine Seybolt · Rating 5 out of 5]

MISTRESS BY MARRIAGE is the second installment in historical Romance author Maggie Robinson’s a highly developed multifaceted historical romance Courtesan Court trilogy which released in December 2010 by Kensington Brava with writing that magically transcends her readers into an unpretentious and sublime love story.

All Laurette Vincent dreamed of since a child was being Desmond Ryland, Marquess of Conover’s wife but fates had other plans. As young lovers they made vows to one another in the Conover garden only to be ripped apart by familiar obligations. Twelve years later Con has returned to England to find the young son he abandoned despising him and the love of his love on his front steps loathing the very air he breaths.

Laurette Vincent is no longer the innocent woman who fell in love with Con. No longer with starry eyed love starring back at the man she joyously gave her innocents too. Laurette is on a mission to save her brother who under the tutelage of Lord Conover has gambled away what little the Vincent’s had. She has come to Conover’s Mayfair house upon his request knowing in her heart that the man she once loved no longer exists.

In his places Laurette finds a man who will do anything to get what he wants even if it destroys her reputation. Laurette has her own secrets and needs and she is determined to keep Con at arms length even when he propositions her to be his MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT

MIDNIGHT BY MIDNIGHT was highly proactive that set my heart racing from the moment Laurette Vincent walked into Con’s Mayfair house to bargain with the wayward lord for her brother��s vowels. Laurette Vincent is the reason I could not wait to read MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT from the moment she appeared in MISTRESS BY MISTAKE as one of Charlotte Fallon’s Jane Street inviting neighbors. I was in awe to find out what Laurette’s story was and was not disappointed. The premise of young love lost was prevalent for this story. The more readers continue on in this story you come to realize early on that Conover never gave up his feelings and love for Laurette. Reader will be engaged in Conover’s desire to bring back what he and Laurette lost and he will sacrifice anyone in his way to finally have the love and life that he and Laurette vowed to have. Conover is not you quintessential romance hero because he plays all his cards out in the open. He also wears his heart on his sleeves which makes him that much more attractive to a romance aficionado. Ms. Robinson’s was unique in the fact that she flipped the concessions of what a ‘carbon-copy’ hero and heroine should be. Where most heroes hide what they feel for pages and pages we are shown up close and personal how Con fought with all he was worth only to run abandoning the people who depended on him. Where Laurette I found was the stronger character between the two. I appreciate the Ms. Robinson created a strong, vibrant and independent heroine that triumphed over every obstacle set in her way. Laurette Vincent is a character that romance writers should dissect in creating a heroine that will strongly appeal to romance reared who is grounded and entrenches reader in an emotional vise.


MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT has a cast of characters that feed a readers imagination with their striking wit and bright intelligent that leads this very sophisticated story through the upheaval to Con and Laurette’s happily ever after. Where would Con and Laurette be with out their scrappy and ingenious staff that knows what their master and mistress need even before they do? The characters that I grabbed onto with all my might happen to be James Conover and Beatrix Vincent who are as charming, inviting and have the most adorable persuasive way of seeing through Con and Laurette’s meager attempt at keeping their attraction from them. As the story unfolds readers will come to sympathize with these precocious youngsters and root for their family unit in the end.

Wrap your self in a warm soft throw and tuck down into your favorite comfy chair because MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT will enclose you in a story of the strength about a love that is timeless and filled with forgiveness. Conover and Laurette’s story is an extreme romance that shows how one magical love could not be tarnished or forgotten. The longer I read the more I found myself being spellbound by the characters plight of longing to be understood and loved. Ms. Robinson captures readers’ heart along with their imagination with two of the strongly emotional and endearing protagonist that go beyond the norm to find what the have lost.

What can I say but that I found MISTRESS BY MIDNIGHT was simply…M-A-G-I-C-A-L. Ms. Robinson is profound in her craft of weaving intricate details and sublime witty dialogue with true-to-life characters that I do not mind spending the day with.

[Jo (My House of Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

As much as I enjoyed Mistress by Mistake, I had high expectations for Mistress by Midnight. It was touch-and-go for a while...

What I believe made relating to Laurette and Con so difficult was the use of flashbacks. Just when I thought I understood what had happened between their younger selves, a flashback would take me out of my reading flow. Granted, the flashbacks were important to fully understanding the love and friendship they'd once shared, but I didn't like it, especially because they did seem so prevalent in the first half of the book. Once Con takes Laurette away from Jane Street, the flashbacks lessen and we're given more of their story in the present. They had to reconnect on an emotional level (rather that just a physical one) in order for me to connect with them too.

So, a little disappointing, but I'm still looking forward to the third book of the Courtesan trilogy.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I've not yet read the 1st book in this trilogy but do plan to.
At 1st I did not like Con, the hero, very much at all. And... I didn't like the way Laurette reacted to him. I was very frustrated by her continual refusals of his marriage propositions. By the 2nd half of the book, I was starting to change my mind... and by the end of the book, I had a new understanding of them and their actions... and I thought the ending was a perfect closure.
I didn't give it more stars as I really struggled with it in the beginning; not enough to not want to read it; but the interactions between the two main characters were just so frustrating. I don't want to discourage anyone from reading it as, even when I was so frustrated, I didn't want to put the book down; and I couldn't put it down at all as I neared the end.
Thank you, Maggie, for an enthralling story... that's well worth the read...

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book even though it was my least favorite in the Courtesan series. I think this is because Maggie Robinson created her heroines in the other two books as more voluptuous than the heroine of this story, Laurette, and I’m a sucker for a fuller figured heroine. Aside from that, there was great tension between Laurette and Con. They were both faced with such battles as youth that they are now living with their consequences and hoping that they can somehow come to their happily ever after. They just sizzle in the bedroom and Laurette is such an intelligent woman. There were times that I just wanted to smack her upside the head and say “marry that man!” but I could see her reasons and understand why she was so resistant. This was a very well written, erotic historical romance written outside of the London ballrooms. Really enjoyable book and very exciting series!

[CoffeeTimeRomance andMore · Rating 5 out of 5]

We first see Desmond and Laurette as teenagers in love, not innocent as far as the pleasures of the flesh goes, but in the acts they carry out to claim their love for one another. Ms. Robinson gives us a tale that contains many different emotions; bitterness, love, sadness, heartache, anger, betrayal, secrecy, joy, passion, and loneliness. Mistress by Midnight takes us on a journey as two long ago lovers once again learn the pleasure of each other’s flesh and love even as one tries to deny feelings for the other. Set in the nineteenth century, this novel is rich in history, danger, and lost love found again.

Danielle
Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & More

Full Review: http://coffeetimeromance.com/BookRevi...

[Fedora · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely and at times heartbreaking story of Con and Laurie--they essentially grew up together and fell in love. But of course, the path to a happy ending is rarely an easy one. Con's forced to marry someone whose fortune will rescue his family, and Laurette knows it's his duty.

Years later, he is free to offer for her at last, but she can't bring herself to accept.

Fortunately he is still in love with her, and determined enough to try again and again. Even if that means making her his mistress as a means of winning her as his wife.

Maggie Robinson's story is emotional and gripping, and yes, Con and Laurie's chemistry is as strong as it was in their youth.

Looking forward to reading more of Ms. Robinson's stories.

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

An earl (3 points!) attempts to get his former lover to marry him after his wife dies. Unfortunately too many years and tears have gone by for her to pick up with him again easily. And he gets this really, really stupid idea that blackmailing her to become his mistress will help his suit. The first half of the book shows the stupidity of this idea; the second half of the book is much better, when he takes her (along with some younger guests) on a summer getaway to his Yorkshire property in a much better attempt to deal with the unresolved issues between them. The first half of this book probably only merits two stars but by the ending Robinson had redeemed it.

[Tonileg · Rating 2 out of 5]

This novel has the 'once again lovers' plot. I love the idea that childhood lovers are separated and then find each other years later. If your looking for a great (maybe the best) example of this then go read MS. Kleypas's book 'Again the Magic'. There are a bunch of hot sexy scenes spread through out the book which is fun, but there wasn't enough reason to drag out the Laurette's avoidance from marriage. So I had a hard time swallowing the plot in the middle of the book. It wasn't believable that Laurette would reject kind rich sexy hot childhood-sweetheart Desmond when she had nothing going for her and no one else would marry her.

Writing 2 stars
Characters 2 stars
Hot scenes 3 stars

[Caren Jan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like how the story progressed. The cat and mouse chase between Laurie and Con. I like how practical the heroine is about her situation but is quite dumb in some if her decisions, i like how determined and desperate Con is to win his love back but infuriated by his cowardice towards his son but what do you expect of these traits? It made them human not sone fictional character in a book. But what i don't like was the ending especially in the parts of the children. Its sad that they couldn't claim their daughter in public and i still think that James wouldn't like having a sister. I don't know i just wasn't satisfied with the ending. But the story was great.

[Kristine · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars... This book was good, although there were times I wanted to scream. Not necessarily a bad thing, given that it was the characters I wanted to scream AT. When Laurette continued to refuse Con it broke my heart, but I completely understood why she acted the way she did.

In the beginning of the book, I didn't like Con much. He seemed a little too dominating for my taste. But as time went on and I learned his reasonings, I fell in love with him. The kids being in the story added an interesting twist.

Fun, uber steamy read.

[❆ Crystal ❆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, while this book was good, it wasn't nearly as good as the first book in the series. The story was good and I loved Con, but Laurette drove me crazy at times. The story got bogged down and repetitive at times. I'd rather a story was shortened than just pages filled in with the same banter over and over again. But, still, I did like it and I gave it 3 stars. I hope the 3rd book in this series is more like the first one.

[May ّمي · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

Lovely contain most of the elements that I like

Childhood lovers who had to break up their relationship due to usual ton circumstances meet again after 12 years. they both still love each other but there are many things that are standing in their way now to be able to be together again.

I liked how Con still love Laurette and still want her back <3
Laurette on the other hand was a stubborn women

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it a great deal. The love and anguish of the lead characters was so real you could feel it. I love this author and can't wait for the next one.

[Tracey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This romance heroine was really annoying. I expect that with these generic romance novels but Laurette was on some other shit. All of her problems were her own fault. I mean, man up and move on.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a big fan of the "omniscient guy who tortures his lady love for the sake of their eventual happiness" trope.

[Shantie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was Ok. Didn't like it as much as 1st book.

[Juli · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.5

[Shh I'm reading! · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated everyone except Bea, because she was the only one with any sort of sense. The fact that an 11 was the only redeeming person combined with the unfinished way the book ended made me so angry.

[LInda L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don't remember it, but it's on my "have read" list.

Merged review:

Kind of tiresome -- most of the others I've read (Maggie Robinson) have been as cute as could be. This one -- not so much. OK, but not great.