Much Ado About You (Essex Sisters, #1) in Fans of Eloisa James & Julia Quinn

Mar 05, 2012 Jessica rated it really liked it

Shelves: romance

I love diving into an Eloisa book. I can always count on coming out happy.
When I picked up this book, I didn't know where it fell in terms of publication date; I knew it was older than ones I've read by her but not sure how old. As I started reading, I noticed how she had ancillary characters that rang familiar bells in my head, like Lady Godwin. It was a delight to see James do something I only ever saw in JQ's books- have this fictional community that intersected, regardless if the main protag I love diving into an Eloisa book. I can always count on coming out happy.
When I picked up this book, I didn't know where it fell in terms of publication date; I knew it was older than ones I've read by her but not sure how old. As I started reading, I noticed how she had ancillary characters that rang familiar bells in my head, like Lady Godwin. It was a delight to see James do something I only ever saw in JQ's books- have this fictional community that intersected, regardless if the main protagonists never met. I loved that Tess and her sisters dominated this book but you still had glimpses of characters you knew from other books. It feels like greeting an old friend.

There were certainly other factors I enjoyed about this book as well. For one, it was mesmerizing to watch Lucius and Tess cultivate their relationship. At first, you don't really see the way Lucius and Tess are going to fit together; they co-exist like oil and vinegar. Yet you know there's some secret hidden deep that is going to unlock what's needed to make them complimentary. Of course, I was also enormously anxious for Tess to escape the clutches of the Earl of Mayne- I would expect most of you would agree that they would have co-existed as well as tuna fish and peanut butter.

All in all, it was truly lovely to follow Lucius and Tess' attempt to remain distant from one another, despite their inevitable attraction. The love scenes were steamy, the dialogue was Eloisa witty, and the transition from Lucius' train of thought to Tess' was flawless. It felt like Eloisa wrote this book in her sleep; utterly natural.

The only thing that truly left me wanting was the end- Lucius and Tess have an episode with Lucius' parents and the entire scene seems unnecessary and somewhat forced. I couldn't understand its grander purpose although I suspect Eloisa wanted it to serve as the catalyst for Lucius' declaration of love. As a reader, it didn't flow that way. The ending fell flat in that Lucius seemed to confess far too easily his feelings for his new wife; after all his emotionless splendor throughout the book, I didn't like that he just came out with it. It felt like he should have burst with the confession during a love scene. However, this was minor in the grand scheme of Lucius and Tess' romance. ...more

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