Barbara’s rating: 5 of 5 stars

Series: The Ravenels #6
Publication Date: 2/18/20
Number of Pages: 384

OMGoodness! I loved this book. I loved the story. I loved the characters. I loved the romance. Well, you get the picture. One of the things I liked most is that the heroine just wanted a home and a family to love. She didn’t want to flaunt society, she wasn’t out to blaze new trails, she just wanted a family with a husband who loved her. Cassandra was a delightful change from the current batch of heroines who would fit perfectly into our modern society. She wasn’t weak or cowed by the world, she just knew what she wanted and wasn’t willing to settle for less. Hmmm – so maybe she is actually the perfect bridge between the two worlds.

Tom Severin was raised rough – and raised isn’t the right word, because he basically raised himself. When he was ten years old, Tom got work at the railway station and took care of his mother and sisters from then on. Now, he is a self-made gazillionaire. Tom is totally pragmatic and takes everything quite literally. Tom has totally closed himself off from emotions – feelings – as he calls them. He has only ever allowed himself five feelings – and love isn’t one of them. The previous few years have become sort of lackluster for him – making money isn’t as much fun as it used to be. At thirty-one he thinks maybe it is time to marry, but he has to choose carefully because it has to be someone who doesn’t expect him to love her. (You are going to fall in love with Tom yourself.)

“Damn it, that makes six.” “Six what?” Devon asked in bewilderment. “Feelings, I’ve never had more than five feelings, and they’re hard enough to manage as it is. I’ll be damned if I’ll add another.”

Lady Cassandra Ravenel is the opposite of Tom. She feels ALL of the feelings and revels in all of them. Her biggest worry in life is that she is a bit overweight and she’s self-conscious about it. She is bright and loving and wants a home and family of her own. She doesn’t want just any husband though – she wants one she loves and who loves her in return. She’s had many offers of marriage, but they were all typical ton marriage proposals – more a business arrangement than a loving partnership. She’s refused all of the proposals because none of those men stirred her soul or her body. Then, she meets Tom Severin who stirs ALL of her senses – but he tells her upfront that he can’t/won’t ever love whomever he marries. The woman will just have to understand and agree to that upfront.

One of the fun elements in the book is Cassandra getting Tom to read a novel. He’s never read one – after all they aren’t practical, have no use, and are about pretend people. His reactions and the ‘lessons’ he learns from the novels are so funny.

Watching Tom come to be all he can be was an absolutely wonderful process – even though he fought it – but not too hard. Softhearted and sweet Cassandra really worked a number on him and it was wonderful to see when he finally learned the real ‘lesson’ from ‘Around The World In Eighty Days’.

“You’re saying if I gained another stone, or even two stones, on top of this, you’d still find me desirable?” “God, yes,” he said without hesitation. “Whatever size you are, I’ll have a place for every curve.”

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advanced Reader Copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.