Just Like Heaven

Placeholder - Read the paperback again

Super ridiculously adorable! :) ( )

Bought for Myself
Overall Rating 3.75
Character Rating 4.00
Story Rating 3.50
Audio Rating 3.75

Note: This was such a nice, light historical read that had me giggling several times. The audio version was fantastically done by Rosalyn Landor and added a bit of flair to the story.
What I Loved: Honoria was just a great leading lady. She was all things: shy at times, blunt at times, and always thinking. She was smart, feisty, and just perfect for Marcus. Marcus to me was the type of lead we hardly ever see but I love. He reminded me a lot of Mr. Darcy but was more friendly/personable from the beginning. Those kind of men make me swoon!

What I Liked: I really liked all the secondary characters and can't wait to see them more as the series progresses. I did feel rather sorry for all the gals having to put on the rather horrid musical but think it will be very fun to watch as the series unfolds.

Complaints: None

Audio Specific Review: Rosalyn Landor did a fantastic job with the pacing and delivering of Honoria voice. I have come to realize that I am just not a big fan of women doing men's voices but it did not distract from the story at all.

Why I gave it a 3.75: I thought it was a fantastically light read/listen that was perfect for a summer day.

Julia Quinn

This book was really cute, but there just wasn't enough action for me, you know? Like a LOT of their love story is internal... and I guess I wanted to see them interact more... in different circumstances.

Okay, so Honoria Smythe-Smith is a Smythe-Smith. She plays violin... badly, and she knows it. But it's a family tradition that she's proud to be a part of, so she smiles through, despite causing Mozart to roll over in his grave. But that doesn't matter so much yet.

Marcus Holroyd, Earl of Chatteris, has never really had any family around (just a father who ignored him), and he just doesn't really know what to say to people, how to interact, etc. He's shy. So when he met Daniel Smythe-Smith, who came from a VERY LARGE family (4 or 5 siblings and a TON of cousins), and was very socially comfortable, he latched on (in a non-leach way). Daniel invited him to come home for holidays, etc., and he always went, and he really enjoyed the time he spent with the S-S family. Daniel's little sister, Honoria, was constantly trying to tag along with Daniel and Marcus, and they called her "Bug" growing up. (She was the youngest in her family by like 6 years, so she was kinda alone a lot, too.)

But then after school, Daniel ended up getting in a duel and seriously injuring the other guy and that guy's dad went berserk, and Daniel had to flee to the continent. And just before he left, he asked Marcus to watch out for Honoria and make sure that she doesn't end up marrying anyone crappy (which she doesn't know). So for the last two years or so that Honoria's been out, she's seen Marcus around a lot, but he mostly scowled a lot in her direction (at the men hanging around with her). Anyway, where am I going with this? But they haven't REALLY spent time together. And this description is getting out of control. Suffice it to say, Marcus becomes very very ill and Marcus has no family (his dad's dead by this point) and Honoria and her mother go to his house to tend to him. And during the course of his recovery, he and Honoria end up falling in love.... But there are complications (of course)... And there has to be a Smythe-Smith concert in there, too.

Anyway, like I said... it just didn't move very quickly. The first 100 pages are kinda setting things up to get the hero and heroine together, then the next 150 pages, Marcus is sick and confined to bed, and then the last 100 pages, there's finally some stuff that happens. The concert, etc. in London. It was good. I liked it... I just would have liked the proportion being a bit different. And I really quite liked Marcus. I like the idea of a shy guy who ISN'T out sleeping with every woman under the sun before he gets married. A reformed guy is lovely, but I'd rather a guy who isn't a womanizer, thank you very much. :) ( )

Just Like Heaven
4.5 Stars

The Smythe-Smith series is a spin off of the Bridgetons. The tone, banter and romance are all reminiscent of the original books and on the whole the characters and story are captivating, although there are a couple of small issues.

To begin with, Just Like Heaven overlaps with Romancing Mister Bridgerton, which is fun as we get cameo appearances by Gregory and Colin as well as Lady Danbury (that woman is a scream). However, there is one glaring error in the timeline that may annoy some readers but didn't really bother me as it only becomes evident once the book is almost over - the line "Mr. Bridgerton's brother's wife's sister is married to Mr. Berbrooke's brother" in chapter 2 is a reference to Penelope Bridgerton. However, the musicale at the end of the book takes place before Colin and Penelope are married so the line is out of sync.

Second, Marcus and Honoria have a sweet and enjoyable romance, however, their chemistry, while there, does not build sufficiently and their one steamy scene leaves much to be desired.

That said, they are an engaging couple and their friends to lovers romance is charming and entertaining. Marcus is shy and finds it difficult to interact with others. His social awkwardness is concealed behind a dark and brooding facade but Honoria, who has known him most of her life, sees beneath his cool exterior to the lonely man in need of love and friendship. It is wonderful how comfortable they are with each other at a time when men and women were basically strangers when they married.

In sum, this book is laugh-out-loud funny. The antics and banter between the quartet members is delightful and had me giggling well into the night. Do not be surprised if you find yourself finishing this lovely, lively and angst free read in less than a day. ( )

First, may I say this might be the most beautiful book cover I have ever seen? Second, this is not the type of romance novel in which one works one's way through an adventure full of external peril, always wondering if the leads actually will get together, let alone survive piracy or some evil duke's wrath or something like that. The lovers in this novel seem, if not fated, at least on an inevitable path since their childhoods. The pleasure here is in the journey -- how will they finally realize, admit and act on their love? It's the intimate moment, the personal gesture, that takes center stage here. And that's enough for a really pleasurable summer romance. It's not as finely drawn and deeply witty as her Bridgerton books, but that's ok. The Bridgertons are lightning in a bottle and by now are genre classics. But Just Like Heaven doesn't have to be a Bridgerton book to be successful. It's a delight in its own right. Finally, I will note that I really appreciated the character of Honoria's mother. It has been noted that parents of romance heroines -- especially mothers -- are often either absent or ineffectual. And although that is true of Honoria's father, her mother is wonderful. She rises to the occasion, becomes more than just a chaperone and fashion advisor, and proves that she loves her future son-in-law as her own child. -cg ( )