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Loading... Suddenly You (edition 2006)by Lisa Kleypas
Work InformationSuddenly You by Lisa Kleypas
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. Suddenly You 3 Stars One of Kleypas's earlier works that, unfortunately, does not live up to its potential. As an established and recognized author in Regency England, Amanda Briars is a unique and intriguing heroine. The fact that she is self-possessed and courageous enough to hire a male companion to divest her of her virginity only adds to her appeal. Regrettably, the promise that she exhibits at the start of the book does not extend to the middle or end as her character develops into a dishonest, insecure and irritating shadow of her former self. Jack Devlin fits a common hero-type in historical romance. A ruthless businessman determined to overcome his traumatic upbringing as the illegitimate child of a nobleman, Jack has sworn off marriage and fatherhood, but cannot seem to keep his hands off the delightful spinster who crosses his path. Much of Jack's backstory is provided second-hand, which makes it difficult to appreciate and truly sympathize with his character. In terms of the romance, much of Jack and Amanda's relationship is based on sex, and their interactions outside the bedroom are few and far between. In fact, it is never really clear what they actually see in each other beyond their physical attraction. Overall, definitely not one of Kleypas's better books. Someone recommended this book to me as an angsty romance. Once I started it, I realized I read it before but hadn't marked it on GR. Anyway, it's worth the reread though I skipped over the many, many sex scenes so it didn't take that long. The plot is interesting. Independent spinster/author Amanda wants to lose her virginity before she turns 30, so she hires a male prostitute. Through some machinations, publisher Jack shows up instead but is glad to 'make her acquaintance.' There are some obvious plot complications on their road to true love and I never really thought of them in love with each other, but the story is okay and hey, it's Liza Kleypas. no reviews | add a review
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She was unmarried, untouched, and almost thirty, but novelist Amanda Briars wasn't about to greet her next birthday without making love to a man. When he appeared at her door, she believed he was her gift to herself, hired for one night of passion. Unforgettably handsome, irresistibly virile, he tempted her in ways she never thought possible . . . but something stopped him from completely fulfilling her dream. Jack Delvin's determination to possess Amanda became greater when she discovered his true identity. But gently-bred Amanda craved respectability more than she admitted, while Jack, the cast-off son of a nobleman and London's most notorious businessman, refused to live by society's rules. Yet when fate conspired for them to marry, their worlds collided with a passionate force neither had expected . . . but both soon craved. Contains mature themes. No library descriptions found.
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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The thing is, I think Kleypas was running out of ideas by the time she came to this book. With her books, I'm used to last minute kidnappings, random murder threats, and unbelievable fights to the death. While they're sometimes a little out of place, they make her stories super fun and entertaining, and that's one of the reasons why I love Kleypas. With this book, it felt like she didn't know what to do. Yes, the back synopsis hints that the heroine saves the hero from a life-threatening situation, but I assure you, it's not that thrilling. However, compared to how the rest of the book went, it was downright cinematic.
Now, I like when the hero and heroine have good, pleasurable sex together, particularly when the heroine isn't shy about her desires. The problem was that this book was 70% sex scenes, 20% brooding for both characters, and 10% plot. The premise is basically the same as the movie You've Got Mail--the hero is a corporate monster eating up independent publishers, one of whom the heroine works for. At some point, I expected the two of them to go head-to-head as they duke it out: her principles and art against his business acumen and pride. And it would've been heightened by their love for literature and each other. At the end, they'd realize nothing mattered except each other, and that's the book I wanted to read, that I expected to read, and I didn't get it.
In the hands of a lesser author, this book would be a 1 or a 2 starred book. While each individual scene was well-written, in my opinion, as a whole, it lacked structure. Anyway, if you like tropes and sex, this is the book for you, otherwise, read it at your own risk. ( )