Suddenly You

3 stars. I was hesitant to read this, the premise sounded so ridiculous and contrived. But Kleypas did a good job actually of pulling it off without it seeming completely farcical. I think it could have been 4 stars if the editing had been a little tighter. The last third or so seemed to just wander. I liked it overall though.

2nd read- I decided to try this one again, and I'm glad I did, bumped up to 4 stars. I enjoyed it more this time, I liked the humor, and the hero's rascally charm. Plus I especially love heroines who are writers and heroes who are Irish. =D

Felled by what appears to be either a pinched nerve or an alien incubating in my upper back (we are waiting with baited breath to discover which) this audiobook was a lovely companion. It hit so many of my favorite tropes and dealt with some difficult and emotional subject matter beautifully while not getting too heavy. (Kleypas is a real master at this, and it is not easy.) Also, the book featured a chubby heroine with curly auburn hair (women of my general description don't pop up much in books or films.) I do wish Amanda had been a bit less priggish at the start, and that there was some explanation as to why this woman who had excited no romantic interest in her first 30 years was suddenly the object of interest for many men, but show more even with those dings this was a real joy to listen to, and super dreamy. show less

How does Kleypas do it? I loved Jack almost immediately (admittedly, he had me from the first "mhuirnín"). I also appreciated how Jack loved Amanda first for her mind and then for her body and then for her as a person. Seeing both of them grow as characters really made this novel shine, not to mention the autonomy Amanda earns. As much as that ending threw me for a loop, I think it made their HEA more credible. The ending was a bit rushed, though, which is why I'm taking off a star.

I am a big fan of Lisa Kleypas's writing, and Suddenly You is yet another worthy effort from her but not my favorite of her books. I have come to respect Ms. Kleypas as a writer who creates intelligent prose and unique sub-plots in her work. While Suddenly You begins with a unique premise for the hero and heroine's first meeting, I found much of the rest of the book to be standard soap opera plotting with a lot of repressed feelings and misunderstandings. I have also become a fan of the deep, dark emotions found in many of Ms. Kleypas's other books and which I feel she is masterful at writing. While this book certainly was emotional, it did not quite touch me to the core like some of her other works. I think part of the reason for this show more is the more sarcastic, sharp-tongued banter between the hero and heroine which sometimes worked for me and sometimes didn't. I also don't tend to be a fan of romances that begin as casual affairs. I like to feel that the characters are “in” love before they “make” love, and while one could tell that they cared for one another, I didn't actually sense real love until later in the book. It was also a little sad to see Charles Hartley get dumped, as he was such a lovable guy for a secondary character, but of course we know that Amanda isn't in love with him, and Jack has to win out in the end.

While the book does have some weaknesses, in my opinion, it also has many strengths. Fans of progressive, independent heroines should really like Amanda. Sometimes, these types of heroines can become abrasive and annoying to me, but I found Amanda to be a good balance of nice and naughty, sensitive and independent. Underneath his hard exterior, Jack was a kind, loving hero. One scene from the book that I absolutely loved is when Jack tells Amanda all the things he “prefers” about her, with her intellect being at the top of his list. He eventually succeeds in convincing her that she is beautiful in spite of her imperfect body, a storyline that I think most women can definitely relate to. Being a very progressive thinker himself, Jack is ultimately very supportive of Amanda's ideas and treats her as his equal. There were also a couple of plot twists toward the end of the story that I enjoyed, one of which was rather humorous and the other, though sad and tragic, added much more depth to the characters' relationship. The pacing of the book was good, and as always, Ms. Kleypas does a wonderful job with descriptive details. The love scenes were positively scorching, so much so that I was surprised the book didn't catch fire while I was reading it.;-) Even though this book did not quite measure up to some of Ms. Kleypas's other works for me, it was still a very enjoyable read. show less

In a time when women were not supposed to be curious about carnal pleasures, spinster Amanda Briars does the unthinkable and hires a male prostitute to relieve her of her virginity on the night of her thirtieth birthday. Unknowingly, Jack Devlin appears on her doorstep at that appointed time, and receives quite an unexpected welcome.

The prim novelist and the unscrupulous Irish publisher make quite the interesting pair in this historical English romance. When Amanda finds out who Jack really is, his reputation - and his acquisition of her first novel - causes her outrage. But anger turns to passion as a whirlwind affair ensues. However, knowing about his past and believing that Jack will never marry her, Amanda tries to save herself from show more heartache. She breaks off the affair and - much to Jack’s torment - bending to convention and social demands, she plans to marry a fellow writer, whom she admires but does not love. But who wants to read a book without a happy ending? Circumstances push Jack and Amanda back together, and then disaster almost rips them apart again.

Character development was done pretty well in this story, though I wish we could have seen a bit more through Jack’s eyes. He has a great quote when Amanda asks why he would want to ruin the integrity of her novel by publishing it as a serial. He responds, “Because owning books shouldn’t be a privilege of the rich. I want to print good books in a way that the masses can afford them. A poor person needs the escape far more than a wealthy man.” Well said! There is also lots of discussion about women’s issues in this book, Amanda as an independent career woman in a time where most women must marry to be provided for.

This was a fabulously witty novel, fast paced and difficult to put down. Damn my day job! There were some pretty sensual scenes in this book, and most hilariously Amanda’s outrage at some of the things that Jack suggests they try, but she cannot deny her desire. As you should not deny the desire to read their story. show less

Amanda Briars has achieved something very few other woman of the 1830s could boast of. She is a writer. A writer who is acknowledged by her peers for her provocative, progressive stories. But, unfortunately the realization of her vocational dream has also engineered the dilemma of being a virgin spinster at the age of 30. In an uncharacteristic move Amanda decides to request a "birthday present" for herself from the local madam.

Jack Devlin has a reputation for being controlling and ruthless in his rise from nobody to one of the most powerful publishers in London, and he doesn't intend to stop there. Jack has dreams of becoming not only the largest publisher but the largest book seller as well. When he arrives at the home of Amanda show more Briars to woo her into turning her first, unpublished piece of work into a serial novel, the last thing he expects is to be mistaken for a male prostitute.

I really enjoyed Suddenly You for many reasons. Although the story was certainly character driven I found the display of the prejudices and customs described of the 1830s London to be very interesting. Only recently have I learned that book lovers can be just as prejudicial about what they consider "great literature" as any religious or political sect can be. I found the different views of what kinds of books considered proper in the society depicted to be very comparable to current day attitudes. I really enjoyed the relationship between Amanda and Devlin and was surprised at just how steamy the scenes were. Before reading Lisa Kleypas' stories I had thought that steaminess was a more prevelent feature in paranormals and had never connected this kind of writing with historicals. I had always assumed would be more staid in content. Obviously I was wrong.

All in all I really enjoyed this book and look forward to continuing to read more of Kleypas' work. She hasn't disappointed me yet! show less

This novel has a readable style compared to most romance novels, but what makes it stand out are the plot and characterizations which are about as far away from the conventional historical romance as you can get--in good ways. The heroine, Amanda Briars, is a women of independent means in Victorian England who makes her living as a novelist. She arranges for a male prostitute to come to her on her 30th birthday because she's tired of being a spinster virgin. Except what the madame sends is a man she thinks might be Amanda's match--Jack Devlin, a young publisher. And that's about as much I can tell you without it being a spoiler, except this breaks other romance conventions--which is the reason this was among my favorite reads on a show more romance reading list I recently worked through. I also think I find Jack just about the most appealing hero among the romance books I've read--he's a real entrepreneur, an ambitious self-made man and I for one find that a thousand times more attractive than a title. show less