This is the first romance book I ever read! It will always be myfavorite ( )

How many books do you remember a week after you've finished reading it?

I read this book when it was first released, and I read it again when it was re-released. Dougless is such a charming underdog, the youngest child trying not to be the family clown. She feels like she can't do anything right, and in spite of landing a doctor (who is going to propose "any day") she discovers he isn't her best choice in husband material, but he's her chance to appear to have done the right thing with her family. Until she meets her knight in shining armor, and he shows her how a man should treat a lady.

One of the first time travel romance novels, this story stuck with me for all these years, and even in re-reading it (I must have been mixing up two books, they don't BOTH travel through time, do they?), I still loved the way Dougless uses a waterfall as a shower, and I remembered Nicholas's trip to the dentist. I love the way Nicholas is fascinated by modern-day inventions. Particularly endearing is the ending... Because love endures the test of time. ( )

The ending gutted me. I have never cried so much because of a romance novel. ( )

Dougless is on a trip to England with her partner, Robert, and his spoilt-brat daughter, Gloria. When, after a fight, Robert and Gloria drive away and leave Dougless behind at a church without even her purse, she breaks down in tears on top of a tomb – the tomb of 16th century “rake” Nicholas Stafford. When a man appears, she refuses to believe he is from the 16th century – he says he IS Nicholas. She just thinks he’s crazy! Even still, she agrees to help him, as he is obviously confused about everything going on around him (or he’s acting so, anyway). They decide to do some research to find out more about what happened to him (he appeared to Dougless only 3 days before he was scheduled to be executed) – that is, who accused him of the crime he is to be executed for.

I quite enjoyed this. I’m not a big romance fan, but I do like time travel. This one got even better with an unexpected turn of events in the middle of the book. Although, I did find Dougless to be a bit – I can’t think of a good word, but “flakey” maybe? I have no idea what she ever saw in Robert! I do feel like this was a tough one to find a good ending for, but I thought she did a good job with that. There is an afterword in the edition I read, which was apparently slightly rewritten from the original. The author said she tried to make the reader see a bit better why Dougless might have wanted so badly to marry Robert, but I still didn’t get that part of it. Despite that, however, I did love the time travel aspect of the book! ( )

I don't know where I got this book or what made me decide to read it. I am so glad all those years ago I did, it began my love affair with all things Jude Deveraux, Highlands, timetravel, and the Montgomery/Taggart Family. If you only ever read one true romance novel in your life, read A Kinght In Shining Armor. ( )