Not Quite a Husband

This is the first book I've read from Sherry Thomas and I wasn't disappointed at all. Given she has Lisa Kleypas's praises, that alone carries weight since LK is my favorite historical romance author. After reading the prologue, I was intrigued since it's been a while since I read something from this genre. Ms Thomas's story touched me and kept me reading further to find out if the hero and...more

This is the first book I've read from Sherry Thomas and I wasn't disappointed at all. Given she has Lisa Kleypas's praises, that alone carries weight since LK is my favorite historical romance author. After reading the prologue, I was intrigued since it's been a while since I read something from this genre. Ms Thomas's story touched me and kept me reading further to find out if the hero and heroine would find it in their hearts to give it another go. This was quite an emotional novel, quite dark, if it had a hue it would be grey. The setting was in India and it felt as if I were travelling with the characters. Bryony and Leo clearly had a bad case of miscommunication. Their history was unraveled bit by bit with every flashback. It's plain to see that their marriage is one of true love, but with the way Bryony proposed, it would seem like a business transaction. It was not at all what I expected. Ms Thomas's writing style was very detailed, although I was sidetracked by the war and fighting, the developments between the characters were amazing. Theirs is a complex relationship, no matter how they might scorn one another, when lust arises, the truth shall come out - and it did. It was like a bumpy ride, but they got there anyway. The love scenes were few and far between, but they perfectly timed with the situations. Bryony had her closure with her father, forgave Callista and stepmother, and finally was at peace. I gave it a 5 because I was really impressed. As I said, it was a gloomy novel, mostly miserable, but I liked how at the time of malaria, war, and imminent death gave clarity to Leo and Bryony. In this case, love conquers all and fate decided to give them a second chance, after they decided on it.   hide