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Essex Sisters #2

Bésame, Annabel

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Para Annabel Essex el marido ideal debe reunir tres características; ser tan rico, que la haga olvidar los años de penuria como hija de un noble escocés pobretón, ser inglés y ser educado. Pero, para su desgracia, cuando cree haber encontrado al candidato perfecto, se cruza en su camino Ewan de Ardmore, otro conde escocés pobre, de impresionante apariencia, brillante inteligencia y talento indiscutible para besar.

Paperback

First published November 29, 2005

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About the author

Eloisa James

123 books9,542 followers
New York Times bestselling author Eloisa James writes historical romances for HarperCollins Publishers. Her novels have been published to great acclaim. A reviewer from USA Today wrote of Eloisa's very first book that she "found herself devouring the book like a dieter with a Hershey bar"; later People Magazine raved that "romance writing does not get much better than this." Her novels have repeatedly received starred reviews from Publishers' Weekly and Library Journal and regularly appear on the best-seller lists.

After graduating from Harvard University, Eloisa got an M.Phil. from Oxford University, a Ph.D. from Yale and eventually became a Shakespeare professor, publishing an academic book with Oxford University Press. Currently she is an associate professor and head of the Creative Writing program at Fordham University in New York City. Her "double life" is a source of fascination to the media and her readers. In her professorial guise, she's written a New York Times op-ed defending romance, as well as articles published everywhere from women's magazines such as More to writers' journals such as the Romance Writers' Report.

Eloisa...on her double life:

When I'm not writing novels, I'm a Shakespeare professor. It's rather like having two lives. The other day I bought a delicious pink suit to tape a television segment on romance; I'll never wear that suit to teach in, nor even to give a paper at the Shakespeare Association of America conference. It's like being Superman, with power suits for both lives. Yet the literature professor in me certainly plays into my romances. The Taming of the Duke (April 2006) has obvious Shakespearean resonances, as do many of my novels. I often weave early modern poetry into my work; the same novel might contain bits of Catullus, Shakespeare and anonymous bawdy ballads from the 16th century.

When I rip off my power suit, whether it's academic or romantic, underneath is the rather tired, chocolate-stained sweatshirt of a mom. Just as I use Shakespeare in my romances, I almost always employ my experiences as a mother. When I wrote about a miscarriage in Midnight Pleasures, I used my own fears of premature birth; when the little girl in Fool For Love threw up and threw up, I described my own daughter, who had that unsavory habit for well over her first year of life.

So I'm a writer, a professor, a mother - and a wife. My husband Alessandro is Italian, born in Florence. We spend the lazy summer months with his mother and sister in Italy. It always strikes me as a huge irony that as a romance writer I find myself married to a knight, a cavaliere, as you say in Italian.

One more thing...I'm a friend. I have girlfriends who are writers and girlfriends who are Shakespeare professors. And I have girlfriends who are romance readers. In fact, we have something of a community going on my website. Please stop by and join the conversation on my readers' pages.

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5 stars
2,327 (27%)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 436 reviews
Profile Image for Jessica's Totally Over The Top Book Obsession.
1,223 reviews3,693 followers
May 25, 2017
I enjoyed Annabel and Ewan's book more than the first book. I liked that Annabel had flaws but was very likable and relatable. Ewan was sexy and Scottish. I thought it was sweet how they fell in love and I really enjoyed Ewan's family. I loved that they had this cute kissing game and that they were so honest with each other from the start. I still hate Imogen in this book but I do hate her a little less. I still wonder how Eloisa James is going to redeem Imogen.
Profile Image for Jilly.
1,838 reviews6,684 followers
March 8, 2017
Annabel wants to marry a rich, titled Englishman. Instead, she gets accidentally ruined by a poor Scotsman.
But, he looks like this:


So, I'm thinking: Best Accident Ever.

But, of course there has to be angst. And, troubles. And, a really really stupid reason that she isn't sure about marrying him.

Cuz, I'm thinking:



Although, I think we should get a closer inspection of that kilt. For science.

Cute book, but lame "problem". I'm looking forward to the next book in the series though, because it is about the bitch sister. I'm polishing my 1-star review in case I need it. I'm feeding my hate (this is done by watching some episodes of that House Hunters show where rich assholes complain about the too-small jacuzzi tub in their million dollar vacation home that they will use once a year).
Bring it on!
Profile Image for Melindam.
886 reviews408 followers
August 7, 2020
I enjoyed this installment, though not as much as the first one. I loved both Annabel and Ewan up to the point where the author sacrificed their totally credible, refreshingly honest and down-to-earth characters to some idiotic plot device & made them act like romantic idiots as well. A great pity.
Profile Image for Jacob Proffitt.
3,312 reviews2,154 followers
May 24, 2016
I had to stop so that the pain would go away. Why James would put so much Imogen in a novel about her sister Annabel I will never understand. Imogen is a whiny, entitled, mean-spirited, manipulative, uncaring, self-involved jerk and I swear half this novel is her PoV. Why? Why are you PoV hopping to thoroughly unpleasant people. I thought I'd get a reprieve when Annabel left London and Imogen, thankfully, stayed, but no! It still bounced back and forth.

I stuck it out for a while on the strength of Annabel and Ewan. Unfortunately, somewhere near mid-novel James decided to rewrite their character arcs for no apparent reason. Annabel went from confident, non-nonsense, slightly mercenary woman to insecure idiot determined to be miserable and Ewan goes from a man of disciplined achievement to rage-addicted nutjob stupid enough to think a couple days with no luxuries in a hovel in the middle of nowhere would be "romantic". Srsly?!?

I had enough, finally, when Annabel chose to disbelieve Ewan's outright declaration of love and rewrite it in her head as "desire". I can maybe cut her some slack for disregarding his declaration in the throes of passion, but later when he repeats it in the cold light of day, fully clothed, and begging her to stay and she blows it off as, I kid you not, "he's mistaking desire for love" I found I'd reached the end of my patience. Until then, I hadn't seen her as so arrogant. Manipulative, maybe. Mercenary certainly. But to deny the man you say you love the honesty of his expressed emotions? That's a douche move and unworthy of who I thought she was.

So yeah. Imogen is a dead loss and I have no idea why you'd clutter up a romance with its antithesis and the main couple regress emotionally apparently just for funsies. Sorry, this one's going back and I'm officially done with the series.
Profile Image for Beatriz.
990 reviews867 followers
March 7, 2020
El año pasado leí el primer libro de la serie de las Hermanas Essex, huérfanas de un vizconde escocés amante de la cría de caballos de carrera (con muy poco éxito por cierto) y que ahora están bajo la tutela de un duque, amigo lejano de su padre. Me gustó tanto que inmediatamente supe que sería una serie que continuaría.

Si bien Bésame, Annabel es una novela con una trama más bien simple y sin mucho conflicto o giros argumentales, el encanto viene de la mano de sus personajes. Desde el primer libro, Annabel fue mi favorita de las hermanas Essex, una joven sumamente sincera y práctica, sin egoísmos ni envidias, que a pesar de no ser la mayor es el sostén emocional de sus hermanas y, probablemente, la más perjudicada por la disoluta vida de su padre debido a que era la encargada de llevar las cuentas del vizcondado, teniendo que hacer malabares para poner un plato de comida en la mesa al día siguiente.

Por su parte, Ewan es realmente encantador con su mirada despreocupada de la vida, la que se pone a prueba en unos capítulos de lujo, al quedar atrapados en la pequeña cabaña de un granjero al que querían ayudar, lo que le hace dimensionar las condiciones de vida que llevó Annabel hasta la muerte de su padre.

Lo que me gusta de la serie es que no se centra exclusivamente en la pareja protagonista, sino que se sigue avanzando en las historias del resto de las hermanas. Ahora voy por el de la tercera, Imogen, que tanto me da pena como ganas de ahorcarla.

Reto #34 PopSugar 2020: Un libro que querías leer en 2019
Profile Image for kris.
1,062 reviews224 followers
December 2, 2015
Annabel is apparently walking sex?? Ewan Poley is apparently Jesus?? They meet up; he is propositioned by Annabel's sister; she ends up in his room while he's mostly naked; they agree to travel to Scotland together and then get married. Hijinks ensue that allegedly result in feelings, boners.

1. I would've enjoyed the Annabel's-insecurities plot if it had shown up anywhere else in the novel. It feels as though James were attempting to make that particular fear come from the realization that Annabel wanted ~more from her relationship with Ewan, but instead it came across as: Conflict 1: Annabel won't marry Ewan. RESOLVED! Conflict 2: he isn't rich! RESOLVED. Conflict 3: ...Annabel is insecure!!

2. If Annabel was OK accepting Lucius's money after she married, why wasn't she OK accepting it pre-marriage?

2.5 Why didn't Lucius offer to increase any of the sister's dowries?

3. While I found Imogen's additional development far more palatable than I thought I would after the first chapter of Kiss Me, Annabel, I was still a bit frustrated by just how much of it there was. It felt like every other chapter was dedicated to Imogen pouting at Mayne--which is an exaggeration, I know, but it felt like it.

4. I thought Ewan was kind of obnoxious??? Too much choir boy?? Especially when he so easily--and quickly!--turned into a lusting, humping alpha male? His characterization was literally those two poles: pious angel, too amused, too pure, and raging lust-monster, too hot, too heavy.

4.5 WHOA DUBIOUS CONSENT. IF THE LADY SAYS 'NO', WHAT SHE MEANS IS 'NO'. PLEASE TO BE STOPPING ASSFACE.

5. WHY WAS ALL THE RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT OFF PAGE?? I don't want to read about Ewan's sweaty panting: I want to read about how they communicate, the questions they choose to ask one another, the answers they choose to share, the careful laying of a foundation together!

NOT THAT I DON'T ALSO WANT SWEATY PANTING, BUT JUST NOT EXCLUSIVELY.

6. I'M STILL GOING TO READ THE NEXT ONE, SO I GUESS YOU WIN JAMES!! I GUESS YOU WIN!!
Profile Image for Jan.
1,101 reviews247 followers
February 28, 2024
3.5 stars. A cute romance. Annabel grew up in poverty, and fully intends to marry a rich man so she never has to scrabble for money again.

Part of the book is a road trip from England to Ardmore's Scottish home, with the (as yet) unmarried couple falling in love along the way. They spend some time together in Scotland, and after some misadventures and misunderstandings, finally get their happy-ever-after. Apparently the storyline is loosely based on Shakespeare's 'The Taming of the Shrew', with a few changes of course. (Hence the book's title, from the twentieth century musical version, 'Kiss Me, Kate').

Overall, an enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Pepa.
1,044 reviews289 followers
February 28, 2020
Me esperaba mucho más de esta novela después de leer el primero
Creo que el secreto es creerse la historia o no.
No lo he hecho, más aún, me parece de lo más incoherente, no tan solo por ellos sino por la otra pareja que entre en ruedo y de la que ya nada se sabe
Quitando ese tema, una novela entretenida, pero nada más. En la que me ha faltado chispa, entre tanto beso, divertido el tema pero no da para tanto.
Y al final no tengo muy claro dónde surge el amor
Precedible, me hubiera gustado más que la autora tomara otro camino para el tema del gran temor de Annabel
Seguramente es de esas novelas en las que no es la historia, sino yo
Profile Image for Petra.
394 reviews36 followers
September 12, 2022
I was really close to giving this 5 stars but things took turn into weird territory in a last third of the book. It was as if a beautifully crafted bowl broke and we were left with not very nicely patched up version of it.
I loved Annabel and I loved Ewan, specially since he was a devout catholic. I think there is something beautiful about the man who cares about spiritual wellness. But towards the end I realized his spirituality was not meant in serious manner.

There is so much kissing in the book which was cute and beautiful and natural. It was lovely that they decided to get to know one another before sleeping with each other.

Imogen and Josie are huge part of this story so I am very glad I’m reading this series in order
Profile Image for Alba Turunen.
839 reviews270 followers
September 14, 2020
3 Estrellitas y porque me han gustado los últimos capítulos, pero la verdad es que éste libro ha sido más bien aburridillo.

Hace cosa de un año empecé esta serie y la historia de Tess y Lucius me gustó bastante. Es cierto que no esperaba mucho de Annabel, pues ése empeño que tenía en conseguir un marido rico me resultaba bastante irritante, pero aquí he conocido a una Annabel muy distinta a la del primer libro.

Las hermanas Essex son las hijas de un vizconde escocés empobrecido, cuya única dote han sido unos caballos de carreras. La mayor, Tess tuvo su historia en el primer libro, Imogen la tercera tuvo una semihistoria en él, y "Bésame, Annabel" ha sido el título de la segunda hermana. Annabel, la hermana lógica y racional que no quiere volver a ser pobre y pone todas sus miras en lo mejor de la sociedad.

Aparentemente, Ewan Poley es lo último que Annabel quiere o necesita, para empezar es un conde pelirrojo y escocés, recién llegado a la sociedad londinense y sin pulir, y con una ligera falta de modales. Además encarna lo que Annabel no elegiría, es escocés, por tanto seguramente no tiene donde caerse muerto.

Un desafortunado incidente hará que Annabel y Ewan deban unirse o sus reputaciones acabarán estropeadas, así que un inminente viaje a Escocia pondrá a nuestros protagonistas en una road movie donde se irán conociendo y poco a poco queriendo.

Ojalá hubiese sido algo más de esto la novela, con más cuidado o ingenio, pero me ha aburrido un poquillo la trama. Adoro a los escoceses pelirrojos y Ewan es un chico bueno y muy achuchable, pero no me ha dicho nada; en general la historia de Annabel y Ewan ha sido bastante sosa.

Por otro lado he tenido a la petarda de Imogen con demasiado protagonismo. Sí, parece que las novelas de Eloisa James se centran más en el conjunto de personajes de la serie que en los propios protagoistas, pues en "Los maridos también se enamoran" tuvimos una dosis de las cuatro hermanas, y aquí también, con la salvedad de que Imogen casi ha eclipsado al personaje de Annabel, y ¿Qué pasa con Imogen? Que no la he soportado, en el anterior libro fue una niñata consentida que consiguió lo que quiso para acabar luego trágicamente, lo que la ha convertido en una persona mezquina y malcarada hasta el punto de ser mala con sus propias hermanas y eso de ir persiguiendo a los hombres para su propio antojo o capricho no me ha gustado, aunque su actitud es lo que determinó que Annabel y Ewan acabaran juntos.

La verdad que me gustaría continuar con la serie, pues tengo muchas ganas de saber qué pasa con la pequeña Josie, pero estando antes Imogen con lo mal que me cae no sé si seré capaz de leer su libro.
Profile Image for Océano de libros.
858 reviews97 followers
January 10, 2020
Reseña completa en: https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
He decidido continuar con esta serie porque el estilo de la autora me gusta y es original en cuanto a cómo desarrolla sus novelas. Tengo que decir que por ahí existe una sinopsis de este libro que es todo un spoiler y que me fastidió mucho, espero que no os encontréis con ella.
Esta novela tiene como protagonistas (supuestamente) a Annabel Essex y Ewan Poley y digo “supuestamente” porque Imogen tiene un protagonismo evidente, demasiado para mi gusto. Si en el primer libro sus tonterías eran tolerables aquí eran exasperantes, insoportables y demás sinónimos. No me ha gustado este “protagonismo” porque desluce la historia de Annabel y Ewan pero ya en la lectura del tercer libro veo que esto es costumbre de la autora, aunque no tanto como en “Bésame, Annabel”.
Annabel es la segunda de las hermanas y la más práctica, ella solo desea casarse con un hombre rico que no le haga pasar penurias (como le sucedió cuando vivía su padre) aunque no sea por amor. Por otra parte está Ewan, un escocés que se desplaza a Londres para buscar una rica heredera.
Profile Image for Floripiquita.
1,496 reviews169 followers
December 8, 2020
Con lo mucho que me gustó el primer libro de las Hermanas Essex, esta historia me ha dejado un poco ploff. Y que conste que no es un mal libro y la pareja que forman Annabel y Ewan me ha caído muy bien, pero en algunos momentos se me ha hecho cuesta arriba y daba la sensación de que la autora no sabía cómo acabarlo y se sacaba conflictos tontos de la manga para alargar la trama.

La petarda de Imogen sigue teniendo mucho protagonismo y me sigue cayendo igual de mal. El próximo libro es el suyo, a ver si cambio de opinión cuando lo lea.
Profile Image for AlwaysV.
490 reviews
September 11, 2022
Loved Annabel's, my favorite sister's, book so much. Loved her hero, Earl of Ardmore equally. They were no way perfect people, but ~ wow ~ they were super amazing as a couple!

Annabel and Ewan were surrounded by unlikable characters ~ especially Imogen~ the nasty sister, who almost spoiled this book for me. But I decided to hold on to my dislike of Imogen and would let it show when I read her book next!

Loved every scene Annabel and Ewan were together ~ including the scene they ended up fighting bitterly! The scene the two of them stayed and took care of Peggy's butter and Kettle's cow! That was an extremely weird scene! Ewan thought it would be romantic and would change Annabel's mind so she would stop fearing poverty and starvation! It was certainly their sweetest first love scene ~ but ~ the terrible location ~ no food, no fire, no clean bed sheets, & worse ~ almost sent them running away from one another!

Sharing one of my favorite scenes:

It was as if he could taste her sorrow, and her fear, and her reluctance, and he was telling her silently that he would make it better—he would solve everything, and all that without words . . .

"I'm not jesting, Lord Ardmore. I truly have no dowry." . . .

"You have a horse," he reminded her.
Profile Image for Ruth.
594 reviews72 followers
December 12, 2010
I enjoyed this read, although there were more things that irritated than in the first one, even though I probably enjoyed the story more.

The sisters are great again. Real sisters, just like I enjoyed in the first one. Josie is incorrigible - I can't wait for her book, and Imogen is headed towards being a hardened, sad, raving bitch.

I also liked that Annabel's character nicely does a twist on the Beautiful Heroine gig. It's the cause of her insecurities - she's only valued for being beautiful, but never by those from whom she really needs approval.

One thing which irritated me was that the hero was just too perfect. He was wonderful, but too damn wonderful - a saint really. I get that this was at least partially the point, but it just annoyed me. Is anyone really that nice? Also, the whole aristocrats-play-at-peasants thing, taken from The Taming of the Shrew, went on far too long, and bored me senseless. I just didn't buy that anyone not a peasant would actually choose to live in a hovel for any length of time. It just didn't seem remotely believable.

On to Isobel's story. Let's see how the Super-Bitch gets on..
Profile Image for Monique Takens.
649 reviews14 followers
June 24, 2021
De titel van dit boek is goed gekozen .. er wordt gekust en gekust en nog een x gekust en ga zo maar door . Het werd een beetje vervelend , jammer want voor de rest is het een goed geschreven verhaal .
Profile Image for Kate.
66 reviews5 followers
June 22, 2009
I cannot rave enough about this book. It didn't make me cry, but it did make me laugh out loud and grin like a fool, which is just as good! Amongst my favorite things in this novel:

*Ewan (aka MacHottie) is, unlike so many heroes, fairly ignorant of women in the bedroom.

*Annabel starts by convincing herself she will NOT be a grouchy wife, and because of that willingness to be friendly succumbs quite easily to MacHottie's charms. They fall so gradually, and most of the time with such joy, that I was grinning like a fool the whole time.

*MacHottie... not enough well-written Scotsmen in the genre. He is delightful and refreshingly human, and has a great sense of humor.

*Eloisa writes so cleverly. She weaves in the other plots so seamlessly, that if I didn't know they were coming I might not have noticed them at all until their own book! Not to mention the way she has of leaving one at a cliffhanger for a whole chapter!

I nom'd this book easily in one night and have to force myself to go to bed so I don't start on The Taming of the Duke - or I'll be up all night!
Profile Image for Myself.
282 reviews7 followers
January 9, 2020
4/5
Me ha gustado bastante más que la anterior ya que en esta se centra más en la pareja protagonista uno en tanta presentación de personajes como en la primera.
El principio es lo peor, para mi, ya que no sabes si te va a contar la historia de Annabel o de Imogen (esta hermana me resultaba bastante cansina pero he empezado su historia, en la tercera novela y parece que promete bastante, y Gabe también). Cuando ya se centra en Annabel y Ewan fluye como el agua.
Me ha gustado mucho la pareja y como van cambiando sus posiciones iniciales en cuanto se van topando cara a cara con la realidad.
Recomiendo su lectura.
Profile Image for Angela.
259 reviews9 followers
August 17, 2016
I'm tempted to give this a one-star, strictly on account of the sloppy writing and unfocused storytelling. If you can wade through all the crap side-stories, it'd probably be about a three-star tale.

At the beginning of the story Annabel and Ewan seem to be perfectly matched. And then they weren't.

Annabel spent much of the first book selflessly comforting her grieving sister and being something solid in the Essex family. She's gentle, and rational. The beginning of this book was much the same, but then EJ throws a curve ball and decides to completely change Annabel's personality so she becomes selfish, and an unlikable person. It's such a bizarre and unnecessary turn-about, clearly inserted into the story to add drama and conflict. Really, this only emphasizes the fact the story and concept for this book was half-baked at best.

Then we have Ewan. Strong, sweet, gentile giant Ewan. For the most part I liked him; he's beta, and calm, and thoughtful. Then, when he gets tired, hungry, and dirty, he becomes a dick. He says some seriously mean-spirited things to Annabel, then brushes them aside and has sex with her as an "apology". Still, he's depicted as a perfect human being. Jesus in the flesh. In the last few chapters he was so sappy I wanted to barf. Clearly, his character lacked consistency.

Imogen, Imogen, Imogen.
I have some big beefs with Imogen's screen time in this story:

1. It's not her effin' book!!! Throughout the story, entire chapters were dedicated to her growth, and working through her grief. While this is important, it could have been told from a distance with the H/h POV, and then delved in greater detail in her book. Instead she's hijacked the first two Essex Sisters stories. Bad, bad, bad writing.

2. I don't like her. Yes, grief brings out the worst in a person, and I have to admit the excuse of her grief helps her character be slightly more likable. But behind that, she's a selfish and immature girl (not woman). The final straw was when she storms into Ewan's castle and announces Annabel's plan to leave him after 6 months - in front of everyone. I dislike her so much, I'm not even looking forward to her book.

3. Her side-story in this book was pointless. Outside working through her grief, and us learning that Mayne is going through growing pains, there was no need to dedicate half the book to her character.

Have I mentioned bad writing?
Yes, it needs to be repeated. The conflict was forced, characters change personalities, and nothing really happens. There wasn't anything about this story that kept me coming back for more.
24 reviews2 followers
May 4, 2008
I just love Eloisa James! She's the smartest romance writer around (her day job is as professor of Shakespeare at Fordham), and her books are filled with delicious research and delightful characters. Addictive for historical romance fans!
Profile Image for Rose May.
106 reviews1 follower
July 10, 2011
Note: This review, and all my reviews, comes from my blog - Romantic Rose's Bookshelf (http://romantic-rosesblog.blogspot.com)

Book 2 in the Essex Sister series

This book had a lot of interesting, unusual elements that I thought made it a very enjoyable read. First, Annabel Essex (our heroine) is not one of those spinsterish heroines waiting for true love, totally uninterested in money or wealth. Nor is she a missish young thing, with ideas of love at first sight in her head. No, Annabel wants to get married for financial security. I thought this was very practical, and I liked that James made her such a loveable character even as she held out for the dough. I mean really, it shows Annabel’s intelligence. A woman in a world where it’s impossible to make her own money has every right to make financial security higher on her list than love. It’s hard to love if you’re dying of frostbite or malnutrition. I thought her sensible, pragmatic, and impressive. Some people were annoyed with her ‘greed’ but I was glad James gave us a female character so unique from others of the genre.

Another deviation from the norm - Ewan Poley, Scottish Earl of Ardmore, our hero. He’s thoughtful, sensitive, and very, VERY sweet. Not at all an Alpha, in my opinion - and I liked his laid-back type-B personality. I also liked his attitude towards marriage – it was humorous. He wasn’t looking for the perfect little miss to run his home like many of our aristocratic heroes, nor was he holding out on marriage like many of our rakish heroes. He was delightfully different. I was afraid, when souls and religion was first brought up by him, this would turn into a religious songfest (i.e. God gave us to one another. Let us worship him as one. May our souls mingle in this kiss. MUAH!). Happily, it didn’t. Ewan was gracious, protective (but not in a fierce way unless absolutely and completely necessary - no pissing fights for him!), and very kind. I liked him a lot, even when he got a bit antsy partway through the book and had a fight with Annabel. Even that was cute. If he wasn't so lovely, it really would've been annoying. He was not, however, a Saint. I was worried about that, until the peasant scene came along and stripped him of his saintly title. Well, bee stings on the ass do that to a person, I suppose.

The plot revolves around the two first meeting, with her subsequent denial of his impromptu proposal. No love at first sight here! Then, a not-so-scandalous scandal occurs, and Ewan and Annabel are forced to wed to avoid her ruination in the eyes of society. There was a robbery, that scandal, a few days staying as peasants, a funny gramma, an attempted tar and feathering (maybe a little less dramatic than that), a sad mad woman, and some cheating at cards. It was cute, light-hearted plot fun. It was fast-paced and a good read, though a little too slow through the peasant scenes. The secondary characters, while they were around (most of the book, Ewan and Annabel were alone in a carriage or in a shack together, so there were only a few secondary characters), were alright. I felt we didn't really get to know any of them, which made the story seem a little lonely, but it was still good. Imogen, Annabel's older, very self-centered sister, inspired my pity and my annoyance. I'm sure most readers feel the same way.

The romantic plot was absolutely adorable as the two grow on each other. Through kisses and questions their love for each other grows exponentially, and it’s so delightful to watch. I didn’t quite understand, however, why there were so many assurances needed by Annabel at the end of the story and that annoyed me a little. But most of the romance was light kissing, with some deeper emotion thrown in. The romance revolves around their honesty with each other, which can also be considered unique for a historical romance where deceptions and lies of omission abound. If you like honest historical happenings, you should also check out Emma Wildes My Lord Scandal (review here). Overall, some good characters and some sweet, light-hearted fun. Nothing too earth-shattering or deep, but a great story nonetheless.

“Sexy”ness rating: There was a LOT of kissing. Only one sex scene, if I recall, but a LOT of kissing. So many kinds...

Overall rating: B+

Bottom Line: An adorable book with the sweetest hero I’ve ever met and a nice, yet sassy, heroine who knows what she thinks she wants – and is definitely ready to go all out to get it.
Profile Image for Sharon.
354 reviews661 followers
July 7, 2015
The first half of the book showcases James's strength of writing distinctive female characters and their relationships to one another. My favorite parts were definitely the interactions between Annabel and her sisters. This book picks up about 6 months after Much Ado about You and one of the subplots dealt with the fallout of the events of that book, which offered nice continuity. I also really enjoyed Annabel's unabashed desire for the comfortable life that accompanies wealth. ("There's a word for women like you," one of her sisters says in the previous book, after Annabel reveals her plans to snare a rich husband. "And that word is happy," she replies. :D) What I really couldn't get on board with were the book's problematic consent issues (there's a LOT of "she's saying no but she really means yes" here, both from within Annabel's POV and, even worse, from Ewan's perceptions of her actions). I also felt that . In all, the romance here didn't capture me the way the first book's did. James also has a tendency to switch POVs midway through scenes, a trait I tend to regard as a "first novel problem." She does it more gracefully than most, but it does feel jarring when set against the quality of the rest of her prose. Also,
Profile Image for Lauren.
2,516 reviews159 followers
December 30, 2014
Kiss Me, Annabel
3 Stars

Annabel Essex ideas has very definite ideas about who her husband should be - rich, amiable and above all, English. So, what is she doing in a coach on her way to be married to an impoverished, argumentative and most assuredly Scottish Earl!

Eloisa James is a wonderful writer. Her attention to detail is exquisite, her stories are full of potential and her characters are engaging. So why am I having such a difficult time with this series?

The romance in this one is alright - nothing really earth shattering. Annabel comes across as very mercenary at first, but she does grow on you and is quite likable by the end. Ewan is a fantastic hero - intelligent, sensitive and honorable. My one issue with him is his focus on religion. If there is one thing I hate, it is being preached to.

Ewan and Annabel have great chemistry and fun banter. They have some kind of weird argument about halfway through, and I still have no idea what the heck they were fighting about. This puts a bit of a pall on their romance.

The biggest problem with the book is James’s tendency to spend an excessive amount of time developing secondary characters and plot lines that will obviously appear in later installments. This causes the story to drag in places.

The next story is Imogen’s and all I can say right now is that I despise her character. She is whinny and obnoxious. Her hero, Rafe, will either have to sober up dramatically or sink deeper into his cups if he is to deal with her. Only time will tell.
Profile Image for belle ☆ミ (thisbellereadstoo).
2,587 reviews176 followers
March 18, 2022
due to their family’s lack of wealth, annabel became practical. instead of marrying for love, she’s willing to marry a rich husband. but soon, she was attracted by a fellow scotsman, who’s only in london to find a rich wife, or that’s what the rumor is.

actually, i found that annabel and ewan’s romance developed quite quickly. it started from their mutual physical attraction to something more as they got to know one another. annabel never thought she would be back to an impoverished life but they were getting along really well. i liked their dynamic

i still don't really like imogen. she’s trying to stir shit and landing herself in scandalous situations with a thought for others.
Profile Image for Madenna U.
2,149 reviews1 follower
June 13, 2017
This story features a girl that is so beautiful she believes that everyone desires her but no one could love her. Her allure is all of her own making only. Luckily, in a strange twist she is compromised trying to "save" her younger sister. Ewan, who pretends to have nothing but is really the richest man in Scotland, is the perfect match for Annabel. It take a trip across the country together for them to find their happily ever after and believe they deserve it.
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