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Once in a Blue Moon
Jessalyn Letty is the only person who knows about the dream that burns in McCady Trelawny's soul, and when he returns from his daring quest, she is on the shore to meet him. Original.
453 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published April 4, 1993
11 people are currently reading
1016 people want to read
About the author
Penelope Williamson
26 books237 followersPenelope Williamson is an internationally renowned author of historical romance and suspense. Penelope Williamson was born in Fairbanks, Alaska, and spent the first eleven years of her life as an US Air Force brat. She has a B.A. in history, an M.A. in broadcast journalism, and was in the U.S. Marine Corps for six years, where she reached the rank of Captain. She has more than 1.8 million books in print, including The Outsider, Heart of the West A Wild Yearning, Once in a Blue Moon, and Keeper of the Dream. Penny is a past winner of the Romantic Times' Best Historical Romance of the Year award and the Romance Writers of America's RITA awards. Penelope Williamson lives with her husband in Mill Valley, California.
pseudonyms: Elizabeth Lambert, Penn Williamson
pseudonyms: Elizabeth Lambert, Penn Williamson
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
May 19, 2010
I almost gave up on this book. I literally put it down and was going to stop reading when for some reason I decided to keep going. Am I ever glad I did! If I would have stopped reading, I would've missed one of the greatest romance novels that I have ever read.
The thing that separates this novel is the idea of timeless love...and a love that will not be denied. The beginning starts out slow. There are 2 parts to this story...the first being their younger beginning years, and the second being when they are 5 years older.
Jessalyn falls in love with McCady Trelawny when she is 16 years old. She loves him with an intensity that goes so far beyond just a "school girl crush". She knows that she will never love another, and in one of the most endearing speeches I've ever read, declares her love, loyalty, and devotion to McCady.
McCady is a tough one. Born of a family of "losers" (aka womanizers, gamblers, drinkers..ect) he thinks of himself no higher. He doesn't believe in love or his ability to be good for anyone. In order to "save" Jessalyn from being corrupted and tainted by him, he walks away from the gift of herself that she offers him.
Five years later nothing has changed...she loves him and he is absolutely obsessed with her. Many obstacles stand in their way of being together. Debts needing to be paid, jealous others, duty and obligation are just some of the hurdles that need to be overcome, but like with all romance novels....the ending is so sweet and satisfying that you'll be laughing through tears.
I couldn't recommend a book any higher. If you love this book..check out Tapestry by Karen Ranney...another excellent example of a timeless love.
The thing that separates this novel is the idea of timeless love...and a love that will not be denied. The beginning starts out slow. There are 2 parts to this story...the first being their younger beginning years, and the second being when they are 5 years older.
Jessalyn falls in love with McCady Trelawny when she is 16 years old. She loves him with an intensity that goes so far beyond just a "school girl crush". She knows that she will never love another, and in one of the most endearing speeches I've ever read, declares her love, loyalty, and devotion to McCady.
McCady is a tough one. Born of a family of "losers" (aka womanizers, gamblers, drinkers..ect) he thinks of himself no higher. He doesn't believe in love or his ability to be good for anyone. In order to "save" Jessalyn from being corrupted and tainted by him, he walks away from the gift of herself that she offers him.
Five years later nothing has changed...she loves him and he is absolutely obsessed with her. Many obstacles stand in their way of being together. Debts needing to be paid, jealous others, duty and obligation are just some of the hurdles that need to be overcome, but like with all romance novels....the ending is so sweet and satisfying that you'll be laughing through tears.
I couldn't recommend a book any higher. If you love this book..check out Tapestry by Karen Ranney...another excellent example of a timeless love.
June 6, 2016
Heart Rending Story of a Truly Great Love!
If you've read KEEPER OF THE DREAM, you're already a fan of Penelope Williamson. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, which was her next book is equally wonderful—and it’s one of my Top 20. It's the story of unrequited love that refuses to die no matter the tests it must endure. And nobody does unrequited love like Williamson.
The story was inspired by the love of Williamson’s grandparents who were kept apart for 6 years, but then came together to love for another 65 years. Here’s what she had to say about them (get out the Kleenex):
“It was in 1902 that Elizabeth and Peter first met and fell in love. But Elizabeth’s father forbade the match for six long years, until Peter could prove himself good enough for his daughter. Together at last, they had nine children and sixty-five wonderful years as husband and wife. They died in their nineties, within two years of each other, as much in love as they had always been. A love that wouldn’t give up…”
The story of ONCE IN A BLUE MOON begins in 1815 when Jessalyn Letty is 16—a wild flame haired girl raised by her grandmother on the Cornish highlands above the sea, a young woman of character with a brave heart that never varies throughout the story. I loved her for that.
While Jessalyn is still a tall gawky teenager, she meets McCady Trelawny, then in his early 20s, and youngest brother of the infamous Trelawny noblemen, known for living lives of debauchery and dying young and in debt. McCady was wounded while becoming a war hero defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. He returns home to Cornwall with a vision for a steam locomotive that can carry passengers, but he’s too poor to invest much in the idea. His cousin, Clarence, who could be his illegitimate half brother, joins McCady in the venture, but stands in McCady's shadow, determined to one day gain great wealth that will bring him the status he craves and the woman he wants—Jessalyn.
Once Jessalyn meets McCady, her heart is lost forever to the handsome dark haired rogue. And though McCady wants Jessalyn, he is too poor to have her and too honorable to take what he knows she would give. Jessalyn’s love will be tested by years of separation and so much more.
This is a compelling, well-told tale with many twists and turns, all woven in with great characters and details set against the beauty of Cornwall. You will feel like you're living it. You will laugh at Jessalyn’s 16 year old antics, and you will cry as you endure her years of loving and losing McCady.
You simply must read this one. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! It’s a 5 star novel from the queen of unrequited love.
If you've read KEEPER OF THE DREAM, you're already a fan of Penelope Williamson. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, which was her next book is equally wonderful—and it’s one of my Top 20. It's the story of unrequited love that refuses to die no matter the tests it must endure. And nobody does unrequited love like Williamson.
The story was inspired by the love of Williamson’s grandparents who were kept apart for 6 years, but then came together to love for another 65 years. Here’s what she had to say about them (get out the Kleenex):
“It was in 1902 that Elizabeth and Peter first met and fell in love. But Elizabeth’s father forbade the match for six long years, until Peter could prove himself good enough for his daughter. Together at last, they had nine children and sixty-five wonderful years as husband and wife. They died in their nineties, within two years of each other, as much in love as they had always been. A love that wouldn’t give up…”
The story of ONCE IN A BLUE MOON begins in 1815 when Jessalyn Letty is 16—a wild flame haired girl raised by her grandmother on the Cornish highlands above the sea, a young woman of character with a brave heart that never varies throughout the story. I loved her for that.
While Jessalyn is still a tall gawky teenager, she meets McCady Trelawny, then in his early 20s, and youngest brother of the infamous Trelawny noblemen, known for living lives of debauchery and dying young and in debt. McCady was wounded while becoming a war hero defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. He returns home to Cornwall with a vision for a steam locomotive that can carry passengers, but he’s too poor to invest much in the idea. His cousin, Clarence, who could be his illegitimate half brother, joins McCady in the venture, but stands in McCady's shadow, determined to one day gain great wealth that will bring him the status he craves and the woman he wants—Jessalyn.
Once Jessalyn meets McCady, her heart is lost forever to the handsome dark haired rogue. And though McCady wants Jessalyn, he is too poor to have her and too honorable to take what he knows she would give. Jessalyn’s love will be tested by years of separation and so much more.
This is a compelling, well-told tale with many twists and turns, all woven in with great characters and details set against the beauty of Cornwall. You will feel like you're living it. You will laugh at Jessalyn’s 16 year old antics, and you will cry as you endure her years of loving and losing McCady.
You simply must read this one. Trust me, you won't be disappointed! It’s a 5 star novel from the queen of unrequited love.
August 10, 2021
Here's the second 400+ page book I've picked up thinking, just gotta get through this first.
And again...I read a lot today. Generally, they don't make them like this anymore. A meandering complex plot, a hint of a forbidden dynamic, and lordy time to develop. IT's just the best old school-ish has to offer in romance all wrapped up in a silver bundle. Super charming principals and dimensional villains-just good stuff.
Looking forward to more of Williamson's books.
And again...I read a lot today. Generally, they don't make them like this anymore. A meandering complex plot, a hint of a forbidden dynamic, and lordy time to develop. IT's just the best old school-ish has to offer in romance all wrapped up in a silver bundle. Super charming principals and dimensional villains-just good stuff.
Looking forward to more of Williamson's books.
June 24, 2024
McCady Trelawny is a mean, vain, rude little snot but daddy I love him!
January 29, 2024
Abandon Hope (of finding an actual hero in this novel) All Ye Who Enter Here
'Once in a Bleu Moon' is a 1993 historical romance novel by Penelope Williamson. While correctly labeled as a bodice ripper, this book has hints of the Bildungsroman as well as echoes of classic gothic literature that make it stand out from its counterparts.
The setting is a familiar one: we are in early 19th century England and Cornwall, the wildness of the latter making the perfect backdrop for the tumultuous relationship of the two MCs.
The main couple, Jessalyn Letty and McCady Trelawny (eventually an Earl) are respectively 16 and 25 years old when they first meet, and while their sizzling attraction makes for a titillating read from the very first page, their journey towards happiness is marred by a long separation, heartbreak and thwarted ambitions.
McCady's temperament is often reminiscent of Heathcliff, although he behaves more like Catherine Heraton in his eventual decision to contract a marriage of convenience.
His treatment of the heroine borders on cruel on more than one occasion, but the counterpoint to this is his genuinely deviant past and the (mis)education he received at the hands of his late father and older brothers, all of which make him a terrible match for young Jessa.
Many times in HR I have encountered purported 'dark' heroes who turn out to be paragons of honor. Well, McCady isn't one of those. He starts out as a self interested rake and by the end of the novel becomes an antihero humbled by the strength of his feelings for the heroine. He's charming and even funny, but he does treat any woman that's not the heroine like garbage, and that includes his first wife.
I loved how Jessalyn wasn't made out to be a mere wide eyed ingenue, but matched the hero in cunning and ambition. Her own passions and dreams outside of the hero gave credit to her feelings for him. Like McCady, she isn't above playing dirty to achieve what she wants, including the hero himself. She's dismayed by the thought of the hero marrying someone else, but not too distraught when his wife and his unborn son meet an untimely demise. Both of them were willing to trample all over everyone else to be together and achieve their dreams, and they did make a terrific power couple by the end. As Emily Bronte said, 'together, they would brave Satan and all its legions'.
Her heartfelt confessions of love in the face of the hero's worldly unwillingness to marry her did make me cringe several times, but one can only admire her self-possession even in the most dire circumstances. It definitely took a lot of courage to be willing to look past some of McCady's choices, and fortunately she had that in spades. In the end, I trusted that her choice to 'spend the rest of her life with her hell-born babe' could lead to her lasting happiness.
The cherry on top was the secondary romance between Jessa's maid and McCady's valet: that one simply melted my heart.
This is definitely the kind of book I wish I could reread for the first time again. If the spoilers in my review didn't scare you off, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
'Once in a Bleu Moon' is a 1993 historical romance novel by Penelope Williamson. While correctly labeled as a bodice ripper, this book has hints of the Bildungsroman as well as echoes of classic gothic literature that make it stand out from its counterparts.
The setting is a familiar one: we are in early 19th century England and Cornwall, the wildness of the latter making the perfect backdrop for the tumultuous relationship of the two MCs.
The main couple, Jessalyn Letty and McCady Trelawny (eventually an Earl) are respectively 16 and 25 years old when they first meet, and while their sizzling attraction makes for a titillating read from the very first page, their journey towards happiness is marred by a long separation, heartbreak and thwarted ambitions.
McCady's temperament is often reminiscent of Heathcliff, although he behaves more like Catherine Heraton in his eventual decision to contract a marriage of convenience.
His treatment of the heroine borders on cruel on more than one occasion, but the counterpoint to this is his genuinely deviant past and the (mis)education he received at the hands of his late father and older brothers, all of which make him a terrible match for young Jessa.
Many times in HR I have encountered purported 'dark' heroes who turn out to be paragons of honor. Well, McCady isn't one of those. He starts out as a self interested rake and by the end of the novel becomes an antihero humbled by the strength of his feelings for the heroine. He's charming and even funny, but he does treat any woman that's not the heroine like garbage, and that includes his first wife.
I loved how Jessalyn wasn't made out to be a mere wide eyed ingenue, but matched the hero in cunning and ambition. Her own passions and dreams outside of the hero gave credit to her feelings for him. Like McCady, she isn't above playing dirty to achieve what she wants, including the hero himself. She's dismayed by the thought of the hero marrying someone else, but not too distraught when his wife and his unborn son meet an untimely demise. Both of them were willing to trample all over everyone else to be together and achieve their dreams, and they did make a terrific power couple by the end. As Emily Bronte said, 'together, they would brave Satan and all its legions'.
Her heartfelt confessions of love in the face of the hero's worldly unwillingness to marry her did make me cringe several times, but one can only admire her self-possession even in the most dire circumstances. It definitely took a lot of courage to be willing to look past some of McCady's choices, and fortunately she had that in spades. In the end, I trusted that her choice to 'spend the rest of her life with her hell-born babe' could lead to her lasting happiness.
The cherry on top was the secondary romance between Jessa's maid and McCady's valet: that one simply melted my heart.
This is definitely the kind of book I wish I could reread for the first time again. If the spoilers in my review didn't scare you off, I wholeheartedly recommend it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2024
Read: 5/15/24
Love it! RTC
Love it! RTC
February 8, 2013
Heart Rending Story of a Great Love!
If you've read KEEPER OF THE DREAM, you're already a fan of Penelope Williamson. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, which was her next book after KEEPER is equally wonderful. It's the story of unrequited love that refuses to die no matter the tests it must endure.
The story was inspired by the love of Williamson’s grandparents who were kept apart for 6 years, but then loved for another 65 years. Here’s what she had to say about them:
“It was in 1902 that Elizabeth and Peter first met and fell in love. But Elizabeth’s father forbade the match for six long years, until Peter could prove himself good enough for his daughter. Together at last, they had nine children and sixty-five wonderful years as husband and wife. They died in their nineties, within two years of each other, as much in love as they had always been. A love that wouldn’t give up…”
The story of ONCE IN A BLUE MOON begins in 1815. Jessalyn Letty, a wild flame haired girl raised by her grandmother on the Cornish highlands above the sea, is a young woman of character and a brave heart that never varies throughout the story. I loved her for that. When she is still a tall gawky 16 year old, she meets McCady Trelawny, then in his early 20s, and youngest brother of the infamous Trelawny noblemen known for living lives of debauchery and dying young and in debt. McCady was wounded while becoming a war hero defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. He returns home to Cornwall with a vision for a steam locomotive that can carry passengers, but he is too poor to invest much in the idea. His cousin, Clarence, who could be his illegitimate half brother, joins McCady in the venture, but stands in McCady's shadow determined to one day gain great wealth that will bring him the status he craves and the woman he wants--Jessalyn. But once Jessalyn meets McCady, her heart is lost forever to the handsome dark haired rogue. Her love will be tested by years of separation and much more.
This is a compelling story and very well told with many twists and turns, all naturally woven in with great characters and well developed details that make you feel like you're living it. You will laugh (her 16 year old antics are quite incredible), you will cry as you endure her years of loving and losing McCady.
You simply must read this...and trust me, you won't be disappointed! It’s a 5 star novel from the queen of unrequited love.
Here's the backlist of her incredible historical novels (all are excellent):
Beloved Rogue (May 1988)
Hearts Beguiled (June 1989)
Wings of Desire (August 1989, written under the name Elizabeth Lambert)
A Wild Yearning (1991) - Winner of RITA Award
Keeper of the Dream (April 1992) - Winner of RITA Award
Once in a Blue Moon (May 1993)
Hearts of the West (April 1995)
The Passions of Emma (September 1997) - Nominated for RITA Award
If you've read KEEPER OF THE DREAM, you're already a fan of Penelope Williamson. ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, which was her next book after KEEPER is equally wonderful. It's the story of unrequited love that refuses to die no matter the tests it must endure.
The story was inspired by the love of Williamson’s grandparents who were kept apart for 6 years, but then loved for another 65 years. Here’s what she had to say about them:
“It was in 1902 that Elizabeth and Peter first met and fell in love. But Elizabeth’s father forbade the match for six long years, until Peter could prove himself good enough for his daughter. Together at last, they had nine children and sixty-five wonderful years as husband and wife. They died in their nineties, within two years of each other, as much in love as they had always been. A love that wouldn’t give up…”
The story of ONCE IN A BLUE MOON begins in 1815. Jessalyn Letty, a wild flame haired girl raised by her grandmother on the Cornish highlands above the sea, is a young woman of character and a brave heart that never varies throughout the story. I loved her for that. When she is still a tall gawky 16 year old, she meets McCady Trelawny, then in his early 20s, and youngest brother of the infamous Trelawny noblemen known for living lives of debauchery and dying young and in debt. McCady was wounded while becoming a war hero defeating Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. He returns home to Cornwall with a vision for a steam locomotive that can carry passengers, but he is too poor to invest much in the idea. His cousin, Clarence, who could be his illegitimate half brother, joins McCady in the venture, but stands in McCady's shadow determined to one day gain great wealth that will bring him the status he craves and the woman he wants--Jessalyn. But once Jessalyn meets McCady, her heart is lost forever to the handsome dark haired rogue. Her love will be tested by years of separation and much more.
This is a compelling story and very well told with many twists and turns, all naturally woven in with great characters and well developed details that make you feel like you're living it. You will laugh (her 16 year old antics are quite incredible), you will cry as you endure her years of loving and losing McCady.
You simply must read this...and trust me, you won't be disappointed! It’s a 5 star novel from the queen of unrequited love.
Here's the backlist of her incredible historical novels (all are excellent):
Beloved Rogue (May 1988)
Hearts Beguiled (June 1989)
Wings of Desire (August 1989, written under the name Elizabeth Lambert)
A Wild Yearning (1991) - Winner of RITA Award
Keeper of the Dream (April 1992) - Winner of RITA Award
Once in a Blue Moon (May 1993)
Hearts of the West (April 1995)
The Passions of Emma (September 1997) - Nominated for RITA Award
December 31, 2021
The Outsider remains my favorite Penelope Williamson book. However, this book clearly shows that she is quite a talented author. The H, Mac, is a hard man to like. When he meets Jess, they feel an immediate attraction/connection. However, despite being disreputable and coming from a line of very disreputable family members, he actually holds back because of Jess’s age (she’s 16). Meanwhile, Mac is a driven man. In a time of the growing industry, he is determined to create a train/rail system that will be efficient (and profitable). Profitable being the key word as his family, despite their names and lineage, has basically bankrupted. Meanwhile, Jess is no simpering miss. She knows what she wants and it’s Mac. Fast forward 5 years. Mac is making progress with his rail project and Jess has grown up. Yet, still Mac holds back because he feels that he’s really not very good for her. However, she works on him until he starts to thaw and just when it seems they will get together, bam. He gets married to another woman. The reason is clear to all, including his wife: he is marrying her for the money (she brings money, he brings a title). He needs the funding for his rail project and as he’s bankrupt and facing debtor’s prison, this is the only way. Part of the condition is that they also beget a child within the first year of marriage for him to get the rest of the money. Wife gets pregnant and Jess (and the reader) is crushed because the author does a great job of showing Jess’ heartache as they live in the same village and she has to see them often (and by her attempts, at a distance only). I confess, at first I detested the H. How COULD he marry this other woman AND get her pregnant? While Jess remains a spinster with no real prospects (well, not actually true as Mac’s cousin and possibly half-brother is in love with Jess and wants to marry her desperately AND he has tons of money). However, I decided after a bit to forgive the H because it is obvious that he is trying very hard to be nice to his wife (and faithful). It’s also obvious that he is in fact tormented because he does NOT love his wife and loves Jess whom he can never have now. What’s more, his wife knows this too (and his wife also is in love with him knowing it’s futile). In fact, the wife and Jess actually do like each other except each can never TRULY like each other (if you get my meaning) because they both love the same man and know it. The difference is they both know that he loves Jess and not the wife. But as the wife points out, she IS his wife in the end and Jess is more of an obsession (well, I don’t think that’s true but I’m sure it eases her heartache some so I’ll let that one go). Tragedy strikes (because you know, that’s what happens in these books) and Mac and Jess finally see a way to be together now. Only, Mac is still broke and is still facing debtor’s prison and guess who holds all the notes? Why, it’s his cousin/half-brother and he’ll absolve Mac of his debts if Jess marries him. So in a turnabout of fair play, it’s Jess who will marry and leave Mac behind. I think it was at this point that I forgave Mac his marriage because we see the same thing happening but in reverse. Only this time, we get more of what Jess is going through and bargaining with and realize that Mac must have gone through the same thing. Well, ok, to be fair he did it for his project/bankruptcy woes and Jess is doing it for Mac but that’s quibbling. It’s obvious that they were made for each other. While he was everything nice and kind to his wife during his marriage, the problem is that he is NOT nice and kind by nature. So he could not be himself. Whereas with Jess, he could be coarse and crude and his REAL self. So could Jess with her tart tongue and sharp comebacks. In other words, they could be themselves with each other which made their feelings more real. In one candid moment, Jess and the wife discuss Mac and the wife says that he’s always kind and polite to her. That at times she has purposely tried to make him angry to get some real feelings from him but that he never got angry. He just continued being nice and unmoved to extreme emotion. But that one evening, she overheard how he was yelling at Jess with anger and their argument and how she was jealous because that revealed to her where his true emotions lay.
There is an HEA for them so there is that. However, it does come at the tragic expense of the secondary characters. Again, one of those stories where the H and h are so wrapped up tightly with each other that everyone around them suffers but it makes for dramatic reading.
There is an HEA for them so there is that. However, it does come at the tragic expense of the secondary characters. Again, one of those stories where the H and h are so wrapped up tightly with each other that everyone around them suffers but it makes for dramatic reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 22, 2015
Finished with some skimming. Although the writing is lovely, it does get bogged down with too much description and very slow pace.
Some aspects of the story did not work for me.
1. The heroine at 16 becomes instantly besotted with the hero. She throws herself at him, begs him to kiss him, is perfectly willing to have sex with him. In a rare noble gesture, the hero rejects her. To me, it's tacky for a woman, particularly a young girl, to chase a man with such an open an obsessive lust. She doesn't seem to give any thought to what might happen to her if he took her up on what she is offering. In those days an unmarried woman who had a fling was ruined.
2. The love triangle. Sometimes in romance novels, the heroine is torn between two men - one practical and solid and dependable but a little dull (usually blond) and another, dark and reckless and dashing and dangerous (usually dark). Why is it that the dark reckless one is always portrayed as the better choice? I'd love to read a story where the heroine realizes that a steady, dependable man is in fact a better bet for a happy life. In this book the author has given the steady blond man a nasty dark side, which justifies the heroine's choice.
3. The hero. Why is it that when a rake finally falls in love and treats one woman well because she is the love of his life, the said rake suddenly becomes an honourable person? All those women he used in the past, all those broken hearts and broken lives he left in his wake are not repaired by his love for the heroine. They remain broken, and his newfound honour does not absolve the past wrongs he has committed. Also, it annoys me when it is made out that the rake was not responsible for his wild and debauched and cruel ways, but he was made that way because something that happened to him when he was growing up, and hence he is not to blame.
4. The relationship between the hero and the heroine. They betray other people, and yet they always only focus on their own suffering in their turbulent relationship. They could have committed to each other early on if they had chosen. Instead, they keep apart, and in the process they cause untold hurt to other people. The hero marries a wonderful, beautiful young woman for money. She loves him, and he brings about her death. And yet, after she dies, with their unborn son, he never gives her another thought. Within days, he is having sex with someone else. Same goes for the heroine. She professes her love to the hero and has sex with him while engaged to another man. I can't help feeling that the hero and heroine have acted without honour. I guess the idea is that if you have that kind of mad, burning love for someone, it justifies just about anything, including trampling over the feelings of other people who happen to get in the way.
So, not a story for me, despite the beautiful writing.
Some aspects of the story did not work for me.
1. The heroine at 16 becomes instantly besotted with the hero. She throws herself at him, begs him to kiss him, is perfectly willing to have sex with him. In a rare noble gesture, the hero rejects her. To me, it's tacky for a woman, particularly a young girl, to chase a man with such an open an obsessive lust. She doesn't seem to give any thought to what might happen to her if he took her up on what she is offering. In those days an unmarried woman who had a fling was ruined.
2. The love triangle. Sometimes in romance novels, the heroine is torn between two men - one practical and solid and dependable but a little dull (usually blond) and another, dark and reckless and dashing and dangerous (usually dark). Why is it that the dark reckless one is always portrayed as the better choice? I'd love to read a story where the heroine realizes that a steady, dependable man is in fact a better bet for a happy life. In this book the author has given the steady blond man a nasty dark side, which justifies the heroine's choice.
3. The hero. Why is it that when a rake finally falls in love and treats one woman well because she is the love of his life, the said rake suddenly becomes an honourable person? All those women he used in the past, all those broken hearts and broken lives he left in his wake are not repaired by his love for the heroine. They remain broken, and his newfound honour does not absolve the past wrongs he has committed. Also, it annoys me when it is made out that the rake was not responsible for his wild and debauched and cruel ways, but he was made that way because something that happened to him when he was growing up, and hence he is not to blame.
4. The relationship between the hero and the heroine. They betray other people, and yet they always only focus on their own suffering in their turbulent relationship. They could have committed to each other early on if they had chosen. Instead, they keep apart, and in the process they cause untold hurt to other people. The hero marries a wonderful, beautiful young woman for money. She loves him, and he brings about her death. And yet, after she dies, with their unborn son, he never gives her another thought. Within days, he is having sex with someone else. Same goes for the heroine. She professes her love to the hero and has sex with him while engaged to another man. I can't help feeling that the hero and heroine have acted without honour. I guess the idea is that if you have that kind of mad, burning love for someone, it justifies just about anything, including trampling over the feelings of other people who happen to get in the way.
So, not a story for me, despite the beautiful writing.
August 29, 2016
You know that line in the Carly Simon song about how melodrama doesn't make her weep anymore? Well, I guess it does still make me weep. Or at least get a little teary-eyed. This book was an emotional roller-coaster ride, featuring six years of heartwrenching drama for the hero and heroine before their HEA. I enjoyed it a lot.
Penelope Williamson is a really good writer. She and Patricia Gaffney have been my best discoveries of the year by far. Both make me feel wrung out and emotionally exhausted by the time I finish their books. I mean this as a huge compliment! Nothing beats having the heart ripped out of you by a long, sweeping, well-written historical romance. Unlike Carly, I have got time for the pain. ;)
Penelope Williamson is a really good writer. She and Patricia Gaffney have been my best discoveries of the year by far. Both make me feel wrung out and emotionally exhausted by the time I finish their books. I mean this as a huge compliment! Nothing beats having the heart ripped out of you by a long, sweeping, well-written historical romance. Unlike Carly, I have got time for the pain. ;)
December 31, 2023
“She didn’t look at Lord Caerhays again, but he might as well have been sitting beside her, his shoulder and thigh pressing against her, his breath stirring her hair so aware was she of his presence.”
This is the next level of tension to feel this while sitting far away from each other in church.
I was in love with McCady Trelawny (later Earl of Caerhays and yes I had to look up the pronounciation of his name) from the moment when we first meet him on the floor of the workshop in shock of being hit by our heroine. Well not really hit but having misfortune of her running into him after an explosion.
It’s complicated… and their relationship is complicated.
And our heroine Jessalyn Letty is fantastic as well.
I loved their inadvertent adventures in the Cornish landscape, I loved the freedom and the danger it represented and of course I was so on board with their sizzling chemistry.
I can’t wait to read more of Ms Williamson books.
4.5 stars
I loved this book from the first chapter to about the 90% then I got annoyed and when I saw the resolution won’t be as bad as I expected then I was ok with it.
So the first 90% 5 stars
Last 10% 3 stars
This is the next level of tension to feel this while sitting far away from each other in church.
I was in love with McCady Trelawny (later Earl of Caerhays and yes I had to look up the pronounciation of his name) from the moment when we first meet him on the floor of the workshop in shock of being hit by our heroine. Well not really hit but having misfortune of her running into him after an explosion.
It’s complicated… and their relationship is complicated.
And our heroine Jessalyn Letty is fantastic as well.
I loved their inadvertent adventures in the Cornish landscape, I loved the freedom and the danger it represented and of course I was so on board with their sizzling chemistry.
I can’t wait to read more of Ms Williamson books.
4.5 stars
I loved this book from the first chapter to about the 90% then I got annoyed and when I saw the resolution won’t be as bad as I expected then I was ok with it.
So the first 90% 5 stars
Last 10% 3 stars
February 24, 2011
Jessalyn Letty falls in love with McCady Trelawny the summer of her 16th year. McCady becomes obsessed with her, but tries to show indifference. Every Trelawny has died in debt and in utter disgrace so he avoids his feelings for her. He has had a terrible life so far. His father ( a complete cad) dies when he was about 10 and he was forced to live with his older brothers who taught him nothing but the worst vices while he was so young. You get the impression that he was violated but it is never exactly spoken. When it is time for him to leave and rejoin his military unit, Jessalyn declares her love for him and begs him not to leave her. But he breaks her heart and leaves..
When they meet again, it is 5 years later and she has grown into the woman he knew she would be. This is a compelling story of deep love that no matter what comes in between the lovers, and there are many many things thrown in their path, their love holds strong and true. There are no easy paths for these two, their way to each other is difficult and strewn with obstacles. There are many twists and turns,and great characters that are well developed. The unrequited love they have for each other is at times heart wrenching. This is one of those books that you will rethink some of the other stories that you gave 5 stars to.. somehow they don't all hold up to this one.
When they meet again, it is 5 years later and she has grown into the woman he knew she would be. This is a compelling story of deep love that no matter what comes in between the lovers, and there are many many things thrown in their path, their love holds strong and true. There are no easy paths for these two, their way to each other is difficult and strewn with obstacles. There are many twists and turns,and great characters that are well developed. The unrequited love they have for each other is at times heart wrenching. This is one of those books that you will rethink some of the other stories that you gave 5 stars to.. somehow they don't all hold up to this one.
June 28, 2022
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It was a very intense love story with very well developed and layered characters. I LOVED Jessalyn as a heroine. She was smart, innocent and yet so firm in her love for McCady that it was amazing to watch. McCady was an idiot to say the least but his motives and I guess general bad luck excused a lot of that for me. He also wised up towards the end so it is very difficult for me to dislike him. I took a star off because at times I felt the plot line was unnecessary slow but I loved the writing style and the chemistry that the writer created between the main characters. I was utterly convinced of their love for each other even when they were denying it. Which is a MUST for me.
I will definitely be rereading this in the future!
I will definitely be rereading this in the future!
July 16, 2020
Imagine if your partner loved you enough to marry someone else and have a baby with them. That is true love. Hell is hot, Penelope Williamson. This book made me want to rip my hair out. HOW DARE HE DO THAT TO HER? HOW DARE HE MARRY SOMEONE ELSE? I literally cannot wrap my head around that. He almost had a baby with another woman. I just can’t. Penelope Williamson Penelope Williamson Penelope Williamson I will probably come back to edit this review every now and then so you understand how much I DESPISE this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2024
I didn’t enjoy this as much as Keeper of the Dream, also by Williamson. Mostly because this felt really disjointed and the plot didn’t flow nearly as well as Keeper. To be honest this almost reads as a first or second draft rather than a fully completed and fleshed out novel. In a way I can’t believe the same person who wrote Keeper wrote this.
Main reasons why this didn’t work for me:
******Spoilers Ahead*****
1. MMC marries another woman ( a big no for me).
2. Major simpy OM drama and the FMC leads his ass on for waaaaayyyy too long.
3. Too many POVs
4. Weird, try hard, cockney accents that made the dialogue borderline impossible to read.
5. This book could have been 100 pages shorter. The random crazy tragedies that occurred in the second half of the book added nothing to the plot.
6. The MMC constantly going on and on about how ***terrible**** of a person he is, even though he never actually does anything to warrant it.
Certain portions of this book did work, like the intro between the MMC and the FMC. Also the love that the MMC and FMC shared was great too, but only when they were actually together (which wasn’t a lot in this book).
I don’t think I will be reading the rest of Williamson’s works since they are Westerns and I’m not super into them. Also the writing in this book doesn’t exactly inspire me to continue reading her works.
I’m really sad that I didn’t like this, because a lot of the reviewers were saying this was better than Keeper and for me it was not.
Main reasons why this didn’t work for me:
******Spoilers Ahead*****
1. MMC marries another woman ( a big no for me).
2. Major simpy OM drama and the FMC leads his ass on for waaaaayyyy too long.
3. Too many POVs
4. Weird, try hard, cockney accents that made the dialogue borderline impossible to read.
5. This book could have been 100 pages shorter. The random crazy tragedies that occurred in the second half of the book added nothing to the plot.
6. The MMC constantly going on and on about how ***terrible**** of a person he is, even though he never actually does anything to warrant it.
Certain portions of this book did work, like the intro between the MMC and the FMC. Also the love that the MMC and FMC shared was great too, but only when they were actually together (which wasn’t a lot in this book).
I don’t think I will be reading the rest of Williamson’s works since they are Westerns and I’m not super into them. Also the writing in this book doesn’t exactly inspire me to continue reading her works.
I’m really sad that I didn’t like this, because a lot of the reviewers were saying this was better than Keeper and for me it was not.
April 22, 2011
I read somewhere in the story that it begins in the late 1700's, but I couldn't find it again. That kind of information is always interesting to me, helps to clarify the pictures in my mind as I read. Anyway,
This story is divided into 2 parts, separated by 5 years in the lives of the characters. In the 1st half, the young 16 year old red haired, freckled face, long legged, wild as the Cornish Moors, laughing, high spirited (h), Jessalyn Letty, plows head first into the life and heart of the dark, sexy as hell (H) McCady (Mack) Trelawny, literally. This 1st half concentrated imo on Jessa who progresses to fall deeply and irrevocably in love with McCady.
The author defined Jessalyn Letty so intricately well, she has become my new favorite heroine. I absolutely loved her character.
On the other hand, what I got to see in this 1st half regarding McCady Trelawny was a sexy, virile, extremely shadowed and scarred alpha, who likewise is drawn and obsessed to the young Jessa. We readers get a pretty good picture of his past and what he is presently facing. He really doesn't open up that much otherwise. Nevertheless, this man is hot, hot, HOT... (sigh)
At the end of the part I, he sails away, taking Jessa's heart with him.
Well written heartbreak of first love.
5 years later, Part 2, MacCady returns. Jessa has changed and is no longer that wild carefree child he left. She is now the beautiful woman, who he knew she would become.
Jessa tries to fight it, but she ultimately acknowledges that she loves him just as fiercely and whole heartedly as she did 5 years prior.
This second half is filled with all the angst and heartbreak of a good ole BR as well as intrigue, deception, violence, revenge, attempted murder and general mayhem. Also the man, MacCady, is unwrapped and gives us, too, a chance to fall whole heartedly in love with him.
Fun and lovable secondary characters as well as twisted, vengeful, murderous, hate filled, obsessive secondaries.
5+ Star rating
Worthy of any Keeper Shelves
This story is divided into 2 parts, separated by 5 years in the lives of the characters. In the 1st half, the young 16 year old red haired, freckled face, long legged, wild as the Cornish Moors, laughing, high spirited (h), Jessalyn Letty, plows head first into the life and heart of the dark, sexy as hell (H) McCady (Mack) Trelawny, literally. This 1st half concentrated imo on Jessa who progresses to fall deeply and irrevocably in love with McCady.
The author defined Jessalyn Letty so intricately well, she has become my new favorite heroine. I absolutely loved her character.
On the other hand, what I got to see in this 1st half regarding McCady Trelawny was a sexy, virile, extremely shadowed and scarred alpha, who likewise is drawn and obsessed to the young Jessa. We readers get a pretty good picture of his past and what he is presently facing. He really doesn't open up that much otherwise. Nevertheless, this man is hot, hot, HOT... (sigh)
At the end of the part I, he sails away, taking Jessa's heart with him.
Well written heartbreak of first love.
5 years later, Part 2, MacCady returns. Jessa has changed and is no longer that wild carefree child he left. She is now the beautiful woman, who he knew she would become.
Jessa tries to fight it, but she ultimately acknowledges that she loves him just as fiercely and whole heartedly as she did 5 years prior.
This second half is filled with all the angst and heartbreak of a good ole BR as well as intrigue, deception, violence, revenge, attempted murder and general mayhem. Also the man, MacCady, is unwrapped and gives us, too, a chance to fall whole heartedly in love with him.
Fun and lovable secondary characters as well as twisted, vengeful, murderous, hate filled, obsessive secondaries.
5+ Star rating
Worthy of any Keeper Shelves
February 9, 2018
Another keeper from what I have come to think of as one of the best romance writers of all time. There is literally nobody I can compare her to. One of the remarkable things about this book is that she threw in every contrivance in the book to keep the H&H apart and I couldn't have stopped turning pages if I wanted to - I was THAT hooked. Things happen in it that I typically don't care for in a romance, but Williamson writes so incredibly well that I just didn't care about anything but getting to the HEA. I'm not sure that it's going to suit everyone. I think it will push a few buttons, as it does contain elements that usually don't work for me in a good romance. I was able to live with them in this case, but one woman's keeper is invariably another's wall-banger. All I can say is that I loved this book, so I have to recommend giving it a try. If you are more concerned with the quality of the writing than any other element, you can truly do no better than Penelope Williamson. Her love stories transcend the romance genre and stand up well as quality literature.
Sensuality Rating: R
Sensuality Rating: R
July 8, 2012
Another tough one from Penelope Williamson. While I appreciate Williamson's talent with words and her flair for creating gripping drama, it's almost too much at times. While I ached for McCady and Jessalyn, I also found myself furious with all the melodrama and set-backs. The chemistry was spot-on, which was, I suppose, another reason to feel so horribly gut sick for these two characters who so obviously belonged together. Williamson's knack for character building is fantastic, her heroes are fun, her villains are downright vile, and her stories jerk you all over the place. I just sometimes wish it didn't take quite so long to get to the point.
October 30, 2019
I started reading romance novels at 14 and at that time johanna lindsey set my heart aflutter it's been a long time I'm 36 since I've had a book make me feel so intense...yes the first pages were like oooohhhkkk but once they met it was like a page tuner till the last sentence...I laughed I cried and I screamed through the whole book. I loved the characters I loved the story this is by far the best I've read in a very long time and I loved everything about it.
April 3, 2025
The story begins in pre-Industrial Revolution Cornwall, England. After a literally explosive first meeting, Jessalyn Letty - sixteen, clumsy, naive - becomes smitten with the older, brooding McCady Trelawny and his dream of a steam locomotive. Though McCady seems to share the attraction, he ultimately believes he is too poor, too caught up with his ambition, and simply too old to be with her. She confesses her love to him, but this love will go through rejection, years of separation, and many more obstacles before achieving a happy ending.
This is the story of an unrequited love so strong and steadfast that it transcends all the challenges life throws at it. As the saying goes, the heart wants what the heart wants. From the author blurb at the back of the book, Williamson shares that it was inspired by her grandparents, whose love was forbidden for years before they were able to marry and spend their life together.
Jessalyn is a wonderful heroine. She doesn't deny or second-guess her feelings. She is brave, resourceful and can hold her own. She calls out McCady when he's giving her BS - which was quite often. Despite McCady's insistence that they should not be together, he sure turns up a lot, teasing her with touches and kisses, meddling with her life, then turning her away again and again. He is cold, mean, and manipulative... yet with his limp, gold earring, lack of airs, mysterious aura, determination, and ambition, he is also quite a distinct, charismatic hero. And bless her, Jessalyn really loves him.
The best aspect of this book is Williamson's writing. Her style is sweeping and cinematic, kind of like watching an old romantic Hollywood movie. She writes about inner turmoil and heartache as if they are as turbulent and weather-beaten as the Cornish coast. She fills the story with immersive slice-of-life details, vivid secondary characters that include a pretty good villain, and strong dialect. Humor, drama, and action are balanced.
I highly recommend this book if you are in the mood for angst, pining, a strong heroine, and a love story that takes years to develop.
Trope: unrequited love
Content warnings: deaths of animals, deaths of minor characters, miscarriage
Steam level: 3/5 (~2 explicit full-length scenes plus shorter ones)
Availability: Out-of-print
Edition reviewed: Used first edition
This is the story of an unrequited love so strong and steadfast that it transcends all the challenges life throws at it. As the saying goes, the heart wants what the heart wants. From the author blurb at the back of the book, Williamson shares that it was inspired by her grandparents, whose love was forbidden for years before they were able to marry and spend their life together.
Jessalyn is a wonderful heroine. She doesn't deny or second-guess her feelings. She is brave, resourceful and can hold her own. She calls out McCady when he's giving her BS - which was quite often. Despite McCady's insistence that they should not be together, he sure turns up a lot, teasing her with touches and kisses, meddling with her life, then turning her away again and again. He is cold, mean, and manipulative... yet with his limp, gold earring, lack of airs, mysterious aura, determination, and ambition, he is also quite a distinct, charismatic hero. And bless her, Jessalyn really loves him.
The best aspect of this book is Williamson's writing. Her style is sweeping and cinematic, kind of like watching an old romantic Hollywood movie. She writes about inner turmoil and heartache as if they are as turbulent and weather-beaten as the Cornish coast. She fills the story with immersive slice-of-life details, vivid secondary characters that include a pretty good villain, and strong dialect. Humor, drama, and action are balanced.
I highly recommend this book if you are in the mood for angst, pining, a strong heroine, and a love story that takes years to develop.
Trope: unrequited love
Content warnings: deaths of animals, deaths of minor characters, miscarriage
Steam level: 3/5 (~2 explicit full-length scenes plus shorter ones)
Availability: Out-of-print
Edition reviewed: Used first edition
July 25, 2025
This was amazing! I may have a new author addiction... second book by her that I absolutely loved, I am really hoping I have another book by her around here I can jump into.
May 26, 2017
It's embarrassing to admit that I sometimes read romance novels. But I do.. and this one is the best. I somehow grew up with Penelope Williamson's romance novels, and they are wonderful. This one and Heart of the West are my favorites. In fact I think both would make excellent movies or TV shows. There are great characters in these books. Gripping stories. Yes, and passionate love scenes. But really.. I've read other romance novels. No one comes close to Williamson. If you ever crave a good love story, try this book.
Or maybe it's just nostalgia because I really did grow up with her novels, which I found just by accident in a little bookstore on Guam when I was younger. But unlike many old favorites that don't stand up at all to rereading as an adult (I'm looking at you, Flowers in the Attic), this re-read was not at all disappointing. It just makes me sad that Williamson didn't write more novels.
Or maybe it's just nostalgia because I really did grow up with her novels, which I found just by accident in a little bookstore on Guam when I was younger. But unlike many old favorites that don't stand up at all to rereading as an adult (I'm looking at you, Flowers in the Attic), this re-read was not at all disappointing. It just makes me sad that Williamson didn't write more novels.
maybe
August 6, 2022🧨Need safety info please! Did the H/h have sex- take her virginity- before he married the ow?
Also need to know if the h slept with the om.
Note to self:
H married the ow for her money even though he loved the h.
He needed money to invest in his railroad company. He was bankrupt and was about to be sent to the debtors prison.
To receive all of the ow money, he was required to get the ow pregnant.
So he married her, then promptly got her preg.
The h lived in their village and had to see it all.
Also need to know if the h slept with the om.
Note to self:
H married the ow for her money even though he loved the h.
He needed money to invest in his railroad company. He was bankrupt and was about to be sent to the debtors prison.
To receive all of the ow money, he was required to get the ow pregnant.
So he married her, then promptly got her preg.
The h lived in their village and had to see it all.
August 9, 2015
20 years ago I probably would have loved this book but I find my taste have changed some over the years and I found it difficult to keep reading at times. The print was microscopic and that didn't help. (Yes, I have glasses). I just felt there was too much going on to truly enjoy it. Too many obstacles in the way and bad decisions on the part of the hero and heroine. Becka was a jewel, though. I loved reading about her and her little romance.
June 24, 2012
I loved this book! I love this author! Only in Goodreads would I have found this great book. I'm working my way through all Penelope Williamson's books, I know they are older but the way she writes bring you into the story I wanted it to continue. I liked Jessalyn character, no wimpy Miss here! Give her books a chance you won't be sorry.
May 25, 2017
3.5. Lord, there's a slow burn and then there's a slow burn. This was almost too much for me. These poor people had to go through so much before they finally got together, including a marriage of convenience to a pregnant wife.
April 17, 2025
fantastic read. couldn't anticipate the plot. very full of everything i love about older romance.
Williamson writes with trust for her readers. she plops us in the middle of a scene but doesn't info dump the new details immediately. she trusts the reader will gather the information when needed (as in when she gives it to us). it also makes you more focused on emotions and details of the scene. it's a really lovely writing style.
the only reason it took me so long to read this book was because it is only in print, which takes me longer to get around to than e or audio.
Williamson writes with trust for her readers. she plops us in the middle of a scene but doesn't info dump the new details immediately. she trusts the reader will gather the information when needed (as in when she gives it to us). it also makes you more focused on emotions and details of the scene. it's a really lovely writing style.
the only reason it took me so long to read this book was because it is only in print, which takes me longer to get around to than e or audio.
October 12, 2022
While I was reading this book the Poldark saga kept popping into my head, too many suspicious coincidences for my liking.
January 27, 2025
How dare Penelope Williamson write one of the best historical romances. It is January. It is way too early for me to find what will most likely be one of my top books this year. I am not emotionally prepared to just be disappointed by 1-2 star and DNF books after this because how can other books compare to the wild and messy but completely engrossing story here? 😩
This was a f--king journey that I think can only really truly be experienced in a real bodice ripper. And this isn't even from the era of bodice rippers? McCady never backhanded and 🍇-ed Jessa so it can't be categorized as a true bodice ripper 💅
Maybe this is bodice ripper lite?
Anyway, away from that tangent, I can't believe Williamson in going ✨there✨ with this historical romance. Every single trope that would make a historical romance become the hot new topic on social media was here.
I can't even list them all. There are just too many. And I should stop writing these essays here that no one reads. But the clock app is now a broken zombie app so...
Okay, need to focus here.
So Jessa meets McCady when she is SIXTEEN. Williamson, you can't even use the excuse that this is a bodice ripper. This is from the 90s so not even in that era. And NOT A SPOILER because this happens early like say 20-30% into the book but McCady flirts with and kisses her. Boy is 25 and attracted to a literal child.
What was just mental gymnastics was McCady thinking he deserved a prize for not m0le$ting a child, but boy, you flirted with that girl for a whole summer. And he kept repeating this compliment of himself. Boy. BOY.
So this couple are true star crossed lovers because they are both absolutely destitute and have big dreams of getting out of being povos. They can't be together because with what money would they survive? They both have nothing to their names. Williamson did not shy away from making these two suffer everything. The number one rule for this book is don't get attached to anything or any character. Don't do it. Don't do what I did. Real Game of Thrones vibes here 🤡
CW:
And poor Jessa, Williamson literally just wanted this girlie to suffer. She was physically and emotionally treated like Williamson had a grudge against this girl.
This book is a perfect example of making your characters suffer through everything and give everything up for love. A true dramatic story of being delulu for love instead of thinking of a rational solulu. Because poor Jessa was the most devoted protagonist in a romance ever. There is nothing this girl would not do for McCady. Whether McCady deserved it or not is a whole other essay.
The thing that I can't believe happened actually happened and I was stunned. Like I've seen it happen before in several other romance books but it was usually framed differently. This one was like how do we make the characters suffer more and bring in other innocent characters to suffer with them? We're going to make suffering a team effort here. And did just that.
But of course, because I am all for equality and so is Williamson by making sure the pain is equally divided among all, when Jessa made McCady suffer, oh it was delicious. The tastiest morsels ever because after everything McCady did to Jessa and how he treated her, I was like a feral raccoon rubbing my paws together in glee in seeing this boy squirm and FAFO. I am enough of a bish to have wanted Jessa to
The writing and attention to historical research and detail? Top tier. The sparkling dialogue and witty banter? So refreshing to read after so many chats in romances published nowadays reading like a bad ChatGPT script. The true angst of two people actually having reasons other than a bad and dumb miscommunication for why they can't be together? Like finding a f--king unicorn lately. McCady is an inventor and Jessa likes to race horses? Yes for trying to infuse something original in the historical romance genre.
The ending was disappointing though. It felt rushed. So many plot points didn't get a resolution. It felt like something was missing. From an emotional perspective, it felt unsatisfying which is the absolute worst thing for an ending. From a story perspective, there needed to be a few more chapters because after all the excitement, the story didn't get a chance to wind down properly and finish. The story would be a 4/5 but the ending would be a 1/5. I didn't like how it just ended without exploring the consequences and rewards of the last few chapters.
So it looks like in 2025 I will just be reading vintage bodice rippers and bodice ripper lites. I want ten more like this and I know I can find it in vintage romances. The world is absolutely losing the plot right now so might as well read the most dramatic sub-genre in romance because nothing scratches that I want Love is Blind nonsense drama itch like a bodice ripper.
Last thought from my brain cells because this essay is getting much too long, this reminded me a lot of The Bronze Horseman. Not story elements but in vibes. The whole star crossed lovers (where one of them is in a committed relationship 👀) vibes was very Tatiana and Alexander coded. And I loved it.
This was a f--king journey that I think can only really truly be experienced in a real bodice ripper. And this isn't even from the era of bodice rippers? McCady never backhanded and 🍇-ed Jessa so it can't be categorized as a true bodice ripper 💅
Maybe this is bodice ripper lite?
Anyway, away from that tangent, I can't believe Williamson in going ✨there✨ with this historical romance. Every single trope that would make a historical romance become the hot new topic on social media was here.
I can't even list them all. There are just too many. And I should stop writing these essays here that no one reads. But the clock app is now a broken zombie app so...
Okay, need to focus here.
So Jessa meets McCady when she is SIXTEEN. Williamson, you can't even use the excuse that this is a bodice ripper. This is from the 90s so not even in that era. And NOT A SPOILER because this happens early like say 20-30% into the book but McCady flirts with and kisses her. Boy is 25 and attracted to a literal child.
What was just mental gymnastics was McCady thinking he deserved a prize for not m0le$ting a child, but boy, you flirted with that girl for a whole summer. And he kept repeating this compliment of himself. Boy. BOY.
So this couple are true star crossed lovers because they are both absolutely destitute and have big dreams of getting out of being povos. They can't be together because with what money would they survive? They both have nothing to their names. Williamson did not shy away from making these two suffer everything. The number one rule for this book is don't get attached to anything or any character. Don't do it. Don't do what I did. Real Game of Thrones vibes here 🤡
CW:
And poor Jessa, Williamson literally just wanted this girlie to suffer. She was physically and emotionally treated like Williamson had a grudge against this girl.
This book is a perfect example of making your characters suffer through everything and give everything up for love. A true dramatic story of being delulu for love instead of thinking of a rational solulu. Because poor Jessa was the most devoted protagonist in a romance ever. There is nothing this girl would not do for McCady. Whether McCady deserved it or not is a whole other essay.
The thing that I can't believe happened actually happened and I was stunned. Like I've seen it happen before in several other romance books but it was usually framed differently. This one was like how do we make the characters suffer more and bring in other innocent characters to suffer with them? We're going to make suffering a team effort here. And did just that.
But of course, because I am all for equality and so is Williamson by making sure the pain is equally divided among all, when Jessa made McCady suffer, oh it was delicious. The tastiest morsels ever because after everything McCady did to Jessa and how he treated her, I was like a feral raccoon rubbing my paws together in glee in seeing this boy squirm and FAFO. I am enough of a bish to have wanted Jessa to
The writing and attention to historical research and detail? Top tier. The sparkling dialogue and witty banter? So refreshing to read after so many chats in romances published nowadays reading like a bad ChatGPT script. The true angst of two people actually having reasons other than a bad and dumb miscommunication for why they can't be together? Like finding a f--king unicorn lately. McCady is an inventor and Jessa likes to race horses? Yes for trying to infuse something original in the historical romance genre.
The ending was disappointing though. It felt rushed. So many plot points didn't get a resolution. It felt like something was missing. From an emotional perspective, it felt unsatisfying which is the absolute worst thing for an ending. From a story perspective, there needed to be a few more chapters because after all the excitement, the story didn't get a chance to wind down properly and finish. The story would be a 4/5 but the ending would be a 1/5. I didn't like how it just ended without exploring the consequences and rewards of the last few chapters.
So it looks like in 2025 I will just be reading vintage bodice rippers and bodice ripper lites. I want ten more like this and I know I can find it in vintage romances. The world is absolutely losing the plot right now so might as well read the most dramatic sub-genre in romance because nothing scratches that I want Love is Blind nonsense drama itch like a bodice ripper.
Last thought from my brain cells because this essay is getting much too long, this reminded me a lot of The Bronze Horseman. Not story elements but in vibes. The whole star crossed lovers (where one of them is in a committed relationship 👀) vibes was very Tatiana and Alexander coded. And I loved it.
December 16, 2014
One of the book that left you with a satisfying smile after finished it. It gave you a great story full of twist, interesting characters that makes you laugh and cry with them, tragedy, hope, heartbroken, love and happy ending :). And the best character for me is Jessalyn Letty of course. The strong woman with a heart and soul so big and kind, loving his man forever even when he keeps leaving and hurting her again and again. And after everything, she finally live a happy life with the love of her life.
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