Amar para siempre

Berkeley-Falkner #2

by Lisa Kleypas, María José Losada Rey (translator), Rufina Moreno Ceballos (translator)

Alex Faulkner, el mismísimo duque de Hamilton, conoce a Mira Germain en una la lujosa mansión de Sackville, en Hampshire, durante una partida de caza. William Sackville, el anciano anfitrión, hace ver ante sus amigos y conocidos que ella es su amante cuando, en realidad, su relación no es más que una farsa. Mira lleva dos años viviendo en la mansión, pero su presencia es puramente ornamental. Sackville es un hombre poderoso con un secreto que ocultar, por lo que cuando encuentra a Mira no duda en ofrecerle su protección a cambio de que ella consienta en su engaño. Ella acepta, pues también tiene algo que ocultar.

Mira y Alex se sienten inevitablemente atraídos desde un primer momento, y a pesar de la reticencia de Mira por desvelar sus secretos, Alex esta destinado a descubrirlo todo...

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Regency, Ebooks

368 pages, Paperback

First published December 6, 1988

About the author

LISA KLEYPAS is the RITA award-winning author of 21 novels. Her books are published in fourteen languages and are bestsellers all over the world. She lives in Washington State with her husband and two children.

Reviews

[Raffaella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unsafe. The hero takes a mistress after having sex with the heroine and during the following months where he meets her here and there he is never celibate.
And this man will never be celibate even after married. He will be worse.
He never wanted to marry and only did I it because his mother wanted him married and she liked the heroine as his wife.
I didn’t like it.
I didn’t like the story.
There are a couple of other mysteries nobody could care less about, and only needed to fill more pages.
The hero is the worst LK hero.
I understand this is one of her first books and maybe bodice rippers were the example for it, but boy was it bad.
I don’t recommend it to anyone. Romance is absent. The hero is rotten. The heroine is a loser. She knows he’s with ow and does not care.
Bye bye respect.
Never again.

[Lacey (laceybooklovers) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well that was disappointing. I pretty much hated the hero here!

[Jasbell76 · Rating 1 out of 5]

Updated
March/25/2015
"Tonight is the night" I am going to finish this book. I can't believe I have spent too much time to finish it. I have just 38 pages left and all I want to do is this:


I hope to finish it as fast as I can ñ_ñ

Updated
March/26/2015

FINALLY I finished this book!!!! Oh Lord! I was tired of it. I think I am going to take a break for a while with Lisa's books and historical romances. This story left me overwhelmed :(

Updated
July/11/2015

I didn't write a review of this book when I finished it, so here it is.
I decided to read this book after I read some reviews and they said the book was good and blah, blah, blah...
I picked up the book and started reading it. The beginning was good, the first 100 or 130 pages of the book were good, I was actually excited.

THEN... Everything became a nightmare :(


Right after the heroine left the hero (I think it was a month after that, I'm not really sure), the next scene you read was the hero laid in bed, after he had sex with OW, a woman that was a guest in the same mansion HE and the heroine met for the first time. The OW was his mistress for a week and he paid all her debts at the end of their fling, she was young broken widow. This woman tried a few times to flirt with the hero while he was attracted to the heroine and tried to seduce her.
What drove me crazy, made angry etc. Was how fast the hero MOVED ON. ARG!!!!

I can't TOLERATE the hero had sex with OW after he met the heroine.


Other things that made mad about the book:
1. The "second" story about the father of the heroine of the first book. That wasn't necessary! Why? Why? I was boring and frustrated with these two heroines and their stupid actions.
2. Heroine's brother blackmailed her.
3. There were many characters. Heroine's proctector/"ex lover" wasn't mention anymore after she left the mansion.
4. Oh wait! Did I mention there is an "abortion" here. After another one night stand with the hero, the heroine noticed she started to gain weight, so she knew her body so well and realized maybe she could be pregnant and because she knows many concoctions with herbs (she always has a cure for any sickness) She prepared a mixture of her herbs and drank it.

I am going to stop here. I am not going to waste more of my time writing a review for a Keyplas' book. I'm DONE!
I will always love some of the previous books I read before the ones I read this year.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I liked it! The 1st book in the series was much better. I didn't feel like the MC belonged together. Still it's LK and she doesn't write bad books.

All in all, it was a good, enjoyable read! I would not recommend as a standalone.

[Tiko · Rating 5 out of 5]

i truly have NO idea why is this book not popular! i guess thats because the beginning is pretty confusing and not really likable... heroine is an old mans mistress... and it doesnt really leave a good impression... it is a little bit hard to get through first 30-40 pages maybe a little less... BUT after that XD oh what comes after that :D

the hero of the book is Alexander (Alec) Faulkner hes a duke of something xD but who cares about his dukedom!!! the man is everything a woman dreams for a man to be... even so on the cover of the book he looks... erm... ugly :D but in the book he is a handsome, rakish duke who cant stop staring at his friends mistress... it was love at first sight (even so it took them a little more to catch up with their feelings :D but it happened real fast not like in some books where the hero understands his feelings only at the last page...) Alec is an arrogant man whos used to his power and standing in the world. some would say that he is a cold man, but no matter the age, test in man, skin color, or nationality you all will love him :D why? because this man knows what is love and he cherishes this feeling like veeeeery few man do. at some point in the book he will find out that his cousin and dearest friend (and when i say dearest i mean the best friend in whole world, someone more like a brother then his REAL brother) was killed by Miras brother. what do you think he did? he blamed Mira? (whos already her wive by then btw) shouted at her, kicked her and divorced her? went after her brother and killed him for sweet revenge? nop... he did neither... Alec was no coward, he didnt go after Miras brother because he was afraid or something... no wait he was afraid... he was afraid of losing Mira... and knew that no matter how sweet revenge tasted it had no future, that if she ever heared what her brother has done she would blame herself forever... so what did he do? nothing. he told the only person who knew the truth to forget it. and to never ever tell Mira anything because she was more important to him then revenge...

now about Mira... she would be somewhat mysterious for you if you havnt read the first book of the series because she and her brother play a really important role in there. to say it simply at some point in her life she has lived in a brothel with her mother (i bet you could guess her moms profession), she has been a thieve, worked as a maid in a hotel, has been the closest friend to the Earl of Berkleys wive, has run away from france, almost died in england and played a role of a mistress to a 60 something year old aristocrat for 2 years. and then one day she met Alexander Fulkner. more like saw him from the window but dont dwell on details xD oh and i cant possibly not say this... she is a virgin! yes she has been a mistress in name only xD so i think you know wholl be her first xD you could say that she is weak and somewhat irritating because she likes to run away from her problems but... its always fun when they catch up with her... especially when lately her problem has a name and is a sarcastic duke xD Alec and Miras relationship is full of fire. not only the fire of passion, but sarcasm, wit and romance as well... their dialogues were so entertaining :D

oh and Holts story (Alecs cousin who got killed) was soooo sad... i would love to read his story with Leila... and i would love to read her story as well...
where is she now and what will happen to her?! something tells me that Carr(or a name like that... it was a strange name so dont mind me forgetting it xD he is Holts bro btw.) will find her and fall in love with her just like his brother did... i just hope that he at least wont die for her like Holt... its so sad... *sniff*

all in all the book is great... id recommend it to anyone who loves a sweet romance, with an interesting plot and characters and just a little drop of crime for good measure. it is one of earlier works by Lisa Kleypas so that maybe it lacks a little bit of polish, but still it undeniably has her charmy writing style and plot! okay, i guess some of her works are definitely better... books like "Devil in Winter, or " Dreaming of you", but come on... i consider those books to be muuuuch better then most books in HR genre xD

okay now my muse has already deserted me i guess so its time to end the review... i hope youll enjoy the book as much as i did xD if not then... dont blame me im under impression right now :D

[Océano de libros · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alec Falkner, duque de Hamilton acude a la casa de un amigo suyo, William Sakville para una cacería, allí conoce a la misteriosa amante del lord Mira Germain por la que sentirá una especial atracción. Alec está dispuesto a conquistarla pero Mira esconde secretos que quiere ocultar a toda costa.
Tengo que decir que no me suelen defraudar los libros de Lisa Kleypas, eso sí hay algunos que me gustan más y otros menos, éste quedaría entre dos aguas. En cuanto a ambientación y forma de narrar la autora me encanta, de esto no hay duda. En cuanto a la trama hay partes que me gustaron (casi la mayor parte) y otras que me dejaron algo perdida. Con lo de perdida me refiero a que en la primera parte del libro hay un cambio de escena -si puede decirse así- tan abrupto que nos parecerá que falta algún capítulo, es ahí donde pierdo un poco de aprecio por el señor Falker, porque no entiendo su actitud tan voluble (en cuanto a sentimientos por Mira se refiere), no me pude creer que hiciera ese tipo de cosas cuando había proclamado según qué cosas (no quiero hacer spoiler) pero por otro lado me gustó, porque se aleja de lo que solemos encontrarnos en este tipo de novelas y pues tiene su puntito.
De los personajes creo que la autora le ha querido dar un punto de “originalidad” y lo veo bien, e incluso ahora analizándolo en frío es una buena idea porque ama y odias en según qué momento a los personajes, hay más realismo, etc.
Mira y Alec tienen sus cosas buenas y sus cosas malas pero hacen un buen tándem, aceptando también esa parte tan cambiante de Alec.
Los personajes del anterior libro (porque éste es el segundo) tanto Randall Berkeley como Rosalie Belleau me gustaron, sobretodo la última.
La parte final es bastante entretenida y emocionante pero me dejó con una intriga…
SPOILER



Carr, el primo de Alec que busca a la que fuera novia de Holt. Lo peor es que no veo libro a la vista que continúe con la serie así que…ajo y agua ;)
SPOILER


Concluyendo, no es uno de los mejores libros de Lisa Kleypas pero tampoco de los peores, lo dejamos en término medio. Entretenido y “original” en varios aspectos.

[Beth F · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is easy to sum up: very sweet with a hint of mystery.

Kleypas’s first novel, Where Passion Leads, had a rape scene in the second chapter so I was teensy bit hesitant to read this one (her second novel), especially since several of the characters from WPL made a reappearance in this book. But fortunately, nobody got raped and there wasn’t even a hint of violent behavior directed at the heroine by the hero. There were misunderstandings galore (of course!) and several biting remarks made by both parties to the other but it was all in good fun because you knew it was only a matter of time before they stopped kidding themselves and admitted they were MFEO. *le sigh*

Who: Mira Germain (a chambermaid from the previous book) and Alec Falkner (a duke)

What: They’re meant to fall in love.

When: Five years have passed since Where Passion Leads. Mira is now 20 and living as the mistress of a man three times her age, the Lord Sackville.

Where: Lord Sackville hosts a hunting party at his estate and invites his friend, 28-year-old Alec Falkner, a young duke who was forced to grow up fast after the untimely death of his father and the brutal murder of his cousin-slash-best friend.

What Else: Alec finds himself drawn to the Mysterious Mistress Mira and begins to suspect that she isn’t Sackville’s mistress at all. Alec and Mira share many, many, many sweet moments together that culminate when they suddenly find themselves in Mira’s bedroom. Alec finds out firsthand that Mira is a virgin and therefore obviously not Sackville’s mistress. The following day, Alec confronts Sackville about the false mistress business and Mira flees the estate in fear and confusion. Alec is hurt and starts to sleep around.

Why: He feels that Mira didn’t even give him a chance and feels slighted because she deserted him without an explanation. She feels that he wouldn't be capable of loving her because he doesn't know that she's the daughter of a French prostitute. When they finally do meet again, he asks her to become his mistress and she refuses, stating that she wants to beat the odds and hold out for a legitimate family of her own. This goes back and forth for awhile. Eventually Alec’s bitchy blind mother gets involved and takes matters into her own hands. She has randomly decided that Mira is the bomb and somehow convinces them to get married.

The Resolution: Mira’s dubious brother Guillaume makes a sudden appearance. A murder is solved. Mira and Alec promise their undying love to each other. The end.

[Alba Turunen · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Estrellas. Mucho me temo el tener que ponerle esta nota a un libro Kleypas, pero lo cierto es que “Amar para siempre” no me ha gustado, me ha parecido un libro más, que ha aportado muy poco, y esperaba algo más de ésta autora. El principal problema, que es uno de sus libros viejillos, y eso se nota. No lo noté tanto en el anterior, que pese a sus fallos, sí lo disfruté más; pero “Amar para siempre” me ha parecido un libro soso e insustancial que no me ha dicho nada.

La acción comienza cinco años después de “Donde la pasión nos lleve”. Es el libro de Mireille Germain, la doncella francesa de Rosalie. Al final de éste libro Mireille huyó y no se supo de ella. La verdad es que Mireille logró llegar a Inglaterra y escapar de las manos de su despiadado hermano, pasó una serie de penurias hasta que la encontró lord Sackville y la llevó a su casa, donde la rescató y cuidó, a cambio de que ella se hiciera pasar por su amante, cuando realmente era su enfermera.

Es otoño y en casa de lord Sackville se va a celebrar una cacería que durará semanas; entre los invitados está Alec Falkner, duque de Stafford, que inmediatamente se sentirá atraído por la extraña doncella francesa, y por los muchos secretos que guarda.

Personalmente el romance me ha sabido a poco, no me ha enganchado y he visto demasiados encamados que no venían a cuento. Otro error me ha parecido el exceso de páginas donde no ocurre nada interesante, es aburrido, pero creo que debo decirlo, a éste libro le sobraban cien páginas mínimo. El libro podría dividirse en dos partes, una primera mitad que sentó la historia y la hizo algo interesante, y una segunda mitad que no me ha apañado nada, y que me sobraba casi todo. Por otro lado estaba la cantidad de escenas, situaciones e incidencias que hacían que no me creyera la historia, ni a los personajes ni su manera de afrontar las situaciones, parecía todo un pegote mal desarrollado.

Si un libro no te atrapa, te da sueño, no te llaman los personajes, ni su historia, es que no te gusta, y por desgracia eso es lo que me ha parecido este libro. Me da mucha pena decirlo porque es un Kleypas, pero Kleypas ha tenido sus patinazos, y a éste le achaco que es una de sus primeras obras. Por suerte para nosotros sus fans es que luego mejoró, pero sabiendo esto, no sé si tengo ganas de leer uno o dos libros más viejunos suyos que aún tengo pendientes de leer. Creo que hubo una Kleypas anterior a los “Jugadores” y una posterior, sin duda me quedo con la posterior, pero también con la anterior a los “Hathaways”.

[Missy · Rating 2 out of 5]

There’s an instant attraction between the H/h but because she’s someone else’s mistress (only as a pretense), they fight their attraction. That doesn’t stop Alex from seeking Mira out at the hunting party at every opportunity he gets.

Mira was a side character (a 12-yr-old) from the first book. I don’t remember anything from the first book, but that couple (Rand and Rosalie) have TONS of page time in this book, which was unexpected. If a reader enjoyed the first book, they would probably enjoy seeing these two characters again.

I felt like Rosalie’s (who is a side character this time around) relationship with her father (Brummel) should have been left out. I saw it as a plot device (used twice) for forced proximity since Alex and Mira were separated several times after the hunting party ended. He missed her so much that one point he lost weight and started drinking more than was typical.

She has a sordid past that she keeps from the hero out of fear of rejection. It’s the main reason why she refused to marry him. Her instinct is run away from her problems related to her past, which the hero and I dislike and find frustrating.

At first, I wasn’t sure why the hero’s murdered cousin storyline was important to the overall plot. Then the reader learns why at the 92% mark. In Lisa Kleypas style, she inserts last-minute drama that is conveniently resolved. 🙄

Basically nothing really interesting happens till the last 10-20%. I skimmed through a few sections and some of the love scenes that I felt were gratuitous.

[Dagmar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forever My Love, written in 1988 as the second book in the Falkner-Berkley series, is another of Lisa Kleypas' earliest books. Here we follow the bold, stubborn, alpha Hero Alec Falkner, arrogant Duke extraordinaire, as he fights his feelings and desires for fiery, courageous and equally stubborn heroine Mira Germain, whom we met in bestseller Where Passion Leads, as they get tangled up in their tumultuous bodice-rippery romance. This is a heroine who brings the Hero to his knees! Love it! Another emotional, highly sensual, dramatic story with the introduction of many interesting characters and plot twists. It had some dark mystery elements that lent some edge and a bit of back and forth to the love story. Strong, descriptive writing that kept you turning pages. Richly rewarding HEA.

📚 An absolutely beautiful book to behold, with exquisite, lush cover painting done by the legendary romance novel artist, Elaine Duillo. My favorite of all Kleypas covers. Sigh.

🤞Best of luck trying to find this elusive out-of-print beauty ... it's another keeper.

[Nessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I DO NOT GET WHY SOME READERS DISLIKED THIS BOOK AND BRUSHED IT OFF AS UNWORTHY WHEN THIS IS CLEARLY WHAT KLEYPAS'S HR ARE ABOUT. IT WAS SENTIMENTAL AND EMOTIONAL, I LOVED IT!

OUR HERO is a Duke and prominent architect who basically has the ton at his feet and he can come off as arrogant, judgemental and very straightforward in his manners. He can be nice or he can be brutal towards the people he socialises with, especially women. He attends a friend's hunting event and meets Mira who is so unlike the society miss he knows. She is a breath of fresh air, so beautiful and childlike, she captivated him with her laughter, openness and passion. But she is the one woman he cannot have for she is the mistress of his host. Then again that doesn't stop him from meeting and getting to know her, even stealing kisses and her virginity. When he uncovers the truth behind her mistress identity, her trust is betrayed and she leaves him. What he doesn't expect is for Mira to cloud his every thoughts and invade his life, no matter what he does or who he sleeps with after he cannot forget her. It takes awhile for him to realise that he loves her and she's the one he wants to marry, and well he can be a jerk at times but with so much power, it is warranted but I don't agree with it because it's hurtful. Anyway, initially he wants her only as a mistress but clearly he underestimates his feelings and attraction to this unusual French girl.

OUR HEROINE is a runaway French girl who was found and rescued by the man who now calls her his mistress and for that she is judged by those who meet her and our hero is no different. But what they don't know is that her owner is impotent. When she meets the enigmatic Alec, she dislikes him at first but eventually she falls for his uncharacteristic kindness and sensual touches. But when things get more complicated she is saved by old friends who she thought despises her for her betrayal but in fact she is innocent in whatever happened in the first book. Anyway she lives with the Berkeleys and tries to make an honest living for herself but Alec still hovers at the fringe of her life so how can she forget him?

OVERALL it is almost like the classic Kleypas style HR and I loved how the characters met and fought the attraction as they slowly fall in love. I'm glad that although the hero can be a jerk, he can also be sweet and kind to the heroine and that is all that matters.

[Gilgamesha · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are times I wanted to hate Alec....there are times I wanted to choke Mira for refusing to share things with Alec....but in all what is wonderful about characters that Kleypas writes is that you fall in love with them despite their flaws...I loved the book although it lacked the polish of her later books...it had the refreshing quality only a novice writer can pull off....Greatread....my only complain was that she didn't resolve Leila's disappearance....does anyone know if she did it in another novel or novella?

[Patricia G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Me sorprende que esta novela la firme doña L.K. No me ha gustado ni el protagonista, y mirad que esto es algo complicadísimo porque si estas novelas tienen un punto fuerte, suele ser lo maravillosos que son sus hombres. No es el caso. Quizá es que los tiempos cambian, y hace diez años me habría encantado, pero es como si no la pudiese coger por ningún lado. Una decepción. Vuelvo a la LK del presente, sin duda.

[C Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book from the Berkley-Faulkner series, one of Lisa Kleypas's early works and I liked this better than Where Passion Leads, the one about Rand and Rosalie.

Reading about this made me anxious and tense, but it also made me happy. I've mentioned time and again that all LK novels end with a happy ending. Some characters develop and some don't. Comparing this with the previous one, which was more character driven, this book focused more on the story, the mystery about Mireille, who's also known as Mira.

When she went out of the picture in the ending of the first book, I wondered about her and anticipated reading her story, and as usual I wasn't disappointed. Here we see a grown-up Mira as a mistress of a fifty-something peer. I was bothered by the setup until I read on and found out that everything was a charade.

When Mira met Alec, the tension, the attraction, and lust was immediately evident. They got off on a bad start due to Alec's snub-nosed judgment but as the story progressed, the attraction became intense to the point that while reading, I was palpitating 'cause I thought they might get caught.

Mira's past slowly unravels and I don't think it's all that bad, she felt guilty for all the things she did when she was with Guillaume, and this she can't confess to her husband. Even though Alec knew about Guillaume (who's a villain through and through), this didn't dampen his ardor for Mira.

This story was filled with emotion, a little humor, a lot of passionate love scenes, and some lines that moved me. I recommend this for the hardcore Kleypas fan.

[Bekah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.50*

Mira Germain is posing as a rich, influential, and elderly lord's mistress when she literally bumps into Alec Faulker. Immediately a sizzling attraction begins, though Alec feels disdain for Mira’s ‘occupation’. Unable to resist this petite Frenchwoman, Alec and Mira begin sneaking away to spend time together. Secrets from Mira’s past eventually tie them together in such a way that might jeopardize their happily ever after.

Alec, our hero had quite a bit of magnetism. He was a bit more intense than Rand Berkley from Where Passion Leads. He was intensely and irrevocably drawn to Mira. No matter how he tried to fight it, and fight it he did, he could not escape his need and longing for her. My favorite parts did not include those moments when he tried to forget her. I don’t like it when the hero finds comfort in the arms of another woman once he’s met our heroine. In my romance world, the ability to perform is taken away when it doesn’t involve the heroine. So I found that a little off-putting. Also his treatment of his in-between mistress was cold and unnecessarily heartless. However, once Alec could no longer fight it and the damn broke so to speak, it was quite yummy and wonderful to see. Not the best reformed rake I’ve read, but intense and burning and sigh worthy enough to give this hero a 4.5/10 on the Kleypas Hero Meter!

Worthy to mention here is our heroine, Mira. She was everything I missed from Rosalie in Where Passion Leads. She was strong, smart and independent. Of course her background was much different that Rosalie’s. The only area I wish she had behaved differently was the big obstacle for her – her background. It held her back and made her think terrible things about herself and her self worth. However, I loved how she knew herself, and knew Alec and was able to stand up for that love and for Alec when Rosalie was berating or discouraging their romance-which was one thing that was quite irritating in this book – Rosalie’s presence. The continuation of her relationship and hardships with her father were in this story and I didn’t find it necessary at all, especially when there really wasn’t a resolution to the whole matter. And for a time, it seemed to take over the book. I felt that, “hey, you had your own book, get out of this one” So, again, this book could have probably been 20-30 pages shorter without Rosalie. She also treated Mira like she was a baby, when really Mira was probably emotionally light years more mature than Rosalie. Her reasoning for her discouragement of Mira’s relationship with Alec was weak and annoying. There also seemed to be some hypocritical and judgmental behavior going on on Rosalie’s part. I eventually just had to chalk it up to immense love and caring for Mira.


Now, on to the steam factor. It was definitely here. More so again than the previous book and prevalent much earlier in the book as well. However, I found that the steamier scenes were contained in the last half and third of the book. We definitely had the zsa zsa zsu! We also not only got ball sex, we got Masquerade Ball sex – which is so much hotter! Their love scenes were more intense and had more connection and contained many tingling moments such as this one:

“Don’t fight it,” he whispered. “I want to watch you.”

Ok! :-)

A solid 5/10 on the Kleypas Steam Factor Scale!!

The romance is here in this book as well. Its very light and mild, but I can see the Signature Kleypas romance beginnings here. There is a piece of the plot that involves a medallion that is a family heirloom that I found particularly romantic. Also, in the falling of the rake, Alec said some mighty sigh worthy things to his lady love Mira. I didn’t clutch it to my chest, but I did smile in satisfaction and nod my head in contentment. Mira’s ability to read him and comfort him and give him what he needed was terribly romantic as well. I found that to be a positive strength to their relationship. He was quite literally wrapped around her finger. Fantastic!

4.5/10 on the Kleypas Sigh Factor Scale!

The Good & The Bad

The first 3/4 of this book read really quickly for me, but as we got to the end where all the mystery was happening and being tied up, I got a little disinterested. I just wanted to get back to Alec and Mira. You could kind of see where the mystery was going to end up too, and I was a little disappointed – but not because it wasn’t written well, but I had just had higher hopes for this character and it didn’t pan out. We were introduced to Carr, Alec’s cousin and a lot of time was spent on him and possibly the potential of another character so I’m curious to see if her later books pick them up, but there are no other books in this series, so yet again more unnecessary characters?
In the middle of the book our H/h go through a separation that I found a little jarring. I didn’t see it coming and I didn’t understand it and I don’t know why it was allowed to happen. Which brings me to another bad – Alec didn’t do a good job of chasing Mira in my opinion in the first half of the book. She got up and left and he let her. She said no and he didn’t persist. I realize that he had some pride he had to get over, but I really wanted him to chase her something fierce. Thankfully, he did at the very end of the book. It was FANTASTIC. What you always want to see in your romance. He chased her, found her, and made sure she understood that leaving him was not an option! He just loved and needed her too damn much!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Fate is the malevolent little jester sitting up in the heavens and pondering over how ridiculous we humans are and he does his best to make fools out of all of us. And sooner or later he succeeds.”

Libro publicado originalmente en 1988.

Creo que es uno de los primeros libros publicados por Lisa Kleypas pero, para mi sorpresa, me gustó mucho!! Hay cosas del estilo de escritura que han cambiado con el tiempo pero la esencia está presente y los personajes (en especial el masculino) son adorables.

El principio de la historia es un poco confuso; Mireille Germain es una joven francesa que vive en la mansión de lord William Sackville, quien constantemente la introduce como "su amante". Toda esta parte es un poco larga y confusa; al principio uno no sabe que es lo que pasó que lleva a Mira a esa posición y se pasa gran parte de la lectura preguntándose sí es verdad o no.

Durante una partida de caza llevada a cabo en la mansión, uno de los invitados, Lord Alexander Falkner, duque de Stafford, conoce a la misteriosa mujer y se siente muy intrigado por ella. El bosque y la vasta propiedad ofrece innumerables oportunidades para que Mira y Alec se encuentren constantemente.... ambos se sienten atraídos pero lo niegan: Alec porque sabe que Mira es la amante de su amigo; y Mira por su lealtad a Sackville por un lado, y por que además cree que no es suficiente para un hombre como el duque de Stafford. Incontables diálogos graciosos en esta parte que es casi el tercio de la historia.

Mira tiene un pasado que involucra a Lord Randall Berkeley y a su esposa Rosalie, su infancia en Francia, su hermano y la relación de éste con el secuestro de Rosalie... todas circunstancias que la hacen creer que no es merecedora del afecto y las atenciones de Alec y que la hacen huir constantemente. Si bien las entiendo debo reconocer que me molestó un poco la actitud de Mira de constante miedo y paranoia cuando tenía a los Berkeley y a Alec dispuestos a ayudarla sin importar las consecuencias y jamás la juzgaron o la consideraron culpable de su situación o de las acciones de su hermano.

Alec por su lado también tiene sus problemas; su primo Holt, a quien consideraba casi como un hermano, ha sido brutalmente asesinado y Alec está decidido a buscar respuestas. El hermano de Holt, Carr, se le une en la búsqueda. Y ésta trama es parte del misterio del libro, descubrir porqué Holt fue asesinado, qué relación tenía con Leila, la hija de un panadero quien casualmente desaparece una semanas antes de la muerte de Holt.... todo esto lleva a una trama paralela al romance de Mira y Alec que al principio uno no cree que vaya a tener relación pero todo se une de una manera inesperada o tal vez un poco esperada pero igual le da un buen cierre.

El final luego de descubrir al asesino es un tanto abrupto para mi gusto, pero mezclar una historia romántica de época, que no es instantánea ya que pasan varios meses casi un año en todo el libro, con una historia de casi suspenso fue toda una novedad y una experiencia muy agradable. El final feliz después de tanto drama fue lo más esperado y la sorpresa para mí fue Carr. Después de centrar toda su atención en buscar al asesino de Holt, Carr necesita un nuevo propósito en la vida y lo que queda pendiente es el destino de Leila... Carr sabiendo una posible localización de ella decide buscarla y queda a criterio del lector imaginarse lo que pasa.

Muy buena historia con tramas muy entretenidas; además Lord Alec Falkner, duque de Stafford tiene un pedacito de mi corazón!!!

[Bona Caballero · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aunque aquí la tradujeron en 2010, creo, es una novela de 1988, muy antigualla. A mí me resultó un pestiño infumable, sin ninguna cualidad que la redimiera. No me extraña que la autora ignore estas primeras novelas suyas de los años ochenta y no quiera que se reediten. De hecho, ni las menciona en su página web. La lista de sus novelas la empieza con Love, come to me, la de Heath y Lucinda en Concord.
Alex Falkner es un aristócrata dedicado a sus placeres, y en la casa de otro noble conoce a la amante de este, o así la presentan, ya no sé si lo es o no, Mireille Germain, una francesa. Olvidaos del tema consentimiento o del «no es no», es muy old skool. No le veo a esta novela nada destacable, ni argumento, ni personajes, ni estilo, ni ambientación, ni nada... La leí por vez primera en 2010 y no recordaba nada cuando la releí en 2019.
Crítica más extensa, en mi blog.

[Moony Black · Rating 4 out of 5]

El estilo de lisa me gusta mucho, me hizo sentirme en esa época son maravillosos

[moi, k.y.a. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bir türlü istediğim keyfi alamadım.
Niye?

[Sammy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have read more than 9 books of lisa Kleypas , & I had only good words for her ..... until I read this one ...
I get it ,its some of her earlier works , & she improved a lot since than , and I am very glad , she has turned out to be one of my favorite authors , and I had so much faith in her , that I decided to read some of her less reviewed work & I can see why its not in top list.

The story is about a dominating man, who always gets what he wants & a strong woman who tries to survive amidst all the odds, & for that I liked her. And than there is all this mystery thrown around her about her past, & all that thinks connecting to murder mystery revolving around our hero ...
But I felt , she stretched it too far , and it got boring ... I never thought I would keep the book even after reaching so close. Ofcourse as a loyal reader , I completed it the second day ...

anyways , the good thing about it is that , there was still very intense chemistry , & side characters trying to keep play their parts ....

So my review don't read it if you are not fan of Lisa Kleypas , coz than you might not even finish the book . But to all the loyal fans, read it so you know how much her work improved... & you will feel relieved.

[Rose Red · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dude. No one else has mentioned this but *spoiler* he is a cheater basically. Oh I got so mad that he slept with another woman after sleeping with the heroine.. Huh uh. No no no...It fucking upsets me every time.. And I don't understand why because the plot doesn't explain it. Anyway. I've been reading LK from the beginning of her career. This is her only early work that I somehow missed...I LOVED the book previous to this one. I love her early writing style. This book has been great up til this point (which btw is around 58%, way way too late in the game for our hero to justifiably find satisfaction elsewhere. I mean what in thee fuck?)

[*MariaA* · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5
BEAUTIFUL!! good old gems!

[Mak ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect...
I fell in love!!
Tudo e magnifico, o livro conta a estória de Mira Germain e Alec Falkner, um casal fora do comum..
Mira é Francesa e é dona de um passado complicado e destruidor. Porém é dona de um bom coração e ama ajudar, cuidar das pessoas, e devido a isso faz amizade com pessoas maravilhosas que deseja ajudar ela, mas por culpa do irmão se vêm sendo obrigada a fugir, porém pensando bem é algo bom, já que isso a leva para perto de Lord Sackville, que por obra do destino a leva conhecer Alec Falkner, the Duke of Hamilton, que mesmo sendo um homem teimoso, e que não pede permissão, se encontra arrebatado, se apaixona perdidamente por Mira, e enfrente tudo para ficar com ela. E juntos com toda a dificuldade e obstáculos que são encontrados em seu caminho para a felicidade, eles os enfrentam e passam por cima com objetivo de ficar juntos e viver um amor feliz...
Não têm como não amar, tudo é magico e encantador..
Love.. Perfect...
Ameiii...

[Gizella Tóth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sokkal jobban tetszett, mint az első kötet, bár tény, hogy Mira ott talpraesettebb, rokonszenvesebb volt.

I loved it much better than the first book, though Mira was more agile, more sympathetic there.

[Amana Shahid Ullah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't mean to turn this review into a rant but it seems unavoidable. For the first time, I kept wishing for the book to be over and kept glancing at how much nearer I was to the end. Yep, that's exactly how anxious I was, to finish it.

I have great respect for Lisa Kleypas and immense love for her novels but this broke me. Literally.

It started out quite well, compared to the first book (Where Passion Leads) and held great potential to be a really good story line, only what devil possessed the two leads and everything just went downhill and kept going downhill until it crashed, exploded and ruined any chances to get back up.

I admit it was hard to like Alec at first. He is judgmental, stubborn and a general ass to the heroine, Mira. While being impossibly rude and hurtful to her, he makes advances on her and wants her, despite whatever he THINKS she is. Well, although he was quite hateful (trust me, there's alot to hate him for), I think he turns out brilliantly. He won me over at the end and I actually liked him.

The opposite happened for Mira. I really liked her character from the first book and even understood her feelings and fears but then as the book progressed, I simply felt like clubbing her on the head and taking Alec for myself instead. She is an A-grade coward and a snob (I Am SO SORRY LK) but towards the end, I couldn't find anything to sympathize with her, nor like her. Despite all the love and trust Alec bestows on her, she takes the easy route and does EXACTLY what she did in the first book. Write a cowardly letter, confessing a crime she DIDN'T commit or had any idea about and... run. I mean, seriously??? And letting her brother blackmail her like that? I mean, HE was the one who killed Alec's best friend/cousin, yet he hoists the crime on her and she humbly takes the honor. UGH! I was so frustrated with her that I felt she didn't deserve Alec at all. I'm sorry but she was the first LK heroine that I couldn't like at all.

The chemistry between Alec and Mira started off quite well but at one point it became too much. It felt too much like a tug of war, with the push and pull, hot and cold between them. It was too much and I ended up with a headache. The whole extra story with Rosalie's dad was just useless, along with Rosalie's unnecessary meddling and negativity.

The only reason I'm giving this book 2.5 stars is because of Alec, his funny mom, Carr and Rand.
I am hoping that LK will write a book on Carr and whether he was successful in locating Leila and what exactly happened to Mira's brother?

[Nan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Berkley-Faulkner series by Lisa Kleypas one of the Queens of HR. I think its better to read in order, that way you can understand the relationships between people. I didn't read in order and I had no clue who Rosalie and Randall Berkley, and the connection they had with Mira, until later on. There were parts in this book that I went ohhh~ she should have put this in but its not my story to tell but it seriously would have been better if those parts were fixed. This book was lacking in some areas but overall an enjoyable book.

Mirelle Gremain (known as Mira throughout the book) is born in France, to a mother who was a whore. Her mother was murdered and one day her half brother came and picked her up from the whore house. Mira brother protected her and gave her food and they lived a life of crime. She worked in a hotel when she was fifteen and that how she got to know Rosalie and Randall Berkley, she was the one who took care of a sick Rosalie and befriended them.Guillaume (that her brother) used her friendship and kidnapped Rosalie, Mira filled with despair and betrayal fled scared that the Berkley would blame her when she had nothing to do with this at all. She fled to London and there she was alone, hungry and the verge of death when Lord Sackville (a kind old man found). He nursed her back to health and to repay her debt for that she has been playing as his 'mistress' because he has a condition that he does not won't anyone to know. Lord Sackville hosted a Hunting party and invited all his friends. One of his friends was the gorgeous Alec Faulkner, the Duke of Hamilton. They met accidentally and straight away there was a CONNECTION. Alec than found out that she was Lord Sackville and was disgusted that she was 'sleeping' with a man who 30 years older than her. But that didn't stop him from wanting her in his bed. They both tried to deny their feelings for each other but it was meant to be XD.

There are many things that Mira's been hiding but will she realise that Alec will love her unconditionally OR will she run away from the love of her life.

[[Aengell] · Rating 4 out of 5]

My second oldie by Lisa Kleypas, and I have to admit that this one was much more to my tastes than the other one I've read so far, Love, Come to Me.

It's clear that this is an early book by LK, seeing as there are some aspects that are underdeveloped and in need for a drastic new version. But still, I'm glad LK hasn't gotten to the task yet to rewrite these stories, as I find it particularly interesting to see for myself how the writing style of such an seasoned author can change over time.

This novel contains a lot of drama and angst, the emotional level is very high. The H/h, Alec and Mira, are a passionate and fiery couple, their relationship develops not too fast, but there is a certain restlessness, which I as the reader could clearly feel.
Alec was an early version of Kleypas' Alpha hero, with all the character traits that I love, such as the high-handedness, the cockiness, the arrogance and the possessiveness towards Mira. Nothing new here, but more of an brooding Alpha mixed up with some charm and humour here and there. Nicely done.

The heroine, Mira, was likable enough. At some points I was near being annoyed by her, but it never got to the point where I was really frustrated. She was sweet, innocent, but not meek. She had spirit and was a round character, a round heroine so to say.

The supportive characters played their role well, too. I especially came to like Alec's mother, Juliana, and I would have wished for her to have been presented into the scene earlier, as she was really refreshing.

I would recommend this for everyone who loves Lisa Kleypas, not because this measures up equally to LK at her best, but because although it's an early version of her talent, it's an emotionally catching read.

[Chi · Rating 4 out of 5]

... And that solves the mystery of whatever happened to Mireille. I was kinda surprised that the previous book ended the way it did, but it was interesting following Mira/Mireille's life, five years after she had left Rand and Rosalie.

It was HOT, watching Mira and Alec fight and then spectacularly succumb to their scorching attraction to one another. I felt sooo much for Mira, reading how she had to fight off feelings of being an imposter, no matter the situation she was in, and then trying to shrug off her chequered past. She had so many uncertainties that tainted her actions, even though they wouldn't have been the best course of action. Then the fact that Alec chased after her was awesome! Go Alec! I would've liked there to have been more of a confrontation where Guilliame was concerned, rather than being mentioned as an aside, but it was still an awesome read, and I was pleased for Mira. She really deserved her happily ever after.

[Sari · Rating 3 out of 5]

lebih mending dibanding buku yg pertama, tapi tetep gak suka" amat, klo bisa sih pengennya cuma ngasih 2,5 bintang, biz lagi" tokoh cwnya menyebalkan. Plin Plan banget, n doyan bgt lari dari masalah, d kya koruptor indonesia aja, demennya cuma kabur. Dari buku pertama, kabuuuuur terus kerjaannya. Bener" pengecut bgt. Klo ga salah n bukan lo yg berbuat knp takut sih, bikin org sekitarnya jd bgg nyari diakan jadinya. Tokoh yg aneh. N kenapa tiap tokoh cw yg bgini slalu dpt tokoh cowo yg sabar bgt. Sekali" ditinggalin ja model cw bgini, biar dia ngemis" dulu baru dimaafin n biar dia sadar, esmosi jiwa lama" X(

[Natalia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Segundo libro que leo de Lisa Kleypas y eso que mi amiga Macarena lleva poniéndome los dientes largos desde hace tiempo hablándome maravillas de esta autora.

Creo que es uno de sus primeros libros y aunque me ha gustado su argumento e incluso sus protagonistas a la historia le faltaba algo, hubo momentos que me costó terminar de leerlos porque se me hicieron aburridos.

Ha tenido algo positivo sin embargo y es que sin duda alguan voy a ponerme a leer más libros de Lisa Kleypas.