And Then He Kissed Her

Girl Bachelors #1

by Laura Lee Guhrke

An expert in etiquette, Emma takes her pristine reputation seriously. But the devilish Lord Marlowe is determined to prove that some rules of proper behavior are made to be broken...

Supremely sensible Emmaline Dove wishes to share her etiquette expertise with London's readers, and as secretary to Viscount Marlowe, Emma knows she's in the perfect position to make her dream come true. Marlowe might be a rake with a preference for can-can dancers and an aversion to matrimony, but he is also the city's leading publisher, and Emma is convinced he's her best chance to see her work in print...until she discovers the lying scoundrel has been rejecting her manuscripts without ever reading a single page!

As a publisher, Harry finds reading etiquette books akin to slow, painful torture. Besides, he can't believe his proper secretary has the passion to write anything worth reading. Then she has the nerve to call him a liar, and even resigns without notice, leaving his business in an uproar and his honor in question. Harry decides it's time to teach Miss Dove a few things that aren't proper. But when he kisses her, he discovers that his former secretary has more passion and fire than he'd ever imagined, for one luscious taste of her lips only leaves him hungry for more.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Regency, Victorian, Fiction

375 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 27, 2007

About the author

From the publication of her very first historical romance, Laura Lee Guhrke has received numerous honors and critical acclaim for her novels and her writing style. She has been honored with the most prestigious award of romance fiction, the Romance Writers of America Rita Award, and she has received additional awards from Romantic Times and All About Romance. Romantic Times has proclaimed her, “One of the most natural voices in historical romance to be found today”. Her books routinely hit the USA Today Bestseller List, and Guilty Pleasures has been honored with the Romantic Times Award for Best European Historical Romance of 2004. Among her publishing credits are twelve historical romances, including her latest, And Then He Kissed Her, now available from Avon Books.

Laura is currently hard at work on her thirteenth historical romance for Avon Books. She has also written articles for various publications, including the Romance Writers Report, The British Weekly , and the Irish-American Press.

Reviews

[Sarah Mac · Rating 1 out of 5]

Content warning: spoilers, swearing, & gifs.


This book sucked. Usually I can find something positive to say about a book...but I'll be damned if that's the case for this one.

Frankly, I'm at a loss.

The hero (Harry) was boring & indistinguishable from other generic woobie-rake romance heroes, but he could've been worse. I didn't hate him, at least -- which is more than can be said for the heroine, Miss Emma Dove.

Here's a sentence I'll probably regret typing, but...

Let's talk about Miss Dove.

Miss Dove is 30 years old. (She mentions this frequently, so don't worry that you'll be allowed to forget it.) She also writes boring-ass etiquette manuscripts that are rightly rejected by Harry, who's in charge of a publishing house. She's a spinster. She's absolutely not attracted to that scapegrace Harry; she is, however, absolutely nutty for proper behavior on the part of everyone in a three thousand mile radius. She has a sob story of a missing mother (dead), an abusive bible-thumping father (dead), & a loving-but-overly-obsessed-with-propriety guardian aunt (also dead). She has long, coltish legs, a tiny waist, beautiful eyes, silky reddish-golden-tawny hair, small breasts & is utterly plain compared to other women. Did I mention she's old & shriveled & unlovable? Because everyone knows your life stops at 29. By the time you're 30 & unmarried, you're nothing better than a discarded prune in the breakfast buffet of life.

...Let's face it, y'all. Nothing says "I'm an inspiring older heroine!" like a leading lady that mopes & moans about how old & undesirable & disgusting she is...and are those new lines around her eyeballs?! SHE'S A CRONE! Miss Dove & her her disgustingly aged hoo-ha have no purpose even thinking about things vaguely related to masculine appeal, like kisses & laughter & peacock-feather fans.


You said it, Bones.


Speaking of peacock-feather fans...

Miss Dove is a tight-fisted cheapskate, but Harry's rejection of her latest manuscript inspires her to quit her cushy job & buy a totally frivolous peacock-feather fan from an antique shop. But when she shows up to make the purchase, some evil teenage waif in the prime of her evil teenage glory days is already walking out the door with it. Boo-fucking-hoo. Who cares? She's a fugly old 30-year-old crone & has no right to worry about frivolous fans & kisses & marriage to handsome men like Harry.

Miss Dove is really, really sensitive to what others think about her pristine reputation, you see. What if everyone saw her lusting for a peacock-feather fan? Of course they'd suspect she's thinking about love...or peen...or not being a loser.

But anyway, Miss Dove is really, really sad about that peacock fan.


Deeeeeep hurting...


So Harry & Miss Dove end up working together once again, & they're forced into endless conversations building their character & sexual attraction & blah blah blah, who gives a fuck. He catches her in the bookshop admiring several books of Arabian poetry, including Burton's lurid Arabian Nights translation. He kisses her. She likes it. Boring conversational shit happens. And suddenly she wants to enjoy his company because of...something which she cannot name...something that involves his body against hers...something that's just beyond her knowledge...

So they go to bed. Whatever. When he oh-so-responsibly pulls out a stash of condoms, she doesn't know what they're for -- so he tells her they'll keep her from pregnancy. She's confused. Why? Because the woman is 30 years old & doesn't know how babies are made.

Please take a moment to let that sink in.

There is no possible excuse for this kind of willful ignorance. NONE. Nevermind the fact that anyone who reads Arabian love poems could not fail to appreciate the basics of human anatomy & process by which love is expressed -- but in 1893, this info was available for general knowledge. Even if nobody ever told her face-to-face, she could have discovered it for herself at the fucking library (no pun intended). Yet Miss Dove dares to offer advice about how, when, & for what reason a man & woman can't be alone together?! There is no excuse for her to be so utterly ignorant about general anatomical functions & safety toward the female body.

Oh, but it gets better!

Not only is she completely ignorant about babies, but HARRY MUST EXPLAIN WHY SHE HAS A PERIOD EVERY MONTH.


Zombie Darwinism: Miss Dove needs it.


At this point, I have to be honest. What little interest I had in this book totally evaporated upon the revelation that Miss Dove was an utter fucking moron. I guess they had a HEA -- not that it matters. I'm too busy wondering how the ever-loving hell it's romantic for a man to tell his 30-year-old girlfriend WHY SHE GETS A PERIOD.

...But I finally found something positive to say: Miss Dove has an overweight cat named Mr Pigeon.

Hey, don't be hating on Mr Pigeon. He was BY FAR the most interesting character in this soppy, schmaltzy mess. If I launched a nuclear campaign against And Then He Kissed Her, I'd insist that Mr Pigeon be removed to a safe location several days beforehand.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emmaline (Emma) Dove works for Harry Marlowe as his secretary. She's worked for him for five years. But what she really wants to be is a published writer. She has written a book on etiquette expertise and has had it rejected by Harry four times. (Harry is a publisher of Marlowe Publishings, owns several newspapers, and has a weekly periodical called "The Bachelor's Guide".) So Emma rewrites her book and gives it to Harry again, and he rejects it again. (It seems that Harry finds the topic of etiquette useless and barely gives her manuscripts a glance thinking absolutely no one would be interested in such a dull topic.) One day Emma finally discovers that Harry has never really read her manuscripts. (Her manuscripts are written by her literary creation called Mrs. Bartleby and when Emma brings up Mrs. Bartleby's name to Harry one day he says he's never heard of her.) Emma now knows the truth, is furious, gives it some thought, and eventually gives her resignation to Harry.

Emma has also just reached her thirtieth birthday and is being referred to as a spinster. She has spent her entire youth waiting for things that never happened. A man she loved for three years married someone else, her Aunt Lydia who Emma nursed for five years hoping she'd get well died, and now, five years of hard work typing and re-typing manuscripts were for nothing, Harry barely glanced at them. Emma decides it's time to quit waiting for things to happen and to start to make them happen. She ends up getting a job with Harry's rival, Mr. Barringer, a newspaper owner (of the Social Gazette) who gives Emma her own newspaper column, which to Harry's shock and surprise, becomes extremely popular and the talk of London! Along the way Harry is also noticing little things about his formerly calm, sensible ex-secretary. How she has gold sparks in her eyes when she argues, how her brown hair has red highlights in the sunlight. And he is finding himself very attracted to her.

I loved this book! It was cute, sweet, and sexy. I really felt for Emma and I was glad when she finally got recognition as a writer. I liked Harry, he was handsome and charming, though he wasn't interested in marriage. (He was married once but divorced his wife for adultery and desertion.) I thought it was sweet when he bought Emma the books she admired at the bookshop. Harry and Emma had wonderful chemistry. It took awhile for them to finally make love so the tension kept building and building. I also liked the secondary characters and I noticed some of them have their own stories in other books in this series (Girl Bachelors). This was a lovely historical romance and I look forward to reading more by this author.

[Addie · Rating 4 out of 5]

On Kindle sale today USD 2.99

I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 60 on my shelf. This is book 37.

(Tropes: Tropes: Spinster, Unstarched (heroine), Work Relationship, Class Difference)

This is how my 37th re-read held up.



This book did not wow me as much as the first time I read it, and I suspect I only read it once, as I could not really remember much. LLG is a much-loved author of mine, but upon my second read it failed to round up my usual happy feelings.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not bad, far from it, but it’s not great.

Downgraded to 3.75 stars

*****
Five years of having her in his employ, with each of them assuming those passing years had given them a thorough knowledge of the other’s character. She thought him insincere and a liar and God only knows what else. He thought her cool, dispassionate, compliant, and—truthbe told—somewhat inhuman. Both of them, it seemed, had been wrong.
*****

Quick plot: Emmaline has been the secretary to publisher and viscount Harry Marlow for five years, but she longs for putting her own ideas in print. When she finds out that Harry hasn’t even bothered to read through the writing she has submitted to him, she quits and forces Harry to take a long hard look at his quiet secretary.



- There had been a time early in her employment with the viscount when she had felt that fluttering, feminine thrill at the sight of his smile. In the beginning, she had even patted her hair and sighed a time or two. But she’d realized early on that nothing honorable could come of such hopes. Aside from their difference in station, Marlowe was a thorough scapegrace, whose only associations with women were of the mostdishonorable sort. As his secretary, she regarded his reprobate private life as none of her business, but as a virtuous woman, she had ridded herself of any romantic notions about him long ago.

What turned me a little sour to begin with is how Harry tries to make Emma doubt herself as she quits.

- “But even should you find another post at a wage that does not force you to move, what if you are unhappy with your next situation? Or your employer does not treat you well?”
He put on an air of gentlemanly concern. “The world can be a hard place for a woman alone, Miss Dove. What will happen to you? Without me, your future is very uncertain, you know.”



But I like how Emma FINALLY stands up for herself.

- For what you propose to work, I would have to feel free to express my strongest opinions as a writer and you would have to respect them.” With every word, Emma’s spirits sank a little more. “We would have to look at each other in a new way. Not as an employer and his secretary, not as a lord and an army sergeant’s daughter, but instead as two people whose opinions and ideas are equal in importance and value. We should have to regard each other with mutual respect and consideration.”

- Though her manner today was very much that of the Miss Dove he had always known, there was something different about her these days. The woman who’d been his secretary wouldn’t have lost her temper and tossed him out of her flat. She wouldn’t have hurled criticisms at his head or bargained with him over the percentages of a business deal. Miss Dove had changed, and he didn’t know quite how the change had taken place, but he did know that she was beginning to intrigue him in a way she never had before.



Other times I feel he selfishly overrides everything about her as person and his motivations to be with her is mostly lust.

- “I wasn’t laughing at you. Well, perhaps I was,” he amended, “a little. It’s just that you always take these matters of etiquette so very seriously.”
“And we both know you don’t.”

- Only a few months ago, if someone had told him he’d be skulking about outside MissEmmaline Dove’s rooms, aching with lust, he’d have called that person demented. But he hadn’t known then how enticing a slender redhead with freckles could be. He hadn’t known how much passion lurked beneath his former secretary’s reserved, maidenly exterior and how intoxicating it was to bring it out. Now he knew, and it was torture.Sweet, painful torture.

- She folded her arms. “I am not a cancan dancer in a music hall. I deserve to be courted in honorable fashion or not at all!”



Other times I like that he rattles her cage, frees her from her suppressive aunt who has forced her to more or less put a lid on any kind of passion.

- “I am a virtuous woman, my lord,” she informed him. “I am not in any way de cadent or carnal! I am not…fleshly!”
“No?” He lifted his hand, and his knuckle brushed beneath her chin. He tilted her head back,then he shifted his hand so that his fingertips touched her mouth. She quivered inside, her fierceness and panic ebbing away along with any strength to fight him.
Don’t. Oh, don’t touch me. You mustn’t do these things.

- He slid his hand to her cheek, and she gave a gasp of shock. “What are you doing?” she whispered.
He bent his head and paused with his lips an inch from hers.
“Committing a serious breach of etiquette,” he murmured.
And then he kissed her.

- “When I was a little girl, I heard the vicar tell my father I couldn’t carry a tune in a milk pail. My father told me to mouth the hymns in church silently from then on.”
She paused, surprised that the memory of that incident so long ago still had the power to sting. She tried to shrug it off with a smile. “The congregation was grateful, no doubt.”
Marlowe didn’t smile back at her, and oddly enough, his sudden gravity made him seem more handsome than ever before.
“Sing as loud as you please, Emma. I don’t give a damn if you sound like a corncrake.”
That sting was suddenly in her eyes and she blinked rapidly, looking away.

- “Let’s take a chance.” This time he was successful in capturing her mouth for a quick kiss. “Be reckless.”
“I don’t take chances.”
“Yes,” he said ruefully. “I know.”



***

- I’ve let so many beautiful things slip through my fingers in my life because I’ve been afraid. I don’t want this to be one of those times.”

[Grecia Robles · Rating 5 out of 5]

*** 4.5 Harry de mi corazón STARS ***

I LOVED IT, es un libro que me enamoró por completo, es tan delicioso, suculento, rico que cuando terminé de leer dije NO POR FAVOR NO TE ACABES!

A parte que es mi primera experiencia con la autora, también con este tipo de protagonistas femeninas que pertenecen a la clase trabajadora, en contemporánea pudiera ser un cliché la relación amor de oficina en los libros pero en histórica es algo bastante novedoso al menos para mí que nunca había leído nada parecido en este género. Ya saben que uno de mis placeres culposos de tantos, es el amor de oficina y encontrarlo en este género ay que emoción.




Emma es la secretaría eficiente que mantiene la oficina como un reloj de Harry un vizconde que es editor y es dueño de una editorial, ellos llevan trabajando 5 años juntos y “según” no se sienten atraídos el uno por el otro hasta que ella renuncia y él ve a una chica distinta a la fría y distante secretaría, ve en ella algo distinto que le atrae y no parará hasta seducirla.

Harry es mi hombre PERFECTO!! I swear, es un sexy sinvergüenza mujeriego que no cree en el amor porque antes le rompieron el corazón, pero él no está amargado al contario, tiene un sentido del humor de lo más chistoso, es sarcástico pero no mordaz, sino para tomarte el pelo, es un seductor y adulador y YO ME VOLVÍ A ENMORAR OTRA VEZ.



Emma también me gustó mucho y no es porque le gustaran los gatos, aunque le dio puntos extras, es inocente, pero lucha por lo que cree y lo defiende y a pesar de que siempre a vivido reprimida y conforme a las reglas que dicta la sociedad, acepta tener una relación ilícita con su jefe. Yo me pregunto ¿Quién le iba a decir que no a ese hombre?



Cuando terminó la relación porque se sentía mal ser el secreto sucio y además que lo amaba y ella sabía que nunca sería más que la amante lo sentí en el alma. Soy una cursi romántica, melodramática que le gusta sufrir y llorar

Harry y Emma es de las parejas con más química que hay, tenían diálogos chispeantes, con conversaciones inteligentes y llenas de humor una tensión sexual palpable ya que se dieron cuenta cuan atraídos por el otro estaban, las escenas de sexo fueron juguetonas, traviesas y a la vez tiernas.

Para que esta fuera una historia redonda me hizo falta un epílogo un hermoso y bendito epílogo, sufrí cuando me di cuenta que no tenía, es de esas historias que se lo merece, pero ya me dijeron que esta autora no escribe epílogos.

[Beatriz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Esta autora fue un gran descubrimiento. Este es el primer libro que leo de ella y me encantó, no lo pude soltar hasta terminarlo, sólo un día.

La historia es preciosa y aunque algunos componentes de la trama ya están vistos en otras novelas del género, la autora los presenta con un estilo narrativo tan fresco y realista, que es imposible no reírse, emocionarse y empatizar totalmente con todos los momentos de descubrimiento de los personajes, ya que va entrelazando muy hábilmente el desarrollo de la relación de éstos con sus experiencias de vida, que marcan a fuego su forma de actuar y enfrentar las distintas situaciones; muy bien logrado.

Excelentes diálogos y una ambientación de época de transición, que tiene la gracia de mezclar las costumbres de la época victoriana y de regencia con los primeros albores de la industrialización y la incorporación de la mujer al mundo del trabajo. La recomiendo totalmente.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Harry is imminently satisfied with the female secretary he had hired just to prove the point that women were capable of holding a job in 1893…and to irritate his fellow peers who disagreed. He had employed her for five years, and his life had never run smoother.

She was never late, never sick, and always efficient. Most important, she had that quality so often attributed to females and yet so often absent in their character: Miss Dove was compliant. Hers not to reason why. If Harry had ordered her to get on a ship, go to Kenya, and bring him back a one-pound sack of coffee beans, she would have glided out of his office and headed to Thomas Cook & Son to book passage.

… It was Miss Dove’s lack of passion, he supposed, more than her unremarkable looks, which made employing her so uncomplicated.

“Lack of passion.” Hold that thought.

Miss Emma Dove, paragon of efficiency and virtue, in addition to being paid well, suffers her employment by Harry—and purchases his mistress’s parting gifts—because he is a publisher and she is an aspiring writer. She believes that he will one day publish her writing and has just submitted her fourth manuscript. It’s not until Harry rejects her latest attempt, unwittingly revealing that he never read it, on her 30th birthday, that Emma loses her cool composure.

All her time, all her hard work, all her duties for him loyally fulfilled, and he couldn’t even be bothered to read the title page? Emma’s shock gave way to rage, a deep, burning fire in her belly. Never had she felt so close to violence. All this time, all these years, he’d only been pretending to consider her work. It was all a lie.

Harry is about to find out how complicated his uncomplicated Miss Dove really is.

That pretty much sums up the minimal plot. There are no sword fights, criminal conspiracies, conniving other women, plots to overthrow the crown, or blackmail schemes.

This is, instead, an exquisitely written, keenly observed, and insightful story of how two people with very different life experiences manage to work past surface impressions to truly understand each other and build a connection that is painfully honest and honestly profound. Harry’s glib charm and cynicism mask vulnerability and deep hurt, Emma comes to realize. Emma realizes some things about herself too:

In exchange for affection and approval, she had paid the price of losing herself, bit by bit, in thousands of tiny, imperceptible pieces taken out of her over many years, until she had become a woman half starved and half smothered and only half alive.

Emma decides to dare, and when Harry awakens the passionate creature living inside her body she revels in the discovery in spite of the danger to her heart.

Every moment, every thought, every emotion was captured perfectly. I loved every single thing about this novel.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars – Historical Romance

This is an entertaining, delightful, spicy romantic romp about a stifled 30-year-old secretary/writer who finds her ‘etiquette above all else, proper manners are gold, and I always do what I’m told’ code of living challenged by her publishing boss, a dashing, debonair rake who doesn’t give a flying fig about society’s rules or propriety ever since a painful, scandalous divorce to a young American left him jaded about women, relationships, and marriage.

Lord Marlowe dabbles in countless, shallow, brief affairs with women he can keep at arms length, preferring can-can dancers, actresses, and models for his mistresses, rather than women of high society. And he certainly would never consider engaging in a romantic entanglement with a plain, stuffy lady of respectability like his serious, uptight, spinster secretary, Emmaline Dove.

Emma Dove believes her expertise in pristine behavior and proper etiquette would be invaluable to the ladies of London and is therefore determined to have her advice manuscripts published, despite the criticism and opposition of her scoundrel of a boss, Viscount Marlowe. When he refuses to publish her writing and she quits and takes her work to another publishing house, Lord Marlowe gets a glimpse of sass, spirit, and inner fire that he never knew Emma possessed and suddenly he can’t stop thinking about her. A battle of wills soon ensues that turns to volatile attraction, and when he kisses her, he discovers a passionate, complex woman underneath the facade of innocence and modesty.

Devilishly wicked Lord Marlowe teaches Emma all about decadence, passion, and pleasure and shows her how fun it is to be bad, but can she convince him to open his heart and to take a chance on love?

This is a sweet, fun, charming Victorian-era romance with engaging characters, and there are a few memorable, steamy erotic scenes that will have you fanning yourself. Let’s just say that sexy Lord Marlowe likes to verbalize his desires (gotta love hot dirty talk) and that you’ll never look at eating chocolate truffles or peaches and honey the same way ever again! Yowza! 5 stars!

[Océano de libros · Rating 5 out of 5]

Emmaline Dove trabaja como secretaria para Harry, Vizconde de Marlowe, todo parece ir bien hasta que ella descubre que el Vizconde no ha leído sus manuscritos y decide vengarse dejando su puesto y sumiendo en el caos a la empresa. Harry quiere que vuelva y entre ese tira y afloja parece que surgen nuevos sentimientos.
Ésta es la primera novela que leo de la autora y no ha podido ser mejor descubrimiento, me ha encantado al cien por cien, me ha tenido enganchada hasta la última página y su protagonista masculino me ha conquistado totalmente. Así que supongo que repetiré con alguna de sus otras novelas.
Me ha gustado la historia porque en esta ocasión se aleja de la historia de la joven noble que busca marido para centrarse en un personaje femenino, que no es de la aristocracia, una joven dama, la llamada solterona que trabaja para ganarse el pan. Ha tenido la suerte de dar con un bribón pero por otro lado hombre sensato que le da trabajo como secretaria y le paga como a un caballero de esa época cosa bastante difícil. Emma es una mujer con arrestos y muy decidida la mayor parte del tiempo pero se enfrenta a un Vizconde que es también de armas tomar sobre todo en cuanto a cuestiones de seducción y ahí es donde más sobresale. Harry nos tendrá embelesadas a lo largo de la novela, la relación entre los dos con esos rifi y rafes continuos y esos momentos de tensión sexual sin duda nos entretiene y también tendremos momentos bastante divertidos.
En definitiva, la autora nos trae una historia de lo más entretenida, bien narrada y ambientada con unos personajes carismáticos, con un romance de lo más atractivo que a mí me ha tenido enganchadísima por lo que le tengo que dar cinco estrellas.

[Kimberly Carrington-Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuestra reseña en A la cama con... un libro

//RELECTURA//
Qué gozada ha vuelto a ser este libro para mí. La historia de amor entre Emma y Harry me parece absolutamente deliciosa y tiene todas las cosas que yo busco en una novela romántica: ágil y bien escrita, con una protagonista adorable y con personalidad, un maromo que hace reír y que se enamore locamente de la prota, cero malentendidos, secuencias que me aceleran el corazón más por lo que insinúan que por lo que realmente ocurre... No sé, es que me parece perfecta la mire por donde la mire, porque perfecta, para mí, es aquella historia que me hace feliz y este libro lo logra siempre.
-----
Una delicia de libro de principio a fin *.*

[Nσҽɱí · Rating 5 out of 5]

#RetoRita3 #RitaLaura
Primer libro del Reto del 2019 y empezando a lo grande!!!
Simplemente perfecto, como he disfrutado con esta historia, ha tenido momentos tan bonitos.
Harry y Emma me han encantado, son personajes que han pasado por lo suyo y por fin han tenido una segunda oportunidad para ser felices.
Me gusta cuando los dos riñes o él le toma el pelo a ella, la verdad que no puedo decir nada malo del libro, lo primero que leo de la autora y desde luego que leeré más de ella.

[Bubu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buddy read with the brilliant Lyuda!

3.5 stars rounded up. The heroine is great!

This was a wonderful romance, a wonderful story of two people who have known each other for years, but never really looked at each other. Well, Harry has never looked at Emma, whereas Emma made a conscious decision, very early into her 5-year-employment, not to look at Harry closer than the work relationship would permit.

Emma Dove is the star of the story. Secretary to Harry for five years, 30-year-old spinster, who knows she has more to offer than being Harry's nanny. That's basically what she does besides being his secretary. She not only keeps the office and the business in order, she also organizes Harry's private life. She has written guidelines for aristocratic ladies, as well as working girl bachelors and thinks she's found a niche that may be a popular topic, which turns out to be true. Harry, on the other side, scoffs at the idea, not even willing to look at her manuscripts properly. When Emma finds out, it's the straw that breaks the camel's back.

Emma’s shock gave way to rage, a deep, burning fire in her belly. Never had she felt so close to violence. All this time, all these years, he’d only been pretending to consider her work. It was all a lie.

Emma, finally finding the strength to turn her life around, resigns and starts publishing her work at a rival newspaper that Harry's been wanting to buy out for ages. Harry is dumbfounded, to say the least. Never having considered his treatment of Emma, he finds himself in a serious predicament.

“What does her happiness have to do with anything? I don’t pay her to be happy.” He snatched the letter back. “She came here originally to apply for a post as a typist. In giving Miss Dove the position as my secretary, I did her a great favor. I hired a woman, and a woman with no experience in secretarial duties, at that. I pay her a salary far greater than she could ever expect to receive anywhere else. She can be happy on her own time.”

He's right, of course, considering the time and circumstances, but he fails to see that it takes more than a good salary to keep an employee like Emma with her talents happy.

The showdown, I can't describe it in any other way, is one of the best I've read in romances. When Harry confronts Emma at her flat, it's him being the aristocratic employer, used to getting his way and not being gainsaid by anyone, especially not a woman. When he leaves, he's finally had a look at Emma, and what he sees is nothing like the meek mouse he's been working with for five years.

So far, so good, so entertaining. We watch Emma blossom, loving her work, her work being loved in return by thousands of female readers. We watch Harry trying to get her back and are being shown how wrong he has been where Emma is concerned. And we watch these two getting closer, and it's a lovely journey with witty banter and lots of touching moments.

Did I say so far, so good? What then happened was watching myself getting more and more irritated by Harry. When Harry finally buys out his competitor, thus making Emma his employee again, his development comes to a halt. What was a wonderful 5 star romance so far, becomes a story of an emotionally stunted man who is too self-absorbed to see beyond his own needs.

There are reasons for Harry to be cautious, having been burned by a previous marriage which ended in a very public and very humiliating divorce. It's not that I disliked him; my gripe with him was that, once he bought the newspaper Emma writes her columns for, there's not much of his emotional growth left. He lusts after Emma, and he does plenty of lusting, but beyond that there's not much else. While Emma evolves into a woman who overcomes her emotional and mental barriers, finding out, probing what and where her limits are, Harry lusts. He isn't obnoxious - and a big thanks for that, I guess - but unless pushed, he won't move or even reconsider. They start an affair, and Emma is fine with it at the start. But knowing a lot about her, it's clear that it's not an arrangement Emma can stay happy with forever.

This is where I would have liked to see Harry think about himself, Emma, and about his relationship with Emma. How are his feelings changing, how is Emma finding this arrangement and what does it mean for their relationship. However much emotionally stunted he may be, given the time, circumstances and Emma's character, he should have known, should have thought, should have at least asked Emma - if not himself, as he seems to be happy - how this is working out for her. But, sadly nothing. Once again, it's Emma who has to take drastic measures for him to see what he has in her, and it didn't sit well with me. So, if Emma had said nothing, done nothing, Harry would have happily gone on like this forever, although it's clear that their affair presents them with limitations both are not comfortable with. I didn't dislike Harry's character, I disliked how the author stopped developing him which - ultimately - frustrated me to no end, because the story, the writing and the characters were truly lovely.

[Kinga · Rating 5 out of 5]

“And Then He Kissed Her”… And so he did. And it was the most important part of this book. It was like being fourteen again. It was like living in Victorian times.

The plot is what it is. There is an old spinster (by 19th century standards so approaching thirty), a secretary to a rakish viscount who doesn’t even notice her until she throws a tantrum, quits, and subsequently transforms herself into some Victorian Martha Stewart. She knows all about etiquette and how to throw a party that will be the talk of the season but soon to her utter horror she realises that there are things one can do on a kitchen table that are a lot more fun. So there goes Martha Stewart, enter a wanton.

In time the viscout and our spinster will discover they actually do love each other and all will be well, as it always is in romance novels. This is not what is important here. What is important here is that insane sensuality. In our desensitised twenty-first century world it is so difficult to get excited over little things. We need more and more to arouse us and Ms Guhrke brings it back to basics. He touches her hip and you feel it in your stomach. He kisses her palm and you get dizzy. This is, ladies and gentlemen, what I’m talking about. This is why Pride and Prejudice will continue to be universally loved because all fifty of Grey’s shades won’t get you going like that one scene when Mr Darcy walks out of the lake in a wet shirt and runs into Lizzy.

This is not one of those romances with a sex scene every ten pages that you almost end up skimming over them, it’s only in-out, in-out. This is more of a crackling electricity kind. I loved it.

[Izzie (semi-hiatus) McFussy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started so strong. I loved the late Victorian time period, premise, bachelor (working) girl, Emma, and her charming rake of a boss, Harry, Viscount Marlowe. Guhrke’s stealth humor was perfect. It had been so long since I had come across that devilish combination I’d forgotten the magic and joy that came with it.

Then, while the story moved along at a nice clip, *record scratch* a streak of sunlight struck Emma’s brown hair, turning it red. It did “things” to Harry. He obsessively thought about lips lips lips and kisses kisses kisses. That was all right. It was kind of expected. But the plot threads started to fade. And Then He Kissed Her at 60%. Little did I know then, optimist that I can sometimes be, it was also the kiss of death to the plot. Around 70% I finally caught on. 😭

Well, that wasn’t the only reason my feels plummeted. Back in the day I had read a depressing morality tale, Back Street by Fannie Hurst written in 1931. The similarities in the plot’s trajectory and Emma referring to herself as a fallen woman who engaged in an illicit affair triggered me. Sure, this was an HR with a guaranteed HEA, but all the same, I couldn’t shake Hurst’s disapproving shadow.

Another epiphany as I reached the end, there wouldn’t be an epilogue. 😢

ETA: Mister Pigeon was a constant delight from beginning to end. 🐈

[ChasingLeslie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Miss Emmaline Dove, secretary to London's leading publisher Viscount Harry Marlowe, is an expert in etiquette and she longs to share her writing. Despite numerous attempts to get Harry to consider her manuscript, she discovers he has been rejecting her without ever reading a single page. Emma unceremoniously quits - leaving Harry's business in chaos - and begins writing an etiquette column for his competitor. Harry cannot fathom how Emma's articles have amassed such a following but, when he buys the rival newspaper, the two will have to forge a new working relationship.

This is book one of the Girl Bachelors, one of my very favorite book series! It centers around working girls who live together in a boarding house.

I love this book and the main characters have such wonderful interactions! Emma has a good job with good pay, but she wants more. When she feels devalued by Harry, she's decided she's had enough. Harry has never considered Emma as more than a critical cog keeping his business going. He finds etiquette books akin to torture and can't imagine that they would have any broad appeal. He's divorced and blames all the rules of proper courtship for the sour start (and end) of his marriage. Once he becomes aware of Emma as a woman, it's like a light switch has been flipped and he's determined to make this proper miss break all the rules.

Tropes: Working Heroine (secretary), Work Relationship, Class Difference, Opposites Attract

Steam: 2

[Lady Wesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of the audiobook

This book -- the story of the arrogant boss who is lost when his work-wife dumps him -- has long been my favorite Laura Lee Guhrke title, and so I was quite pleased to see that it finally was coming out in audiobook format. Alas, the narrator, while competent, just did not work for me. She does fine as Miss Dove, but the Harry portrayed in the written book just does not come through. Missing is his sense of entitlement, his sputtering rage when Miss Dove quits, and his befuddlement when he begins to realize that he's falling for her. It is probably unfair, but I keep thinking about what the incomparable Kate Reading could have done. Sigh.

[María Ángeles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tenía muchas expectativas con este libro y se me ha caído un poco, pero el libro no está mal.
Es bonito. Y su historia me parece muy creíble.
No puedo decir mucho más.

[Joanna Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Been awhile since I devoured a book, and that is what I did here.

[Eastofoz · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off I have to say that I’m very surprised that this book made my favorites shelf because it didn’t start off all that well, but it made up for the slow start with a bang. The setting up of the story I found boring, there was no spark between Harry and Emma, just a very business relationship, however when all that changed this book took off like a shot to the finish line.

It’s the story of plain spinster Emma Dove who’s an exceptionally competent secretary for Lord Harry Marlowe who owns a publishing house. He counts on her for breathing practically. Emma wants to write a kind of Emily Post/Miss Manners etiquette book and hopes that Harry will publish it for her, but he rejects her manuscripts time and again. After the “straw that broke the ol’ camel’s back” so to speak she decides to leave him hanging high and dry by taking a risk and pursuing a new career. Harry gets his wake up call and slowly starts to realize that Emma has something more to offer than just reminding him about appointments.

The first 100 pages or so of this novel I can’t say I really liked. I asked myself more than once what it was that everyone was raving about with respect to this story. There’s nothing that could even be construed as an attraction between the h/h until Emma leaves and Harry plays a more active role in her life. I think the author could’ve cut down on all that by half and it wouldn’t have taken away from the story. That said, Guhrke did a phenomenal job continuing the story and focusing on the romance. She made me totally forget the relatively ho-hum beginning. The sexual tension alone will have you bursting out of your skin, it’s like fire skidding through your veins. There’s this one scene that I swear was phone sex without the phone –holy geeze does it ever do a slow, slowwww sizzle and burn (!) If the sensuality in this book doesn’t kill you, I don’t know what will. Too much sexual tension can leave the reader feeling so frustrated once “the scene” arrives that they just don't really care anymore, but not here. It was firecracker central high in the sky all around :D

Apart from the tension building, what I really liked was that the heroine knew her worth, realized she was missing out on life and tried to do something different from leaving a safe job to ending a relationship that gave her happiness but wasn’t going anywhere. She was a mature woman who wasn't prone to silly giggles or acting TSTLish. She spoke her mind and didn't go along with the hero to appease him or get into his good grace. She was the smack in the head that Harry needed. What was so incredible was that Harry (such a sexy alpha) kept saying he never wanted to marry again but he had a marriage like relationship at one point with Emma and it wasn’t boring. Often when the h/h shack up you know that the “big misunderstanding” or silly arguments will ensue to the end because, well, there’s really nothing else to say being that they’re together already. This didn’t happen here. Their relationship got sexier and it evolved on an emotional level too. My heart was skipping a beat more than once in this second half. Then there’s the ending, (**sigh sigh**), a more satisfying one is hard to come by :)

This is one of those books that a review can’t really convey how well-written it truly is. You get one of those Julia Quinn book smiles on your face as you turn the pages, then a few quick and sharp intakes of breath, and finally some OOMMGGs just waiting to catch you off guard ;) This was my first Laura Lee Guhrke read, it certainly won’t be my last. I envy all of you trying it out for the first time :)

[Anto · Rating 5 out of 5]

#RetoRita3 #RitaLaura

Después de escuchar puras alabanzas de este libro y de tenerlo empolvadísimo en mi lista para leer, el Reto Rita me dio una excusa genial para agarrarlo de una vez por todas. Y qué acierto! Me pasé casi todo el libro con una sonrisa boba que no se me despegaba de los labios...

Casi sin personajes secundarios, la historia se centra pura y exclusivamente en la relación de los protagonistas; dos personas muy diferentes, de carácter fuerte y de mundos distintos, que van enamorándose de a poco, casi sin darse cuenta. Los slow burns son una debilidad mía, tengo que admitirlo, pero en este libro está tan bien logrado que todos los sucesos se pasan en un abrir y cerrar de ojos y de pronto ¡zas! estás tan hasta el cuello con la historia como los protagonistas.

Emma está próxima a convertirse en una de mis heroínas de la romántica favoritas, porque (además de compartir el mismísimo color de pelo), es un personaje que crece muchísimo. Valiente y decidida a salir de su zona de comfort, a pesar del miedo, es toda una progresista en su tiempo. Independiente y dispuesta a hacerle frente a las situaciones de la vida. Logré conectar totalmente con ella. Y bueno, de Harry lo único que tengo para decir es que es un sinvergüenza totalmente encantador (aunque hubo veces en las que quise meterme al libro solo para darle un correctivo). Otro aspecto altamente destacable es la química entre Emma y Harry y la tensión sexual que saca chispas cada vez que estos dos están cerca.

La narrativa ligera, los diálogos frescos y las situaciones divertidísimas crean una historia preciosísima, de esas que te atrapan y te envuelven y no te sueltan hasta el final. Y aunque me hubiera encantado un epílogo para darle un cierre a ese final de cuento (y más páginas para seguir disfrutando), no puedo darle menos de 5☆. Mi primera incursión con la autora no podría haber ido mejor, presiento que voy a volver a leer algo suyo muy pronto.

[Floripiquita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maravilloso de principio a fin, con diálogos chispeantes y mucha química entre sus dos protagonistas. El tema de la secretaria y el jefe podría ser un cliché si se tratara de un libro de romance contemporáneo, al transcurrir a finales del siglo XIX, no puedo más que aplaudir a la autora por su elección. Aunque la trama está centrada en la historia de amor de Emma y Harry, es interesante ver cómo empezaba a cambiar el papel y la mentalidad de las mujeres en la sociedad, a pesar de que muchas cosas siguieran como 100 años antes.

[Sonia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hacía mucho tiempo que tenía este libro entre mis pendientes y con la excusa del #retorita3 #ritaLaura le he metido mano. Tenía unas expectativas muy altas y eso no suele salir demasiado bien... La historia de Emma y Harry se va cociendo a fuego lento en la primera mitad del libro, con algunos diálogos la mar de divertidos; la segunda mitad es todo pasión e intensidad, con un final muy precipitado para mi gusto; me ha faltado alguna escena de Emma con la familia de Harry, además de un buen epílogo.
Es el segundo libro que leo de esta escritora y creo que ha sido un muy buen inicio del Reto Rita de 2019. Primer mes superado.

[Wollstonecrafthomegirl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this and read straight through. It's a solid four stars. But there was something keeping it from being a truly spectacular book. As I've reflected back on it during today I think it's fair to say that it's nothing particularly special about it. It's a character focused romance but Harry and Emma never sparkled for me and that's a problem when the focus is on the H/h. I understood more about Emma as the book went on and character felt more fully fleshed out than Harry's (he had rather a typical Gilded Age tale of woe). I think the book comes into its own when they launch into their affair and I think there could have been more of this. The book definitely got stronger as it went on and I liked Emma's decision to walk away and Harry's realisation that he was - of course - in love with her and he had no intention of letting her go. A few language niggles. We don't have 'blocks' here, it's never called 'candy' and 'Fall' is, in fact, Autumn. Also no one ever 'gets fresh' with any one else. I'm also puzzled by the history - why would Harry need divorce proceedings in the House of Lords given the passage of the Matrimonial Causes Act in 1857? But these are small gripes, overall the book was perfectly enjoyable.

[Tammy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What can I say about this book that hasn't already been said? It is full of funny, tender and sexy moments. The banter between Emma and Marlowe is delightful. The storyline is smart and character-driven.

It left me craving peaches and honey. Seriously girls! That scene alone is worth buying the book.

Emma Dove is basically an old school Miss Manners. The Martha Stewart of the Victorian era. We first meet her when she is employed as a secretary in a small publishing house to Lord Marlowe. Her relationship with Marlowe is strictly professional and leaves something to be desired. Their relationship changes when Emma begins writing a weekly etiquette column in Marlowe's newspaper. The relationship eventually evolves from employer/employee to friends and then to lovers.

I loved that Emma, not Marlowe, was the star of this story. The author offers more insights into her thoughts and character. She succeeds at showing Emma as a smart, independant woman capable of making good choices.

Loved the scene in the chocolate store. *Yum*

Loved the phone sex scene (minus the phone) in Emma's drawing room.

Loved that this book was set in 1893 - a time when "girl bachelors" could live in their own apartments, walk the streets without escorts and work jobs originally intended for men. As a girl who works in an all male office, I could relate to Emma. The testosterone crawls the walls! It ain't easy.

And I have to say I liked Marlowe, but I didn't love him. I disagree with other reviewers that he was a rake. An alpha hero. He came across more as a beta to me. Plus there was the little fact that he had previously loved and lost. His indiscretions and proclaimation that he wouldn't marry again were simply to ease his pain. Altho I did appreciate his unusual situation of being divorced and, therefore, shunned by the ton.

There were 2 small things that tarnished my 5-star rating of this book. 1) Emma gave in and had an illicit affair on the weekends with Marlowe. It made her very strong character appear suddenly weak to me. It defied who she was; and 2) Marlowe's sisters. The author created wonderful characters in Marlowe's sisters. The banter between Marlowe and his oldest sister was laugh-out-loud funny at times. The author taunted me with promises of a family get-together at a country estate and future meetings with Emma. I had visions of midnight liasons and Lisa Kleypas's Wallflowers stuck in my head, so you can only imagine I was disappointed when that storyline fizzled out.

But all in all, I highly recommend this book. It's been a very long time since I've read a historical romance. This one reminded me why I fell in love with romance in the first place.

[Mon · Rating 5 out of 5]

En una palabra una delicia de lectura, me ha tenido enamoradita perdida todo el libro. Es de esas lecturas que te tienen con cara de tonta toda el libro de lo que lo disfruta y desearías que nunca se acabasen.
Muy bien escrito, diálogos ingeniosos y frescos entre Emma y Harry. Ha sido una delicia ver como Emma va saliendo de su cascaron y dejando atrás su encorsetamiento para ser ella misma y Harry como la va ayudando y dejando su cinismo atrás. Los dos me ha encantado, una trama sencilla donde lo importante es esa relación amorosa que se cuece a fuego lento y que sorprende a los protagonistas al darse cuenta de sus sentimientos, mucha química entre ellos y escenas geniales como la de las pasteleria y en salón de Mrs. Norris
Ambientada en el Londres de finales de s.XIX me ha parecido original que la pareja protagonista sea una secretaria y su editor.
Lo único que lamento es que haya sido tan cortito, yo hubiese necesitado 100 paginas más y un epílogo¡¡ por lo demás ha sido perfecto.

[Missy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all right. I probably won’t reread this. All of the kissing and intimate scenes occurred in the second half, which is when the romance bloomed. One of the few HRs to have a divorced hero and include food during an intimate scene. Condoms were also utilized.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡No me ha durado nada! Es una novela hermosa, romántica y tan real que me ha mantenido totalmente absorbida hasta terminarla. Los personajes de la autora son tan naturales y sus conflictos tan reales, tan humanos, que es imposible no enamorarse de ellos. Y las escenas románticas se me han hecho adorables ♥ ¡Quiero más!

[Antonella · Rating 5 out of 5]

SERIES: Girl Bachelors #1 ( it can be read as standalone)
GENRE: historical romance
TROPES: workplace romance, class difference, spinster
CLIFFHANGER: no
HOTTIE METER: 4🌡
RATING: 4,5 ⭐

this was such a pleasant surprise!!

[Irina · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I am not a cancan dancer in a music hall. I deserve to be courted in honorable fashion or not at all!”
He should have known this was coming. “You want me to marry you, is that it?”
She looked so appalled, he would have been insulted if he weren’t so relieved.
“Marry you?” she cried. “Heavens, no!” Her gaze raked over him with a disapproval worthy of her sainted aunt. “No woman with sense would marry you. You’re the poorest prospect for matrimony I’ve ever met.”



Whenever I re-read one of my favorite romances, I worry I might not like it as much as I did before. It happens often enough. Not with this one, though. I loved it just as much as I did in 2008.

That’s mostly on MMC Harry, the very handsome Viscount Marlowe, who has wit, a boyish charm and a stunning effect on women. Whenever he enters a room where women are present, there’s “an inordinate amount of fluttering, hair-patting, and sighing”. Not just because of his good looks but because he’s not your average aristocrat, as he’s quite modern, London’s leading publisher and a man of business. He’s very successful and rich and doesn't care about decency and morality at all. He is also divorced and has sworn off marriage forever—much to the displeasure of his three younger sisters, his mother and his grandmother, who are constantly trying to find him a new wife. Their matchmaking attempts are some of the funniest scenes in the book. Despite their efforts, Harry prefers to stay away from any respectable women, instead he keeps illustrious mistresses and his independence. He is the epitome of a cynic, yet charming, and he cares deeply for his family.

Emma on the other hand, is a paragon of virtue and etiquette, and always sensible. A 30-year-old spinster, she’s working as Marlowe’s secretary for five years, organizing his life and appointments and even buying presents for his relatives and mistresses. She’s super organized, efficient and keeps the place running, but when Marlowe rejects her fourth manuscript without even reading it, she has a breakdown and this is the first step on the long road to becoming a new woman. She quits her well-paid job and writes her surprisingly successful etiquette column for Harry’s most despised competitor. Alas, without knowing that her former employer is about to buy the publishing house.

When he does, they have to work together again, this time as equal partners: She as a writer, he as her editor. While working together on her articles, they get to know each other and it’s wonderful to see them overcome their prejudices and develop a relationship. Emma learns that Harry is more than the manipulative and insincere, brash and dissolute rake; she even learns to appreciate and laugh at his jokes. Harry himself quickly recognizes the fire in the supposedly plain, dry, dispassionate and dull woman and he wants her more than anything. Slowly, they grow closer in every way and fall in love.

However, before love there’s seduction and sex, and this part bugged me a bit. Rather recklessly, Harry puts Emma several times into dangerous situations, where they are at risk of being caught and where her good reputation is at stake. He eventually talks her into an illicit affair with no future, since he doesn’t offer marriage, and turns the former woman of impeccable moral character into a fallen woman without even thinking about it. Of course, he doesn’t force her into anything and it’s her decision to stop being sensible and give in, but it is still a reckless thing to do. It’s forgivable, though, because in the end it’s pretty clear that he loved her for a long time without even realizing it.

“I love you. I should have said it ages ago, I know, but it’s so damned hard to say the things that really matter, and falling in love with you was so gradual and so natural that I didn’t really even think about it. I mean, it wasn’t as if I just woke up one day and realized it. And when you told me you were ending things with us, I should have said it right then, but I was so stunned. I couldn’t believe it, you see. I couldn’t believe you were leaving me when I’d been thinking everything was perfect. It rattled me, Emma. It rattled me so badly, I couldn’t say anything, and then you were gone.”

Overall, this Victorian romance is a wonderful and funny slow burn love story with great heroes, and very well written.

Overall rating: 4.5
Story: 4/5
Emotion: 4.5/5
Harry: 5/5
Emma: 4.5/5

[Juliana Philippa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the dawn of a new day, and a new Emma Dove. Never again was she going to sit by while life went on around her. Never again was she going to wait for fate to hand her what she wanted. From now on, she was going to reach out and grab her dreams and not let go. She had never been more scared in her life.

(Written January 2010)
I read And Then He Kissed Her 2.5 years ago and remember loving it, though it was before I started rating my books and keeping track of my ratings. After finishing it a second time today, I completely understand why I loved it so much and why I remember it so fondly. It was an amazing book and definitely warrants a 5-star rating!! The only thing I wished for was an epilogue.

(Written February 25, 2013)
Haven't read a historical romance in ages - seriously, it's been months and months and months. Was great starting off with one of my favorites. I've read it three times before and knew that I loved it, so maybe that's why my rating went down from 5 stars to 4.5. Still a great book though! I know I will be reading it again in the future :-)

(Written December 14, 2017)
Just as fabulous as ALWAYS!! Oh how I love this book, how I love Harry, and how I love Emma. ::sigh:: followed by ::happy-as-hell grin::

Excerpt

Her eyes narrowed, and he saw his chances of getting her into bed diminishing, but he was so frustrated, he almost didn’t care. “You’re not Mrs. Bartleby. You’re not Aunt Lydia. You’re Emma.” He grabbed her shoulders and gave her a little shake, wishing he could shake some sense into her stubborn brain. “You swear and you read naughty books. You’re passionate and warm and the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. And I don’t think you really believe I was wrong to divorce my wife, and I don’t think you disapprove of me nearly as much as you think you ought. If you did, you would never have agreed to come back and write for me. And I know damn well you don’t believe kissing me is wrong.”

“If two people are not married nor engaged to be married, it is wrong! It is!” She tried to jerk free, but he wouldn’t let her go.

“Why? Because of what you’ve been told, but it’s not what you feel. And I’ve known that since the day I kissed you in that bookshop, because I saw your face afterward. God, Emma, it was radiant, your face, all lit up from the inside like sunshine. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. And tonight you didn’t believe it was wrong when I touched you, or you would have stopped me. When I said those things earlier, you could have told me to leave. You could have slapped my face. You could have dressed me down in spades, but you didn’t. You wanted me to say those things. You wanted to hear them. You did, Emma, you know you did.
[...]
Why can’t you be honest about what you really think and how you really feel? Where is Emma? What happened to her? What happened to the little girl who liked rolling in the mud and singing off-key?”

Her face twisted, and she made a choked sound like a sob.

He knew he was hurting her, but he was driven to say these things, for he was at the end of his tether. “I’ll tell you what happened to her. She’s been stifled and smothered by people and their opinions her entire life. […] But they didn’t succeed in snuffing Emma out completely, did they? There are times when she breaks through, and when she does, Lord, she’s so lovely she makes me ache with wanting her.”

She sagged and all the fight went out of her. “Go away,” she said. “Please, just go away.”

“You’ve called me insincere, Emma, but it’s you who lies. You lie to yourself. You push aside what you want to do in favor of what you should do. You ignore what you really think in favor of what you ought to think. You are dishonest in your own heart, and that’s the worst dishonesty there is. You’re so damned concerned about being a lady. Why can’t you just allow yourself to be a woman?” (p.280-282)

[Pepa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4'5⭐
Reseña completa: https://masromance.blogspot.com/2025/...

Una relectura preciosa. La recordaba con muchísimo cariño y la he disfrutado como una niña peque.a
Argumento típico de empleada/jefe, además noble/plebeya, pero con unas conversaciones llenas de ironía y humor y una relación muy convincente en la que la única pega es un final algo rápido

Un claro ejemplo de cómo el saber hacer de una autora puede convertir unos personajes tópicos y un
argumento predecible en una lectura estupenda ♥

Seguramente releeré toda la serie