A Virtuous Lady by Elizabeth Thornton.

The thing with Hugh and and Briony (and Richard and Catherine and Gareth and Deirdre etc.), I don't think they will have an happily ever after like Disney's fairy tales.

With they way they kept baiting each other, intentionally hurting each other emotionally blah-blah-blah, I think they will continue to do so even after the story ends.

No amount of I-love-yous can stop that.

I'm not complaining about above, I'm actually looking forward to reading more verbal sparing scenes (though some makes me go oh Hugh... grow up!). And the making up later. ☺

Some of my fav lines from A Virtuous Lady:

In normal circumstances, he would never have given her a second glance, his Briony. He repeated the name under his breath. Even her name had the power to bewitch him.

I need to give myself an english name pronto. Oh wait, does 'Fancy' count?

"Listen to me Miss Briony Langland. The man you give yourself to will be me or you will give yourself to no man."

Be still my heart.

His longing for Briony had long since surpassed the mere physical desire to satiate his lust. He could not live without her. He wanted her to share his life. It was as simple as that.

Want.

"Good God, Briony, the fact that I have chosen to bind myself to one woman irrevocably should prove something to you!"

Oh yes. Good God, Briony.

And the whole part where they got caught in a storm and then Hugh was holding Briony and comforting her? All this thoughts then just wow-ed me. ♥

****

Don't you just hate the situation where you just finished a book and then have to choose between ∞ books to read next?

Bluestocking Bride by Elizabeth Thornton.

I was surprised when I first saw this book, Bluestocking Bride (and A Virtuous Lady too), because I didn't expect it to be so thin. Only 238 pages! Most of Elizabeth Thornton's later books are pretty thick with 300-400 pages and some with super small fonts.

I do like reading a good looong Elizabeth Thornton story.

After reading this, I realised why it's so short; there's no big mystery to be solved like the one in The Bride's Bodyguard or Shady Lady; two stories in which I was actually more interested in the mystery than the romance. Not that the romance is lacking, I just had been a big mystery fangirl before discovering romances... but I digress.

So we plainly have the romance (and loads of typical misunderstandings) here in Bluestocking Bride.

I never really liked misunderstandings and there are moments where I would love to slap both Catherine and Richard.

But then, Elizabeth Thornton's heroes ♥ are the kind whom I've always wanted to read about. Forceful? Well, they so dare to do whatever they want to own (yeah own, you got that right) the woman they want. They are seriously rare, and not everyone's favourite I guess.

"Catherine, one sigh of pleasure from you can bring me to heel."

^ Love that. Richard actually reveals quite alot of his feelings for Catherine and what she can do to him, but Catherine can be quite selective in her hearing sometimes.

And I do love those instances where Richard finds Catherine reading and always walks over to cast a shadow over her book to get her attention.

As for the ending, I like how Richard tells Catherine everything. They're not secrets, I don't think he kept them from her on purpose or what, he just didn't tell her, and that's stupid. But then, what is a romance novel without occasionally stupid heroes and heroines?

I just wish the ending would be longer. Like fifty more pages. Or ideally a hundred. Richard could grovel somemore. Catherine could have made him be jealous more. She lets him off too easily.

Overall, a satisfying read, since I got to read the kind of hero I like. ♥

Update:

"I promise you Catherine, my passion, my love will be invested in our marriage. There will be nothing left over for anyone else."

^ How can I not mention this line? And smack by the middle of the story too! Just love it when heroes declare their love early on in the book. ♥ ♥ ♥