Reading on a Sunday

Hi, book buddies. Are you relaxing on this nice summer Sunday? This morning I just finished reading a novel, so before I jump into lunch and an afternoon of TV and reading debauchery, I'll tell you a little bit about it. Don't forget to tell me what you are doing today!

ENDANGERED HEARTS

Find Amanda Lance

It's a sweet and elegant blend of several stories I love. The pretty woman who changes the life of a scarred man as in Beauty and the Beast. The highly talented but slightly mad man who hides behind a mask as in Phantom of the Opera. The witty conversation between a clever, undeterred woman and a moody, aloof man as in Jane Eyre.

Those are aspects I really enjoyed in this novel, as well as the sometimes haunting quality of the writing style.

Of course, it's not absent of a negative side, at least to me. At the start, it dragged a little too long. It seemed  that it was slow-paced and quite descriptive to make it a big uneventful. However, I persevered and found myself liking this romantic journey into the lives of two damaged, lonely souls so in need of love.

Emilia cleans houses for a living. She's studying to become a veterinarian and juggling a delicate situation at home. She's independent, strong and has a sunny disposition. Maybe enough to stand up to the owner of an eerie manor. There is a clash between Kasper's dramatic personality and Emilia's resigned but not easily disturbed attitude. Can they heal each other's wounds or is it too late to change anything?

It's not only a romance. It's actually an encounter of two people who are desperately isolated in their unique ways. Through neglect and lack of affection, they both develop an independence fraught with sadness. Little by little, they come closer to each other. I found it endearing how they become curious about the other so Emilia googles her new employer while  the angry man has her investigated. Their lives have been difficult and that reflects on how little they think they deserve to be loved, cherished, respected. All this is very well portrayed in the writing.

I really liked how unusual their falling in love is. He fights it, she never recoils. Their dialogues, their banters, are truly warm and funny. Even though the ending is far from what I expected, there is some kind of poetic liberation in it that actually matches the essence of their personalities and the innate quality of what love really means.

A FAVOURITE QUOTE

Emilia disliked compliments. They gave her imaginary standards to hold herself up to in the future and irrational fears of disappointing those who had given them.

CHEEKY CATEGORY

It's sensual but subtle. Nothing graphic.