The Romantic

I'll start with a decidedly unromantic piece of information: my furnace has given up the ghost. I've been able to coax it to work for a few hours each day, but now it's given up. After a full weekend without heat, I can assure you that hell is sure to be cold, not hot. I'm curled up with two blankets at the moment, but I'll have to call someone to take a look at the furnace. I pray it won't be horribly expensive.

As for reading news, I finished Madeline Hunter's The Romantic. This is the first book of hers I've finished (I started The Arrangement but set it aside), and I liked several things about it: 4 out of 5.

The hero, Julian Hampton, has loved Penelope for years. There's a serious obstacle, however--she is married to the Earl of Glasbury. The union is not a happy one; in fact, as a solicitor, Julian negotiated a separation when he learned of Glasbury's sexual cruelty. Now Glasbury wants Penelope back, and she comes to Julian for advice and assistance.

There's nothing I enjoy more about a hero than seeing him completely devoted to the heroine, and that's exactly what Julian is. He has loved Pen for so long without revealing his feelings, and he believes he will never marry another. Penelope is less sharply portrayed at first, but we learn more about her as the book continues. Readers should be aware that Penelope commits adultery; however, her situation and Glasbury's cruelty ensure that sympathy remains with her.

In some parts of The Romantic, there is more telling than showing. In one scene, for example, letters that Julian wrote but never sent to Penelope are read aloud. We see only one line from all of the letters, which decreases the emotional impact this scene could have had.

Ultimately, The Romantic is a romantic read. I'm going to give The Arrangement another try.

Alyssa