Before I begin this review, I have to say that in a genre where where so many books have absolutely atrocious covers, where readers pick up and love the books despite the cover art, this book has one of my favourite covers in years. It fills me with joy and perfectly encapsulates the contents of the book. I wish more romances had covers this great.
While many of Julie Anne Long’s Pennyroyal Green books can be read out of order or completely independently of each other, this book is the culmination of the 11-book series, and as such, will probably not have the same impact on the reader as if it’s read without some previous knowledge of the series in general and Olivia and Lyon’s tragic romance in particular. There are SO many good books in this series, and one absolute classic. Go read some of them, then come back for this review.
It is said in Pennyroyal Green in Sussex, that the Redmonds and the Everseas have been enemies since the Dark Ages, but that once every generation, a Redmond and an Eversea will fall disastrously in love with each other. This generation’s doomed couple – Lyon Redmond and Olivia Eversea, who met at a small assembly and almost instantly fell incandescently in love, despite knowing that their parents would never approve. Meeting an hour here and there in secret, conducting their courtship as secretly as they could, completely oblivious to the fact that everyone around them could see that they were besotted. Then Lyon Redmond suddenly left England, never to return. Gossip said it was because Olivia Eversea broke his heart.
Five years and thousands of hothouse flowers delivered to her door, Olivia Eversea shocks everyone by accepting the proposal of Lord Landsdowne, a quiet and unprepossessing viscount. Their wedding is the social event of the season, and as most of her siblings have had quiet weddings, Mrs. Eversea is determined that Olivia will get married with pomp and occasion. Yet at every turn, there are reminders of her long-lost love. A popular ballad is created, sung on every street corner. Illustrated prints depicting the possible adventures of Lyon Redmond appear in shop windows. He is seen as the dashing hero, she as the withered Miss Havishamesque creature who jilted him.
Lyon Redmond has spent the years away from England making a fortune, proving with every action that loving Olivia Eversea is what he does best. Now she is marrying another, and it’s time for a reckoning between them. The last time he asked her, she refused to leave her family and go with him. Now Lyon will confront Olivia one last time and they will see if their love story is in fact a curse, or a blessing.
With this, I complete the Pennyroyal Green series and my double Cannonball.
Yay, double cannonball!!!!
Okay, so WHY EXACTLY are romance book covers SO VERY BAD. Because they are horrifically bad and embarrassing. Are publishers trying to ghettoize their own genre on purpose?
Thank you. My husband claims that one of the reasons romance is still so looked down upon by people in general are the trashy covers. Fantasy and sci-fi used to have schlocky covers, as did crime novels. They’ve had an image overhaul, when is it romance’s turn?
Now. Their turn is now.
Yay! Congrats! I was kiiiiinda trying to beat you to it, but I should have known better :p
Thank you, you’ll be right behind me though. It’s just your bad luck that I finally got a week off and could really throw myself into reading.
CONGRATULATIONS!
I’m glad it was a 5 star book for you and that you got a day for reading and writing reviews.
Thank you.
It’s a lovely book and I’m so glad, because Julie Anne Long can be pretty up and down quality wise.
Congrats on your double!!
Thank you!
Congratulations on the double and finding such a worthy excuse to skip out on the special hell that is Ikea furniture assembly! Well done!
CANNONCANNONBALLBALL!
Well done and a great review of a fantastic book! I was crowing while reading, it was so good and so thoroughly embraced everything a romance can be.
I think this is my favourite cover EVER.
Thank you. I think you may be right. It may be the best romance cover of all the books I have.
A big HOORAY for your double cannonball!! Cheers!
Thank you!
Yay Double Cannonball!!
I think I will be embarking on the Pennyroyal Green series next year. Or this winter if work keeps being terrible and I need more romances to brighten things up. :)
Thank you. The series varies from perfectly fine to absolutely excellent. I’m so glad the point it ended on was absolutely excellent. :)
Congratulations, Congratulations!!
Thank you. Thank you.
Congrats Congrats! I can finally read this review as I’ve posted my way less insightful one. I just loved this one (minus the epilogue like everyone else), and this cover really should be held up as an example of what romance covers should be and not what they 99.99% are.
Super belated congratulations! I finished the series last night and thought I need to check what Malin thought of the epilogue because why? I think it would have been perfect if she had jumped forward 50 years and stayed with the characters we already knew rather than introducing a whole new character.