Chasing Cassandra

4/5

I liked this book though I didn't love it. I loved how Tom discovered all his feelings but the love confession was abrupt for me. I'd love it if we spent more time in his head as he tried to figure out his feelings and if he finally knew he loved Cassandra but wasn't sure how to tell her.

Bazzle was a fun addition though I'd love more if Cassandra and Tom's reaction to being called mom and dad was similar to West's reaction when Justin called him dad. I LOVED this scene with West. It was amazing and I'm so happy for him!!

The Ravenel series is starting to blur together for me, but I think I really liked this one? A Kleypas weakness is that she doesn't write enough heroines in bigger bodies, but Cassandra is one. Also plenty of good banter from other characters met in the series. I was curious to see how she would redeem Tom Severin, who has been an ass in a few of the previous novels, but she pulled it off. Overall, a fun, characteristic romp.

Pretty average historical romance (mid-Victorian), nothing too offensive, nothing too outstanding. A ton of appearances from the leads in previous books in the series, not surprisingly, since this is the sixth book in the series and everyone is related. Could've done with a little less Plot Moppet, and was a little surprised by the seemingly hanging thread of Tom's relationship with his family - when he put it in the "contract," I thought surely it would come up again, but not so much. Anyway. The only real nitpick I have here is that Cassandra is described in the text of the book as being bigger and the cover model, while definitely beautiful, is not plus at all. I enjoyed this, because Lisa Kleypas is wonderful, but it might not stick with me for long.

Tom is an interesting and unconventional hero - I suspect he's on the spectrum. Cassandra isn't a typical ravishing belle of the ball so she's able to deal with his many eccentricies in a way that intrigues him. So, their banter is the best thing about the book. The plot however, wasn't terribly original or extraordinary. In fact, the book was boring in some parts and suffered from a sagging middle that barely held my interest, so it was a struggle to finish the book without skimming.

Still, a good book for those who want to quickly pass the time on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

I know I'm in the minority here but I'm going to have to break up with Lisa Kleypas. I fell in love with historical romance primarily because of LK and JQ but in recent years I haven't enjoyed any of their books. Take for instance this heroine and hero, although I liked their interactions, they barely had any throughout the book and they were months apart. I didn't leave feeling like either of them truly loved the other. If anything I felt the book would have done better to devote more time to developing their relationship. It's a shame because I really wanted to love it, I just didn't.