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dezhmo's review against another edition
5.0
Henry is one of my favorite heroes in a long time - he's a mischievous ne'er do well, but with a heart of gold, and Ellie is his perfect match. Their backstories are heartrending and both characters are so well sketched out - I deeply felt their emotions, more so than a typical rom com (which is probably why I've been reading more historical romances lately!). Another fantastic book from this author - can't wait for more :)
reader_of_the_lost_arcs's review against another edition
4.0
The secret yearning, longing and pining!! I do wish that these two got together at the beginning and not six years later. But you know, sometimes we need to experience some things before we're READY to really appreciate, for real.
Another great book from Ginny B. Moore. The sweetness, tenderness and plain old joy between Ellie and Henry - once they figured it all out - is why I read romance.
Thank you to the author for the book. Opinions are my own.
Another great book from Ginny B. Moore. The sweetness, tenderness and plain old joy between Ellie and Henry - once they figured it all out - is why I read romance.
Thank you to the author for the book. Opinions are my own.
kelseyreadshr's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The Casanova and the Countess is the second book in The Flower Sisters series and can be read as a standalone. I adored this book and couldn’t put it down. I loved everything about this story, it was well written and so full of emotion and heat and feel good moments. If you’re looking for a friends to lovers, this is it.
Both the MC are complex characters with vulnerabilities that have kept them both from one another for years. There is a lot of longing and pining throughout but they both weren’t ready to give and accept the love from one another so it wasn’t frustrating for me and loved getting to go along in their journey.
I’m not usually a big fan of flashbacks but it worked for me this time because it’s not used to show what went wrong necessarily but the different stages and nuances of their friendship.
There are so many parts to this story and they all meshed together so well into a really beautiful story.
A free bonus epilogue is available when signing up for the author’s newsletter that is set 12 years later that was fun.
There’s a wonderful note at the beginning that set expectations and also a afterword detailing more about the MMC learning disability.
It’s a slow burn but plenty of heat with four encounters plus an additional one in the bonus epilogue.
Both the MC are complex characters with vulnerabilities that have kept them both from one another for years. There is a lot of longing and pining throughout but they both weren’t ready to give and accept the love from one another so it wasn’t frustrating for me and loved getting to go along in their journey.
I’m not usually a big fan of flashbacks but it worked for me this time because it’s not used to show what went wrong necessarily but the different stages and nuances of their friendship.
There are so many parts to this story and they all meshed together so well into a really beautiful story.
A free bonus epilogue is available when signing up for the author’s newsletter that is set 12 years later that was fun.
There’s a wonderful note at the beginning that set expectations and also a afterword detailing more about the MMC learning disability.
It’s a slow burn but plenty of heat with four encounters plus an additional one in the bonus epilogue.
lawanda's review against another edition
Found the characters to be pretty bland and there was no movement to the story
ava_bond_author's review against another edition
5.0
The Countess and the Casanova was my first Ginny B. Moore’s historical romance, but I will definitely be going back the first in the series.
I really enjoyed the setting [I normally read regency or early Victoriana set novels] but the late 1890s and 1900s, was beautifully captured in the novel. I also loved the use of Italy, so romantic and what a great escape.
Obviously the most important thing is a romance is the chemistry between the leads which fairly burns off the page – Ellie and Henry are just magnetic and kept me coming back for more. As a curvy heroine, Ellie is strong and confident, even when the books starts at such a young age, and she is more than a much for the charming Henry. I especially love the trope of requesting the hero to help the heroine find a lover or for him to teach her about the joys of sex – just delicious gold dust.
There are so serious issues at play within the novel, including infertility and martial neglect, but these are handled sensitively and do not distract from the love story.
Definitely give it a read!
I really enjoyed the setting [I normally read regency or early Victoriana set novels] but the late 1890s and 1900s, was beautifully captured in the novel. I also loved the use of Italy, so romantic and what a great escape.
Obviously the most important thing is a romance is the chemistry between the leads which fairly burns off the page – Ellie and Henry are just magnetic and kept me coming back for more. As a curvy heroine, Ellie is strong and confident, even when the books starts at such a young age, and she is more than a much for the charming Henry. I especially love the trope of requesting the hero to help the heroine find a lover or for him to teach her about the joys of sex – just delicious gold dust.
There are so serious issues at play within the novel, including infertility and martial neglect, but these are handled sensitively and do not distract from the love story.
Definitely give it a read!
books_ergo_sum's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
5.0
Okay, but this book was amazing?
Definitely the best friends to lovers historical romance I’ve ever read. Possibly the best friends to lovers romance, ever.
This was the love-child of A Room With a View by EM Forster and People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry—with only the best parts of both books and none of the meh parts. It was frigging perfect!
We had:
💖 Friends to lovers with so much heart squeezing friendship and then lovers compatibility
💖 Sex lessons
💖 Epistolary
💖 Widowed curvy heroine
💖 A trip to Italy in 1901 + pretending to be married
💖 The hero doing something SO DUMB and groveling like his life depended on it (all while being a lovesick mess)
From the opening lines of our hero begging the heroine to marry him and her saying no—I was obsessed. This story had so much vulnerability and connection, so much growth. The flashbacks to their growing friendship and the epistolary elements through time weren’t cheap tricks, they heightened the story and deepened the significance of the present timeline.
This was unputdownable and I absolutely loved it!
Definitely the best friends to lovers historical romance I’ve ever read. Possibly the best friends to lovers romance, ever.
This was the love-child of A Room With a View by EM Forster and People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry—with only the best parts of both books and none of the meh parts. It was frigging perfect!
We had:
💖 Friends to lovers with so much heart squeezing friendship and then lovers compatibility
💖 Sex lessons
💖 Epistolary
💖 Widowed curvy heroine
💖 A trip to Italy in 1901 + pretending to be married
💖 The hero doing something SO DUMB and groveling like his life depended on it (all while being a lovesick mess)
From the opening lines of our hero begging the heroine to marry him and her saying no—I was obsessed. This story had so much vulnerability and connection, so much growth. The flashbacks to their growing friendship and the epistolary elements through time weren’t cheap tricks, they heightened the story and deepened the significance of the present timeline.
This was unputdownable and I absolutely loved it!
glo68's review against another edition
5.0
AWESOME book! The author was new to me and I gather this is only her second book, but she’s already a pro, who can write gorgeous descriptions without being boring, create impressive, well-rounded characters and plot a heart-rending, achingly beautiful love story that will be hard to forget! Smiles, some laughter, but most of all angst are the ingredients of this beautiful book that made me feel all kinds of emotions. Not least a good dose of annoyance toward Ellie and Henry, who have loved each other for years without finding the courage to confess it! How I wanted to shake them! Thank God for the rule of the happy ending in a romance, because I was starting to despair! Anyway, the book was worth all my suffering and I heartily recommend it to all historical romance lovers!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
plottrysts's review against another edition
4.0
Henry and Ellie meet at his family's annual Christmas ball. She's an awkward debutante, while he's the quintessential charming heir who flits from bed to bed and takes nothing seriously. But after their meet-disaster (she throws up on his shoes), they forge a tentative friendship based on sporadic letters and their annual tete-a-tete at the holiday ball.
In the book's present, Ellie is a widow and can finally enjoy some freedom from the social pressures of debutante/society wife. She and Henry attend art history lectures together. And then one day, he comes up with a "brilliant" idea: they'll go to Italy together to visit all of the art they've been learning about. Oh yeah, and they'll pose as husband and wife while they're there.
This HistRom has a ton of the best romance tropes:
*Friends to lovers
*Fake relationship (they pretend to be married)
*Sex lessons
*Epistolary elements
Sometimes, these tropes lend themselves to a lighthearted romp of a romance. Here, though, they add up to a more contemplative (though not quite angsty) book. Henry suffers from undiagnosed (duh) depression and a learning disability. Ellie is still unlearning the lessons her awful husband and unfeeling father taught her about her own worth and desirability.
Due to many factors, including their close but not intimate friendship, the relationship suffers from a lot of miscommunication. In the beginning, this makes sense: they're both feeling their way through a new friendship. But in the "present," we wanted their physical intimacy to reflect or inspire a new emotional intimacy.
All in all, we were absolutely impressed by the book and the way Ginny Moore approaches topical issues like mental health, therapy, boundaries (and how to respect them), etc. without losing the feel of a historical romance. Two thumbs up.
8-Word Summaries:
Meg: We’re best friends. We don’t talk about feelings.
Laine: Regret your fiancee? Pretend to marry your BFF.
In the book's present, Ellie is a widow and can finally enjoy some freedom from the social pressures of debutante/society wife. She and Henry attend art history lectures together. And then one day, he comes up with a "brilliant" idea: they'll go to Italy together to visit all of the art they've been learning about. Oh yeah, and they'll pose as husband and wife while they're there.
This HistRom has a ton of the best romance tropes:
*Friends to lovers
*Fake relationship (they pretend to be married)
*Sex lessons
*Epistolary elements
Sometimes, these tropes lend themselves to a lighthearted romp of a romance. Here, though, they add up to a more contemplative (though not quite angsty) book. Henry suffers from undiagnosed (duh) depression and a learning disability. Ellie is still unlearning the lessons her awful husband and unfeeling father taught her about her own worth and desirability.
Due to many factors, including their close but not intimate friendship, the relationship suffers from a lot of miscommunication. In the beginning, this makes sense: they're both feeling their way through a new friendship. But in the "present," we wanted their physical intimacy to reflect or inspire a new emotional intimacy.
All in all, we were absolutely impressed by the book and the way Ginny Moore approaches topical issues like mental health, therapy, boundaries (and how to respect them), etc. without losing the feel of a historical romance. Two thumbs up.
8-Word Summaries:
Meg: We’re best friends. We don’t talk about feelings.
Laine: Regret your fiancee? Pretend to marry your BFF.
happily_after_heas's review against another edition
emotional
funny
medium-paced
4.0
I enjoy a Regency romp as much as the next person but sometimes it is really nice to get out of the British Isle and into someplace new. Ginny Moore understands the feeling and gives us a book that takes place in both. When the book opens, we see our two main characters, Henry and Ellie breaking up. The book then alternates between flashbacks of five plus years ago and two months prior to the breakup. Moore does a great job of alternating between two time periods to show the relationship develop between these two, showing us, rather than telling us what they mean to one another. Without giving much away, Ellie marries another, is widowed, and now as a free woman, wants to go to Italy. She cannot go alone so Henry offers to go with her and pose as her husband. (Gasp!) No one needs to know as they are going in the heat of the summer when the fashionable are residing in the country. And off to Italy they go!
The heat of summer in Italy only increases the scent of fresh pining these two have for one another. And while the angst and yearning is written so beautifully and emotionally, there are times you just want these two to *confess already* their love and desire for one another. It only gets worse when Ellie propositions Henry to show her passion since she has never experienced it, even while married. These two friends are such good friends but also seem to miss the mark with each other so...many...times. It did frustrate me at times that once again they were so close to saying something and then deny themselves and talk themselves out of confessing their feelings. But I get it. I have no patience. It could be a me thing.
There is an epistolary angle to this book which is always appreciated. There is a "same time each year" as they always seem to meet at Christmastide and catch up as if they never left off which is also such fun. The side characters are different than the usual friends of the ton and offer different, mature, helpful support.
The heat of summer in Italy only increases the scent of fresh pining these two have for one another. And while the angst and yearning is written so beautifully and emotionally, there are times you just want these two to *confess already* their love and desire for one another. It only gets worse when Ellie propositions Henry to show her passion since she has never experienced it, even while married. These two friends are such good friends but also seem to miss the mark with each other so...many...times. It did frustrate me at times that once again they were so close to saying something and then deny themselves and talk themselves out of confessing their feelings. But I get it. I have no patience. It could be a me thing.
There is an epistolary angle to this book which is always appreciated. There is a "same time each year" as they always seem to meet at Christmastide and catch up as if they never left off which is also such fun. The side characters are different than the usual friends of the ton and offer different, mature, helpful support.
Something to note is that Henry is a painter, an artist, who has lost his muse, his ability to create. He is looking for inspiration and of course, he finds it in Ellie. The grand gesture at the end of the book is beautiful and emotional and I adored it. I highly recommend this book and author and look forward to reading more HEAs from Ginny.
rjordan19's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
5.0
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and the heroine
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes, 6 years later
Format: voluntarily chose to read an advanced reader copy in e-book form
Should I read in order?
This is book 2 of the Flower Sisters – you can grab the beginning prequel novella for free as a newsletter grab but I don’t think it’s super necessary to read in order if you don’t want to. Alex and Fern (book 1’s characters) make some brief appearances but the book’s focus is very much on the main couple. (And I don’t recall much character development in book 1 for Henry, though he does make an appearance.
Basic plot:
Henry wants to give his friend an adventure and Ellie is ready for some fun after finally exiting mourning from a bad marriage end – pretending to be a married couple gives them freedom to explore Italy.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian/Edwardian time period (1901 and some flashbacks to 1896)
- Italy setting!
- Epistolary
- Artist hero
- Widow heroine
- Tall hero/short heroine pairing (hero has to almost stoop to take her arm to walk)
- Friends to lovers
- A couple that laughs together and fun banter
- Bespectacled heroine (And the hero cleans them which is so sweet because my husband does that for me all the time!)
- Unrequited love (from both!)
- You are okay with quite a bit of time jumps
- Sex lessons
- curvy/plump heroine
- medium to high steam - 4-5 scenes depending how you count
Ages:
- Heroine is 24/25? Hero is 30
First line:
“I’m not letting you get off this boat until you agree to marry me.”
My thoughts:
This book! This book! As I started this book, honestly I wasn’t sure I would get into it. I noticed some time jumps in be beginning between the hero and heroine’s past and I got a bit of a stubborn look on my face that I wasn’t going to be into this.
As I got to know Henry, he was a bit, well, chaotic. A bit unpredictable. A touch unreliable and slightly down on himself. And I didn’t love him immediately.
And Moore took these things, these things I didn’t think I would like and she wrecked me with them.
She made me love them.
As the time jumps caught up with present day I had an ache in my heart, the best kind, and I was lost in this angsty ‘all is lost’ moment that I just eat up in romance.
There was so much I absolutely adored about this book. I loved that it took us to Italy (can we go there more often in historical romance???). I adored the fake relationship fun. I loved that we got to see Henry and Ellie’s relationship grow over time by snippets of the past, and came full circle to get a rounded relationship with great character depth. I LOVED that they spent the whole book together. I loved that it was character and relationship focused without a mystery or villain to take away from their focus. I adored their banter. I was touched by the representation of Henry’s mental state and the author’s notes on the topic. The ending was perfection.
I mean really, this book just took my heart and ran with it.
It far exceeded any expectations I had for it and I fell utterly in love. Definitely, definitely, eager for more from Moore.
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
She opened her mouth to speak but Henry spoke first. “Greatest fear?” he asked, his voice low.
Being rejected by you.
Being forgotten by you.
Content warnings:
- Parent with dementia
- Some possible feelings of infidelity
- Infertility
- Abusive marriage (the heroine’s prior marriage)
- Scene of purposeful fatfobic comments from a dick side character (don’t worry the hero takes care of him!)
Author given content warnings:
This book deals with issues of depression, anxiety, emotional abuse and related trauma, and infertility. While love will conquer all in the end, this book will not end with a miracle baby or love magically curing mental illness. While romance should be an escape I do not believe in ignoring the realities of the lives women lead in our world.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Safe sex: Hero mentions using protection in the past (he has slept around to avoid dealing with his emotions/mental state) and it’s discussed during sex but no available so he pulls out
32%-ish - 🔥 there’s a scene where Ellie is having sexy dreams and she’s in bed with Henry after imbibing the night before that is a tension filled partial but nothing actually happens between them. Henry then masturbates (present day)
36% - mistletoe kiss (flash back)
52% - kisses
56% - 🔥kisses, fingering/oral for her
64% - 🔥kisses, oral for her, lavender oil used, missionary
71% - 🔥oral for her on a writing desk bench with mirror play, her on top (hero pulls out into his hand)
74% - her on top (it’s a bit short)
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Humor: Yes
Perspective: Third person from both the hero and the heroine
Cliffhanger: No
Epilogue: Yes, 6 years later
Format: voluntarily chose to read an advanced reader copy in e-book form
Should I read in order?
This is book 2 of the Flower Sisters – you can grab the beginning prequel novella for free as a newsletter grab but I don’t think it’s super necessary to read in order if you don’t want to. Alex and Fern (book 1’s characters) make some brief appearances but the book’s focus is very much on the main couple. (And I don’t recall much character development in book 1 for Henry, though he does make an appearance.
Basic plot:
Henry wants to give his friend an adventure and Ellie is ready for some fun after finally exiting mourning from a bad marriage end – pretending to be a married couple gives them freedom to explore Italy.
Give this a try if you want:
- Victorian/Edwardian time period (1901 and some flashbacks to 1896)
- Italy setting!
- Epistolary
- Artist hero
- Widow heroine
- Tall hero/short heroine pairing (hero has to almost stoop to take her arm to walk)
- Friends to lovers
- A couple that laughs together and fun banter
- Bespectacled heroine (And the hero cleans them which is so sweet because my husband does that for me all the time!)
- Unrequited love (from both!)
- You are okay with quite a bit of time jumps
- Sex lessons
- curvy/plump heroine
- medium to high steam - 4-5 scenes depending how you count
Ages:
- Heroine is 24/25? Hero is 30
First line:
“I’m not letting you get off this boat until you agree to marry me.”
My thoughts:
This book! This book! As I started this book, honestly I wasn’t sure I would get into it. I noticed some time jumps in be beginning between the hero and heroine’s past and I got a bit of a stubborn look on my face that I wasn’t going to be into this.
As I got to know Henry, he was a bit, well, chaotic. A bit unpredictable. A touch unreliable and slightly down on himself. And I didn’t love him immediately.
And Moore took these things, these things I didn’t think I would like and she wrecked me with them.
She made me love them.
As the time jumps caught up with present day I had an ache in my heart, the best kind, and I was lost in this angsty ‘all is lost’ moment that I just eat up in romance.
There was so much I absolutely adored about this book. I loved that it took us to Italy (can we go there more often in historical romance???). I adored the fake relationship fun. I loved that we got to see Henry and Ellie’s relationship grow over time by snippets of the past, and came full circle to get a rounded relationship with great character depth. I LOVED that they spent the whole book together. I loved that it was character and relationship focused without a mystery or villain to take away from their focus. I adored their banter. I was touched by the representation of Henry’s mental state and the author’s notes on the topic. The ending was perfection.
I mean really, this book just took my heart and ran with it.
It far exceeded any expectations I had for it and I fell utterly in love. Definitely, definitely, eager for more from Moore.
Quotes/spoiler-y thoughts:
She opened her mouth to speak but Henry spoke first. “Greatest fear?” he asked, his voice low.
Being rejected by you.
Being forgotten by you.
Content warnings:
- Parent with dementia
- Some possible feelings of infidelity
- Infertility
- Abusive marriage (the heroine’s prior marriage)
- Scene of purposeful fatfobic comments from a dick side character (don’t worry the hero takes care of him!)
Author given content warnings:
This book deals with issues of depression, anxiety, emotional abuse and related trauma, and infertility. While love will conquer all in the end, this book will not end with a miracle baby or love magically curing mental illness. While romance should be an escape I do not believe in ignoring the realities of the lives women lead in our world.
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Safe sex:
32%-ish - 🔥 there’s a scene where Ellie is having sexy dreams and she’s in bed with Henry after imbibing the night before that is a tension filled partial but nothing actually happens between them. Henry then masturbates (present day)
36% - mistletoe kiss (flash back)
52% - kisses
56% - 🔥kisses, fingering/oral for her
64% - 🔥kisses, oral for her, lavender oil used, missionary
71% - 🔥oral for her on a writing desk bench with mirror play, her on top (hero pulls out into his hand)
74% - her on top (it’s a bit short)