Scan barcode
A review by plottrysts
The Countess and the Casanova by Ginny B. Moore
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.