Author: Lisa Kleypas
Release Date: March 17, 2009
Publisher: HarperCollins
Category: Historical Romance
Type: Paperback/Audio/Kindle/Hardcover
Blurb:
New York Times bestselling author Lisa Kleypas delivers the unforgettable, sexy tale of a brash rogue who meets his equal in a woman who knows exactly what she wants . . .
Zachary Bronson has built an empire of wealth and power. Now he is
seeking a wife to help secure his position in the ton . . . as well as warm his
bed in private. But not just any woman will do for one of London's most
notorious rakes. When he meets Lady Holly Taylor, he surrenders to the
temptation to take her in his arms and kiss her. Yet he's pleasantly surprised
to discover her fierce passions match his own.
Lady Holly Taylor is destined to spend her life playing by
society's rules even when they go against her bolder instincts. But Zachary's
kiss arouses her, and though his shocking offer doesn't include marriage, she
is compelled to risk everything for the most forbidden passion.
Quote:
“I'll follow you to the next life if I have to," he whispered harshly in her ear. "You'll never be free of me. I'll chase you through heaven and hell and beyond." He continued to whisper without stopping while his hands gripped her body close to his. "You stay with me, Holly," he muttered savagely. "Don't do this to me. You stay, damn you.”
Quote Highlights:
“You wouldn't have taken Rose to such a place, would you?"
"Of course not, but she is a little girl, and I'm-"
"My life", he interrupted quietly. "You're my entire life. If anything ever happens to you, Holly, there is nothing left for me.”
“Then
he raised her enough to whisper in her ear, and while his voice was tender, his
words were savage. "You're my woman, and no man or God or ghost will ever
take you from me.”
“Finish the wine," he suggested softly, "and let me
have my way with you. And in the morning we'll both pretend that you don't
remember.”
Review:
I
generally include a much bigger excerpt and dialogue highlight in an effort to
give everyone reading this review a glimpse of the writer’s style. However,
with these “bigger” authors (if you will), it can be difficult to ferret out
snippets to share without typing straight from the book and infringing upon
copyright. This is the same problem I had with the last Kleypas review that I
completed. This time I chose a few of the great quotes from Zachary; although
he had many other great ones. If anyone ever demonstrated a rogue who was well
and truly caught, it is our Mr. Bronson. I discovered Ms. Kleypas by accident on a
camping trip of all things and have never looked back since. When I am lucky
enough to come across a book I have not read, it is an automatic purchase. This
book is a tale of how opposing worlds and ideals can intersect in the most
unexpected ways to form a perfect union full of love, passion, and mutual
respect.
Lady Holland
Taylor has had her one true love. Her aristocratic dearly departed husband has
crumbled the perfect bubble she lived. Living for her daughter and the joy she
brings, Holly now resides with her in-laws and is the epitome of the perfect widow
in mourning. Not only does she mourn faultlessly, she is the personification of
a Lady. After attending her first public affair in three years, she finds herself
seeking refuge in a dark room, hopelessly attempting to escape the flood of
memories of her husband that has assaulted her senses. Ironically, she finds
her senses assaulted in an entirely different way altogether. A chance meeting
and mistaken identity conspire to place her in the arms of a stranger and the
most sensual experience of her life. Little miss perfect takes a chance,
desperate to feel a connection to another human being if only for a moment. And
oh what a connection. Ultimately her inability to enjoy Zachary’s attentions
stems from a deathbed promise made to her late husband, George; a secret not
divulged until much later in the book.
Zachary
Bronson is what every respectable Lady dreams of … as her paramour. Born of the
lower than low, Zachary is shunned by many despite the vast fortune his
business deals have amassed. Everyone wants him for his money, but no one wants
him as a relative by marriage. God forbid their bloodlines mingle. And Zachary
also has a younger sister who is due out for her season very soon. She needs to be schooled in social
etiquette for her introduction to society and Zachary has just the woman in
mind. Having discovered Holly’s identity almost immediately following their
scandalous interlude, Zachary knows he must possess her any way possible.
Making an offer she can’t refuse will get her under his roof and hopefully in
his bed. But Zachary is more than just a forbidden rogue with a rakehell’s
reputation and it isn’t long before Holly has utterly captivated him. A plan to
make her his mistress soon develops into a fight to make her realize the
potential he has as not only her greatest temptation, but also her greatest
love.
I
absolutely loved this couple. Holly has been raised to be the perfect lady and
a woman of gentle respectability. I so desperately wanted to see her break free
of her misguided constraints and jump into a torrid affair with Zachary. The
longer she held out and denied her feelings (which, in her defense, confused
and scared her because she did not understand them) the more I wanted to smack
her upside the head and scream, “Wake up and seize what is standing right in
front of you damn you!” Although I found her devotion to her deceased husband a
bit over-the-top, I do suppose it would have been appropriate behavior for the
times. And Zachary! How can you not instantly fall in love with this driven man
of sublime temptation? The intensity of his words to Holly could literally dissolve
me into a puddle. Not to mention that I always root for the underdog. It was inconceivable
to me that society could shun his birth, yet desire his wealth, and not admire
his ability to rise above even in the face of near guaranteed failure.
The
icing to the fabulous cake that is this book, is the sub plot involving Zachary’s
sister, Lizzie, and Holly’s cousin, Jason. The two characters are … well …
characters. Lizzie’s outspoken tendencies and Jason’s deft ability at handling
her indelicate ways is nothing short of joyous to read. Also adding a bit of
depth to the story is Holly’s daughter, Rose, who adds a childlike innocence to
the story, yet expertly wraps the hearts of all off the Bronsons’ around her
little finger; most especially the biggest Bronson. I would dearly love to see
Jason and Lizzie’s story expanded into a full length novel as well as see Rose
grown up. The later for the sheer pleasure of witnessing Zachary coming to
grips with how to handle Rose and a gaggle of suitors. But I digress …
My only
complaint with the book is that Zachary is so far beyond his time that he seems
almost too far into the future. Characters of viable existence are challenged
with a bit too much entrepreneurism. Also disliked was the out of character visit
Holly makes to a factory with child workers. The dutiful woman of refinement
suddenly jumps far outside of the box which does not at all jive with the
character that the reader has come to know. I think not. Her little jaunt also
ends up extending the story well beyond where it should have gone. It could
have ended several pages earlier and been spectacular. Instead, I felt like Ms.
Kleypas was looking for a way to extend the story just a bit longer so why not
throw a near death wrench in their happily ever after?!?!?! Argh!
Complaints
aside, Where Dreams Begin truly is a place where dreams can come true. Just as
Zachary had never imagined he could become consumed in a forever-love, Holly
had believed her chance at love had come and gone. I genuinely enjoyed seeing
the sexual frustration come to a peak as Zachary’s innuendos finally hit their
mark to effectively wear Holly’s defenses down. This book was beyond
entertaining and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical romance.
Despite a couple of flaws (in my own opinion), the magnificence of Ms. Kleypas’s
writing style is undeniable and a guaranteed crowd pleaser.
(Paperback purchased for private
collection)
