Kev Merripen has only loved one person his whole life: Win Hathaway. As a boy, when his gypsy tribe left him for dead, Mr. Hathaway took him into his house and he grew up next to the Hathaway siblings Leo, Amelia, Win, Poppy and Beatrix. He's fond of all of them, but is Win he loves; beautiful, blond and frail Win - and his affections aren't one sided.After being sick with scarlet fever years before Win was left with weak lungs and is prone to fainting spells, but the weakness of her body has done nothing to diminish her love for Kev; when the book starts she's about to embark on a journey to France to reach a promising new treatment for people such as herself, her goal is to get better so she can finally be with Kev in the way she has always dreamed of.
Two years later, when Win returns from France, both Win and Kev have changed, they are still in love but Kev has hardened and he still can't bring himself to act on his feelings, no matter how strong they are, since he doesn't think he's worthy of her; and Win has decided she's not going to wait, she loves Kev, but she also wants a family and a normal life, and if Kev is not willing to give that to her she'll find it elsewhere.
Kev and Win first appear in Mine Till Midnight, where they almost stole the show with the longing and impossibility of their love, and I wanted to read more about them, and their story does not disappoint. Kev is a wonderful brooding hero, he even has a darkish past (it's more tragic and sad than evil); and Win is an smart, endearing heroine.
We also get to see more of the Hathaways - including Cam and Amelia, who are now married and happy; their chemistry is better in this book, btw - who are as eccentric as ever. Leo is coming to terms with what he has and what he has lost, Poppy is a bit dissappointed with London's Society (heads up, I hear her story comes next!), Beatrix is still the happy girl she has always been and has a sneaky ferret for a pet. A ferret who likes to steal Miss Marks, Beatrix and Poppy's governess, gathers; Miss Marks, too is a nice addition to the cast of characters.
And we find out what relationship there is between Cam and Kev (something that was hinted at in Mine Till Midnight) and I was quite happy with that too. And, finally, a couple from the original Wallflower book shows up and they are not Westcliff and Lillian (which made me very happy, since they hadn't been talked about in a while).
Grade:
I just re-read this one yesterday and what a book it is.
ReplyDeleteI loooooooooved it too, Kev is wonderfull and Win is too.
The scenes from when they met are so cute, and then all those jelous rages Kev goes through are hillarious.
I really enjoyed this book too.
I can't wait to read Leo and the geverness' story.