Customer Reviews

Like No Other Lover (Pennyroyal Green Series)

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This might just be the best romance I have read all year. I liked everything about it; the characters, the plot, the humor, the dialogue and the romance.

When Miles Redmond first meets Cynthia Brightly, he is totally enraptured by her. She is the toast of London but he overhears that she is interested only in how much money her suitors have and she even scoffs at marrying Miles, a second son. Miles never meets her that night.

Two years later Cynthia is no longer accepted by the ton due to a nasty duel. Miles is stunned that his sister Violet has invited her to his family's house party. Miles hasn't forgotten her cold words and when they finally converse the first day he is very direct with her. He makes it known that she doesn't need to be casting her lure for him as he is going to marry one of the sweet biddable girls at the house party. Instead she should try to hook one of the other gentlemen attending the party and to assist her he will give her insight on the character and foibles of these men in exchange for one kiss. Cynthia agrees and the kiss they share is earth shattering for both of them.

From then on Cynthia and Miles have a wonderful romance that is not supposed to be a romance. I just loved the interaction between these two because they are so honest with each other. Miles is a scientist and his interest in wild jungles and bugs really fascinates Cynthia. Ms. Long uses metaphors brilliantly when it comes to the similarities of the insect world to human behavior.

Cynthia is desperate and almost destitute but she is not unkind. She is so likable and charming. Her inner thoughts are delightful reading because she is above all honest with herself. She is ambitious and needs to make a good match and she really wants to behave but she does have a wickedly good sense of humor. Several times I laughed aloud at her antics.

Miles is a dutiful son trying to make the best match to please his father but it is so hard to be rational about Cynthia Brightly. Suddenly Miles is waxing poetic whenever he thinks about her and that is sooo unlike him. He is amazed that she inspires such thoughts. In fact every time the leads have a conversation, something extraordinary seems to happen. A wellspring of emotions flow whenever they communicate through words and even through shy smiles and long glances. Cynthia reveals her past and Miles shares his dreams. There are incredibly poignant moments in this novel that just made me smile.

Finally the secondary characters of this novel shine because Ms. Long has gifted them with memorable personalities. The dialogue is really spot on. I highly recommend this delightful and well written novel.

When I first started reading this book I thought it was not going to be very interesting or enjoyable. But, to my surprise, with each turn of the page it got better and better and by the end of the book I thought, "Wow! What a great read! So worth it."

There were enjoyable moments of hilarity...you will laugh your butt off at the card game...I was laughing out loud along with with everyone in the story. That scene alone was worth it.

The love between the h/h was so touching and it developed nicely.

I have never reviewed a book on Amazon, but highly value other reviews I've read over the years. However, this book was such an unexpected delight I am compelled to share it with others!

The writing was wonderfully evocative - poetic and profane; the characters were unique and thoroughly engaging; the dialog was in turns witty & profound; and the story was simple yet elegant.

I will not review the plot here, but there is one scene which was profoundly moving: when Cynthia and Miles silently acknowledged their mutual but wholly "unacceptable" love by secretly holding hands, I was moved to tears. The simple gesture was such a perfect counterpoint to the tumultuous emotions both characters were feeling. More powerful than the most passionate love scenes I've read lately...

Hurray to Julie Anne Long for giving us such wonderful characters and such beautiful prose. I look forward to her next book with unguarded enthusiasm.

This book belongs in the 20 of romances of all time. Definatley top of 2008. It's amazing from beginning to end. Don't miss this book.

Other reviewers have stated this book is boring. Let me explain why: it requires reading, not skimming. This is the least boring book you can imagine. The language, plot and characters all have depth. Like any good book, the story emerges, to use a terrible romance cliché, like a blooming flower. It's not that it's difficult to read, but that you might not be able to get through it in several hours and savor the beauty of this book. To appreciate, you need to actually read it.

The couple seems so unlikely. Miles is a sensible naturalist. Cynthia is an outrageous fortune hunter. But they are both 1000 times more interesting than anything that could be summarized here. They are complimented by an array of supporting characters that never overpower the central romance. There's no mystery or spies, just the human drama between two people who are very sure they know what they want from the world, only to find all they thought was wrong. Both characters are interesting, strong, nuanced and infinitely likable.

They are totally original and outside all the regency/historical romance stereotypes. No bored rakes and martyred bluestockings, thank God.

There are several scenes in this book that rate as the funniest I have ever read, hands down. The writing is just fantastic. What happens? Cynthia starts a drinking game. All the participants of a card game gone awry have to drink when Miles' potential fiancée (not Cynthia) says, "Oh Miles, you're so interesting," while Miles is talking about insects. Oh my god. I woke my husband up laughing so hard.

Great work Julie Ann Long!

It is a house party that also happens to be Cynthia Brightly's last chance to find a husband before her scandalous past catches up with her. Charm and beauty are her weapons, as Miles Redmond, newly made heir to the Redmond fortune, certainly knows. He had been bewitched by her before, only to be rebuffed as not quite good enough. After going to discover more about the world, he comes back only to find her back in his life. This time, he plans to finally get her out of his head - with a kiss.

However, the kiss sets off a storm. Miles says he will help her with the other eligible gentlemen at the party, but he can't stop wanting her. And while Cynthia originally thought him to be dark and boring, she begins to see him as a man, not just a staid and boring scientist. Love blooms between them, but neither one can let go enough to trust that love, not money, will get them their dreams.

Oh my goodness, Like No Other Lover spoke to me more than nearly any other romance I have ever read. I sat down and read it in one sitting, with my heart feeling everything the characters were feeling. It made me remember what it's like to have a first kiss, first lover and to first fall in love. The characters developed so beautifully and the way they responded to one another was skillfully done. I was thoroughly enchanted with the entire story and I definitely, Joyfully Recommend it!

Niki Lee
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed

More focused and less plot-heavy than some of Julie Anne Long's earlier romances, "Like No Other Lover" is a witty, elegantly written, and touching love story with two very strong leads. It's the second book in a series, but it's not necessary to have read the first book to follow this one. This one, however, definitely has more of a series feel than the first, likely because it takes place in just one English location, and also because we're introduced to characters like Jonathon and Violet, who seem destined to get their own books down the line.

This book essentially opens with a love at first sight moment, at least for our hero, Miles. (It takes Cynthia a second glance to start to fall for Miles). At the same time, we get the pleasure of watching these two spar and slowly realize how deeply they feel for one another. The central conflict involves the fact that Cynthia, who has no family or means, is desperate to marry quickly after a scandalous London season left her without a fiance. Miles, a brilliant naturalist, wants nothing more than to solicit enough money from a wealthy gentleman's soceity to travel to Macao. Per a negotiation with his father, he knows the easiest way to do this is marry the daughter of someone in the society. But it's Cynthia--often loud, vexing, and very beautiful, although not well-connected--that he wants.

As usual with Long's novels, we get a lot of character development in the beginning, and dialogue is more sparse. As the pace quickens, there are more delightful exchanges between the leads as they flirt and grapple with the fact that they're miserable without each other. Their attraction is palpable, and although readers have to wait a while to see them consummate it, the scenes are worth it.

There are a few minor weaknesses here, namely that as the book moves on it's difficult to remember why these two people feel they can't be together. And I wish the "happily ever after" chapter had been followed by an epilogue to show us Cynthia with the family she so longs for.

But overall, this is another very promising and fun read from a great new novelist who has been deservedly compared to Julia Quinn, Loretta Chase, and Eloisa James (although I'd say Long's books are a shade darker than those of these writers, and often more thoughtful in tone). "Like No Other Lover" is absolutely worth savoring over a long weekend.

Never before have I been so very mislead by customer reviews in Amazon.com and in fact am still shaking my head that people have gone on and on about this book. The characters are so shallow as to be almost non-existent, the plot is slow and plodding and in fact relies on so many modern-day inferences to push it along that it practically doesn't earn the "historical" part of it's category. I love historical romance because it is a way to relax from all the busy things going on in my modern day-to-day life. The change of genre, clothing, language and behavior is so different from my life that you can't help escaping a little bit. I have no problem believing in unbelievable situations time and time again--as long as the story is well written. And this one IS NOT.
We first meet the female lead, Cynthia, as a shallow fortune hunter who is not even interested in making the acquaintance of anyone who is not either extremely rich or an heir. Ok, lots of times we see characters who need improvement, so when we meet her we don't think much of it. The fact that the male lead, Miles, is repulsed by this and walks out without speaking to her even though he finds her very beautiful speaks well for him and we figure we are on our way.
However, we quickly find that this physical attraction which is all about looks and nothing to do with substance will in fact dominate the story. When they meet a year later, Miles,now an heir, still doesn't like her and tells her so. Cynthia has come to his house party specifically to seduce him into marrying her (for although she wouldn't have given him the time of day a year ago, she is now disgraced by her own doing in London and on the verge of poverty if she doesn't marry quickly) and his setdown of her makes her interest in him grow. Because he is the one man who won't fall at her feet she spends the first few days of the party trying constantly to get his attention while still working on her back-up gentlemen and thinking and saying belittling and nasty things about the sweet-tempered girl that Miles does show interest in. Even when we are in her head, all she does is think about how beautiful she herself is, how unworthy every other female on the planet is and how she is the one deserving of riches and title while all the other young ladies are too boring and nice to exist. I can't stop thinking as I turn the pages how if I met an empty-headed snob like this in real life I wouldn't want the first thing to do with her, and she would probably drive any guy who dated her completely crazy. She's like the girl you can't wait for your brother (male friend, etc) to break-up with! And at least from what I read, I cannot see her any other way--she has no redeeming qualities and you just want her to end up broke and alone!
Meanwhile, Miles is little better. At first I at least liked him, which kept me reading to see if he would redeem her, but all for naught. As we meet him, he is a second son who has made his own way and his own little fortune through scientific expeditions and seems self-possessed, funny, well-mannered and self-reliant. But very soon we see that although Cynthia has nothing to say except how much she can't wait to be rich and even though she consistently lies to his guests, gets his sister drunk, and is perpetually mean-spirited and self-centered, he decides that he likes her so much more than the sweet girl who actually shares his interest in insects and is always kind to everyone around her. It's like watching a train wreck. He gets fed up with the girl he is courting because "she can't flirt" and in the meantime we are watching Cynthia do nothing but flirt--in a different way with every type of man like the pro she is--and it is very tiring. THAT'S what he wants? You would think he was just listening to his little head, like all men, but no this nightmare of a novel actually tries to put this over as "true love". Yikes.
This is the first book I've read by Julie Ann Long and I don't think I will ever bother to pick up another. Her scenes feel contrived and the story is SO slow. For example, when Miles first sees Cynthia he thinks to himself that "she has the face of a kitten". When I read this line I thought it seemed really strange, for I couldn't imagine a "kitten-faced" beauty. It just didn't seem to jive with the rest of her description. Well, a hundred and some LONG pages later Miles gives her a kitten. When she asks him why he says it's because the first time he saw her, she reminded him of a kitten. Ok, I finally realized why that odd description was there in the first place, which was just so that this later part would work. Awkward writing that pulls you out of the fantasy is how it came across to me. Likewise, a drinking game in a regency romance??? Really? This was so out of place and again SO contrived that I almost couldn't believe I was reading it! Cynthia actually starts the game as a way to belittle and overshadow Georgina, another young and pretty female guest. I'm sorry, but gentlemen and ladies taking shots?? It wasn't funny, it showed again that Cynthia should be the evil female in a different heroine's story and it pulled me out of the fantasy. And seriously, I can't even go into the details of when Cynthia tries to shoot (because of yet another lie she has told) and the dog's nose goes up her butt and she fires the penis off of a statue which hits a man's hat. It was like watching a straight-to-video cartoon!
I'll stop here. Overall, if you, like me, love a good historical romance with deep and interesting main and side characters and a sense of timelessness, then this book is not for you. The beginning is confusing, the middle drags and the end is rushed and leaves you thinking, "Thank God it's over.....but what on earth made me read that far?" In fact, I wasn't even happy to see the couple end up together....although, maybe they do deserve one another. I'll stick to Julia Justiss, Candace Camp, Amanda Quick Marsha Canham and other truly great romance writers, thank you.

This is the first book I have ever read from this author and just picked it up on a whim and I am SO GLAD I did. What an incredible book. The writing is wonderful, the dialouge between the characters is believable and so smart. There are some very touching scenes and also some very, VERY funny scenes. The card game was the funniest scene I have ever read in a book. I was crying with laughter by the end and had to put the book down for a while until I recovered because I couldn't stop laughing.

This isn't just a romance novel with standard scenes and predictable outcomes. This was a wonderful STORY from start to finish. I loved every page. I often times will love a book and think if only I could have changed one thing or left something out. I wouldn't change a single word of this book.

Since reading this I also read "The Runaway Duke" from this author and was just as pleased. Julie Anne Long belongs on the same shelf as Judith McNaught and Julie Garwood. She is definietly on my "buy without question" list.

Wonderful book...I especially liked the fact that the Cynthia is such a unique character. It's become so boring reading novels with such interchangable female leads. Seriously, they all seem too perfect. Cynthia on the other hand has many wonderful traits but also some that will make you cringe. She's a flirt and a schemer. She tries to be good, but her "wickedness" sometimes wins. She is honest about her goals...there is no stupid misunderstanding keeping the two principals apart. All in all I found this book highly entertaining.

I have been looking for a new author to read. I like books by Lisa Kleypas, Teresa Medeiros and Julia Quinn. I appreciate a story that has a great mix of humor, passion and excitement. This book was my introduction to Julie Ann Long and I have to say that it has prompted me to begin buying all of her books. Miles is a great H that sucked me in. He may look bookish but he's funny, intense, honorable and has that great smouldering quality that I enjoy. JAL wrote Cynthia's situation well. I actually laughed out loud during the shooting party. That rarely happens. If you enjoy a great read that you can get sucked into try this book!