Review: Poignant and Sweet  **4 1/2 Stars**
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 30, 2014
OMG!  This little novella was surprisingly quite emotive.  Julianna Chesterfield and Jonathan Denbigh have been friends since childhood, and she has loved him as long as she can remember.  But, while Jonathan loves Julianna, he doesn't see her as a potential wife; instead he thinks he could no more marry Julianna than he could a sister!Things come to a head when Julianna's younger sister and Jonathan's younger brother marry.  Lady Chesterfield, Julianna's grandmother and guardian, comes to the realization that Julianna's relationship with Jonathan is detrimental to her granddaughter's marriage prospects.  She confronts Jonathan and demands that he either marry Julianna or leave her alone.  Jonathan is obtuse as only a man can be (sorry fellas, LOL.)  He refuses to be forced into marriage and thinks Lady Chesterfield is making a mountain out of a molehill.When next he sees Julianna, to prove there is nothing but friendship between them, he kisses her then announces "You see, we are nothing but friends."  That was such a heart-wrenching moment for me, as poor Julianna's heart was broken.  Lady Chesterfield then whisks Julianna off London, where she is hoping for a match between Julianna and a young man of good family who is enamored of her granddaughter.When Jonathan realizes Julianna is gone and he has no idea how to contact her, he is angry, frustrated, and lost.  As time passes, he is forced to acknowledge that what he feels for Julianna is more than friendship.  But, before the two can have any kind of future together, he must first find his errant friend.This short story is a nice, quick, extremely poignant--for me--read.  I thought the beginning of the story was very touching.  Ms. Channing did an excellent job getting me to connect to Julianna and experience her angst.  I absolutely loved the way Lady Chesterfield brought the relationship between Julianna and Jonathan to a head.  No doubt if that formidable lady had not stepped in, Jonathan would still be as clueless today, and Julianna would still be hanging by his side accepting whatever crumbs of friendship he tossed her way.My only complaint is that I wish Julianna had made Jonathan work a little bit harder to win her once he had found her.  Nevertheless, considering the short length of the book, I guess it was done well enough.Although relatively short, this book encompasses a fully developed story, with three dimensional characters.  I loved it and highly recommend it.  FYI, this is not a clean romance; there is a love scene.  Happy reading!