Review: Fully earned every last star!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 20, 2014
WHERE has Sherry Thomas been all of my romance-reading life?And I MUST say I'm shocked to read in her "about the author" at the end of this 19 page (minus front- and end-matter) short story/novella that she's writing in (English)--her second language.  It's *that* well done!Reasons why I can't help but award all 5 stars:~ Romance between the heroine, Clara, Duchess of Lexington, and the hero, Mr. J. M. Kingston develops organically and over a period of time.~ I LOVED the letter-writing that bonded the two characters such that they knew one another so very well.~ I found the relationship between Christian (the young Duke, her stepson) to be remarkably real.~ Characters were delightfully 3-D, and in a story this brief, that's a significant accomplishment.  I really enjoyed how the heroine championed Christian, and when he learned what she wanted most, he championed her in return-- refreshing!~ With an economy of words, the story unfolded with just enough description of emotion and so deep in the duchess's point of view that I felt her loneliness at the conclusion of her house party.~ The dialogue is fantastic...and so in harmony with the locale and time of early 1880s.~ I didn't want it to end!~ I'm interested in finding MORE by Sherry Thomas...and want to read other books in the Fitzhugh Trilogy.  Kudos to the author.Sensuality Level: mildLanguage: GRecommended to fans of historical romance (particularly Regency and Victorian England), especially readers who love short stories, short novellas in this genre.