Like No Other Lover: Pennyroyal Green Series (Pennyroyal Green, #2)

by Julie Anne Long

Miles Redmond, the second son of the wealthy Redmond family of Pennyroyal Green, has his family's dark good looks, the cool, studious demeanor of the scientist he is - and formidable sensual talents, which he discreetly and enthusiastically shares with the ton's aristocratic widows. But the very notion of 'love' and its side effects - poetry, idiocy, obsession - amuses him. When it doesn't bore him. Which is why he's blindsided when Cynthia Brightly- the dazzling, slightly scandalous, ambitious and all-but-penniless belle of the season - manages to steal his heart at a ball only to break it minutes later with words he wasn't meant to hear: 'Miles Redmond? Why should I settle for a dour second son when I can have an earl?'.The tables turn two years later when Miles becomes the Redmond heir and Cynthia arrives in Pennyroyal Green trailing a whiff of scandal and a hint of desperation only Miles senses. His mocking offer to help her husband hunt from the lords on hand - as Redmond heir, Miles couldn't possibly marry her - evolves into an incendiary passion that upends their notions of love, duty and ambition.

• ISBN10: 0061980579
• ISBN13: 9780061980572
• Publish Date: 6 October 2009 (first published 28 October 2008)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Imprint: Collins
• Format: eBook
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Angie]

Proceed with Caution:

This book contains repeated, period-typical use of the term gypsy, along with the accompanying stereotypes.

The Basics:

As is standard for Historical Romance, this is told in third person, alternating between Miles and Cynthia.

Miles is an entomologist and a second son. Cynthia is an orphan, but she has the ton eating out of the palm of her hand. But circumstances change. She's on the verge of destitution. He's now the heir. She snubbed him nearly two years ago and he's never forgotten. He's also never forgotten how much he wanted her that day...

My Thoughts:

Like No Other Lover was super duper cute and surprisingly funny! Cynthia and Miles team up during a house party to help each other snag their future spouses and hijinks ensue! I was not expecting that at all. There's also adorable animals and deep conversations about dogs and butterflies. It's just a feel good time.

I'll start with the one thing that kept me from rating Like No Other Lover higher despite how enamored with it I was. I was never motivated to read it. I don't know why exactly, but I had no qualms about putting it down, and I had no real desire to pick it back up. However, while I was reading, I was 100% delighted! It's a very strange feeling. I guess I was more interested in individual scenes than the story as a whole, so it didn't matter that I read it in fits and starts.

The romance in Like No Other Lover was exactly the type that I adore. Miles is a total geek. He loves bugs and science and he wears glasses. On the other hand, Cynthia is super gorgeous and people just flock to her. They couldn't be anymore opposite, but they have similar goals. He needs a rich bride to fund his next excursion, and she needs a rich husband to simply survive. Of course, they don't even consider each other and set their sights on people who are totally wrong for them. Only coming to their senses at the end. That's not to say that they don't share some alone time throughout the two week party...

I really enjoyed Like No Other Lover. It gave me all kinds of tingly feelings and made me happy while reading. I just wish there had been more to keep my interest.

[Amanda]

Julie Anne Long's books do things to me against my will. By all accounts, Like No Other Lover has qualities I normally dislike in a book and yet -- AND YET -- I found myself feverishly reading to the end because I had to know how it ended even though I already knew because I've read other the other books.

You guys. YOU GUYS. WHY?

I started off Like No Other Lover not liking Cynthia very much. She's everything Miles Redmond makes her out to be at first (and well, we can't help liking him), but then Miles -- the intrepid explorer -- begins to see her differently and we start to see her differently, too.

Still. I don't like seeing my hero and heroine pursuing other people. It's annoying -- SO ANNOYING -- because it's generally obvious the hero and heroine need to be together. You know, as romance, and all that. Even so, I was just... drawn to this book.

The funny thing is, I'm not sure I would have gotten deep into this series if I had read it in order. Somehow, reading it out of order got me interested. And I'm okay with that, because Julie Anne Long brings the angst, and sometimes, I like a book that brings the emotion, which Like No Other Lover totally does.

We also see the beginnings of Violet's and Jonathan's stories with the Gypsy fortune teller. I've read both those books already -- Violet's being the infamous I Kissed an Earl, and Jonathan's It Happened One Midnight -- but it was still amusing to see how it all began.

The Pennyroyal Green is quickly earning a spot on my favorites, and I can't wait to dig into other books.