Rowena
Written on Oct 21, 2013
Only when she walks out the door, there is Colin, waiting for her.
This is definitely Colin’s part of the story. He finally has a chance to explain his prior actions to Grace (though of course she doesn’t believe him at first). There are definitely some light parts to the story, but it has a rather dark undertone. That Colin suffered at sea really comes through in his actions and the way he reacts to Grace. The first two parts were more about Grace and her feelings, I think.
Rowena: I felt that way too. This is the part where Colin finally gets to have his say. Where he finally gets to come clean about his true feelings for Grace and I ate every freaking word up (more than once).
It’s in this part of the story that I almost got a concussion from the swooning I did. Oh, Colin was such a great hero. One who’s attraction was definitely there in the beginning but he ended up being so much more better than I originally thought he would. When we first started this story, Grace was my favorite part of the story but in the end, it was Colin that captured my heart. It was Colin that ended up being my favorite because in this part of the story, he comes clean and the love that he feels for Grace is something pretty special.
Holly: I loved the romance of the story. Grace preparing to run, Colin refusing to let her. Both of them explaining how their feelings were hurt. Colin finally opening up about the war and saying all the things out loud that Grace already knew inside.
The struggle they had between wanting to open up and the need to keep from being vulnerable was well done. I think this is something James excels at. She’s really good at drawing the reader in and making them emotionally invested.
Rowena: Yes, yes, yes. This was a great ending to an already great story. I really enjoyed seeing Colin come forward and talk to Grace about things that he’s kept buried deep for so long. I liked seeing him fully embrace the relationship between him and Grace and I really loved the way that he loved Grace.
Colin made me swoon all over the damn place in this part.
I mean with quotes like this, how can I not swoon?
Yes, he’d lost years to warships and battle…but none of that mattered because Grace was his.
*sigh* I LOVE HIM!
And the swooning continues:
Dobson began to feel a bit more sympathetic. “Marriage,” he observed, “is one of the most weighty ceremonies in a man’s life.”
“Nothing will ever be more important to me,” Mr. Barry said quietly.
Seriously, how can I not swoon?
Holly: And this:
“You’re mine,” he murmured, keeping his weight on his elbows. Then he kissed her forehead. “Mine. My darling. My Grace.”
Oh Colin. I heart you.
I expected the story to end when they resolved their issues and got married. I’m glad James carried it over to show them settling in together. Colin still had some things to work out. I was glad to see Grace helping him with that. His letters to her? Another sigh.
I did think the epilogue was unnecessary. I haven’t read a lot of James’ work in the past, but I believe she includes these in most of her novels (please correct me if I’m wrong). I don’t care for them.
Rowena: Yeah, that was a good one.
Colin really did win me over throughout the story. He was a well written character that I couldn’t get enough of. He was the right match for Grace and I loved each and every single one of his letters. I really liked the romance in this story and thought James did a wonderful job of sucking me into both Grace and Colin’s life. Their life together and their life apart. I wish we’d gotten some quality time with Colin’s family but I wasn’t too mad about not getting that.
I didn’t need the epilogue to top the story off but I wasn’t exactly mad that it was there. It was just extra time with two characters that I really loved so meh but yay. Haha.
Overall, I enjoyed Colin and Grace’s story. I loved the characters, the romance, the setting…it was all fantastic. I’d definitely recommend this book.
Grade: 4.5 out of 5
Holly: I liked the romance of the story, the emotional depth and the characters. I can’t find too much to complain about, aside from the epilogue. There was just the right amount of drama and angst. I’m going to give this part a 4.25 out of 5.
