The Regency Blooms series continues with the charming Chasing the Other Tisdale by Jessica Jefferson. Get a tantalizing taste of this tale of opposites attracting, along with my impressions of it, and then learn even more about this book by visiting the other blogs hosting this tour. Make sure to fill out the form below for the chance to win a $10 bookstore GC too!
Overshadowed by the beauty of her older sister, Lillian is better known as the other Tisdale; unremarkable and unsure how she will ever deliver on the promise of her family's name.
He’s a rake in need of reforming…
Will Colton leads a frivolous existence, embracing notoriety instead of managing his family’s fortune. Determined to forget his financial burden and his father’s growing resentment, he maintains a lifestyle dedicated to pleasure and self-indulgence. When Will is invited to the Tisdale estate for an extended holiday, he never expects to become friends with the forgettable Lillian. But when a family secret comes to light, he must choose between leaving London and protecting the honor of one woman or staying and risking the reputation of another.
Upon his return, Will finds the girl he left behind has come out of the shadows and into her own. Lillian’s finally the center of attention, and not all of it good. With his own reputation in tatters, can a reformed rake lure her out of the hands of London's bachelors and back into his own arms? Can he escape his past and reclaim her heart, or has he lost her forever?
EXCERPT:
He didn’t try and crawl out of the hole he’d so easily dug for himself. Rather, instead of making an already awkward situation worse, he smiled. It was a cavalier sort of smile—one that she just knew he’d used hundreds of times before to get him out of this sort of trouble. Women were undoubtedly willing to forgive him most transgressions just by a flash of this winning grin.
Lord knew she was.
She’d never before met anyone so handsome, so charming, so…
A bolt of pain shot up her arm, as if God himself was punishing her for having such immoral thoughts.
“Enough,” he said. “We need to get you in front of a doctor. The sooner, the better.”
“Good idea,” she agreed. “How do you suggest we go about doing that?”
“First, we’ll need to secure your arm.”
She nodded. “You mean fashion a sling? I’m sure there’s something around here that we could use as rope. Perhaps ivy? There’s a great deal of it about the estate.”
His hand flew up to his chest. “What do you take me for, some sort of bushman? For heaven’s sake, I’m from Grosvenor Square, not some jungle. I wouldn’t have the slightest idea of how to go about accomplishing something like that.”
Lilly bit her lip. She’d never make it being jostled about without something to steady her arm. “Did you have something else in mind, then?”
Mr. Colton started removing his jacket. “I thought I’d use my shirt. I’ll rip some strips off of it and make the sling out of that.”
“Your shirt,” she repeated, suddenly questioning if she’d indeed suffered a head injury along with her broken arm.
He tossed the jacket to the ground behind him. “Yes.”
She was confused. “But then what will you wear?”
He was unfastening his waistcoat. “Nothing, I suppose .”
MY IMPRESSIONS OF THIS BOOK:
As a fan of the themes of friends to lovers and of the ugly duckling this story hooked me from the very first page with its delightfully strong-willed yet sweet heroine and the unapologetic rake. When the two of them meet in a most unforgettable way though their lives will be irrevocably changed as readers are taken on their emotionally engaging journey to HEA that puts them and us through the emotional wringer.
Lilly has always been thought of as the plain sister, the one who's easy to forget. Knowing this, Lilly longs to be more. She's an intelligent girl with a dry wit who longs for a grand adventure and a dreamy romance and finds it with the most unexpected man after falling out of a tree into his arms. Lilly finds Will the answer to her dreams but her youth, and his overly carefree nature, keeps them from being more...at first. There's an undeniable connection between them though manifested in the letters they began writing to each other. Letter after heartfelt letter sees their friendship becoming more but outside forces tear them apart and leave her a cynic towards love. Hurt and betrayed by the one man who truly saw her had me aching for her but admiring her resilience while I waited for Will to win her back. When Lilly was a wallflower life seemed easy but as she grew into her looks life definitely became more difficult and showed that the grass is always greener on the other side.
Will at first seems like a player, unrepentant and unconcerned with deeper issues. Looks can be deceiving though as seen through his letters with Lilly. His early choices in women are those of perfection but something about Lilly calls to him and with each letter their connection grows deeper. These letters further show them maturing and pushing past superficiality, so it's a heartbreaking moment when it all comes to an end. His losing Lilly is combined with deeper issues involving his father that left him a completely changed man from our first meeting. To win her back, to do what he knows is right, Will will have to step up to the plate with a truly grand gesture and prove he's a better man.
As a fan of the previous books in the Regency Blooms series I was excited to get my hands on this third installment as Ms. Jefferson's writing style has a nice flow, engaging characters, and entertaining interactions. Though this book is the third in the series it's technically the first within the timeline of the series and your reading experience would be enhanced reading it before the others. With the high quality of each book though you'll want to read all of them regardless as Ms. Jefferson is quickly becoming a hidden gem. The interactions between Will and Lilly were utterly delightful with witty banter, a bit of playfulness, and teeming with sensual tension. Both grow and mature to realize what's really important which left me cheering. There's an epic quality to their relationship, with all its twists and turns and emotional intensity, that kept me fully immersed in the journey to a hard-won HEA. Though this story was a bit more intense than the previous installments I still found myself captivated and am left greatly anticipating what comes next.
My rating for this is an A-
*I got this book from the author for review in exchange for my honest opinion.
Jessica Jefferson makes her home in northern Indiana, or as she likes to think of it—almost Chicago. She is heavily inspired by classic sweeping, historical romance novels, but aims to take those key emotional elements and inject a fresh blend of quick dialogue and comedy. She invites you to visit her online and read more of her random romance musings.
TWITTER: https://twitter.com/
AMAZON AUTHOR PAGE: http://www.amazon.com/
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The impressive cover is what I like the most from today’s post.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like such a fun book.
ReplyDeleteGreat review, thank you.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!!!
ReplyDeleteThis review reinforces my desire to buy and read this book!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the review and the excerpt immensely! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI love this cover.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your take on the book & the excerpt!
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