Perfect Ending to a Sublime Series!
Let's just say that the only thing wrong with this story is that it ended. Julie Anne Long gave us a love story worthy of the build up of it in the books proceeding it. Amazing! I will begin by saying that I love this series. The Pennyroyal Green stories have all been amazing. Julie Anne Long (JAL) is the QUEEN of creating palpable, believable star crossed lovers. A lot of writers try to do this. These lovers see each other and are struck dumb and just can't wait to get their hands on each other. But no one does it like JAL. And what she also does is allow the characters to get to know each other before the relationship turns physical. They are drawn to more than a pretty face or a handsome profile. And the romance is OFF the charts H.O.T.! Let me get to the actual review.
Followers of this series have been hearing about about the noticeably and mysteriously absent Lyon Redmond. He is always mentioned in conjunction to the equally mysterious and unreadable Olivia Eversea. But, all we know is that something drove Lyon away, and the stories hint that it had to do with Olivia. We never hear a firsthand account from Olivia or Lyon. We just know that there was a romantic involvement that ended when Lyon disappeared. Olivia is depicted as a heart breaker disguising herself as a quiet innocent. She also has rejected every suitor who has approached her. In The Legend of Lyon Redmond, we finally get to know what happened with these two. The story did not disappoint. It was perfectly fraught with excitement, anxiety, angst, bitterness, joy, and of course boiling levels of sexual tension.
We get to see these two meet, fall in love and then lose it all. The story begins with Olivia. She has finally agreed to a suitors proposal and is preparing for the run up to her wedding. Lyon has gotten word that she getting married and devises a plan to get what he calls his "reckoning".
Their love story is beautiful and epic. I would normally roll my eyes at phrases like "born to love you"...but here I just clutched my heart and sighed. This, in my opinion is the best of the series. My all time favorite "How The Marquess Was Won" has been dethroned. It was such a satisfying conclusion to the story and we got to see glimpses of all of the couples from the series.
I loved every second of this story. Also, the story goes back and forth between the present and 5 years in the past. This plot device normally really annoys and sometimes even confuses me. Not here. It is done masterfully and in a sequence that makes sense. I have been in such a Historical Romance slump and this has revived my love for the genre. The epilogue is wonderful. I hope it is a hint a new series (contemporary but also about Pennyroyal Green). PLEASE let it mean that! If you have loved the other books in the series, then you will be enchanted with this one.
