As romance novels go, this is one of the best I've read in the genre! So I know there's always a happy ending, but it was one hell of a ride to get there! This is a book that for me let me forget about time, upon finishing it I discovered it was already 2:15 AM and I had to get up at 7 AM... Callie has reached the age that in that time you'd be considered bordering on spinster and has never been kissed. The few suitors she had, she rejected because she did not love them and the fact that they were only after her dowry. She leads a life as a wallflower, watching from the sidelines at the balls, meanwhile dreaming of the love she reads about in novels.
Gabriel St. John is surprised to one night find her in his bedroom with a proposition, in exchange for a kiss, Callie will tutor his recently discovered half-sister so she will be ready for London society. Gabriel doesn't believe in love after seeing his father die from a broken heart after his mother left them when he was about 10 years old.
Of course there can never be such a thing as just one kiss. Especially when Callie throws herself in all kinds of situations unsuitable for a lady because she wants to break out of her proper life and have some adventures of her own.
I love how in this book the saying 'you don't love a woman because she's beautiful, she's beautiful because you love her' goes a long way. The tension between Callie and Gabriel was amazing and sometimes I wanted to scream at them to figure it out, there were some major misunderstandings, especially towards the end. They're both really likeable characters and the story seemed to flow naturally.
And I cried, and the ones I cry at are always the best in my opinion.
So all in all, I'm giving this one of the highest ratings, because in this genre it was one of the best I've read. If you're looking for a good romance novel, look no further!
My rating: 5 stars