Just Like Heaven – Julia Quinn

Honoria Smythe-Smith is:

A) a really bad violinist B) still miffed at being nicknamed “Bug” as a child C) not in love with her older brother’s best friend D) all of the above

Marcus Holroyd is:

A) the Earl of Chatteris B) regrettably prone to sprained ankles C) not in love with his best friend’s younger sister D) all of the above

Together they:

A) eat quite a bit of chocolate cake B) survive a deadly fever and the world’s worst musical performance C) fall quite desperately in love

It’s Julia Quinn at her best, so you know the answer is . . .

D) all of the above

Julia Quinn has done it again.  She’s written another book that when I get to the last page (I can’t say close the book since it’s an ebook) I actually have a smile on my face.  

We finally, after many books with the infamous Smythe-Smith Musicale, get to meet some of them.

Honoria, who is the youngest in this branch of Smythe-Smith’s,  is determined to get married.  She is in Cambridge with a few cousins and a friend attending a few lectures at the university in hopes of snaring the attention of one of the men in attendance.  While contemplating her state of unwedded bliss, she gets stuck in a rainstorm and runs into (and running into really means he pulls up dry in a carriage) Marcus Holroyd, her brother Daniel’s best friend.

Marcus, has known Honoria since the days she used to follow he and Daniel around on their adventures.  He promised Daniel (on he way to the continent after a duel gone wrong) that he would watch out for Honoria.  And watch out for her he has.

It’s while watching out for her that he:  ends up spraining his ankle, gets stuck sitting on a log in a down pour, is cut by his valet while getting his boot of said sprained foot, catches a cold, a fever and falls in love.

Marcus, never one for being the center of attention, has never really put himself out there with other people, but as soon as you read the interactions between Honoria and Marcus, you can tell she’s one of the few people he can absolutely just be himself with.  And Honoria, sees who Marcus is (as he says down to his soul).  You can tell the two of them are perfect for each other. 

Of course, before they can get their HEA the fever has to be beaten into submission, the musicale has to be performed and of course the two of them need to tell each other how they really feel.

As an added bonus, we get to see some of the characters we have grown to love in the Bridgerton series.  Lady Danbury is still at it!!!

Wonderful story with wonderful characters.  A must read!