★ 01/13/2020
Opposites attract in spectacular fashion in the sixth Victorian-era Romance in bestseller Kleypas’s Ravenel series (after Devil’s Daughter), which pairs a true romantic with a cynical intellectual. Lady Cassandra Ravenel has turned down many proposals, holding out for real feeling. That doesn’t stop railway magnate Tom Severin from asking for her hand within moments of meeting her. Though she ignores his proposal, the shrewd businessman fancies her from just a glance and sees winning her as a thrilling challenge. His pursuit leads the pair to grow close. But when Tom starts to feel more than lust, he abruptly ends their budding friendship to avoid the liability he feels his emotions pose on his cold, calculated life, leaving a smitten Cassandra confused and hurt. They continue to run into each other, and their physical and mental attraction proves too strong to ignore. When one of Cassandra’s scorned suitors slanders her reputation, Tom is determined to protect her. The plot is well-balanced, the pace steady, the characters deliciously complex, and the chemistry electric. Returning readers will also be pleased by cameos from characters from earlier installments. Kleypas fans and first timers alike will fall in love with this refreshing romance. (Feb.)
Lisa Kleypas offers up what just might be the best of the bunch—a charming, amusing, heartfelt tale. Kleypas is a romance gem, a queen among a vast royal court of historical romance authors, and Chasing Cassandra is a welcome star in her brightly twinkling constellation of interstellar romantic achievements.” — Entertainment Weekly
“Spectacular... The plot is well-balanced, the pace steady, the characters deliciously complex, and the chemistry electric. Kleypas fans and first timers alike will fall in love with this refreshing romance.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Kleypas’s dialog sizzles with sexual tension and witty banter, while the enjoyable secondary characters, particularly the tough but sensitive street urchin Bazzle add humor and warmth. Simply delightful. Recommended for all libraries that serve romance readers." — Library Journal (starred review)
“Another breathtakingly romantic and exquisitely sensual love story that is deftly enhanced by the author’s graceful prose and flair for nuanced characterization.” — Booklist
“Sweet, fun and wonderfully charming.” — BookPage
Another breathtakingly romantic and exquisitely sensual love story that is deftly enhanced by the author’s graceful prose and flair for nuanced characterization.
Lisa Kleypas offers up what just might be the best of the bunch—a charming, amusing, heartfelt tale. Kleypas is a romance gem, a queen among a vast royal court of historical romance authors, and Chasing Cassandra is a welcome star in her brightly twinkling constellation of interstellar romantic achievements.
Sweet, fun and wonderfully charming.
Another breathtakingly romantic and exquisitely sensual love story that is deftly enhanced by the author’s graceful prose and flair for nuanced characterization.
04/24/2020
As far as self-made railway magnate Tom Severin is concerned, there are only five feelings worth having, and love isn't one of them. That is, until he meets the lovely Cassandra Ravenel and is instantly smitten. Despite being attracted to the handsome and intriguing Tom (who resembles a love-struck Sherlock as portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch), Cassandra has no interest in marrying a man who declares he can't care for her or anyone else. Still, she's not willing to give up on him, so she assigns him novels that will help him figure out these mysterious "emotions," which Tom reads while hopelessly (and hilariously) missing their point. When Tom reluctantly employs a boy from the slums whom he sees has potential, Cassandra realizes Tom's heart is not as stone cold as he claims. Kleypas's dialog sizzles with sexual tension and witty banter, while the enjoyable secondary characters, particularly the tough but sensitive street urchin Bazzle add humor and warmth. VERDICT Simply delightful. Recommended for all libraries that serve romance readers.—Kathryn Howe, Saint John Free P.L., NB
Narrator Mary Jane Wells draws the listener into the world of the British aristocracy. When wealthy Tom Severin meets Lady Cassandra Ravenel at her sister’s wedding, he feels an immediate attraction. But Severin prides himself on having precisely five emotions, and love is not one of them. Wells voices him with a calm, cool arrogance. Cassandra, on the other hand, wants to marry for love. Wells does an excellent job with the various secondary characters—from Cassandra’s upper-crust family to the young urchin, Basel, whom Severin takes under his wing. When Cassandra’s reputation comes under attack, Severin steps in to save her. As he comes to realize his love for her, Wells brings additional warmth to his character. S.B. 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
Narrator Mary Jane Wells draws the listener into the world of the British aristocracy. When wealthy Tom Severin meets Lady Cassandra Ravenel at her sister’s wedding, he feels an immediate attraction. But Severin prides himself on having precisely five emotions, and love is not one of them. Wells voices him with a calm, cool arrogance. Cassandra, on the other hand, wants to marry for love. Wells does an excellent job with the various secondary characters—from Cassandra’s upper-crust family to the young urchin, Basel, whom Severin takes under his wing. When Cassandra’s reputation comes under attack, Severin steps in to save her. As he comes to realize his love for her, Wells brings additional warmth to his character. S.B. 2021 Audies Finalist © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine
2020-01-27
Can instant attraction become something more for a ruthless railway magnate with a frozen heart?
Tom Severin has fought tooth and nail to raise himself up from the slums of London. His razor-sharp intellect, cunning, and photographic memory have helped him win great political and financial power, even over the noblemen who would sooner spit on him than do business with him. Having proved himself, he feels an inchoate longing for something new, something more. When he overhears a distraught Lady Cassandra Ravenel mourn her failure on the marriage mart, Tom volunteers himself. He’s never been so instantly attracted to anyone in his life and wonders if possessing this beautiful woman might be his ticket out of boredom. Cassandra knows that Tom, a family friend who has appeared in earlier installments of the series, is notoriously devoid of normal human emotion. Unlike the other professionally ambitious heroines in the series, sweet Cassandra wants a conventionally happy domestic life, and she doubts Tom is capable of true love even if she does relish stolen moments with him that set her blood on fire. When his usual tactics fail to win Cassandra, Tom tries to forget her, but “memories of her kept catching at the edge of his consciousness, sparkling like a tenacious strand of Christmas tinsel stuck in the carpet.” A sexual assault late in the novel threatens to destroy Cassandra’s life and reputation, bringing them back together. Despite Kleypas’ (Devil’s Daughter, 2019, etc.) trademark witty banter, fun cameos from previous couples in the series, and two likable protagonists, pacing is an issue. The romance stops and starts, the middle sags, and Tom and Cassandra do not spend enough time together for their love to be entirely convincing.
Will delight Kleypas fans even if it leaves them wanting more.
