Bonus Post: Under the Kissing Bough

[vintageromancereader]

A kiss was only the first gift

Shy Eleanor Glover is astounded when wickedly handsome Geoffrey Westerly, Lord Staines, asks for her hand. Yet he makes it plain that he wants nothing more than a sensible wife - and a Christmas Eve wedding to please his dying father. With three beautiful sisters and a dearth of suitors herself, Elanor does not refuse - yet she soon fears that despite Geoffrey's generous promise to give her anything her heart desires, he won't offer the one thing she truly wants: his heart.

Eleanor's reserve is a challenge to Geoffrey - he once loved another woman, and believes his passionate nature scared her away. Yet when he finds Eleanor seated beneath a mistletoe bough, tradition demands that he pluck a berry and kiss her. He doesn't anticipate his lovely bride's warm response, but as he wedding draws near, he resolves to present the surprisingly strong-willed Eleanor with a gift far more meaningful than a betrothal ring: his heart.

Original Publisher: Zebra
Original Year of Publication: 2001
Page Count: 222

Exactly as it says on the tin, this is a marriage of convenience (my favorite trope!) between two passionate people who are afraid of what they are stepping into by agreeing to what is basically a business arrangement. Eleanor feels like the invisible sister. She has perfected the art of fading into the background, and absolutely hates being the center of attention (being in a crowded ballroom literally gives her a panic attack). She is astounded when she learns that Lord Staines has offered for her hand in marriage, as she doesn't really know him, and can't understand why such a beautiful blond Adonis would want to tie himself to a little mouse like her.

Being so beautiful is exactly Geoff's problem, though - as mentioned in the blurb, he scared off his previous amour by being passionate with her, and he firmly believes the fault lies with him, because his beautiful Cynthia was the model of perfection. His base desires (and his horrid father) had her fleeing in tears away from him and into the night. She marries the staid local vicar instead, and Geoff can't help but mourn his loss.

His father, the Earl, is dying, but that's nothing new - he's a codgy old man who's been on death's door for most of his life. Its only the fact that his father's physician writes to him and pleads for him to return with a bride on his arm that he listens, and wonders. His mother died when he was a child, and though he doesn't really like him, his father appears to have mere weeks to live. How could he not fulfill his father's dying wish to see his son married?

He chooses Eleanor because she is the opposite of Cynthia. She is a little slip of a girl who is known for being sensible and pragmatic. He quickly discovers that she has a need to rescue pretty much every creature she comes across in need, and he slowly starts to want her to rescue him as well.

Eleanor sees his pain and is drawn to him because of it. She quite quickly falls in love with him, and berates herself for it. Even when the two of them strike a deal that she, also should get something out of their arrangement, she's too fearful to tell him what she actually desires most: for him to love her instead of merely tolerating her.

She tries to fortify herself for a lifetime of loneliness, but the more her feelings develop for him, the more miserable she becomes. Of course, she won't actually open her mouth and say any of this, especially not when they return to Westerly to prepare for the wedding, and she sees the woman who broke her future husband's heart.

Even in the midst of holiday cheer, with both of their families celebrating the season, they find themselves absolutely miserable and unable to speak of it - to each other, or anyone else.

All this misery went on just a bit too long, for my liking, without enough tease of their mutual attraction to counteract it. I did appreciate the fact that this book doesn't fall into easy traps, like having Cynthia be a complete witch, or pairing up siblings from either side with each other, or have the family matchmaking too obvious. I liked that they exchanged their boon and Geoffrey made good on what she asked for, even though it meant changing a HUGE tradition in the village. I even like the fact that their wedding was miserable and both were disappointed by it.

Its not until the end, when they finally admit their fears, that the magic happens. The final scenes of the wedding night and the morning after are absolutely breathtaking, and a perfect example of being able to write an intimate love scene without explicit sex. It gave me those gut-wrenching chills that all great romance strives for, and it almost makes up for all the angst that sags through the middle of the story.

I'm definitely going to give this writer another go - I already have another of her books in my collection.

⭐⭐⭐1/2