Funny story about this one: I was on the library waiting list to get it, but sometimes the waiting lists take awhile. One afternoon I asked my husband to use his good luck (because he was seriously charmed by leprechauns at birth) to send good vibes on me getting the book as soon as possible. An hour later, I got the email saying it was in and waiting for me. Okay, so maybe not a funny story, but still kind of interesting. Sort of.
One-Sentence Synopsis
A girl with severe social anxiety makes up a sweetheart in order to avoid marriage-mart social events by writing letters to an imaginary soldier, never expecting that someone was receiving those letters…and would show up years later to make her give truth to her lies. For a full synopsis, see this book’s Goodreads page.
The Good Stuff
The premise of this book seemed silly, but it worked so well. I was endeared to Maddie because of her social anxiety and I felt for her every time she experienced panic in a crowd of people. It was also sweet that she knew she was lonely, but she couldn’t get over her fear to find someone.
Logan is fairly cold at first, but his reasons for taking advantage of Maddie’s letters are noble. He had a rough childhood and has some abandonment issues, so when Maddie’s last letter told him she was killing him off, the guy turned somewhat bitter. The way he slowly thaws is paced well, and he becomes more likeable as the story progresses.
One of my favorite parts of the book is the hilarity surrounding Maddie’s pet lobsters. I think this stands as my first book in which lobsters were kind of a main character.
The Romance Factor
Maddie does everything she can not to consummate the marriage, and though Logan wants to ensure the marriage is legal and his men are taken care of on the land the marriage would give him, he doesn’t push her. The way he starts to want to take care of her is endearing, and I liked the subtle parallels drawn between them and the lobsters. 4/5
The Steam Factor
The foreplay and sexual tension just keep building, and though they don’t consummate the marriage until later, there’s still a good dose of eroticism in their “interactions.” 5/5
Final Thoughts
Even though I didn’t like it as much I did the second one in the series, it was still a great, fun read. I think I read somewhere there were eight castles. I hope I didn’t misread, because I really want more of this series.
The Romance Factor 