Expected release date: 1/28/25
5*
A beautiful, poignant, friends-to-lovers romance with witty banter full of double entendres, smoking chemistry, and honest vulnerability. In my opinion, this is the most romantic of Liese’s books, and she just keeps getting better at creating characters who are imperfect but perfectly suited for each other.
After escaping from an abusive relationship, Juliet heads to Scotland to heal her psychological wounds. In an adorable meet-cute, she is asked to dance by Will, who she assumes is a ginger-haired giant of a Highlander but turns out to be American. Although there’s an instant spark, she’s not ready for anything romantic. So, after a dance, she says goodbye, never expecting to see him again. Serendipitously, seven months later, she finds him asleep in her mother’s greenhouse, and it turns out he’s Orsino, the best friend of her childhood next-door neighbor and surrogate brother Christopher. Although there’s an obvious attraction and an ease between them, Juliet is fearful of getting involved with another of Christopher’s friends given her disastrous last relationship, and even though she’s ready to start looking for love again, she feels rusty. Will, who is in search of a wife who can be his partner in his family’s distillery and can perhaps come to love him, needs to learn how to flirt and romance a woman. So, the two agree to practice date each other. Over four weekends, what started out as practice begins to feel real, but will they be able to let go of their fears and insecurities?
Juliet, a self-proclaimed romance junkie who loves historical romances and aspires to write them herself, shares with Will that his plan to marry to carry on the family business reminds her of a Duke who doesn’t recognize that his sense of duty shows his capacity for love. As a part of their plan, she urges Will to read some historical romance to get a sense of what women look for in a partner. However, even without benefit of the books, for a shy, autistic guy, he has some really romantic and poetic dialogue with Juliet. When he serenades her underneath his balcony, you can almost hear the collective swoon that’s coming once this book releases in January 2025.
Like all her previous novels, the characters are dealing with disabilities. Juliet has celiac disease and mixed connective tissues disease which causes considerable pain. Will has autism, and struggles with conversation, reading other people’s expressions and meaning, and loud, crowded spaces. Since they both have relatives with similar disabilities, they have a natural empathy and understanding for the difficulties they face. The kindness, caring, and honesty they share is part of what makes this love story so enchanting.
If you’re a fan of the series, you’ll be happy to know that there are many, many scenes with the couples from Books 1 and 2 including Bea and Jamie’s wedding, which is such a treat. So, even though it’s a standalone, I encourage readers to start with Book 1 to get more of Juliet’s backstory. Since it’s not out until January, you have plenty of time. Highly recommended!
I received a complimentary ARC of this book from Berkley through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.
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