This is the 10-years-later sequel to Lord Perfect (and Mr. Impossible), featuring the kids from LP. AND IT'S AWESOME AND EVERYTHING I EVER WANTED IN A FOLLOWUP CHARACTER BOOK. This couple (and Dillie from Welcome To Temptation) are my top folks on my list of Books Where I Want A Sequel With The Kids Someday.
So, it's ten years later: Peregrine (now mostly going by "Lisle") has spent most of his time in Egypt, having a blast and getting to stay the hell away from his drama king-n-queen parents. Olivia has been having as much fun as she can squeeze into a restrained single female's existence and going through engagements like water, but she still loves and adores Lisle. However, she'd never interfere with his calling to go to Egypt.
When Lisle briefly (he thinks) returns to England for Great-Grandmama's birthday, he's bowled over by the now-hot Olivia, and they pick up their adventurous friendship, which has mostly been limited to letters for years, up. However, Lisle's arrival annoys one of Olivia's suitors, they get into a fight, and Lisle's crazy parents lay down the law: you do as we want or we cut you off, period. And what they want is for Lisle to go fix up a family castle in Scotland that seems to be having a ghost problem. Olivia, being a master schemer and people-reader par excellance, arranges to go along with him. Chaperoned, of course...by Great-Grandmama's slutty, dirty-talking friends. I'M NOT KIDDING, IT'S HILARIOUS.
(You may wonder, what parents would allow these chaperones to go along with two hot kids on a trip? Well, there is a reason for that you find out halfway...)
And this book is tons and tons of fun. This does the "Uptight Meets Wild" trope in a fabulous manner (again, better than Lord Perfect did). Olivia is tons and tons of fun to read about, and I must have been giggling every 30 seconds from when I started the book. This is the sort of girl who can smartly wheedle you out of a situation...or just throw something at a guy's head. She's awesome and tricksy and brilliant, and Lisle, though he's more on the reasonable side, balances her well and has a crazy side of his own when he's with her. They are beyond adorable. The romance is steamy and fun and has a pretty good balance of "reasons why we shouldn't be together" while still uh, taking into account that it is a romance novel and we know where that's going.
It's lots of fun. I haven't had this much fun since Mr. Impossible. Five stars.
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