WhiskeyintheJar Romance

****Full Review****

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage." Lao-Tzu

Eleanor has sat back and watched her younger sisters set off into the world, have adventures, and fall in love. In her late twenties now, she is considered solidly on the shelf and with the recent marriage of her father Eleanor decides it is time for her adventure. Using an old fortune told to her and her two other adopted sisters by a gypsy that involves the ring given to Eleanor by the nursemaid who perished in the shipwreck that Eleanor and her sisters survived and a mention of a prince, she determines to set off and solve the mystery as to who her parents were. Since Eleanor suffered through a fever that nearly took her life when she was younger, everyone coddles and worries about her health never believing her strong enough, therefore causing her sisters to demand she have an experienced traveler be her guide. It's been eleven years since Eleanor has set eyes on Taliesin, the gypsy boy her vicar father had do chores around the home, educated, and her childhood love. When he shows up for her father's wedding and her sisters suggest he accompany her, Eleanor feels a sense of dread and hope.

"Your heart isn't yours to control, no matter how tight the reign" David Gray

The first two books in The Prince Catchers series scatter enticing little tidbits about Eleanor and Taliesin, touching on how they used to act around each other and now react to hearing each other's name during the eleven years of separation; it is obvious something exists between these two. As Eleanor and Taliesin travel the countryside in search of clues to her parent's identity, little flashbacks are shown to clue the reader in to what happened between them. We get to see the mixture of awe and devotion Taliesin feels for Eleanor, with her fear and infatuation, under the impending doom of society's disapproval. Their challenging of each other is what strengthened Eleanor after her sickness and now galvanizes her on the quest for her parents. These two have an invisible thread that connects them and every time they pull it tight by trying to separate, the reverberations are felt.

"Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart." Haruki Murakami

The pain of Eleanor and Taliesin's longing, tension, and heartbreak is what this story is all about. Eleanor has no idea why Taliesin left eleven years ago when things felt like they were just heating up between them. Her hurt from Taliesin's abandonment at first keeps her tentative but as the anger takes over she starts to push back at him. She appears to have a soft submissive personality but deep in her heart a fire burns which only Taliesin seems to see and through him Eleanor finds the ability to truly be herself. Taliesin has grown the rough exterior required of outcasts but with one look or touch from Eleanor it is shattered. He has anger too, involving why he disappeared and how he feels he isn't good enough for Eleanor. They are both stubborn characters who nevertheless set the room ablaze with their desire for one another.

"Underneath your clothes there’s an endless story. There’s the man I chose. There’s my territory. And all the things I deserve for being such a good girl." Underneath Your Clothes - Shakira

I loved how even though Taliesin strengthens Eleanor, she is the one who becomes the fighter for their relationship pushing Taliesin to face their love. The word chemistry almost seems too weak for these two. They're soulmates without the insta-love; their emotional connection is aptly felt and seen through interactions. Ashe gets a little heavy handed at times with the descriptive words but this couple is guaranteed to make your heart feel like it is too big for your chest. Every time a secondary character comes in to try and wedge between them, every touch and locked gaze will have your toes curling.

Seventy percent or so of this story is about Taliesin and Eleanor's yearning, hurt, and desire for each other and it is magnificent. The remaining, which mostly happens towards the end, involves the revelation of Eleanor's parents and the secret of the ring. While the pace of the story picks up, I missed being spoiled by the thick emotion and high tension. The switch of focuses isn't completely smoothly interwoven but it does wrap up the continuous story arc throughout the series very nicely, especially when some shocking truths are uncovered. People who have read Seduce Me at Sunrise by Lisa Kleypas will notice the similarities in story but I think this book has a deeper heavier emotional tone. Eleanor and Taliesin have the passion, emotion, and heart wrenching relationship that drives this market. I Loved a Rogue is a book not to be missed and is a serious contender for best book of 2015.

P.S. The cover of the book is from a scene in the story!