WhiskeyintheJar Romance

This book had me at hello, great beginning. When Captain Doom says with a hand flat over his chest. "Your mistake, man," he said softly. "The little wench damn near got my heart." I do believe folks this is called foreshadowing.

I delight in stories where the characters conflict with each other and you can literately see as you read the characters change, grow, and come together. I can already sense Lucy is going to have a lot of growing up to do and I can't wait to see how Gerard pushes her into it.

Medeiros does a spectacular job of showing how Gerard brings Lucy alive.
Oooh loved the scene where Gerard and Lucy have supper in the carriage and Gerard's game of teasing Lucy backfires and she tells him "Why Mr. Claremont your spectacles are fogging up."

Truly heartbreaking when Lucy is confided to her room and looks out her window to see Gerard watching her window leaning against a tree in the wind. She lays her palm against the window and simply says "Good morning Mr. Claremont"

The dancing around each other is so delightful to read. Lucy constantly pushing, poking, and trying Gerard's patience in subtle ways and Gerard's constant fight to stay diligent in avoidance of any feelings for her. This is where the story really comes alive for me; Lucy and Gerard's battle to stay apart and together.

The scene where Lucy tells Gerard she loves him is completely perfect, with the cheroot falling out of his mouth to him walking away, and finally with Lucy whispering "Was it something I said?" to herself. You want to laugh but strangely at the same time your heart is bleeding for this couple.

Sometimes I was restless at the stalemate Lucy and Gerard seemed to be at. I thought it was going to be cured by the addition of Gerard's brother Kevin, and what a delight he was, but he didn't end up playing a large enough role. (Did Medeiros ever make a sequel with Kevin?)

There did come a point were I groaned with frustration, how many times can a couple be interrupted when they keep waiting so long to get together?
I couldn't help thinking "oh shit" when Lucy's father kills Gerard's man sent over to negotiate a deal. Gerard has to retaliate, even Kevin steps in front of him but to no avail, but then when Gerard kicks the door down to get to Lucy I found myself holding my breath because maybe just maybe this could be a good thing and finally something can be resolved between these two.

Now this was a story! The kind where you read the last page then sigh and sit there for a couple seconds digesting what you just read. The first part of the book had a lot of bittersweet poignancy for me and was terrific. The second part of the book did get a little long. I would have liked the courtroom scene to have come about earlier. However, even with this small complaint, this is a book you experience and savor not just read, toss away, and forget. Can you say Keeper?