Move over Ms. McPhee and Ms. Poppins.
http://www.eloisajames.com/
Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James reintroduces two characters who were children in
previous books; now they are all grown-up, their hormones are frenzied, and they have a story of their own. You know what that means don’t you? That means not only will there be a lot of hanky-panky but a plethora of secondary characters showing up. I, of course, do not remember these characters. You know I love books which are in a series, but as years go by it is becoming more difficult to remember alllll the people peppering these books – unless, of course, it’s Derek Craven.Anyway, the hero of this story isn’t Derek Craven but Edward Reeve, aka Ward, a bastard son of the Earl of Gryffin. The heroine of this book is Eugenia Snow, the daughter of a Marquess. Eugenia is also a widow and has coped with the pain of losing her husband by running a business. This business employs excellent governesses, some of the bestest governesses in England, maybe in alllll the world. Well, maybe….
It seems that Mr. Edward Reeve, aka Ward, is having trouble keeping governesses who will take care of his two half-siblings, Lizzie and Otis. To say that these two are precocious is an understatement. All the governesses Eugenia has sent Reeve, aka Ward, have run screaming into the countryside. Eloisa James has a wonderful way of bringing children to life in her stories. Sometimes those children are a little bit toooo worldly-wise but in this story they are wonderful characters. In fact, they almost steal the show, especially Lizzie. I found Lizzie’s over dramatic antics very amusing and at the same time filled with poignancy. Well, Reeve/Ward is not amused. He’s worried about his half-siblings and he insists that Ms. Snow make good with her promises.
Of course, this is not a story about the children but a romance book. While the romance is good and sometimes sensual, it is not up to the standard of some of Ms. James' other outstanding stories. I blame the hero for this.
Edward/Reeve/Ward has a lot of preconceived ideas, prejudices, and strong opinions. He is for a long time similar to a horse with blinders. He has tunnel vision. He is so stubborn; his views on what makes a lady a lady are so obstinate. He often chooses the wrong path for the children to travel down. At first I could accept his stubbornness, but it was allowed to go on for far tooooo long – and, I found that irritating. While he eventually did some dandy groveling, his epiphany came too late for me. I also had an issue with the fact that everyone but Edward/Reeve/Ward knew of Eugenia’s aristocratic connection but him. I found that a little hard to believe he wouldn’t somehow have heard of her.
Eugenia, on the other hand, was a charming heroine. Even her Mary Poppins-know-it-all persona was sweet. I thought the chemistry between she and the children was one of the best parts of the book, while on the other hand, the hero was its weakest component.
Overall, this was a fast-paced, fun book, filled with Ms. James enchanting writing. I just wish I hadn’t found the hero so frustrating.
Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
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