I don't like amnesia trope because it's often implemented unoriginally. BUT I think this book has possibly the best instance of amnesia trope I've read and it's all because Thomas is one of the best historical romance writers. With that said, I can tell this book was coming to the end of Thomas's romance writing. There is an unevenness here that feels exhausted? And Helena's story could have used some flashbacks (it's my word of the year and iykyk) which Thomas EXCELS at. Anyway, even with these criticisms, I'd take this over almost any current historical romance. ( )

3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. The characters were foolish sometimes, but overall I'd say I liked them (the hero more than the heroine, but the hero really did shoot himself in the foot a bunch of times. He impressed me at other times too though). With the unrequited love, 'other man', and amnesia this could have been a mess, but I feel like it was well executed. ( )

I didn't like Helena much in the previous book and she's worse in her own book. She should be a good heroine, running her own publishing company and fairly independent, but she's decided she's in love with a milquetoast married man, so her vaunted independence doesn't mean much when she goes along with all his wishes. This includes not having sex since... you know, I don't really know why since they're sneaking around together anyway.
The hero David starts out okay. He's been in unrequited love with Helena forever which means he's the boy who dips her pigtails in the inkwell metaphorically and never progressed past that stage. His inability to grow up wears on the reader after a while.
So we have two meh characters and a fantastical plot. I did like how David cares for his illegitimate daughter, but otherwise, not my favorite Sherry Thomas book. ( )

This was a good read, but I don’t think it should be read as a standalone. Even though we’ve gotten a lot of backstory in the previous books, I still don’t really like Helena as a heroine at all. I’m glad that David’s love doesn’t have to be so horribly unrequited anymore, but it seemed like there was something missing with her that was never found. ( )

It's weird I don't have a jackass shelf, considering the jackass hero is one of my favorites. By jackass I mean in a fond, ridiculous way "selfish and / or immature asshole" *winks at Jack Talent & Joshua Templeman*

Friends, they are my favorite kind. The stupid, immature oddly sensitive yet super defensive heroes. (Or some of my favorite anyway). The ones with their who would die for their beloveds but make her think (or sometimes out of fear I suppose) his head is shoved so far up his ass he no longer makes good sense. Hastings was one of them. In fact, I haven't read many reviews past opening paragraphs, but if there's a problem to be had with the amnesia plot and it manipulation, that's not my problem with the hero. I have more of a problem that he lay in wait for Helena to screw up so he could pounce in the most self-centered way possible. But, I also don't blame him for it. It is his sheer and utter desperation for her-revealed bit by bit that makes you understand how heavy and bright the flame he holds for her is. And she hates him for it. We can understand that too-there were 1,000 different ways to solve a problem, and he took the one that most suited him.

And then she got amnesia. It sounds contrived. It sounds easy. But it most certainly did not feel that way. What it gave them was a clean slate. On that slate, he still drew their history (albeit a simplified version) and remained forthright. And underneath his jackass exterior, he was a marshmallow of a hero who'd been planning for her forever. Kind of creepy when I say it that way, kind of sad when you read how clueless she is and how she always assumed the worst of him (and that was his own doing since the worst is often what her gave her).

The relationships and family really made this book work and made it convincing. In isolation, Hastings wouldn't have come off the right way. And as usual, Helena is to die for-with a different kind of spirit and strength than the heroines of the prior two. In the end, much like the two I mention there above, his tender heart is revealed, and it is wonderful. ( )