Kiss Me Annabel [Paperback]

This is the second in the Essex sisters series about four beautiful orphaned young women who are sent to England and placed under the guardianship of Rafe Jourdain, the Duke of Holbrook, after the untimely death of their father, a Scottish viscount. Each sister was left a prize racehorse as her only dowry. This book focuses the second sister, Annabel. She is determined to marry a wealthy and titled Englishman, stemming from her impoverished upbringing in Scotland where her reckless father spent all the family's money on horse breeding and racing. She is just at the point of being proposed to by a wealthy but stuffy English lord when Ewan Poley, the very manly Scottish Earl of Ardmore, shows up in London in search of a bride. They are instantly drawn to one another, and Ewan proposes immediately, but Annabel turns him down. She explains that she simply cannot live in Scotland, which holds too many bad memories for her, and that she will marry only a titled Englishman. Annabel neglects to tell Ewan that the main reason she will not marry him is that he is poor. Soon after, however, Annabel and Ewan's lives take an unexpected turn. As the result of a misunderstanding involving her troublesome younger sister Imogen, Annabel is put in a compromising position with Ewan. She must face the prospect of either public disgrace, or of marrying Ewan and giving up her dream of a comfortable life in England.

I enjoyed this story and the humor and drama involving the supporting cast, including Annabel's two younger sisters. Ewan and Annabel's road trip was fun and romantic, and had a nice buildup of sexual tension. Ewan was at times a little clueless, but this did not make him any less charming. However, Annabel's completely unjustified assumption about Ewan towards the end was very annoying. It detracted from the romance and made Annabel's character less attractive. Although the book had a nice ending, it might have been so much better without this unnecessary obstacle. I liked the book's assortment of interesting characters well enough to read the next installments, and will hope for a satisfying road to wedded bliss for Imogen and Josie.

I caution readers to read the first book in the series first because there is a lot references to the plot from that book in this one and you will feel confused if you don't have that background in place first.

In this latest addition to the Essex sister series the story is actually about the third sister, Annabel because of part of the plot for the first book in the series, Much Ado About You, it is not yet time for the second sister to have her own book. Maybe it's just me, but more and more it seems like Eloisa James books are really hit and miss. I say this because the romance between Annabel and the Earl of of Ardmore is a thin plot that never really developed beyond a short novella size romance. Annabel and the Earl never have a strong conflict that needs to be resolved in order to get to their HEA (Happily Ever After). The romance is more less Annabel wants a rich English man and forced to marry what she believes to be a poor Scottish Earl. As our couple heads off for the wild highlands, they come to share a passion between them. Annabel then finds, much to her surprise, that her poor Earl is actually one of the richest men in Scottland.

Anyone who reads romance could see where this plot was going from chapter two on. For the most part this book was way too predictable. After reading this review, you might be wondering why I went with a four star rating. There are two reasons for this: one- the sub characters were good for a few out loud laughs the youngest sisiter, Josie, is very funny and has a great witty personality that makes me exicted for her book. Imogen, the second Essex sister plays such a big part in this book, that at times you aren't sure that it is even about Annabel. Her exploits with Mayne, from the first book, are some of the shinning moments in this book. Reason two- there was no great mystery in this story. Too often these days in romance the mystery plot over shadows the romance, so I am always glad to see a romance that is just that a romance.

Annabel has always known she was beautiful. As she was growing up, she watched her father spend all the family money on his stables, horses and the racetrack. Since she has a head for numbers, she takes the household accounts in hand, and manages the financial aspect of her family's life. One coin could make the difference between eating meat or having beans for dinner. After this childhood, she, naturally, has a fear of poverty and decides that her beauty will compensate for a lack of a real dowry.

As the book opens, Annabel is on the verge of accepting a marriage proposal from exactly the man she is looking for - a titled, pleasant, wealthy man with whom she can have a pleasant, worry-free life. She meets Lord Ardmore - a Scottish earl that is embodiment of everything she DOESN'T want in a future husband. Although intrigued by him and attracted to him, she does not even consider him as a potential suitor and rejects his offer of marriage and his pursuit of her.

Her sister, Imogen, has other plans for Lord Ardmore. Imogen, who is recovering from the death of her young husband, decides to have an affair with Lord Ardmore (without consulting him first!!) and this decision sparks a series of events that lead to Annabel's reputation being damaged. Lord Ardmore immediately proposes marriage, because of the scandal, and she has no choice but to accept. Even though Lord Ardmore has a special license that will allow them to marry immediately, he asks her to wait until they reach Scotland because he there is a specific monk that Ardmore wants to perform their marriage ceremony. She agrees to this and the rest of the story details how they fall in love (and lust) with each other as they travel to Scotland (without being really married) and what they must each overcome to have a happy life together.

The book is wonderfully written, with great secondary characters. The great thing about Eloisa James' novels is that the dialogue and story just flows... you can feel the tension in the air when Imogen and Annabel fight. You can feel how sad the sisters are when gathered around together before Annabel leaves for Scotland. The chemistry between Ardmore and Annabel sizzles (love scenes = steamy hot), as does the chemistry between some of the secondary characters. Josie, the youngest sister, steals every scene she's in - her dialogues are down-right hilarious and I'm really looking forward to her story now (which will be the last one.) Those you that have followed the (mis)adventures of the Earl of Mayne will be happy to see him figure prominently in this book.

I've given it 5 stars because I'm rounding up -- I would really give it 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I would deduct half a star is because, sometimes, James veers too much away from the main characters. As a result, I felt that Annabel and Ardmore were not as well sketched out as they could have been, and that their courtship (during the journey to Scotland) was a bit rushed. The book is set up so every other chapter is about Imogen, and that can be distracting at times because it seems that the book is focusing on Imogen more than Annabel.

Other than that tiny gripe, it is a flawless book & very highly recommended. If you haven't, though, you should read "Much Ado About You" before reading this book. "Kiss Me, Annabel" works as a stand-alone read, but would be more enjoyable, I think, if read as part of the series.