Reviews

Seven Minutes in Heaven by Eloisa James

nlfrey's review against another edition

lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

earthboundcutie's review against another edition

5.0

I really liked this one.

The actual kidnapping didn't happen until

Spoiler

32%

of the way through which wasn't quite what I was expecting (I guess I expected it sooner) but that's okay!!

I really liked Eugenia, she was strong and interesting and new what she wanted. She wasn't too dithering or wishy-washy which was great.

Ward was great. He gave excellent grovel (something which the previous two heros weren't experts at) and the ending was just so frickin lovely and heartfelt I had butterflies.

Really fun plot, and I always love when children are in stories and written well. Lizzie and Otis were interesting, funny, and they added an awesome layer to the story.

jackiepreston's review against another edition

emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

This man did not do enough groveling for her to take him back.

---

Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content and Kidnapping

Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Infidelity, and Death of parent

iskanderjonesiv's review against another edition

4.0

Witty and elusive Eugenia Snowe has all society begging for one of her premiere governesses-except the powerful Edward Reeve, who bursts into her office with his arrogant demands.

No question that Eugenia enjoys crossing wits with the brilliant inventor, but Ward wants far more than a governess. He wants Eugenia, and he’ll stop at nothing to have her-including kidnapping.

Will Eugenia lose her heart in the most reckless gamble of her life, or will she discover the sweetest pleasure she’s ever known?

All it will take is seven minutes...

**

[Read by Susan Duerden]

A dazzling new historical romance in Eloisa James' bestselling Desperate Duchesses series.

Witty and elusive Eugenia Snowe has all society begging for one of her premiere governesses -- except the powerful Edward Reeve, who bursts into her office with his arrogant demands.

No question that Eugenia enjoys crossing wits with the brilliant inventor, but Ward wants far more than a governess. He wants Eugenia, and he'll stop at nothing to have her -- including kidnapping.

Will Eugenia lose her heart in the most reckless gamble of her life, or will she discover the sweetest pleasure she's ever known?

All it will take is seven minutes ...

**

sonja_ahrb's review against another edition

5.0

Seven Minutes in Heaven is the first book by Ms. James that I have read and all I have to say now is that I can't believe it took me so long to pick up one of her books! I have no good excuse for why it took me so long, but you can believe that I'll be making time for the stories that are already out and the ones to come in the future. Seven Minutes in Heaven was positively extraordinary and I wholeheartedly loved it!

Eugenia is everything that I love my heroines to be. She's smart and passionate, classy but sassy, and she's kind and warm. Eugenia is strong, she's independent, she knows who she is and she won't let anybody try to change her. She's a true lady and can be prim and proper when she needs to be, but she knows how to be and have fun too. Eugenia is an amazing woman and there wasn't anything that I didn't love about her!

And while there might be a few times when I wanted to shake or smack Ward, you can't help but love him either. He takes in his siblings, cares so much about them, and only wants the best for them. He's honorable and giving, thoughtful and compassionate, and protective and kind. Ward is charming and fun with Eugenia, he's possessive and it's not hard to see that he loves her, even if does bungle things up a little. Ward is wonderful and he stole my heart from the very beginning and I couldn't fall for him more than I already have!

Despite never having read Ms. James before, I knew that Seven Minutes in Heaven was going to be good, but I had no idea how good! Historical romance is one of my favorite genres, but it's also one of the hardest genres to write, well, in my opinion it is, anyway. It's not always easy to connect to characters that exist in a very different time period with very different rules than the ones we live with today and it's sometimes hard to feel the full effect of the book. There was no such problem with this one though! It was easy to connect and get caught up in Ward and Eugenia's world and everything that comes along with it. It was seamlessly written, flowed beautifully, and burned brightly. It was entertaining, funny, heartwarming, a little heartbreaking, and so full of passion, love, and life. Seven Minutes in Heaven was truly a work of art and I can't tell you how much I loved and enjoyed it!

Seven Minutes in Heaven can be read as a standalone, it's told from mostly Ward and Eugenia's POV, and they do get a happy ending that will leave a smile on your face!

~ Sonja, 5 Stars

nellesnightstand1's review against another edition

I love when authors write the children of previous books into their own stories. I get to see all my favorite characters! The Duke of Villiers was my favorite.

Ward and Eugenia were a perfect match! I was in tears for Eugenia though bc of course Ward had to be an ass at some point.men can't help it!

He was so sweet and caring with his siblings and with her most of the time.

Loved this story! Haven't found an Eloisa James that I haven't liked yet!

bookloverchelle's review against another edition

4.0

After losing her husband, Eugenia has created a business supplying some of the best governesses in London. She meets some pretty challenging kids but none seem more challenging then Ward Reeves' siblings. So much so that Ward kidnaps Eugenia for her help. Ward is attracted to Eugenia but he can't offer her a future. He needs to find a wife in the ton to provide his siblings the best future he can, no matter how he feels about Eugenia. As they spend more time together, Eugenia falls deeper for Ward but he keeps his heart locked away. When Eugenia leaves with her heart in pieces, will Ward finally realize that Eugenia was the only woman for him? I loved the banter not only between Ward and Eugenia but also with Ward's siblings. Great story, fun characters, good read!

ameretet's review against another edition

4.0

Ward was a big ol' dummy throughout most of this book. He didn't even think to look in Debrett's?

tessisreading2's review against another edition

2.0

While I enjoyed the fact that the heroine had a career, the overall effect was to make this seem like one of those romance novels that takes place in a nebulous Regency/Victorian mashup. I hadn't read the previous books in the series so the constant introductions to other couples of books past just got irritating. Additionally, reading this book independently, it was historical in the sense that Ward - who thinks Eugenia is "not a lady" - would indeed be willing to sleep with her but not marry her, but the fact that he

Spoiler

does not propose until he learns otherwise

made him irredeemable in my eyes. No amount of

Spoiler

encouraging her to develop a (second) career

could make up for that. Not one of James' best. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I'd met the main characters as children in previous books and cared what happened to them.

ipomoea's review against another edition

4.0

DAAAAAMMMNNNNN Eloisa, this is dirty as hell and I LOVE IT.

A more coherent review will show up shortly.