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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
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!
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 made him irredeemable in my eyes. No amount of 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.
Spoiler
does not propose until he learns otherwiseSpoiler
encouraging her to develop a (second) careeripomoea'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.
A more coherent review will show up shortly.
balletbookworm's review against another edition
5.0
Seven Minutes is a novel that brings together all the best of Eloisa James's writing talents: snappy, rapier-sharp dialogue, smart women, family dynamics, creative love scenes, grand gestures, and a healthy sprinkling of English playwriting. And cute animals. Eugenia's side of story was a perhaps a shade too Insta-Lusty for my usual taste, it did work for a woman who keeps her sensual side tightly controlled. I loved the appearance of the Duke of Villiers, one of the best heroes (anti-hero? Cupid? At times) ever created. (Actually, nearly every one of Eloisa's Desperate Duchess couples appears or is mentioned at some point.)
Almost all of my favorite scenes involved Eugenia and Ward's little sister Lizzie quoting bits of Restoration drama and Shakespeare at one another. Eloisa's day job has always snuck into her books in various ways and it makes them so very fun to read.
I think, although I might be wrong, that this is a novel that works best if you have read Duchess by Night, Desperate Duchesses, and A Duke of Her Own. Because even though certain things are explained through out the course of Seven Minutes, there's a resonant effect that's missing if you haven't. Eugenia is too proper in public and Ward too aggressively you-can't-hurt-me-if-I-don't-let-you as over-reactions to their childhoods. You don't get the full spectrum of Lisette unless you read her on the page (and this book gives some rather frightening dimensions to her behavior in A Duke of Her Own).
Almost all of my favorite scenes involved Eugenia and Ward's little sister Lizzie quoting bits of Restoration drama and Shakespeare at one another. Eloisa's day job has always snuck into her books in various ways and it makes them so very fun to read.
I think, although I might be wrong, that this is a novel that works best if you have read Duchess by Night, Desperate Duchesses, and A Duke of Her Own. Because even though certain things are explained through out the course of Seven Minutes, there's a resonant effect that's missing if you haven't. Eugenia is too proper in public and Ward too aggressively you-can't-hurt-me-if-I-don't-let-you as over-reactions to their childhoods. You don't get the full spectrum of Lisette unless you read her on the page (and this book gives some rather frightening dimensions to her behavior in A Duke of Her Own).
winterreader40's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars
Eugenia(daughter from book 4 of the desperate duchesses series) who runs a governess agency, even though she's a lady, is confronted by Ward(ex fiancée from book 2 of this series) after he fires the governess she sent him, which is unheard of, he demands that she send him another explaining the various oddities and habits of his half siblings. Normally she wouldn't give someone another chance but once she realizes how misguided her first choice was she agrees to send another. After the second failure and based on his attraction to Eugenia he kidnaps her to help his siblings and to have an affair if she is agreeable.
I honestly didn't really care what happened to any of these people but because I did like them all in the previous books they showed up in I finished this hoping for the best and unfortunately for me this was a dud.
Eugenia(daughter from book 4 of the desperate duchesses series) who runs a governess agency, even though she's a lady, is confronted by Ward(ex fiancée from book 2 of this series) after he fires the governess she sent him, which is unheard of, he demands that she send him another explaining the various oddities and habits of his half siblings. Normally she wouldn't give someone another chance but once she realizes how misguided her first choice was she agrees to send another. After the second failure and based on his attraction to Eugenia he kidnaps her to help his siblings and to have an affair if she is agreeable.
I honestly didn't really care what happened to any of these people but because I did like them all in the previous books they showed up in I finished this hoping for the best and unfortunately for me this was a dud.
nellesnightstand'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!
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!
cammmiam's review against another edition
DNF -- February 2017
This is bad. The characters are so horny that their inner monologue is lustful every other paragraph. This becomes a problem when their sex drive overrides their character; I could not get a feel for these two at all and was not drawn in. Ward also came off heavy handed with what was essentially abduction and inner proclamations that Eugenia is his.
This is bad. The characters are so horny that their inner monologue is lustful every other paragraph. This becomes a problem when their sex drive overrides their character; I could not get a feel for these two at all and was not drawn in. Ward also came off heavy handed with what was essentially abduction and inner proclamations that Eugenia is his.