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A review by upturnedroots
Chasing Cassandra by Lisa Kleypas
5.0
“Troubled are they who want the world, troubled are they who have it.”
Maybe if he read enough novels about the problems of fictional people, he might find some clue about how to solve his own.
"I want a few minutes of infinity with you."
Okay, here I am, again, to say, no surprise, Severin and Cassandra are ALSO my favorites. This book definitely had more of that fairytale feel that I loved in Pandora and Gabriel's story, and it was so CUTE without being trite or overdone (I mean there's a moonlight waltz in a conservatory, and a shoe rescue, along with the obviously Cinderella-esque cover and references in the story, come on).
Tom and Cassandra's dynamic also reminded me of Raven and Clara's banter in another one of my favorite historical romances, Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase.
You're talking about your feelings. It's me, remember?
In fact, Mr. Severin possessed a kind of contained energy that reminded her a little of Pandora. One could see it in the eyes, the quicksilver workings of a mind that ran faster than those of other people.
It's endearing how these scientific, logical, and mathematically inclined minds put their emotions into simple direct language, even before they recognize it as such, and it just means so much more, knowing how much of their tortured backstory was necessary to overcome to do so. were highlights of both stories, so I won't say more on the subject here; you'll just have to read both for yourself.
Tom's character seems to be modeled slightly on Sherlock Holmes, in my opinion; though in my mind I interpreted his character as slightly like Tom Ellis's Lucifer , minus all the flirtation/innuendo/seduction and other qualities that plague alpha heroes. This was perfect for a reader like me that hates aggressively alpha dudes and their cringe-worthy dialogue. Tom's backstory of making his own way in the world is compelling and heartbreaking. It really gives you a sense for his insecurities and anxieties. That makes his character seem believable even though he's supposed to be this ruthless negotiator, brilliant engineer, and business magnate.
You’re laughing at me.
No, I’m laughing with you, but in a slightly superior way.
At first I thought this meant that we were going to get more character depth with Tom at the expense of Cassandra and she would just be a device to let us see all his good qualities, but I'm happy that wasn't the case. I liked the way she was direct and sharp enough to see when he wasn't truly saying what he meant and that she called him out on obfuscating or being oblique, especially in terms of Bazzle's character and what that meant for him. I do think we could have done with a bit more of that famous Ravenel temper from Cassandra's character to really make her more three-dimensional and not just the calmer counterpart to Pandora. After all, it's been talked about so much in these books that it should have been a prominent trait for Cassandra as it is in all the other Ravenels. She does reference it in terms of Ravenels not knowing when to stop arguing, but we don't really see that in any of her interactions in the book. She's usually very put together.
I also thought the pace of Cassandra and Tom's relationship was realistic too. They both grew to be each other's even matches, and I loved that element of it. Their frank dialogue added a grounding element of reality that made this story compelling and three-dimensional. I especially enjoyed that Tom and Cassandra started as friends first, over books, and then confidants, and this was nice. I kept waiting nervously for that "big misunderstanding" to happen but it didn't, so in that way the unpredictability of this novel's pacing was refreshing too.
Of course, we also have our stellar characters from previous novels in the series back, and I loved all of these top-notch family dynamics:
Pandora and Gabriel: "Do men really talk about women that way?" "Men, no. Arsewits, yes."
Pandora and Cassandra, so many touching sister moments: "If you felt pain, I wanted to share it with you. That's what sisters do." I loved Pandora's instant support and kinship with Severin too.
I loved Phoebe's wise counseling moments to Tom.
West is still the best too, and how sweet was it when Justin:
"I'm older than him on the inside, by decades. My soul is a raisin."
West rolled his eyes and gave Devon a reassigned glance.
"He's always had it," he said flatly. "That thing women like."
"What thing?" Devon asked.
"The secret, mysterious thing I've always wished someone would explain so we could pretend to have it too."
“There's no such thing as an old maid."
"Wh-what woould you call a middle-aged lady who's never married?"
"A woman with standards?”
“I didn’t think you were superstitious,” Tom protested. “You believe in science.”
West grinned at him. “I’m a farmer, Severin. When it comes to superstitions, farmers lead the pack."
"You're going to start a town?" Kathleen asked blankly.
"For the love of God," West said, "don't name it after yourself."
"I'll leave the two of you to your negotiating. If that's what we're calling it."
Maybe if he read enough novels about the problems of fictional people, he might find some clue about how to solve his own.
"I want a few minutes of infinity with you."
Okay, here I am, again, to say, no surprise, Severin and Cassandra are ALSO my favorites. This book definitely had more of that fairytale feel that I loved in Pandora and Gabriel's story, and it was so CUTE without being trite or overdone (I mean there's a moonlight waltz in a conservatory, and a shoe rescue, along with the obviously Cinderella-esque cover and references in the story, come on).
Tom and Cassandra's dynamic also reminded me of Raven and Clara's banter in another one of my favorite historical romances, Dukes Prefer Blondes by Loretta Chase.
You're talking about your feelings. It's me, remember?
In fact, Mr. Severin possessed a kind of contained energy that reminded her a little of Pandora. One could see it in the eyes, the quicksilver workings of a mind that ran faster than those of other people.
It's endearing how these scientific, logical, and mathematically inclined minds put their emotions into simple direct language, even before they recognize it as such, and it just means so much more, knowing how much of their tortured backstory was necessary to overcome to do so.
Spoiler
Raven's trial and Severin's contractTom's character seems to be modeled slightly on Sherlock Holmes, in my opinion; though in my mind I interpreted his character as slightly like Tom Ellis's Lucifer , minus all the flirtation/innuendo/seduction and other qualities that plague alpha heroes. This was perfect for a reader like me that hates aggressively alpha dudes and their cringe-worthy dialogue. Tom's backstory of making his own way in the world is compelling and heartbreaking. It really gives you a sense for his insecurities and anxieties. That makes his character seem believable even though he's supposed to be this ruthless negotiator, brilliant engineer, and business magnate.
You’re laughing at me.
No, I’m laughing with you, but in a slightly superior way.
At first I thought this meant that we were going to get more character depth with Tom at the expense of Cassandra and she would just be a device to let us see all his good qualities, but I'm happy that wasn't the case. I liked the way she was direct and sharp enough to see when he wasn't truly saying what he meant and that she called him out on obfuscating or being oblique, especially in terms of Bazzle's character and what that meant for him. I do think we could have done with a bit more of that famous Ravenel temper from Cassandra's character to really make her more three-dimensional and not just the calmer counterpart to Pandora. After all, it's been talked about so much in these books that it should have been a prominent trait for Cassandra as it is in all the other Ravenels. She does reference it in terms of Ravenels not knowing when to stop arguing, but we don't really see that in any of her interactions in the book. She's usually very put together.
I also thought the pace of Cassandra and Tom's relationship was realistic too. They both grew to be each other's even matches, and I loved that element of it. Their frank dialogue added a grounding element of reality that made this story compelling and three-dimensional. I especially enjoyed that Tom and Cassandra started as friends first, over books, and then confidants, and this was nice. I kept waiting nervously for that "big misunderstanding" to happen but it didn't, so in that way the unpredictability of this novel's pacing was refreshing too.
Of course, we also have our stellar characters from previous novels in the series back, and I loved all of these top-notch family dynamics:
Pandora and Gabriel: "Do men really talk about women that way?" "Men, no. Arsewits, yes."
Pandora and Cassandra, so many touching sister moments: "If you felt pain, I wanted to share it with you. That's what sisters do." I loved Pandora's instant support and kinship with Severin too.
I loved Phoebe's wise counseling moments to Tom.
West is still the best too, and how sweet was it when Justin
Spoiler
called him Dad?! Just lovely."I'm older than him on the inside, by decades. My soul is a raisin."
West rolled his eyes and gave Devon a reassigned glance.
"He's always had it," he said flatly. "That thing women like."
"What thing?" Devon asked.
"The secret, mysterious thing I've always wished someone would explain so we could pretend to have it too."
“There's no such thing as an old maid."
"Wh-what woould you call a middle-aged lady who's never married?"
"A woman with standards?”
“I didn’t think you were superstitious,” Tom protested. “You believe in science.”
West grinned at him. “I’m a farmer, Severin. When it comes to superstitions, farmers lead the pack."
"You're going to start a town?" Kathleen asked blankly.
"For the love of God," West said, "don't name it after yourself."
"I'll leave the two of you to your negotiating. If that's what we're calling it."