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Author Reviews
Love According To Lily
Julianne MacLean
ISBN# 0060597291
Avon, August 2005, 384 Pages
Historical Romance-Victorian
$5.99 (U.S) $7.99 (CDN)
Reviewed by Laurel
June 2005
Since the time Lady Lily Langdon was a child, she had a crush on Lord Whitby, her brother James' nearest and dearest friend. She used to have him chase her around the gardens as a child to play hide and seek. Now a woman, her crush has turned into love and Lord Whitby looks at her like a sister, which causes her heart to break piece by piece. When a mysterious illness puts Lord Whitby near death she is greatly concerned about him. After the Dr’s examination he concludes that he is suffering from Hodgkin’s and advises him to put his affairs in order. Lily is shocked and saddened that she may be losing the love of her life before she even had him. Putting a daring plan in place, she wants to ensure a piece of Whitby will remain long after he passes on.
Edward Wallis, Earl of Whitby believes he is suffering from the same disease that killed his father, Hodgkin’s disease. Trying to put his affairs in order before he passes away he is remorseful that his title will pass on to his cousin Magnus upon his death and fears for his sister Annabelle’s safety once he has passed on. He is stunned and shocked that the girl he has thought of as a sister all these years offers to sacrifice her virginity for him in the hopes that she can give him an heir and therefore protect his sister and fortune at the same time. Whitby is not sure what is more terrifying, the thought of dying, or the lustful thoughts that are beginning to creep in his mind of Lily and the surprising determination he displays to make her his.
Giving into temptation Lily seduces Whitby and they spend a passion filled night of exploration and lust. In the morning it is determined that Lily and Whitby will marry and spend the last of Whitby’s days in happiness with no thought to the future. This did not sit well with Lily’s mother and caused a rift between her and Lily. I found it very selfish on the mother’s part but given the times it was an apt and accurate display of anger and feeling of being let down and losing the dream of all you aspired for and all that your daughter can achieve. When Whitby recovers and his disease appears to be in remission they face a whole new set of problems, a marriage he never really wanted and a wife that is pregnant. Now Whitby must put his fears behind him and look to a future. One he had not planned, that involved protecting his wife and ensuring his heir will be born.
I have watched and read Julianne MacLean grow as a writer, she masterfully kept me on the edge of my seat and had me thinking things that never came to fruition in this novel. I was sure that Whitby was being poisoned and further thought, when Lily came down sick shortly after moving in Whitby’s home, that this was so and mentally started going through the characters of who would have the most to gain, outside of Magnus. How surprised I was when I neared the end of the novel and it was not even mentioned proving my mind is always looking for the bad guy in a novel even when they do not exist. The author’s note is where I learned what afflicted both Lily and Whitby.
Love According To Lily is well written, having read about Lily in previous novels I was looking forward to her story and if she would get her happily ever after with the man she loved. Whitby is a character that at times frustrated me but the author provided reasons to his thinking that justified his reactions, his emotions and even his anger that it made perfect sense for him to react the way he did in portions of this novel. I further found it refreshing that the characters confronted their problems head on and did not let it linger through out the novel. They both grew and learned from the heated confrontations and their marriage truly blossomed when it was all said and done. There is one scene in this book that did have me going now why did she choose this for Lily? I felt sorry for Lily and the pain she was going through but it gave an insight into medical procedures back in the day and also proved to be the catalysis of the novel that went to repairing the relationships, making them stronger and healthier.
Love According To Lily is Lily’s story. The one we have waited for; if you’re a fan of Julianne MacLean you will be surprised and happy. If you are new to her novels you will be looking for more. Julianne MacLean has come far in her writing career; she has grown as an author. She writes out of the norm and tackles issues you do not see all that often in Romance Novels, making her a refreshing and delightful author to read.