Reading the author note at the beginning from JQ about how she doesn’t believe in love at first sight, hit the nail on the head for myself as a person and a reader. Although it sounds lovely with flowers and sparkles all around, it’s only fairy tales. But in JQ fashion she made me believe in love at first sight while and after reading Everything and The Moon. I enjoyed this book greatly and had a hard time putting it down. JQ has a way of making her heroes sweet, kind, tough when need be and so many other things, then having to make them all bad ass alpha male. Robert Kemble, the Earl of Macclesfield is just that. He can’t believe he fell in love with Victoria at first sight, as he have a keen mind on science, but knows he’s never felt this way before and just embraces the feeling. It also tears at your heart when you see both Roberts and Victoria’s fathers tear them apart. For the next seven years Robert is in a sort of limbo not feeling anything. While Victoria goes through the same type of emotions. She to couldn’t understand how intune she was to Robert when they first met as they get to know one another they just fall more in love with one another. But fate and her father play their role to tear the pair apart for seven years. Seven lonely years for Victoria as a governess not, seeing her sister or father and having to deal with rude and mean employers. When she sees Robert again, all she wants is to be left alone, while Robert wants his revenge. Thankfully, both their plans go awry, as the slowly fall in love with one another all over again. This isn’t a easy road. Both have a lot of pain and truths they have to face, some events makes your heart ache for the two, while at the same time JQ makes you laugh at the banter and cheer for them to reach their HEA. Robert is the one whom is steadfast when he learns the truth about what happen that night. He doesn’t give up on Victoria even though he wants to ring her neck many of times. I loved Robert steadfastness, and just how he believed in the face of odds stacked against him. I want to marry a man like Robert that’s for sure! I did have some trouble with Victoria, while I liked her greatly, I got tried of her pushing Robert away. But for her, her reasons were pretty sound, I understood where she was coming from, but it took a long time for her to see the truth for herself. This I felt kinda slowed down the story. But with the added secondary characters and humor it didn’t drag it for long. The true beauty of the story was seeing these two wonderful people not give up on one another, and watch them fall in love with one another all over again...Overall: Watching these two fall in love with one another not once but twice and seeing their HEA was well worth it, and JQ was very right and more, after reading Everything and The Moon, I now believe in Love at First!
This is a story of an earl's son Robert and a vicar's daughter Victoria that find love despite being torn apart by their parents when they were very young because of differences in class.They mistrust each other because of lies of their families and miscommunications. They meet seven years later, never forgetting their first love and the hurt of (perceived) betrayal.The first two thirds of this book is a solid five. They fall in young love and it's so sweet and unfair to see them taken away from each other. They meet again and Victoria is now a governess. They don't trust each other at first but start falling in love again anyway. They find out what really happened in the past and that neither one of them betrayed the other. This is where the book goes wrong. The obstacles against them were very real, and when they find out the truth Victoria brings up a bunch of reasons that don't make much sense on why they can't be together. She comes off as a little ridiculous and it gets frustrating.Some people don't like this book because it's overly sentimental, but I think that it's one of the strengths of the book. It has love at first sight at the beginning of the book, which I tend to roll my eyes at but the beginning of the bookwas actually my favorite part.
What do You think about Everything And The Moon (2003)?
Up until Chapter 11, I was head over heels madly in love with this book. The young couple who were so madly in love with each other but torn apart by a misunderstanding (on both ends)... tragic! Then seeing them meet up again 7 years later only to have him break her heart a second time... and then he finds out the truth?! GAH! It was amazing. The stuff legendary romance is made of! I laughed, I even teared up a bit! Then we got to chapter 11. I was curious how she was going to fill 200 or so more pages when we got to this point, and I felt really let down. I really didn't like how the guy forced his attentions on her, and I really hated what he ultimately did to 'catch' her. The blame wasn't all his though - I couldn't wrap my head around why the heroine was so sure she didn't want him. Wouldn't even consider him. Yeah, I get that her heart was broken by him, and yes there is a great line about him giving her the moon then pushing her off of it... still. It didn't quite fit for me. There are some parts I really did NOT like... I can't say more without spoiling so just imagine me with a death glare and steam from my ears. It ended up ok in the end I guess, but I never felt like I understood fully the 'why'. Ah well, I still adore Julia Quinn and will continue my path through her back-list of titles.
—May
This one will not be on my favorite Quinn book list, but still worth the read especially if you’re a Quinn fan. The beginning was a great young love intro and then later you do feel for the years the h/h lost due to their meddling fathers. For me though, Victoria’s hesitation and playing hard to get antics (even after it seems obvious that Robert is sincere in his affections) was somewhat annoying. Surprisingly, one of my favorite parts of this book was the strained relationship and reconciliation between Robert and his father.
—Anna D.
What a delightful story this turned out to be. I wasn't so sure at first. It seemed that rather than being in love, it was just infatuation. They seemed so immature. But as the story progressed I realized how deep Victoria and Robert's feelings were for each other. Their plans were thwarted by each of their fathers in different ways which led to estrangement between the h/h and between each of them and their fathers for a period of seven years. Then they accidentally were reunited which is when the real story began.It got a bit frustrating that Victoria kept fighting her feelings so strongly for so long. I would have thought any normal man would have given up on her. But, of course, he didn't. We would have had no story otherwise.Very satisfying HEA, all in all.
—Dawn
