Where Dreams Begin by Lisa Kleypas

There’s nothing like a good romance to put me in my happy place—not to mention whenever I come across a new Lisa Kleypas novel or one I have somehow missed reading, I know I’m in for some masterful storytelling. Fun and fast-paced with a strong plot; characters who are not cookie-cutter one-dimensional but complex three-dimensional with believable flaws and quirks that make them not only endearing but that draw you into their story from the first; and a romance that will make your heart beat faster. 

Story Summary: 

Heroine Lady Holly Taylor has been in mourning for three years and cannot imagine it ever coming to an end. Her marriage was an unusual one. She was in love with her husband, and he with her, and she does not believe she will ever be capable of harboring such deep feeling—or wanting to—for anyone else. Hero Zachary Bronson, a former boxer and now-powerful businessman with ostentatious wealth is most definitely from the wrong side of the tracks no matter what the era, but he is also intelligent and determined to break into the ton’s upper ranks to see his sister launched into society and made a good match on the marriage mart. 

A chance meeting, and a stolen toe-curling kiss in the dark sends Zachary searching for Lady Holly to convince her to temporarily join his household under the pretense of instructing his sister in how to behave like a lady before her debut—as well as throw in a few lessons for him to soften his manner to a more gentlemanly behavior—when what he is really after is to make Holly his wife. Wanting independence from her late husband’s family and unable to resist the outrageous amount of money offered, Holly accepts despite the strong objections of her in-laws, never expecting for her heart to awaken toward another. There is a lot of fun, funny, delicious drama that builds up to the sensuous, fiery romance.