Tali Alexander

This love story is uniquely told mostly from the female viewpoint, but it is a look back at how Louis & Emily Bruel fell in love and what their relationship endured to get them to the point where the prologue starts.

I immediately fell in love with Emily Marcus. She had a lot of the same characteristics as i did when I was 18. Sheltered life, no serious relationships yet, and a new object of her infatuations. Emily and her best friend Sara had a great mode of communication - 80s song titles! I love when they have whole conversations and never use anything other than the song titles. I have always wanted a secret language, too!

Emily first "meets" Louis at a cocktail party she agreed to help waitress for her sister's party business. I put meets in quotes because in all honesty, all they did was stare at each other. They never actually spoke! Emily is immediately infatuated and takes a summer job when her brother in law says they would love to have her working for them.....BUT really she just wants to see Louis again.

The relationship starts off with a lot of sneaking around because Louis is 12 years older than Emily, but after just about a week, her whole family knows and loves Louis just like she does. The one thing that irritated me about Louis is when he would call Emily "little girl" because I just felt it was degrading even if she liked it.

Their growing feelings are expressed in great ways in the book. For example, this is what Emily is thinking while Louis is telling her about his family and his business. "When he said a piece of me, I wanted to reach out and touch him. I could listen to him talk for eternity. All he was doing was telling me about himself and here i was becoming more aroused than I'd ever been in my life."

And then not much later, after taking a nap together, Louis tells Emily, "I've never slept better in my life. How am I ever going to sleep without you stretched out by my side? I don't know ... I'm getting slowly addicted to you, Emily Marcus."

Early on, Emily talks with her sister about Louis and his not so pretty past with multiple girls and different experiences that he's had that Emily knows she isn't ever going to give him, especially as a virgin. He comes over to meet her parents and is met with Emily outside telling him it isn't going to work.

"Can I please take you to my house so we can talk this out? Please tell me you trust me enough not to hurt you," he pleaded with me. HIs voice sounded panicked. I couldn't refuse him. I doubt anyone could."

Louis is the typical millionaire, sex crazed man, but when he falls for Emily he totally changes into a "pussy-whipped boy" again. They fell hard and fast and their love was so amazing! Of course, the story wouldn't be good without some drama so Ms. Alexander throws that in there, too.

I totally loved this book and highly recommend it to anyone who wants a story that will stick with you and remind you what true romance is.… (mere)