Forget Me Not

"You really are his Julia, aren't you?"

"His Julia?"

"We've heard stories for years. I don't think even he realizes how often he's spoken of you, how much of the past two decades he's spent worrying about you, how much he's missed you."

Synopsis

Nottinghamsire, 1785

Julia Cummings has long been acquainted with loss-her mother, her brother, her sister, her friend, all gone too soon. But the loss that pushed her grief to the limit as a young girl was that of her best friend, Lucas Jonquil, who abandoned her without looking back. Now, eight years later, Lucas has returned to Lampton Park, and Julia has steeled herself-she will never forgive the man who broke her heart.

After losing too many of his friends and family to early deaths, Lucas vowed to live life to the fullest. And after traversing the world, he has returned from his adventrues to find his family and home much as he left them-except for Julia. The little girl he left behind has blossomed into a captivating lady, a lady who makes it clear she despises him. With little hope of reconciliation, the former friends are blindsided when their parents make a shocking announcement. Lucas and Julia have been betrothed without their knowledge and are to marry immediately. Now Lucas must rely on the help of his closest friends to win the heart of a lady who loathes him-a lady he's coming to love more deeply every day.

Thoughts & Feelings

At the beginning of this year I decided I was going to jump into the world of the Gents, Jonquils, Lancasters, and Huntresses. All together these series currently tally at seventeen books! So taking on this adventure is no small feat. However, I absolutely LOVE these series and reading them in chronological order is a yearly must for me. This year I won't make it through all of them without breaking for another book but I am determined in my adventure.

I read Forget Me Not for the first time back when it released in 2020. I think all of us Sarah M. Eden fans jumped for joy and got a little teary when we learned that Sarah was giving us Lucas and Julia's story. This book was everything I hoped it could be then and it still is after reading it for the third time.

Forget Me Not is one of those stories that you love more and more each time you read it. I still giggle at some of the antics and conversations, my heart still breaks for the losses that Lucas and Julia have gone through, I still love the mental image of Julia walking in the library/book room to meet the Gents for the first time. And this story still makes me get all teary. Even though, and possibly because, I know what's coming. I won't say anymore because there is a possibility that someone reading this doesn't know Lucas and Julia and I refuse to spoil anything. I'll just say that I am more attached to these characters and these families more than is probably healthy.

One of my very favorite things about this story is Julia. She is a fellow redhead which makes my heart so happy. She is not a bully or dull-witted as most redheads in books and movies seem to be. Thank you Sarah, for helping the redheads out there feel seen and finally get a fantastic main character. I love that Julia has that fiery redhead temper. Yes folks, it is a real thing. I love the mental images that Sarah creates from Julia storming through Lampton Park to the wearing of an unconventional wedding gown. Her personality shines bright when the temper comes out. There is also a super soft, sweet, and broken part of Julia. The balance is perfection and helps us really see and understand Julia. It endears her to us and makes us ache for her. Can you tell I love her?

I also love the Gents. This is the group of friends that everyone wishes they had. People that stand beside you come rain or shine, but especially in the rain. They not only band around Lucas but include Julia as well and help her feel loved, included, and part of their mismatched family. The moments with the Gents are so much fun and I love that this group exists. It's something that Lucas and Julia desperately need and I cannot wait to read all about the other Gents finding love.

Book Information

Title: Forget Me Not

Series: The Gents #1

Author: Sarah M. Eden

Release Date: September 2020

Book Tags

Language

clean

Steam Level

clean, kissing scenes

Content & Trigger Warning

As stated in the synopsis Lucas and Julia have both experienced multiple losses within their immediate families. This is a big theme throughout the novel and is talked of often. We get to see that Lucas and Julia still struggle with these losses.