#33 (2013/CBR5) "Then Came You" by Lisa Kleypas

The books I'm waiting for at the library have dried up somewhat. I'll probably be inundated in a couple of weeks but for now I'm just waiting. So I decided to read another Lisa Kleypas novel. Then Came You (1993) is something of a prequel to Dreaming of You, which I had just finished. Lily and Alex make some small appearances in Dreaming of You, and I thought it would be fun to read their story.

Lily is one of the few women in London who can do whatever she wants. Left her aunt's fortune, Lily is independent and vivacious. She hunts and gambles (at Derek Craven's gambling club) with the men and flaunts most of the dictates of polite society. Alex is a powerful lord and still grieving the death of his fiance two years ago. He chooses to marry Penelope, Lily's younger sister because she is completely different from his fiance. Penelope is in love with someone else but she is too timid and scared to refuse Alex on her own. Lily comes to her sister's rescue and finds herself in constant conflict with Alex. Alex has to figure out what he wants and Lily has some secrets from her past that add some excitement to the story, but all ends well.

I enjoyed this one even more than the sequel--even though I can't keep the titles straight to save my life. I enjoyed the beginning of the book the most. Lily was very funny and refreshing. Her outrageous confidence and willingness to do anything were very entertaining. The end fell back on more familiar romance territory but it was still well done. Again, if you think about it too much, the whole plot starts to sound somewhat ridiculous, but because Kleypas writes an interesting story and makes the characters so likable, it's not something that bothered me while I was reading.

I'm not sure if I'll make it through all of Kleypas's voluminous selection, but I'll definitely read around to reading a few more.