The More I See You by Lynn Kurland

The More I See You

(De Piaget Book #8)
by Lynn Kurland

Genre: Historical Romance | Time Travel

A wish upon a star transports the luckless-in-love Jessica Blakely back in time to the thirteenth century, but her desire for a fair and gallant knight yields the fearsome Richard de Galtres. Though wary of Jessica’s mysterious ways, Richard protectively harbors her in his castle by the sea. Though her stubborn will nearly drives him mad, the very sight of her puts a smile on a face that has known too few. And when Jessica’s tender desire pierces the armor around his heart, Richard fears he may never be able to recover – or resist…

Jessica eagerly accepts a month long trip to England (on a university faculty sabbatical) with her blind date, Mr. Stafford III, in hopes of having a "vacation from her life" and "a chance to get some perspective on the Big Picture" (pg 10) Except shortly into her trip, she makes a wish for "a man who would love her as much as he loved himself" (pg 19) and instead of finding herself among manicured bushes in an English garden, she emerges from a fog in the year 1260 at Burwyck-on-the-Sea. Adjusting to a Medieval lifestyle is harder then she expected; especially when she has to deal with Richard de Galtres's stubbornness, preconceptions of women duties (i.e. sewing & cooking...something Jessica knows nothing of), and the lack of music. If this is to become Jessica's new world/life, how will she survive (especially with out chocolate)?

I'm a sucker for time-travel tales, especially when they involve a little historical romance as well. So, after reading Lynn Kurland's One Enchanted Evening, I opted for more and, I have to say, I highly enjoyed The More I See You quite a bit. It wasn't as kooky and ridiculous as some time-travel stories can easily become and I enjoyed that Jessica didn't really make it a secret of her time slip. Richards harshness was easy to find displeasing, but you could also easily see him falling for Jessica throughout the book - which was adorable. Happily, the ending wasn't abrupt . . . since you could feel the story winding up quickly, you'll be glad to read more chapters after the fact to tie everything together nicely. Something I love!

The reader gets a lot of one on one time with Jessica & Richard for the first half of the book, with a few of Richard's comical guards thrown in here or there. Yet, my favorite interactions were when Jessica was forced to mingle with other Medieval women in the second part of the story and finds a kindred spirit. Sadly, I felt the good-byes at the end were bit rushed though and would have been much harder to accept personally, but the characters do do a great emotional roller-coaster and I even found some other characters (ex. Kendrick & Abby) that I want to continue reading up on in the future. Can't wait!

Likes: At least there was more "parallel action" in this book compared to the last one I read, One Enchanted Evening. Nothing too graphic, but enough to satisfy my romantic side.

Dislikes: They made such a big deal of Richard's past treatment as a child in the first half, but it kind of fizzled away in the second half. I would have liked the fact to have been pursued a little more to get a deeper understanding of his character.

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