Years later, Marcus has lost his wife, Agnes, and their child, and now his father is soon to pass away. Seeing him back in England changes little for Viola. She still blames him for what happened, and refuses to let him close to her again. But Marcus doesn't intend to give up.

Feels Like Home is by an author unknown to me until now. Usually when I find a new author from an unfamiliar publisher, I begin the book hoping for a good story, but not expecting something amazing. I'm happy to say that Feels Like Home has very strong writing. There is a very good pace that keeps the story from slowing down during parts of the story that are usually slow, characters that stand out from each other and are easily sympathetic, and a romance that doesn't always take the natural course of giving in too easily, or remaining too stubborn. Viola and Marcus made a very easy-going couple, even when arguing, and I found myself enjoying them both, and sympathizing with both of them over the crux of their rift. And even when Viola took a few unnecessary risks, I never felt they were those of a TSTL heroine, lol! That alone is saying a lot about characterization. I especially appreciated Agnes' character. Ms. Gissendaner gave Agnes a personality, and one that made made like her, rather than the typical Conniving Other Woman personality. The only thing that didn't make this a great regency was that the emotions didn't quite leap off the page all the time, but I saw it often enough to expect it to improve the more the author writes.

Ms. Gissendaner has written a regency that will likely please most fans, especially the ones that are picky about them. Feels Like Home is appealing for its mellow tone, rarely pushing things to unlikable extremes, and best of all, the romance between Marcus and Viola feels very genuine. I couldn't have questioned their love, even if I'd wanted to. It even had a little bit of suspense at the end that had me guessing.

Overall rating:
Sensuality rating: Very sensual

Reviewer: Tara Black
August 8, 2005