November of the Heart

I LOVE THIS BOOK! That really seems to be all there is to say ... it's simply fabulous. Lorna and Jens are a wonderful couple and their innocence and naivete are refreshing in lieu of other jaded romance pairings. The love is honest, the romance is true, and I always end this book on a sigh; it's that good! This novel is a must for anyone who loves romance, particularly of the sweet and endearing type!

I like this book so much that I have read it more than once. Lorna is a rich girl who falls in love with Jens, the kitchen handyman. When Jens is commissioned to build a boat for Lorna's father, her love of boating has her spending a lot of time with Jens. Before long, they fall in love. But all is not smooth for these lovers as her parents forbid her to see him again. I really liked these characters. Although Lorna was rich, she was not spoiled, and I thought she had some very real qualities. I loved Jens. He was masculine and tender and intelligent and simple. Another winner from Lavyrle Spencer.

I love this book! It's strength is not the plot, because it is kind of typical: two young people fall in love despite of their vast difference in social status, then family and social pressure force them apart, finally love conquers all. The strength of this book is the characters and the development of their relationship. It's almost refreshing to see their love blossoming from mutual attraction to friendship then grand passion over the summer, instead of the hero takes one look at the heroin and decides to possess her body and soul. The characters are believable and well suited for the period, the turn of the century. There are no bad guys in this book, the parents forced the lovers apart because they loved their daughter and believed it was for the best. So they may reconcile with their daughter, son-in-law and adorable grandson at the end. The love scenes are sweet and hot! There are a lot of details about sailing and boat-building, I wish I knew more about them, however, even if you don't know anything about them and skip those parts, you will still love the story, and love Jens and Lorna.

I loved this book! I would recommend it to anyone who wants to spend an afternoon curled up in a comfortable chair with a good book. The sailing scenes are exciting, and the story of Jens and Lorna's love and separation touching. I loved the character of Jens for his values of honesty and hard work. Ms. Spencer does a wonderful job of describing what the rich ate, wore and the activities they enjoyed, and contrasts those to the far more simple pleasures of boatracing and boatbuilding loved by Jens. I also enjoyed her descriptions of the typical behavior of the aunts and other members of Lorna's family. Aunt Agnes always fondly remembers her Captain Dearsley but Aunt Henrietta, who is so sour on men, merely warns Lorna to wear a sharp hatpin when she is alone with Taylor. Little does anyone know, Taylor is not the man Lorna is spending time with. The story of Jens and Lorna's relationship, from the first meeting in the kitchen of the Rose Point cottage to her disgrace and banishment when her parents learn she is pregnant, is funny, touching and sad by turns. The scenes I enjoyed most were near the end. I was touched when Lorna sees her son for the first time since he is born, and felt great admiration for Lorna when she risked the censure of her rich social circle by bringing her son to the regatta. LaVyrle combines plot, description and character development to make a great story. --Wynne Lewis