Enlightened

Before writing this I reread my previous reviews of books 1 & 2 in the series (and maybe a little or a lot of the books themselves) to make sure I didn't come off as a sycophantic nut. That ship has sailed but I did realize that I'd failed to mention that these should definitely be read in order. There. I said it. I guess better late than never. This is a series that absolutely builds on each previous installment and what a thing of beauty it is. starry eyed sighs If you need to break open your piggy bank or use a precious Audible credit to get the AB of this don't give it a second thought. Do it. Yes, I am feeling bossy today, but you'll thank me later. Once again [a:Hamish McKinlay 17402882 Hamish McKinlay https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png] gives a flawless rendition of [a:Joanna Chambers 3080608 Joanna Chambers https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1448012889p2/3080608.jpg]'s perfect book. Am I going overboard with the superlatives? I don't think so. The point of romance, IMHO, is to go on a journey of discovery with a couple, or any denomination that floats your boat, from that first meeting, that first spark of awareness to seeing our lovers set on the road to their very own HEA, whatever that may mean to them. It just has to be honest. True. Believable within the world of the story. This checks all the boxes.We pick up six months after the events in book 2, and David has been recuperating at Laverock House, Murdo's Perthshire estate. Even though Murdo would like to wrap him in cotton gauze, idleness doesn't sit well with David and little by little he's begun sorting through the legal entanglements pertaining to Murdo's estate and business dealings. They're becoming a couple in all the ways that count, meshed in each other's lives not just sexually but in every meaningful corner. And that thrills and terrifies both men. They now know what they have. Something precious. Real. How to be satisfied when it must inevitably end? How to make it last? I love how JC shows David & Murdo living as a real couple, sharing not only a bed, passion, and sexual chemistry, but also working together, exchanging ideas, and supportive of each other's endeavours. Imagine that! How novel to have a healthy adult relationship in any genre. But don't worry about stultifying domesticity, the sexy times between these two are still scorching, I'd be tempted to say transcendent. I know I'm hoping Murdo can give me a liniment massage for my aching joints, if David can spare him of course.When the book starts both David and Murdo know that they want more. They want to stay together. But how can they even dream of that when their brand of love isn't even acknowledged, much less accepted? Fear not. You're in the hands of a talented writer, one with vision. I'd be loathe to ruin the story but I will say that JB knows that sometimes you have to explode your life to be able to start anew. A tabula rasa. The way in which they go about it is both fortuitous and inspired. There are sad endings and new beginnings, story lines from previous instalments are revisited and satisfactorily resolved; even David's drinking. He's a bit of a lush when he's feeling low. I loved seeing Murdo so gaga over David, wanting to protect him but at the same time proud of his achievements and acumen. And David getting to see the true Murdo, what makes him tick, what got him to be the man he is, wants to be. But what really shines in every sentence of this story is the true love between these two. The rightness of it. How they make each other whole. And what kind of world wants to deny this joy, this beauty? I refuse to live there. Here are some quotes that made my heart soar.“And right then, David felt a bolt of unexpected gratitude. Gratitude that he and Murdo were alive. Alive and together, now.A profound understanding settled on him of what it meant to be alive. What a privilege it was. What it meant to share the moments of his life – even difficult moments – with someone he loved. ... He lifted his head, knowing his face would give everything away. He didn't even try to disguise his feelings, though. He just let Murdo see it all, the despair and the grief, and the sharp, pressing desire. Because what was the point in hiding it? What was the point in having the gift of life – and the gift of knowing how precious it was – if he couldn't share it all with this man?”Or this“They watched each other like that for a long time, till the joyful expression on Murdo's face softened into something more reflective, almost poignant.‘I didn't know I wasn't happy before,' he murmured.‘Before what?'Murdo gave a lopsided smile. ‘Before you. Not that I was actively unhappy. I had plans. Objectives. Things to acquire or achieve. But –' He paused, then said simply, ‘You make me happy, David.'”leaky eyes. againMurdo's detestable father finally makes an appearance in the flesh. He's as horrible as advertised and dealt with accordingly. A fitting comeuppance for a real villain. I won't go on. I loved all of it. Deliriously. When I finished I kept going over and over in my head the things I liked/loved and why and then an aha! Moment happened when I realized that David & Murdo embody probably my favorite couples dynamic. One is older, larger, world-wise or weary, maybe a bit of a cynic and the other MC is perhaps more idealistic but not naive, with a strong ethical backbone, that can bend but won't break. They live in a world that's not always welcoming, but they manage to make a space of their own, without pretensions to Edenic perfection. Perhaps the prime example of this type of couple for me are Jake and Adrien from Josh Lanyon's Adrien English Series. When I say that David and Murdo reminded me of those two I mean it as the HIGHEST compliment. This scene, besides being swoon-worthy romantic, crystallized everything. Murdo is applying liniment and massaging David's leg: “David watched, unprotesting now, as his injured limb, pale and somewhat wasted still, was laid bare. ... He made a face, not liking the sight of his weakness. ... ‘What's wrong?' Murdo asked. He missed nothing, damn him, ‘I hate the look of it,' David said shortly. ‘It's ugly.' Murdo's brows drew together in a puzzled expression. He turned his head to the offending limb, caressing the length of it with his hands while David watched. ... ‘It's not ugly,' Murdo murmured. ‘Nothing about you could be ugly to me.'”When I read that I almost died because my mind immediately harked back to this passage from [b:The Dark Tide 13366989 The Dark Tide (The Adrien English Mysteries, #5) Josh Lanyon https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1353179773s/13366989.jpg 9219132] when Jake and Adrien finally get together after Adrien's open heart surgery:“He undid the last button, pushed the shirt back off my shoulders. He glanced down at my chest.‘Ugly, isn't it?'I heard the rough intake of his breath. ‘Is that what you think?'‘Oh it is,' I said easily. Somehow I knew the ugliness didn't frighten him any more than it frightened me. He bent his head and kissed the curve of my neck, said against my flushed skin, ‘Nothing about you could be ugly to me.'”Happy Dance/Happy Sighs It's like hearing echoes of a favorite song in a new one. It made me joyful and love this series harder.I'd recommend this to everyone and it will surely be one of my go to re-reads. Forever. Downside is now I'm afraid to jump into any other historical for fear of a let down. Problems of a Romance reader.