You Only Love Twice: A Novel

I first read this five years ago and can't understand why I didn't review it, let alone rate it. It is so much better than 90% of the HR titles that I've crammed into my head before and since then.There is angst, mystery and even a Voice (a factor that would usually put me off). There is a great supporting cast, which, in my view, enriches rather than clutters the landscape. (I enjoyed the brother/sister duo, who discuss Sister Martha over a brandy and cup of tea, respectively. And the wagers between the nuns. Even the orphans and forays into London sewers are depicted without over-the-top sentimentality. I like the older couple romance. I like the wedding dress story.)Other reviewers have criticised the pace of this story. Not me. It suited me.In my view, that pace allowed for the h and H to grow. She made a terrible accusation, driven by self interest that she convinced herself was justified. She needed to escape from the venality of her father and from her obsessive adulation of the H and she did. He needed to forgive himself for self disgust about what he saw as lack of honour in touching her, his fear of having terrified her, his anguish about what may have happened to her, as well as his anger about her accusation.Thornton is at her best when depicting the duality of the characters of the h and H. She begins as a wild, wilful and passionate child, morphs into a controllled, compassionate and competent nun and, finally, the two sides blend to create a believable young woman with insights that are out of the ordinary. He is kind to a young girl, but indulged and selfish, torn by what he sees as a totally inappropriate attraction (not only because of her youth, but also because he is promised elsewhere). He is rash and secretive and dismissive and judgemental - but when it matters (with his mother, as well as the h) - he changes. And he wrestles with his lack of trust, as well as his tendency to forgive too much of his friend, right to the end, in a way that readers who seek atonement in a H are likely to find most satisfying.Moreover, Thornton gets the length of separation just right - three years. What is it with second chance authors who choose ten years? Far too long.

There are so many facets to this story. There are bonds of friendship that make a young girl a ward of a friend, that cause revenge to be sought. There are family ties that break the heart when fidelity is broken, when fathers fail to care properly for their daughters, when children are left to their own devices on the streets of London and so much more. There are so many types of men and women- honor bound, decisive, caring and loyal, jealous and more. The h loses her memory and falls in love again, deals with a seeming inner knowledge that confuses her- is what she's feeling true or has she lost her mind. The H grows up and learns that life is not either black or white- there are shades of gray and these affect how you look at life's situations and ones friends and family. There is an HEA, but at times, you wonder if it will ever happen, how and when. This is a delicious novel with great story lines and intrigue. Don't miss it!

I have been reading regency romances for the past 4 years and lately I'd begun to wonder if they weren't all the same story told a different way. I mean, they fall in love, something stops them from being happy, they overcome all and end happily ever after. I sound bored and truth is, I was. But I found this book again (I read it years ago but kept it on my shelf) and boy am I glad I did. This book was just what I needed. Now, don't get me wrong. It still follows the same basic romance plot, but it's so much more.It was suspenseful because you never have more information than the heroine does. Since Jess lost her memory and can't remember anyone or anything, it means we are seeing everything as she sees it. The characters and their feelings, the murder mystery, the townspeople; everything is unknown. Her feelings of confusion are our feelings of confusion. So many times you see the ending coming, and even though the murderer wasn't necessarily a shocker, this ending was better than most. I agree that the characters seemed confused about their feelings but the plot and the writing makes that seem normal. Thank you Ms. Thornton for writing a historical romance with suspense and that something different.

I shed a tear for the dear Elizabeth Thornton, Mrs. Mary George, and read one of her last romance novels with the remembrance of novels past and many a teenage hour enjoying her Scottish settings, language, and "love at first sight" plot lines. Thanks for the escapism at a time in my life when I needed it. You may only love twice, but you only live once. Rest in Peace.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This was the first time I read anything by Elizabeth Thornton, but it won't be my last. The only thing that bothered me about the story was the Catholic convent and sisters. I thought it was illegal for most residents of England to be Catholic until the end of the 1700's. Their rights were not fully restored until 1829. Were there Catholic convents during the regency period?

This was a highly entertaining romance with just a tiny bit of the paranormal and a whole lot of mystery. Lucas and Jessica were an wonderful couple and I enjoyed their interactions. The story kept me guessing as to who the mysterious VOICE of the murderer was. Also enjoyed the added bonus of a second romance between Lucas's mother Rosemary and Sir Michael. Totally awesome story and one I am likely to never forget.

Light fun

The story is very slow. I'm an avid reader of romance novels and usually like them all. Might have been too many characters that were not relevant to the story.

I loved this book. As always, Elizabeth Thornton writes in good English. The descriptions are great and the direct speech never causes any dismay over modern colloquialisms. This is a Romance, and a Regency one at that. But it is not defined by this description. It is first and foremost a great mystery story, with murder in the background, lost memory and a touch of second sight. The book is a good length (hurray!) and there is plenty of time and space to fully explore all the implications of the plot.Jessica was hit by a carriage while passing a convent in London. She was taken in and cared for by the nuns, but, though she healed physically, she had lost her memory. And so she stayed - living as a novice - until one day three years later a woman recognised her as Jessica Hawkshill. The nuns had taken out a lease on an old house in the country to run as an orphanage, which happens to be her old and abandoned home. She meets up with Lucas Wilde, who had sold out of the Army after Waterloo a few years before, along with his two surviving friends. Slowly, with the help of others, she begins to piece together some of her past - but not enough to know why things happened - just that they had. To complicate matters she was sometimes afflicted by something she called the Voice, when she seemed to pick up someone's thoughts. The Voice seemed to think about a murder which had been committed, and contemplate a second one. She began to realise that the murder reflected on was that of her father - and she had vanished that same evening, a few days before her accident. What had happened? Where had she been? Who was the murderer, and who was now picked out as the next victim?Jessica had been made aware that from a young age she had idolized and then loved Lucas, and she realised that, even as the person she now was, she had fallen in love with him again. But though he had been kind to her in the past - and possibly had stronger feeling as she grew older - he was committed to marry another woman, beautiful, sophisticated Bella, who was from a different world. One Jessica had never belonged to because of her father's neglect due to drunkenness and gambling. She discovered, though, that Lucas had not married Bella, who was now the wife of one of his friends. Could he love her? But, much more worrying, had he murdered her father - he certainly had the opportunity, and now motive was emerging too.I was riveted to the story and thoroughly enjoyed the combination of murder mystery and romance. Elizabeth Thornton is one of my favourite authors - I just wish her books were not out of print, although having them in e-format is some compensation. I would most certainly recommend this book - and am left wondering how one reviewer could only give it one star.

Un bon livre que j'ai pris plaisir à relire.Bien construit, pas mal de suspens, on ne saute pas tout de suite dans les moments "coquins", ils se méritent et sont TRES bien intégrés dans l'intrigue.Moi j'ai passé un excellent moment alors que je connaissais déjà l'histoire. L'héroïne n'est pas mièvre, elle a du caractère et du courage, et le personnage masculin, bien trempé, est tout à fait comestible.Bref de bons moments de lecture en perspective. Je vous le recommande.