I received an ARC from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Release date: February 18, 2020
Rating: 3.75/5
Note: There is a content warning at the very end of my review. If you don’t want spoilers, then look for the “Scroll down further for the content warning” sign and stop right there.
I’ve been waiting for Tom and Cassandra’s book since Marrying Winterborne!! Poor Cassandra is the overlooked Ravenel family member, having last appeared in Marrying Winterborne. But in upper society, she’s actually the opposite of overlooked. She’s in fact a belle of the ball. A curvy one, based on the words used to describe her figure, and the only reason I bring this up is to publicly shame the Avon design team for misrepresenting Cassandra on the cover. I mean, if they were able to find a blonde curvy model for Sarah MacLean’s book, I don’t see why they couldn’t do it for this book.
Cover aside, I enjoyed the final Ravenel book for the most part. Cassandra is a nice breath of fresh air among all the modern historical romance heroines who are born businesswomen. I enjoyed her character, although there was one scene where I think she came across as a bit too presumptuous. But she’s a lovable heroine for the most part; she’s not an airhead as many presume her to be and she is ambitious in her own way. As lovely as Cassandra is, Tom Severin is undoubtedly the highlight of this book. There are actually a few hints that imply that Severin could be on the autism spectrum. Tom and Cassandra are utterly adorable as a couple. Their romance is more on the sweet and romantic side. There’s definitely steam, but it’s not as sexy as the previous books in the series. I am so in love with these two as a couple. I love how Tom sees more than just her beauty and how Cassandra likes him just the way he is. They really see each other. I had a smile on my face every time they spent time together. Tom and Cassandra are probably my second favourite couple in The Ravenel series and their epilogue was icing on the cake.
I really wish I could give this book a higher rating because I adore Tom and Cassandra so much. But for a book titled Chasing Cassandra, there’s not a lot of chasing happening. I know a few readers are expecting this to be like Harry and Poppy’s book, but it’s not similar at all. Tom actually gives up on chasing Cassandra after the first couple of chapters. I didn’t fault him for it because he had his reasons. But what I love about Tom is that ultimately, he doesn’t give up on Cassandra and he fights for her. That being said, the pacing of this book sagged in the middle because Tom and Cassandra don’t interact for a good chunk of the story. There were also a lot of time jumps, which affected the pacing even more. Halfway through the book, Cassandra and Tom lead their own separate lives, which annoyed me because I just wanted them to spend time together. Cassandra’s part of the story was a bit boring, but Tom’s part of the story was interesting. The pacing threw me off some more because Tom and Cassandra’s marriage of convenience doesn’t even happen until the very end of the book. What I’m trying to say is that the blurb is kind of misleading and it’s not the first time that has happened in this series. Finally, the last thing that was disappointing is the lack of development concerning Tom’s family. There definitely would have been enough room to develop this significant aspect of Tom’s character if the book was much better paced. This would have also added a lot more substance to the story because family is a key theme in this book.
While I enjoyed Chasing Cassandra and Tom and Cassandra as protagonists, this book doesn’t really conclude the series overall. The previous heroes and heroines do appear in the book, but most of them were really annoying to be honest. I won’t go into too much detail, but let’s just say that I didn’t like the way Devon and West treated Tom. However, just like Tom fights for Cassandra, Cassandra defends him in the face of her family’s disapproval. And that’s why I love these two so much. They’re not bland characters who just give up. They fight for each other. They don’t need other characters to bring them together so they can have their HEA. They decide for themselves. It takes them some time to make that final leap, but when they finally do it, it’s beautiful.
And yes, this is partly me throwing shade at a particular book in this series where the hero and heroine don’t even bother to work for their HEA.
Final thoughts on The Ravenel series overall:
I love reading series that revolve around a family, with each sibling getting their own HEA. The Hathaway series by Lisa Kleypas is my favourite family series of all time, closely followed by The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn. Unfortunately, The Ravenel series doesn’t even come close to being a favourite. I did enjoy most of the books in this series, but family doesn’t feel like a central theme here. After finishing Chasing Cassandra, I took some time to think about the family dynamic in this series and I came to the conclusion that there is a lack of harmony in the Ravenel family. For example, Ethan hasn’t even properly adapted to the family and Cassandra was completely forgotten until it was time for her own HEA. Those are just a few examples. I think the few characters that remain constant throughout the series are Devon, Kathleen, Winterborne, and Garrett.
I almost didn’t read one of the books in this series, but I thought it would be disloyal of me to skip a new Kleypas book. Even though that book ended up being my least favourite, I’m glad I pushed through and read it! In case you’re interested, here are my reviews for the previous books in the series:
Book 1: Cold-Hearted Rake
Book 2: Marrying Winterborne
Book 3: Devil in Spring
Book 4: Hello Stranger
Book 5: Devil’s Daughter
Scroll down further for the content warning
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Content warning: Sexual assault, graphically described. Heroine gets sexually assaulted by a suitor, not the hero.
Romance Library 