Review: Truce

Truce by R.L. Mathewson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I have had this book forever.. GoodReads says I started it Dec 16 2014... so I have had it for over 2 years. I actually started reading it last night and I couldn't put it down. I stayed up to finish it. My eyes were killing me but it was just so good. I have no clue why I have waited 2 years to read this book. I have loved the last 3 books... maybe because it was set in the 1820s and Im not a huge fan of historical romances? So I didn't even give it a try... that would be incredibly lame of me but who knows.

So this story is about Elizabeth and Robert Bradford. They are the ancestors of the present day Bradfords. It is present day Jason Bradford's 5th anniversary with his wife and there is a tradition in the Bradford family for the gift that they are suppose to give their wife on this anniversary. So this book is the story of where that tradition came from.

Like the last 3 books, this one starts off with Elizabeth and Robert fighting. As children they hated each other. Robert has been teasing her for years but when Robert is 12 and Elizabeth is 8, she starts to fight back. Robert has cut her hair, called her fat for years and the worst one, the one that broke her and made her start to fight, he embarrassed her in front of her one true love.. which happened to be James, Robert's older brother. So Elizabeth tell everyone about a time when Robert got too excited and wet his pants... And naturally that gets him so upset that he wets his pants right in the middle of the park.. in front of both families and his friends from school and every one starts calling him Robert Lemonade. They go their separate ways but the nickname stuck for most of his life.

14 years later, Elizabeth is in season (which is something I despise. So freaking glad that didn't stick around) She is at a ball dancing/meeting possible suitors. She doesn't want to be there at all. So she sneaks away to read in the orange grove by the house. Meanwhile, Robert is also there to help his brother, James, find a new wife. He also doesn't want to be there so he sneaks away and finds himself in the orange grove, where he sees the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. They get to talking and they have an instant connection. Robert kisses her. Since Elizabeth as no intention of getting married and she figures this may be her only chance to have sex with someone she actually wants to, or at all. So Robert takes her virginity. Back then that's a huge deal and he is honor bound to marry her.. but she won't have that. She doesn't even want to learn his name. She want that perfect moment to stay between strangers... HA.

Their parents ruin that for them. They have been plotting to get Elizabeth and James together. So when the 2 families get together, Robert and Elizabeth realize who they are and who they just slept with.

Everything goes downhill after that. Roberts family ends up staying in Elizabeths house and the two of them get into all kinds of mischief. They argue, fight, throw each other in the laundry water, steal food, and all kinds of crazy things.

There's a lot of other craziness that happens but the rest I really don't want to spoil so anything so I'm just going to shut up. But the end is perfect. They realize that they love each other and 5 years later Robert gives her a necklace.. Not just any necklace but one with stones from places where they made memories. It is one of the most beautiful gifts I have ever heard of. I would absolutely die. He has stones from places from their childhood, like the place where he cut her hair and where she first called him Robert Limonade and good memories like the orange grove. Gahh. I can't get over how awesome the gift is.

So then when we get back to present day, Jason is finishing making his necklace with his memory rocks for his wife Haley. Loved this book. Already started the next one.

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