One of my favorite tropes in romance is reunited lovers. It’s the added intensity that already exists between the main protagonists. It’s also why I chose for Jinan and Rothburn to already know each other and to already have loved in the past when I threw them together in the palace.
I like to think that love knows no bounds, that eventually, despite hardships in life and separation, that love can grow stronger and be rekindled with a simple look.
I give you and excerpt (unedited) for that long lost love being reignited:
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A distinctive laugh caught his attention and had his gaze narrowing on the scene below.
He searched out the source; it came from the veiled bronze beauty. That sound took him back in time. There weren’t many women who expressed a free exuberance like that. He remembered the husky deepness of a laugh like that on another night—from another woman—some ten years ago. It was one of those contagious laughs that had everyone in a room turning, and every man rising in salute.
He leaned forward with his elbows planted on his knees and studied her.
There was the shy tilt of her head when she listened to another talk, the soft but clear timbre of her voice as she spoke Persian—which seemed the common language in the palace. The inborn grace in how she sat poised so lady like, made her seem as delicate as an orchid in bloom, so easily destroyed if not properly cared for. There was something about the way she brushed hair from her brow, as though it were done up in some other fancy style society women liked. The motion stilled his breathing altogether.
It occurred to Griffin that his imagination had finally gotten the better of him. After dreaming about Elena Ravenscliffe for what felt like a lifetime, he found it hard to identify the tangible reality from what could only be an illusion in front of him.
He stood, edged around the other men in order to see her from another angle.
She laughed again, halting his steps. He put his hand out on the rail to steady himself and leaned in close to the screen. There was no mistaking what he knew for the truth.
He knew her as well as he knew himself. His memory was like that of a bloody elephant. There were some things he wished he could forget. He might have fared better had he been able to forget her in the first place. He shook off the thought.
How had she ended up in a place like this?
When he’d moved back to England after his uncle’s death, the first thing he’d done was look for her. That had to be some five years ago. His sources said she was still married to that lowly baron with an estate up north. Perhaps, Griffin had given up his search too easily.
Lady Elena proved impossible to find once she and her husband moved abroad. Her husband had sold his properties in York and left for Constantinople hastily. Griffin had been disinclined to ferret out any other information. Really, he’d recognized it as a hopeless venture to pursue a married woman.
What could have happened between then and now to bring her to a place like this?
How had such a fine young English lady come to sell herself into such a degenerate life? He supposed she wouldn’t be the first to find herself in such a situation. Well, now he’d know all of her sordid tale. Once he talked to the owner of this fine establishment.
Griffin turned away from the screen and looked for the man who had escorted them up to this section of the palace. Griffin had made his selection. Now it was time to see what his little lady friend was worth. For the first time in years he felt like smiling; he had reason to express himself happily. He’d had to pull himself through a long path of self-destruction to make it to this point. Was this some sick ironic award for moral behavior? It didn’t matter. It was what it was. After all these years, she was finally going to be his.
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QUESTION: Do you have any favorite reuinted lovers romances?
Thank you Lila for having me!
Please indicate if you’re outside North America in your comment.
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To win Tiffany’s giveaway you must:
1. Answer Tiffany’s questions below in your comment.
2. You MUST be a follower/subscriber of Lila DiPasqua’s blog (through Google Friend Connect).
3. You must reside in North America.
* Winner will be announced on SUNDAY– selected at random from the commenters of this post.
Ways to increase your odds of winning are found at the very bottom of this blog.
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Hi Tiffany
I live in England so i don’t count for this but my all time favourite reunited lovers romance is Everything and the moon by Julia Quinn i adore this book! They were childhood sweethearts but because of their differnt background he a earl and she a vicars daughter they were pulled apart by their parents and a lot of confusion on their part but eventaully they were ruinted and fell in love all over again 🙂
Elizabeth,
Thank you for stopping by! I haven’t read that JQ yet, but it is on my to be read stack. I’ll have to pull it out, because it sounds divine!
Hi Tiffany love your book covers. Just beautiful. Great excerpt too. Don’t enter me on this one as I just won your book.
Sue B
Katsrus! You should receive it soon, too! Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Tiffany! too bad I don’t reside in the US, it’s one of those times I hate the Queen LOL but hello from down under and I really, really, really want to read your book! it sounds so intriguing and I read the excerpt, I think I may just fall in love with your heroine 🙂
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Hi Tiffany,
I enjoyed the excerpt and the story looks like a good one. I am terrible at remembering book titles but one reunited lovers story I enjoyed was Birthright by Nora Roberts.
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Well, as a new romance reader, I’d have to say that my current favourite reunited lovers are from Lila’s “Awakened by a Kiss” – specifically the lovers from Sleeping Beau who had one glorious night together and then were accidently reunited 5 years later.
Hi Tiffany! *waving with exuberance* Elizabeth already mentioned Everything and the Moon by JQ, but that’s the one that sticks out the most. I just finished reading Teresa Medeiros’ Some Like it Wicked, which is sort of a reunion…she meets him when she’s 16 and falls in love with stars in her eyes, then challenges him to be her knight errant 5 years later. Not sure if that qualifies, but it’s all I can think of without more coffee. *grin* Thanks for the post. I’ve been looking forward to reading your book, and after that excerpt, I’m doubly excited! Lila,… Read more »
Camille, I defintiely adore my heroine in this book. She spoke louder than the ones that followed her in my imagination!
Maureen, haven’t read that NR… but might just look into it!
Kathy, I love me some accidental reunions. That’s what happens with Rothburn and Jinan. He never expects to see her again, but voila! There she is.
Noelle,
That sounds like a really great read! Must look for that too!
Gorgeous covers, Tiffany, plus an interesting blog and an intriguing excerpt that has me wanting to follow Griffin and Elena’s journey to HEA. Stories of reunited lovers – so many, but my favourites are Nora Robert’s Birthright, Kelly Armstrong’s Bitten, Jane Austen’s Persuasion. My absolute all-time favourite – Sleeping Beau.:)
Carolyn
Hi Tiffany! LOVED that excerpt! I’m so delighted you’re here Princess Partying with us. 🙂
Hi everyone! *waves* So great to see you all. I just love reading your comments on this subject. It’s one of my favorite story lines—reunited lovers!
Awwww, thank you, Carolyn and Kathy! I’m so glad you liked Adrien’s and Catherine’s story in AWAKENED BY A KISS. 🙂
@Noelle–no need to keep repeating the same info. 🙂 Only if you retweet, kind of thing.
Hugs all!
Hi, Tiff!!! My favorite reunited lovers story is Persuasion by Jane Austen and, of course, SOAL and Maggie Robinson’s upcoming Mistress by Midnight.
Please don’t enter me in the giveaway. I already have SOAL.
Hello there Tiffany, after reading that exerpt I definetely can’t wait to read this. I love reunited love stories. Those and reconciliation stories are my absolute favorite and I can read and reread them over and over again. As for my favorite title that’s kind of hard to narrow down to one. I’ve loved so many. Here’s a few that I loved- The Courtship Dance and No Other Love by Candace Camp, Wed Him Before You Bed Him by Sabrina Jeffries and Again The Magic by Lisa Kleypas. Believe me there are pleny more that I love. These are the… Read more »
Hi Danielle!
Yes, that’s right! 🙂 You don’t need to keep putting down your points if you’ve already mentioned them in prior days. Only if you tweet/facebook about it again. 🙂
Hey, Tiff! You know me—I read so much I can never remember anything, but I’m hoping several of my own reunited lover books become someone’s favorite, LOL.I do like the extra boost it gives a story–there’s already a relationship, and the reader wants to find out why it didn’t work the first time.
Jinan and Rothburn are explosive together. Everybody buy this book!
Oh! thank you, Ely. I have the best crit partners in the world.
Hi and congrats again, Tiffany! One of my all-time favorite reunited lovers historical romances is Sherry Thomas’ Not Quite a Husband. I can’t forget Leo and Bryony’s story!
Just wanted to pop in and say hi!!!
Don’t live in the US…but these books looks like great reads!!!!
Valerie
in Germany
Hi Tiffany and Lila,
Love the excerpt. My new TRL book. At the top. lol
I agree about Adrien and Catherine–loved the reunion. 🙂
and also Sherry Thomas’s Not Quite a Husband. Almost forgot that one.
Have a great day eveyone.
Carol L.
Loved that excerpt, Tiffany! One of my favorite romances with reunited lovers is Again The Magic by Lisa Kleypas. The story really tugged at my heart. McKenna and Aline were a couple that found their way back to each other after twelve years apart and a lot of misunderstandings.
I love reunion love stories, one of my favorites is Liz Carlyle’s, Beauty Like The Night.
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Hi, Tiffany! Congratulations! Your story line sounds wonderfully romantic–sigh! I have always believed in true love and second chances. My favorite reunited couple? Jane Eyre and Rochester!
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Carol L.
Still staring at your beautiful book cover, Tiffany… *sigh*
Another vote for JQ’s “Everything and the “Moon”.
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@ Carol L.—Thanks so much for offering another vote for Adrien and Catherine! I’m delighted you enjoyed AWAKENED BY A KISS. 🙂
Great blog post! This one technically doesn’t count, but my favorite’s gotta be the classic: Romeo and Juliet. They are reunited in soul 🙂
Stephanie
Hi, Tiffany, great post! I love romances with storylines about reunited lovers. They are the ones, I think, with the most chemistry. My all-time favorite is Paradise by Judith McNaught and Sleeping has become another favorite!
Great blog guests, Lila!
All the best
Maria S.
carolyn, Thanks Carolyn! Glad I am intriguing readers! And I LOVE Bitten! it’s one of my fave were books, and clay and Elena in that are AWESOME! Lila, How can anyone resist a princess party!? Ely, XOXOXOX, and I second and third and whatever else everyone said on here for Mistress by Midnight! God, I adore Con! Danielle Gorman, we meet again 😉 Glad you can’t wait to read it! Because you totally won a copy of the book over on the Bandit’s blog! And I love EVERYTHING by Lisa Kleypas! That book was awesome! Maggie, smooches at you! Huh,… Read more »
Sheree, they are totally stare-worthy covers! I get that! I’ve stared at them for hours and hours, too!
❤Stephanie!, LOL! Love that, reunited in soul. They are soul mates, no arguing that!
Anonymous Maria, Thank you! I haven’t read that McNaught, yet, but I do have it. I love her books!
Hey, Tiffany.
I love the angst and then the reuniting. You have such beautiful book covers. Look forward to reading your books.
The one that comes to mind is Persuasion by Jane Austen. I love Jane Austen.
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Victoria, thanks for stopping by. Happy reading!
mbreakfield, I’m almost embarrassed to admit this, but I’ve tried Jane Austen on many occasions, but have you to read a book all the way through, even though the writing is brilliant and beautiful! Though I totally skipped ahead on Persuasion to read the letter a few times 🙂
I’m a sucker for romance stories involving reunited lovers. The story of two people who meet, fall in love, and break up over the ‘big misunderstanding’. I love the tension these plots create. The mystery, the chemistry and the passion always keep me reading long into the night.
Here a few I’ve read:
My Beloved by Karen Ranney
The Secret Swan by Shana Abé
The Shattered Rose by Jo Beverley
The Champion by Elizabeth Chadwick
Sinful Pleasures by Mary Reed McCall
My Beloved by Karen Ranney
Hi Tiffany!
Thanks for the great excerpt and the covers are beautiful! I don’t believe at this point I’ve read any reuinted lovers romances, so I can’t answer that question. Interesting that I haven’t read any and it certainly makes me want to go seek one out now. I think Tiffany, you could probably help me with that:) I agree the added intensity that already exists between the two would definitely make for an excellent read.
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Great post Tiffany! Thanks for the wonderful excerpt!
I enjoy the united lovers/sweethearts theme. Veronica Wolff’s latest, Devil’s Highlander was a great read I recently enjoyed about childhood sweethearts reuniting.
The Sweetheart’s Knitting Club by Lori Wilde, Reese’s Bride by Kat Martin, Home in Carolina by Sherryl Woods, Seduce Me at Sunrise (2008) by Lisa Kleypas, and Private Arrangements are all very good reads in theme as well :).
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Another vote for – Paradise by Judith McNaught as well as a fan of This Duchess of Mine – Eloisa James
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Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (Outlander series).
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My favorite united lovers book is Addicted by Charlotte Featherstone.
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