A well-told fairy tale story, Leo and Felicity take us through an enchanting summer of a chance encounter, unmistakable chemistry, blazing hot nights, and a separation that would break the strongest of hearts. This story is perfect for those who love a royal/commoner tale. Add in Greg, Leo’s cousin, and the humor just keeps coming. You can’t help but adore the quirkiness and awkwardness that is Felicity, and to see someone like Leo fall all over himself for her is endearing. The story is told in two parts: the summer they meet and then five years later. When we rejoin Felicity, so much has changed and we are able to see how the decisions of her past impacted her present. We also learn how life has changed for those around her, including the one man that still has her heart.

The first part of the book is a complete joy to read. The second part may be where Penelope has a split with her audience. For some, the possible reunion of Felicity and Leo trumps all obstacles. For others, the path that has to be taken to reunite the former lovers may be frowned upon as it takes hurting another to bring them together. For me, it was the latter. Stop here if you don’t want any spoilers.

Spoiler alert: Full transparency, the second part of this book did not sit well with me, but I am not a huge fan of books where an innocent, loving person is divorced for the sake of the female and male protagonists getting together. Darcie married Leo under less than ideal circumstances but grew to love him and planned to spend the rest of her life with him. One letter, one visit, and her marriage was completely destroyed. I do agree with Greg that if she was willing to be that disrespected (Leo running to Felicity), then it wouldn’t have been fair to keep her in the marriage because she probably would have endured anything for love. Fortunately for her, the guy she once loved came back into her life (obviously included to take the edge off the optics), but the way things ended, while sweet, were hard to swallow.