"The Romantic" by Madeline Hunter

I LOVED THIS BOOK!  I am a sucker for unrequited love stories and that's what this is.  It is the follow-up to "The Sinner" in Hunter's Seducer series and is my very favorite.  Penelope, the Countess of Glasbury, has been separated from her husband for over 10 years, but he is now threatening to use the law to force her back to him and produce his heir.  Desperate to prevent this, she turns to her family's solicitor, Julian Hampton, who had helped her escape from this cruel and depraved man all those years ago.  Julian has known Penelope and her family since childhood and has been in love with her for almost as long.  However, he has never let her or anyone else know his true feelings for her since he was of a lower class and she married the Earl of Glasbury soon after coming out in society.  Now he has the chance to help her force the earl to divorce her by carrying on a public affair.  Will he be able to go through with it even though she only sees him as a close friend and protector?

In the previous Seducer books, Julian was portrayed as a silent and mysterious man who used his knowledge of the law to help his friends and their families.  Penelope has always depended on him to keep secret why she left the earl, and eventually England, but now that she is back and set on forcing a divorce, Julian must decide if his feelings for her can stay hidden through their public affair.  Julian is the perfect hero, in my opinion, because he is strong but does not force his will on Penelope.  He advises her but supports her decisions regarding her life.  He tries very hard not to let his love for her become known because he doesn't believe that she would welcome it after her terrible marriage.  Penelope is a strong woman who has paid a price for marrying the wrong man but is blind to Julian's true feelings for her until a courtroom drama threatens to bring them into the open. Will she reciprocate his love or continue to only see him as her close friend?  You'll have to read it to see!  Highly recommended.  385 pages.