Love Only Once by Johanna Lindsey (Mallory-Anderson #1)

Click here to see: Indonesian Review for this Novel

I like Johanna Lindsey..

Somehow this book is a good start for me to read Johanna Lindsey's book.. The story in this book is rather complicated and difficult to follow. I mean, if I was asked to tell the story in detail from the beginning, I was definitely confused to answer. But if you look my progress, you’ll know what I mean.

From the beginning there were always parts that I wanted to pass because I hardly got the point and I became bored. But later, in some parts of the book, I felt like I should back to the part which I said I didn't get the point’. It’s because I needed the information. And I often felt like that. I think JL loves to put the mystery in her story, so we cannot forget how the story was going anyway. Sometimes I was not wondering and not curious about a few things, but suddenly surprised in simply so I have to repeat to read again like I said.

Geez, Mallory family was really potential to recount in another stories. I like this kind of family story, full of debate and affectionate, exciting, and most important they have unique various characters in each person. I love them in once they appear in the book. And they all have the potential to be loved. It’s including Anthony and James who fairly make me curious.

And Regina… uuugh, she is so much patient, and a tolerant girl.  Nicholas disappointed her but she didn’t take revenge to divorce her husband when she knew she was pregnant. Wow~ I think this pregnancy is still a good reason to make her did not leave Nicholas when her husband left after they were getting married. I really like Regina and her whole character. I think this all because her power of love which could make her stood to wait her husband. She knew and really knew that there were people like Nicholas who definitely has heart and soul. Well, maybe because she saw in Anthony and James were so loved but at once was an asshole. Regina really knew those people who are considered as bastard by community actually has a heart and tender. Regina herself believed that she would be the last person who would be made disappointed by her uncle. The way her uncle spoiled her all the time and gave all what she wants, ugh.. so lovely!

Honestly, I piss off when Nicholas chose to go and left Regina. I want to give him a punch really! And it’s for 6 months! And in the middle of books I got nothing about Nicholas. I thought I would bore, but you know whaat, I was amused by the story of Captain Hawkes who kidnap Regina. It really so surprised me at once make me laugh. Love for all of debates thing by Mallory, plus the presence of Jeremy who were definitely cute and sweet, bwah!

Fortunately, after those Malory did reconciliation, Nicholas decide to back home. And guuuys, surely from the middle of book until the end will make you couldn’t stop pounding. It seemed there were throw shocks which making delight and made me laughing because it was so thrilled. And how Nicholas wanted reconciliation with Regina, and how Regina actually was already forgive him.

I indeed hate the story about misunderstanding. And misunderstanding thing here also quite pisses me off, but it also progressing. Because if Nicholas did not misunderstand about how Reggie knew his birth, he certainly would not want to close Reggie anymore and how Reggie kept the distance with him confirm it. As if his birth issues was a problem above all of his mistakes, when the reality it doesn't. If Regina said that Nicholas was so stupid, I want to scream that he was really a dull! Nicholas was sooo damn stupid I think. I don’t get the point with this kind of hero. He is really stupid foolish dumb hero! Why he is afraid so bad if Regina knew about his issues of birth more than his fear if Reggie was mad by his left issues? Hoping he was not that afraid, surely they would happy in one roof with another conflict beside that.  

After all, I quite liked how storytelling description of LJ which is always not forget to describe each character’s feelings which of course got me so want to cry. Nicholas is actually a character that is soft so much. Very soft, Geez.

Indonesian Review:

I like Johanna LIndsey.

Entah kenapa buku ini permulaan yang bagus aku baca karangannya JL. Ceritanya yaaah.. emang agak ribet diikutin sih. Maksudku, kalo aku disuruh nyeritain secara detail dari awal, aku pasti bingung banget jabarinnya. Tapi kalo lihat progress-ku kawan, kalian tau maksudku bingung.

Dari awal selalu ada bagian-bagian yang ingin dilewati karena selain nggak ngerti, nggak jelas juga, jadinya bosen. Tapi ntar di suatu bagian aku ngerasa kayak harus balik lagi ke bagian yang aku bilang nggak ngerti itu karena aku butuh informasinya. Ya gitu tuh seringnya. Rasanya JL ini suka ya menaruh misteri. Kadang aku nggak dibikin bertanya-tanya dan penasaran tentang berapa hal, tapi tiba-tiba dikagetkan begitu saja sehingga aku harus ngulang lagi kayak yang aku bilang.

Ya ampun keluarga Mallory ini bener-bener berpotensi untuk diceritakan lagi. Aku suka cerita-cerita macam keluarga ini, penuh perdebatan sekaligus kasih sayang, rame-seru, dan yang terpenting mereka memiliki sifat unik macem-macem. Dan mereka semua berpotensi untuk disayangi. Termasuk Anthony dan James yang lumayan bikin penasaran.

Lalu si Regina ini yaa.. yaampun sabarnyaaa... Dia udah dikecewain sedemikian rupa tapi dia nggak menuntut balas untuk menceraikan suaminya karena ia tahu dirinya hamil. Wow~ menurutku sih alasan kehamilan ini merupakan alasan yang bagus untuk bikin dia nggak meninggalkan Nicholas saat ia ditinggal setelah menikah. Aku sukaaa banget karakter Regina. Kayaknya kekuatan cinta deh yang bisa bikin dia bertahan. Dia tahu dan sangat tahu kalau orang-orang macam Nicholas pastinya punya hati dan jiwa, karena ia melihatnya di dalam diri Anthony dan James yang begitu mencintainya tapi sekaligus bajingan. Maksudku, Regina tau gitu ya orang-orang yang dianggap bajingan oleh masyarakat itu sebenernya punya hati yang begitu lembut, Regina sendiri percaya bahwa Regina akan jadi orang terakhir yang akan dibuat kecewa paman-pamannya. Cara paman-pamannya memanjakannya dan memberikan semua yang diinginkan Regina... ugh lovely banget!

Jujur ya, sebenernya aku sebel banget waktu Nicholas memilih untuk pergi meninggalkan Regina. Bener-bener pergi! dan itu 6 bulan. Dan ditengah bagian aku harus nggak lihat Nicholas disebut. Aku pikir sih aku bakal bosan, tapi tahukah kawan, aku justru terhibur dengan kisah Kapten Hawkes menculik Regina! Itu ngagetin banget banget banget bangett dan nyaris lucu. Suka banget perdebatan Mallory ini, ditambah adanya Jeremy yang pasti imut-imut dan manis ini hahahah.

Untung aja habis gencatan senjata mallory ini si Nicholas mutusin pulang. Dan kawan-kawaaan.. pokoknya dari bagian tengah kebelakang itu nggak berhenti bikin aku berdebar-debar. Rasanya ada lemparan kejutan yang bikin girang dan memuatku tertawa karena saking senangnya. Trus bagaimana Nicholas pingin baikan sama Regina lagi, dan bagaimana REgina ternyata sudah memaafkan Nicholas.

Yah, emang sih aku nggak pernah suka salah paham. Salah paham disini juga cukup ngeselin, tapi juga berkembang, karena kalo Nicholas nggak salah paham Reggie tau tentang kelahirannya pasti dia nggak bakal mau deketin Reggie lagi. Tapiii karena dia tahu juga dia jadi salah paham sama sifat Reggie yang menjauhinya. Seolah masalah kelahirannya itu diatas segalanya dari kesalahannya, padahal siapapun tahu apa yang bikin Reggie marah dan itu bukan karena fakta kelahiran Nicholas. Yaa kalo Reggie aja bilang Nicholas nih bodoh, aku apalagi! Nicholas bodoh buangeeettt. Aku nggak ngerti deh sama karakter hero kayak gini. Bodohnya astagaaa bodoh banget. Kenapa dia begitu takut tentang Reggie tahu kenyataan ini lebih dari ketakutan dia akan amarah Reggie akan kepergiannya. Coba kalo dia nggak setakut itu! Pasti deh mereka dah bahagia satu atap, dan... astaga, kan bisa dikasih konflik lain daripada tentang Reggie ditinggal!

After all, aku cukup suka bagaimana deskripsi penceritaan LJ yang selalu tidak lupa untuk menggambarkan perasaan mereka masing-masing yang tentu saja berhasil membuatku begitu ingin menangis. Nicholas ini sebenernya adalah karakter yang begitu lembut. Sangat lembut, astagaaaa..

View all my reviews

4 of 5 stars

 Alina Za