"I want you to love me for my sorry self, which I will try very hard for the rest of my life to make worthy of you--and worthy of me. I can do it. We can always do anything as long as we are alive. We can always change, grow, evolve into a far better version of ourselves. It is surely what life is for. Give me a chance. Let me love you. Let yourself love me. I will give you time if you need it. Just give me hope. If you can." 
 Am I crying? I'm not crying. It's just rain...in the middle of a California summer. In the middle of a drought. Yes, it's just the rain. 
 God, this book was so good. There's a reason why Mary Balogh is one of my top HR authors ever. Her characterization is among the best I've ever seen. Her romances are built up so gradually you never even notice it until it feels like the most natural thing in the world that these two souls have fallen in love. There are certain authors who are the masters of their genre, and Mary Balogh ranks among the best for me. 
 I have scarcely read a hate-to-love trope that's been better written. And yes, I cried like a baby.