Scan barcode
bethb3's review against another edition
4.0
Short and sweet. I especially liked how aspects of the fairy tale were woven in without being overbearing or contrary to character. The conclusion was a little bit weird, but overall, a good read.
delightful_reading's review
4.0
I loved this one! I have a thing for spy novels, and Brenna was a fun heroine. Brenna and her love interest definitely had some [b:The Scarlet Pimpernel|136116|The Scarlet Pimpernel|Emmuska Orczy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1406764899l/136116._SX50_.jpg|750426] vibes. I also enjoyed Quinn making an appearance! The '7 dwarfs' in this story were great, too. I also enjoyed how Brenna had to flee from marriage proposals.
All in all, this was a great addition to the series and I enjoyed having Brenna as a lead!
All in all, this was a great addition to the series and I enjoyed having Brenna as a lead!
lynn_give_em_hel_vetica's review
5.0
This is another fantastic addition to the Andari Chronicles. We met Brenna earlier in Pirouette when a shocking familial connection came to light. She is quite the commanding presence and it stands to reason that she would require her very own story.
Brenna (Countess Breanne Seagrave) is everything an aspiring heroine should be. Bold, determined, and fearless amongst other things. Though she doesn't quite know who she is or where she fits in, it only takes an adventure and a few assassination attempts to allow her heart to show her the answer. I love that she is not a damsel in distress and she is perfectly capable of taking care of any threats that may come her way. She does have the occasional insecurity, but it never gets in her way.
Oh, Rom (Lord Rommel Griffin), you are quite the endearing tease. His personality upon his introduction was certainly wanting and I'll admit I was quite surprised (pleasantly so) to realize that it was all an act. It was a relief to discover he wasn't the dolt he played at being. And it was even more pleasant to find out that he was thrilled with Brenna being a daring take charge kind of woman. Some lesser men would have felt emasculated.
Louise is a complicated woman. While it's easy to see her as solely a villain, I find it's also not so difficult to discern how she ended up in this position. She's spent a lifetime being relegated to the background simply for being a woman. Yes she should have made better choices in spite of her unfortunate circumstances (which is always easier said than done), but instead she allowed bitterness and resentment to take hold and poison her mind.
As per usual it's wonderful to see Kyril even if it is only through a letter. His personality shines through no matter the medium and I adore the absurd cunning flirt of the Andar court.
There was something I disliked about this book and that is that it was so short. I would have enjoyed staying a lot longer and delving deeper into Brenna and Rom's world.
“Oh, but we were not arguing,” Breanne insisted cheerfully. “We were discussing. Or is that another activity that is not encouraged for ladies? I realize it’s not quite the thing for gentlemen to find out that we have ankles, but should they also not be permitted to discover that we have thoughts?”
Brenna (Countess Breanne Seagrave) is everything an aspiring heroine should be. Bold, determined, and fearless amongst other things. Though she doesn't quite know who she is or where she fits in, it only takes an adventure and a few assassination attempts to allow her heart to show her the answer. I love that she is not a damsel in distress and she is perfectly capable of taking care of any threats that may come her way. She does have the occasional insecurity, but it never gets in her way.
Brenna unhitched the horse, cut away the trailing bits of harness and shortened the reins to an appropriate length before using the hackney’s step to mount the animal bareback. “Well, I’ll be off then. You may report to your employer that I am insulted by the attempts to kill me thus far, and look forward to improvement in the future.”
Oh, Rom (Lord Rommel Griffin), you are quite the endearing tease. His personality upon his introduction was certainly wanting and I'll admit I was quite surprised (pleasantly so) to realize that it was all an act. It was a relief to discover he wasn't the dolt he played at being. And it was even more pleasant to find out that he was thrilled with Brenna being a daring take charge kind of woman. Some lesser men would have felt emasculated.
“You can’t throw me out,” Rom asserted. “Maybe I shouldn’t,” she said, smirking, “but never tell me I can’t.” Before it occurred to him that he might need to defend himself against a countess dressed as a barmaid, she had twisted his arm up behind his back.
Louise is a complicated woman. While it's easy to see her as solely a villain, I find it's also not so difficult to discern how she ended up in this position. She's spent a lifetime being relegated to the background simply for being a woman. Yes she should have made better choices in spite of her unfortunate circumstances (which is always easier said than done), but instead she allowed bitterness and resentment to take hold and poison her mind.
She, too, had been that young—that naive—once upon a time. She’d been dazzled by the promises of an older man, promises of wealth and consequence, promises of a place by his side. And she’d been fooled into thinking that he meant to share his power. But he’d meant only to smother her, moment by moment, into accepting his decrees and following his blundering course, and she’d had no choice but to pretend—to bank the fires of her ambition and shutter the passion in her soul.
As per usual it's wonderful to see Kyril even if it is only through a letter. His personality shines through no matter the medium and I adore the absurd cunning flirt of the Andar court.
Also, do keep an eye on Father and Eland...they aren’t what I’d call gracious losers, and may resort to making trouble. Though I rather suspect you would welcome it, if only for the excuse to punch both of them in the eye...you know you would enjoy that immensely. As would I, which is why I beg you to refrain from doing so until I can be there to see it.
There was something I disliked about this book and that is that it was so short. I would have enjoyed staying a lot longer and delving deeper into Brenna and Rom's world.
More...