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cala_p's review against another edition
3.0
The second book in Lecia’s trilogy was a good read. Once Julia and Merritt’s reunion occured, it was an adorable whirlwind of Julia “choosing” between two men. I use quotes because it was never really a choice for her. I am enjoying this series because for a historical romance, it is super historical. They focus so much on the war that was ongoing, and in this novel especially, the political side of it. My issue with this book is that even though the book is told in two POVS, Julia and Merritt do not actually see each other again/reunite until just over 50% of the book. There was no romance that needed to be built up once they reunited because the entirety of the novel was spent doing that through their thoughts and memories. But regardless, I was a tad disappointed to see the lack of actual romance. I am reading these books for that reason mainly, and when it took half the book to bring the couple together, I wasn’t loving it. The story that Julia was mixed up in was really good on its own, I just wanted more of them.
squish_reader893's review against another edition
Awesome book! This is the first I've read of Lecia Cornwall's but immediately after finishing this book, which I fould was #2 in the series, I ordered #1 and #3... #alittleobsessed
helioscultz3's review against another edition
2.0
SPOLIERS KIND OF A
this book was wild but i hate hate hate the male love interest he very clearly emotionally manipulated the female lead into a relationship(if you can even call the Stockholm ESC situationship they were in)
after stealing her first-ever experience knowing she knew no better and LITERALLY ROBBING HER he just dips then shows back up!
like nothing happened to tear apart her first good relationship since he completely fucked up her social standing and life lady Julia was very unhappy and clearly stated to be unhappy with her arranged marriage but she was pretty much miserable with a child after
a win-lose for Julia who was so bland it hurt i have absolutely no memory of her as a person hell I don't even remember her hair color just the fact she wore violet perfume which was so played up i started to look into violet perfume to see if it really was worth all the hype the author put into them during this book (it smells like nothing btw)
the second love interest who was ultimately blue balled with the "i like him because he is good" excuse which in books tend to be an excuse for a female lead to be in a clearly abusive relationship when there is a better option who is willing to wait hand and foot on them which just pisses me off to no end!
this was all and all was a mid book and a the 2 smut sences felt dull and rushed 2 outa 10 stars maybe im harsh but if it sucks it sucks
this book was wild but i hate hate hate the male love interest he very clearly emotionally manipulated the female lead into a relationship(if you can even call the Stockholm ESC situationship they were in)
after stealing her first-ever experience knowing she knew no better and LITERALLY ROBBING HER he just dips then shows back up!
like nothing happened to tear apart her first good relationship since he completely fucked up her social standing and life lady Julia was very unhappy and clearly stated to be unhappy with her arranged marriage but she was pretty much miserable with a child after
a win-lose for Julia who was so bland it hurt i have absolutely no memory of her as a person hell I don't even remember her hair color just the fact she wore violet perfume which was so played up i started to look into violet perfume to see if it really was worth all the hype the author put into them during this book (it smells like nothing btw)
the second love interest who was ultimately blue balled with the "i like him because he is good" excuse which in books tend to be an excuse for a female lead to be in a clearly abusive relationship when there is a better option who is willing to wait hand and foot on them which just pisses me off to no end!
this was all and all was a mid book and a the 2 smut sences felt dull and rushed 2 outa 10 stars maybe im harsh but if it sucks it sucks
nbvanderhyden's review against another edition
3.0
Y'all, "The Secret Life of Lady Julia" let me tell you-
loverofromance's review against another edition
4.0
I was given a copy of this book by Edelweiss and Avon books in exchange for a honest review. This is the first time that I have read from this author, and I was a bit apprehensive because I didn't know what to expect or if I would have a hard time reading this. Surprisingly I found it to be a easy to get into read, and was quite unique for a historical romance set in the regency era.
Julia has been betrothed to her fiancee since she was seven years old, she has known him forever. He is nice, and a good man, and she loves him like you would care for a friend. But its not deep intense love that takes your breath away. Then she dances with Thomas Merritt, and even though she doesn't know him, she feels like she could fall in love with him very easily, he brings a desire to her that she has never felt before. Then after sharing a very sensual night in each others arms, she doesn't see him again, and decides to be honest with her fiancee and her family. But they end up throwing her out to the wolves, with no family or home. She ends up being a companion to a young woman, who is deep in her grief, and needs someone to assist her on their trip to Vienna. When she comes to Vienna, she finds herself embroiled in a variety of circumstances. It is hard to know who to trust, with secrets laying beneath every corner, and despite the glittering ballrooms and the royal dignitaries, Julia knows she is in way over her head, especially when she comes face to face with Thomas Merritt. She finds herself being slowly seduced by him once again. She knows that she will have to make a difficult choice soon.
Thomas Merritt, has been abandoned by his family, through a misunderstanding. Now he and his valet, survive by being thieves of jewels. I found Thomas to definitely not the typical hero you find in this type of scenario. Despite his occupation, he does have some admirable qualities that only make him more appealing. Julia has been thrown into a hard set of circumstances herself, and does what she can to make the best of it. I loved how strong willed she was, and I felt like she was a good match for Thomas. We don't see a whole lot of interaction, just both sides of their different lives that eventually lead up to finding each other again.
There were some things that I enjoyed about this one and a couple of aspects that I didn't enjoy so much. I didn't like how through the majority of the book, we don't see much interaction between Thomas and Julia. They are apart for most of the story, which was a bummer for me. I mean it was still a fun and like able read, but I always like more interaction than less. And things start to really escalate once they get together again, and I just had such a exciting time with the secret plots and intrigue and passion that plays out in the end. And as a plus there is quite a bit of good history here, its apparent that the author did good research (which is always something I admire in historical fiction authors)I found it to be a unique play of events and it definitely caught my attention. A story you don't want to miss out on, and I definitely plan on reading more of this author.
Julia has been betrothed to her fiancee since she was seven years old, she has known him forever. He is nice, and a good man, and she loves him like you would care for a friend. But its not deep intense love that takes your breath away. Then she dances with Thomas Merritt, and even though she doesn't know him, she feels like she could fall in love with him very easily, he brings a desire to her that she has never felt before. Then after sharing a very sensual night in each others arms, she doesn't see him again, and decides to be honest with her fiancee and her family. But they end up throwing her out to the wolves, with no family or home. She ends up being a companion to a young woman, who is deep in her grief, and needs someone to assist her on their trip to Vienna. When she comes to Vienna, she finds herself embroiled in a variety of circumstances. It is hard to know who to trust, with secrets laying beneath every corner, and despite the glittering ballrooms and the royal dignitaries, Julia knows she is in way over her head, especially when she comes face to face with Thomas Merritt. She finds herself being slowly seduced by him once again. She knows that she will have to make a difficult choice soon.
Thomas Merritt, has been abandoned by his family, through a misunderstanding. Now he and his valet, survive by being thieves of jewels. I found Thomas to definitely not the typical hero you find in this type of scenario. Despite his occupation, he does have some admirable qualities that only make him more appealing. Julia has been thrown into a hard set of circumstances herself, and does what she can to make the best of it. I loved how strong willed she was, and I felt like she was a good match for Thomas. We don't see a whole lot of interaction, just both sides of their different lives that eventually lead up to finding each other again.
There were some things that I enjoyed about this one and a couple of aspects that I didn't enjoy so much. I didn't like how through the majority of the book, we don't see much interaction between Thomas and Julia. They are apart for most of the story, which was a bummer for me. I mean it was still a fun and like able read, but I always like more interaction than less. And things start to really escalate once they get together again, and I just had such a exciting time with the secret plots and intrigue and passion that plays out in the end. And as a plus there is quite a bit of good history here, its apparent that the author did good research (which is always something I admire in historical fiction authors)I found it to be a unique play of events and it definitely caught my attention. A story you don't want to miss out on, and I definitely plan on reading more of this author.
melaniebopp's review against another edition
3.0
Full review available here:
http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=9668
What’s the difference between a love story and a romance novel? Is it based on the amount of romance there is? Does it have to do with the main focus of the story? Whatever that difference is, I would definitely categorize Lady Julia as a love story.
http://likesbooks.com/cgi-bin/bookReview.pl?BookReviewId=9668
What’s the difference between a love story and a romance novel? Is it based on the amount of romance there is? Does it have to do with the main focus of the story? Whatever that difference is, I would definitely categorize Lady Julia as a love story.
silvercal's review against another edition
3.0
I have really enjoyed all of Lecia Cornwall's previous works but this one just did not click with me as much. It features a plot with political intrigue and that is just not a plot I enjoy personally. I also felt like the romance between Julia and Thomas needed a bit more attention. After a passionate meeting in the beginning, they do not speak to each other again until half way into the story. There were a lot of people and names and it got a bit confusing and overwhelming for me and I would have just like a bit more time focused on the couple and their personal issues. After all, Julia has a very large secret that Thomas does not find out about until the very end and I felt like it was all glossed over a bit too easily.
However, I did really enjoy the different locale we saw. Quite a bit is set in Vienna which was refreshing and exciting and the attention to detail was very well done but a bit overwhelming for me. So while this did not work for me, it will appeal to romance fans who enjoy the political angle with some mystery and heat. But for me, 3 1/2 stars this time.
eARC provided by Avon Books via edelweiss
However, I did really enjoy the different locale we saw. Quite a bit is set in Vienna which was refreshing and exciting and the attention to detail was very well done but a bit overwhelming for me. So while this did not work for me, it will appeal to romance fans who enjoy the political angle with some mystery and heat. But for me, 3 1/2 stars this time.
eARC provided by Avon Books via edelweiss
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