You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.52 AVERAGE
3.52 AVERAGE
This was charming and fun to read. It had a slower start, but could have felt that way because I’ve been a little distracted this summer. Overall enjoyable
I struggled with the authors writing style on this one. It felt wordy like she was trying to make the book longer than necessary. There was a lot of useless information about the castle I didn’t care about or side conversations or thoughts that didn’t contribute to the overall character development to the story. Marianne felt like a strong character at first, then weak and then strong again. I didn’t love that they made her so pathetic. She definitely needed better supporting characters early on and Amelia came in too late in the game. I wasn’t in love with Perry either. He was selfish to begin with but came around but I didn’t find any epiphany occurring for the sudden change? So far, the castles and courtship series is not doing it for me since this is the second book I’ve rated pretty low.
Commonly, I love the rival to an estate troupe, but I hardly call this couple rivals or enemies. The heroine was a victim of being a girl at that time, powerless and destitute. And her personality isn't making it any better. I found her very bland and had not much of a personality. Her damsel in distress manner, which the hero always so her to be, unfortunately, isn't very endearing. Not to mention, she exuded a lot of secondhand embarrassment on me. Like, girl, if you going to have a nonexistent personality, at least do not trip and fall in the most unfortunate of places.
Mmm I think I've finished gathering the data on Jennie Goutet. And my conclusion is I really enjoy her writing style, but her stories don't click with me. Definitely a case of it's not you, it's me.
With every entry I've read from Goutet I always find the writing to be great and the character work to be exceptional, but where it always falls down for me is the execution of the romance and the pacing. And all of that rings true for this book.
The premise is that the castle that Marianne has lived in her whole life is bequeathed to her uncle's distant relative upon his death leaving Marianne to have to build a new life so apart from the one she loves and has grown accustomed to. The inheritor of the castle is Perry who comes to inspect his new property.
From the jump Goutet writes Marianne and Perry beautifully as incredibly flawed characters who aren't impossible to root for. And this is something I feel like she always excels in across all her books. I was really looking forward to the gradual character growth for both characters as they grew closer. Now gradual doesn't mean slow, it just means progression. As in, seeing the change happen, rather than leaps and bounds. For example, in the first half of the book Perry is pretty selfish. Not mean-spirited, but definitely very self-focused and -interested. He's also a little lost in the world in terms of excessively seeking the approval of those from a higher station. Through the first half of the book, he regards Marianne but not excessively so. He's still more focused on himself and his own goals. Suddenly at the halfway mark or so, there's this huge shift and he's in love with Marianne and is doing all these things to please her and make her happy. That in itself isn't bad but the suddenness of it make it feel entirely unearned. And once that happens my investment takes a nosedive.
This really is the central gripe that I have with the story, which can be boiled down to poor execution. All the ingredients were there but it didn't come together. The character development was sort of abandoned halfway through, the romance never laid down a sufficient foundation for lift-off, and the plot itself wasn't engaging enough to maintain my interest.
I feel if I go through all my reviews for Goutet books I would have said similar things, which makes me conclude that her books don't click with me.
Definitely a me thing though, she's an excellent writer.
With every entry I've read from Goutet I always find the writing to be great and the character work to be exceptional, but where it always falls down for me is the execution of the romance and the pacing. And all of that rings true for this book.
The premise is that the castle that Marianne has lived in her whole life is bequeathed to her uncle's distant relative upon his death leaving Marianne to have to build a new life so apart from the one she loves and has grown accustomed to. The inheritor of the castle is Perry who comes to inspect his new property.
From the jump Goutet writes Marianne and Perry beautifully as incredibly flawed characters who aren't impossible to root for. And this is something I feel like she always excels in across all her books. I was really looking forward to the gradual character growth for both characters as they grew closer. Now gradual doesn't mean slow, it just means progression. As in, seeing the change happen, rather than leaps and bounds. For example, in the first half of the book Perry is pretty selfish. Not mean-spirited, but definitely very self-focused and -interested. He's also a little lost in the world in terms of excessively seeking the approval of those from a higher station. Through the first half of the book, he regards Marianne but not excessively so. He's still more focused on himself and his own goals. Suddenly at the halfway mark or so, there's this huge shift and he's in love with Marianne and is doing all these things to please her and make her happy. That in itself isn't bad but the suddenness of it make it feel entirely unearned. And once that happens my investment takes a nosedive.
This really is the central gripe that I have with the story, which can be boiled down to poor execution. All the ingredients were there but it didn't come together. The character development was sort of abandoned halfway through, the romance never laid down a sufficient foundation for lift-off, and the plot itself wasn't engaging enough to maintain my interest.
I feel if I go through all my reviews for Goutet books I would have said similar things, which makes me conclude that her books don't click with me.
Definitely a me thing though, she's an excellent writer.
Marianne has been running her household to the best of her ability on a shoestring budget and a prayer. She's been left to her own devices for far too long and learning the castle has been bequethed to another is a slight she's ill prepared for. Unfortunately, the new heir, Perry, has no qualms with sending her packing to her cottage on the perimeter of the estate.
Jennie's sly wit and sweet, thoughtful prose will keep me coming back to her writing. I liked the premise and the development of the romance between Marianne and Perry. This just happened to miss some of the angst and drama that I always want from her (or any author, really). But I'm blaming her for giving me A Daring Proposal (my very favorite of hers) and Philippa Holds Court (second only to ADP) to compare all of her work to. It did take me a longer time than normal to finish this book, but it's because my mood has demanded fantasy and contemporary for an absurd amount of time and I'm only now back into a historical mood.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.
Jennie's sly wit and sweet, thoughtful prose will keep me coming back to her writing. I liked the premise and the development of the romance between Marianne and Perry. This just happened to miss some of the angst and drama that I always want from her (or any author, really). But I'm blaming her for giving me A Daring Proposal (my very favorite of hers) and Philippa Holds Court (second only to ADP) to compare all of her work to. It did take me a longer time than normal to finish this book, but it's because my mood has demanded fantasy and contemporary for an absurd amount of time and I'm only now back into a historical mood.
Thank you to the author for the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.
Sweet and strong
A gentlewoman raised without the accomplishments of a lady has been brutally disappointed that her home has been willed to someone else. An orphan since 10 she has put her heart and effort into the castle. She meets the challenges with strength and sweetness. She will also meet with someone who will recognize those qualities in her.
A gentlewoman raised without the accomplishments of a lady has been brutally disappointed that her home has been willed to someone else. An orphan since 10 she has put her heart and effort into the castle. She meets the challenges with strength and sweetness. She will also meet with someone who will recognize those qualities in her.
DNF at pg 20 — the MMC is a stuck up, judgmental, lazy, self important little tart. Even if he gets a redemption arc, I’m too irritated to even try to give him a chance.
I absolutely love Jennie Goutet's books and An Amiable Foe proved that once again. Marianne and Perry are such likable characters and it was easy to want to continue reading to see how they would get their happily ever after. I loved that it was from both their points of view and that they both had gumption and wanted to prove themselves. The setting of the castle was wonderful and you could feel the love Marianne had for her home. An Amiable Foe was the perfect first book for the Castles and Courtship series because I cannot wait to read the rest of the series as it is released.