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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
Lisa T. Bergren is fast becoming a favorite author of mine. She is truly talented at telling a story that is captivating from the first sentence & her characters always have such depth & it's just so easy to get caught up in her stories' worlds. I loved this book, I loved Cora, she's a wonderful protagonist that is easy to root for & relate to. I can't wait to read the next in the series!
I liked this. Perhaps it was the narrator, but Cora came off as extremely whiny throughout the book. I liked the premise of the story and will probably read/listen to the next book in the series. Hopefully Cora will get better. I liked Will and the glamorous Frenchman, but don't quite see what they see in Cora other than beauty and a wealthy father.
This book was fast and easy. It was free from amazon and i enjoyed the history of it all.
Painful
The book, for me, was like Cora's experience, painful. It dragged. The best part, was the Cathedral 'scene', where there was peace and a deeper message. Would have been better with an ending, where resolved Cora's future?
The book, for me, was like Cora's experience, painful. It dragged. The best part, was the Cathedral 'scene', where there was peace and a deeper message. Would have been better with an ending, where resolved Cora's future?
I eagerly went into this book thinking I would love it as much as the River of Time series, but unfortunately, it didn't really meet my expectations. I'm not really sure why I'm not fangirling over this novel, but I think it has to do with the pacing of the book and the romance. After all, the real action didn't really begin until the last few chapters, so the majority of this novel was just exposition.
But the biggest problem was the romance, hands down. I mean the writing is good. The characters are actually really well developed. I loved Cora's new family members and traveling companions. I loved Cora. I loved Will. I hated the love triangle. It felt not only unnecessary, but I found myself rolling my eyes quite a few times. Plus we all know that Will is really who Cora is gonna end up with, so the whole "sophisticated Frenchman chasing after Cora" thing gets me annoyed. The ending though was very suspenseful, but I don't think I can muster up any energy to read the second book. Especially if it's gonna contain more angst from Cora about having to make the right decision and choose between kindhearted sweet Will or sophisticated rich French dude that I'm not bothered to remember the name of. Ugh le barf
But the biggest problem was the romance, hands down. I mean the writing is good. The characters are actually really well developed. I loved Cora's new family members and traveling companions. I loved Cora. I loved Will. I hated the love triangle. It felt not only unnecessary, but I found myself rolling my eyes quite a few times. Plus we all know that Will is really who Cora is gonna end up with, so the whole "sophisticated Frenchman chasing after Cora" thing gets me annoyed. The ending though was very suspenseful, but I don't think I can muster up any energy to read the second book. Especially if it's gonna contain more angst from Cora about having to make the right decision and choose between kindhearted sweet Will or sophisticated rich French dude that I'm not bothered to remember the name of. Ugh le barf
2.5 stars
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did (because I love the author and because it was my pick for book club), but I just couldn't get into it. It was overly explanatory at times, and then there were times when I was confused because I couldn't figure out what was going on.
Also, Pierre was too much like Lord Greco and I am still not over that whole thing.
Overall, it was kind of a disappointment, and I doubt that I'll continue on with the series. I just don't have the time. :(
I wanted to like this a lot more than I did (because I love the author and because it was my pick for book club), but I just couldn't get into it. It was overly explanatory at times, and then there were times when I was confused because I couldn't figure out what was going on.
Also, Pierre was too much like Lord Greco and I am still not over that whole thing.
Overall, it was kind of a disappointment, and I doubt that I'll continue on with the series. I just don't have the time. :(
Cora Diehl's life gets turned upside down when she arrives home from Common School to find out her father had a stroke. With a struggling farm and a sick father Cora knows she might not be able to continue school. She knows something is about to change but she has no idea just how much until a man arrives and says he's her real father and the world that Cora knew changes forever.
Cora is now a Kensington and is thrust into the life of a copper king and his family. She now has to navigate Europe on her Grand Tour but also her new half-brothers and sisters, when they've made it perfectly clear that they don't like her or want her around. On the journey of a lifetime, Cora realizes just how hard it is to fit into a crowd that you weren't born into and how difficult it is to penetrate the pack, even if they are family.
In Europe, Cora begins to find herself again and figure out who she really is, not who her parents or newfound father wants her to be. She meets two men who start to change her life and open doors she thought were closed and start to show her that she's not defined by her title or how she came into this world but rather who she is and how she lives her life. This journey will push her and her faith to the limits but it might justly her become the person she wants to be.
Will Cora forgive her parents for keeping this from her or will she live with bitterness forever? Will Cora fall in love on this journey or will she break the hearts of two different men? Will Cora find out who she is or will she go home as confused as she left? Will Cora be able to make her siblings see her as more than a nuisance or will she forever be known as the outcast?
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I've never read a book by this author before but I've always admired and been attracted to Lisa Bergren's covers. This one was no different and it captured my attention with the stunning dress on the front with the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop. I found that I was just as captivated by the story of Cora Deihl once I started reading this interesting book. Though there wasn't much excitement in this book, I still enjoyed it and the growth I saw in Cora's character.
The story is a pretty uneventful one from the point that Cora leaves her hometown and until about two or three chapters from the end. That leaves a lot of space for basically history lessons and for Cora to be shunned by her siblings. It also leaves some space for a little infatuation to bloom. Though this book isn't the most exciting book out there I somehow got hooked by Cora's story and struggle to fit in with siblings and settle into a role that she wasn't prepared for, however I would've liked to have had a bit more excitement throughout instead of clumped at the ends. I guess her and Will made the story worth reading for me.
This book technically isn't a romance but it's a precursor to one, or at least it seems that way, and Cora starts to fall for not one but two completely different men. One is a French duke and very powerful, the other is Will a guide and bodyguard and someone who always seems to make her heart flutter. There's definitely a love triangle going on and the real question is who's going to win over Cora's heart in the end. (I'm thinking Will)
The author chose a rather odd set up for the writing style. Instead of making the entire book one style, like all first person or all second person, she chose to mix them up. Cora's point of view is written in first person while Will's and everyone else's is written in second person. It's a weird method and one I'm not totally sure I liked. It felt a bit disjointed at times and I'm not sure that was a good blend, but I am happy that she did write in point of views other than just Cora's.
This author is completely new to me and I enjoyed my first book by her, but I wish there would've been some excitement in what can be considered a very vanilla book. I look forward to reading the next book in the series though, because now that we have some excitement going I feel like she should keep it up, but also because I want to see Cora grow into the woman she deserves to be and the only way to see that is to finish the book. I do recommend this book to select people and I think I can recommend this author.
Overall, this is a good but unexciting book. The character growth and love triangle is the only thing keeping it interesting. I recommend this to people who like continuos novels and love triangles. I don't recommend this to younger resets but possibly mature teens and adults. I give this book a three and a half out of five.
*I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.*
The setting of this coming-of-age tale, was intriguing. The heroine, Cora, returns home from teacher’s college and her family falls into destitution after her father’s stroke. She recognizes she can’t afford to return, but her biological father arrives and upends her life. She learns the man who raised her was only her step father and that her biological father, Kensington, is one of the richest men in America.
Cora’s persuaded/coerced into leaving with Kensington and embarking on a Grand Tour with the Kensington Children and their family friends. That aspect of the story was intriguing. I’ve heard of these trips, but knew little about their structure and details.
Cora faces challenges, including siblings who’d rather she had never appeared, society members who snub her because they see her as illegitimate and then a mystery at the end.
It was a pleasant read, but it felt like the author couldn’t make her mind up about the core themes. A tale of class? Self-discovery? A bit of a mystery? One aspect that interfered with the thematic unity was the occasional insertion of religion. Admittedly, religious/inspirational is not may favorite genre, but the mentions of god seemed almost random and did not add that much to the story. The book wasn’t quite religious, which made those interludes jarring.
2.75/5
After writing the review, I see that some have classified it as Christian Fiction, which makes sense. I did not find the mentions of faith, however, to be woven into the story well.
Cora’s persuaded/coerced into leaving with Kensington and embarking on a Grand Tour with the Kensington Children and their family friends. That aspect of the story was intriguing. I’ve heard of these trips, but knew little about their structure and details.
Cora faces challenges, including siblings who’d rather she had never appeared, society members who snub her because they see her as illegitimate and then a mystery at the end.
It was a pleasant read, but it felt like the author couldn’t make her mind up about the core themes. A tale of class? Self-discovery? A bit of a mystery? One aspect that interfered with the thematic unity was the occasional insertion of religion. Admittedly, religious/inspirational is not may favorite genre, but the mentions of god seemed almost random and did not add that much to the story. The book wasn’t quite religious, which made those interludes jarring.
2.75/5
After writing the review, I see that some have classified it as Christian Fiction, which makes sense. I did not find the mentions of faith, however, to be woven into the story well.