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lifeand100books's review
3.0
Rachel Van Dyken is quickly becoming one of my favorite romance authors! She's the author of The Ugly Ducking Debutante and The Seduction of Sebastian St. James, both novels in her House of Renwick series. When I heard about her short novella An Unlikely Alliance and its relation to the House of Renwick series, I jumped at the chance to review.
Royce Mc Arthur lives quite the life of luxury. Spoiled rich, he spends his days and nights gallivanting around New York without a care in the world. However, all that is about to change after his mother hands down a decree: marry a respectable woman, settle down, and produce grandchildren. Unfortunately for him, all of the woman who Royce are acquainted with are not the kind of women you'd want to bring home to your mother. All of this changes, however, when he meets Evelyn DeJarlias at a ball. Slightly brash and outspoken, Evelyn is the kind of woman that Royce pines for, although she doesn't seem to return his attentions. Will Royce be able to convince Evelyn to give him a chance to show her that he is not as rakish as she originally surmises?
Van Dyken's novels always stand out to me for their unique male leads. Her "heroes" (if we can call them that) are all men in serious need of redemption and love from a good woman. They need someone who makes them want to change and be better men. Royce fits this pattern to a T, going from a spoiled selfish man to a man hopelessly in love, willing to do anything for the woman he loves. While I believe in his transformation, I think it would have worked better had it been fleshed out more. Yes, I understand that with novellas you don't get as deeply detailed character transformations as you would in a whole novel, but I truly believe that Van Dyken has the storyline and characters for a full-blown novel on her hands.
The brevity of the novella is really my only complaint. Everything happens at such a fast pace that you feel rushed through it. I guess you can't really call it a complaint - it's a compliment to Van Dyken's writing style and creativity that I want more! So, if you're in the mood for a quick and fun story that will hold you captive until the end, An Unlikely Alliance will definitely fit the bill. For those eagerly anticipating book three in the House of Renwick series, The Redemption of Lord Rawlings (out later this month), this will be a good quick fix to get you through the wait!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-Qk
Royce Mc Arthur lives quite the life of luxury. Spoiled rich, he spends his days and nights gallivanting around New York without a care in the world. However, all that is about to change after his mother hands down a decree: marry a respectable woman, settle down, and produce grandchildren. Unfortunately for him, all of the woman who Royce are acquainted with are not the kind of women you'd want to bring home to your mother. All of this changes, however, when he meets Evelyn DeJarlias at a ball. Slightly brash and outspoken, Evelyn is the kind of woman that Royce pines for, although she doesn't seem to return his attentions. Will Royce be able to convince Evelyn to give him a chance to show her that he is not as rakish as she originally surmises?
Van Dyken's novels always stand out to me for their unique male leads. Her "heroes" (if we can call them that) are all men in serious need of redemption and love from a good woman. They need someone who makes them want to change and be better men. Royce fits this pattern to a T, going from a spoiled selfish man to a man hopelessly in love, willing to do anything for the woman he loves. While I believe in his transformation, I think it would have worked better had it been fleshed out more. Yes, I understand that with novellas you don't get as deeply detailed character transformations as you would in a whole novel, but I truly believe that Van Dyken has the storyline and characters for a full-blown novel on her hands.
The brevity of the novella is really my only complaint. Everything happens at such a fast pace that you feel rushed through it. I guess you can't really call it a complaint - it's a compliment to Van Dyken's writing style and creativity that I want more! So, if you're in the mood for a quick and fun story that will hold you captive until the end, An Unlikely Alliance will definitely fit the bill. For those eagerly anticipating book three in the House of Renwick series, The Redemption of Lord Rawlings (out later this month), this will be a good quick fix to get you through the wait!
Kimberly (Reflections of a Book Addict)
http://wp.me/p18lIL-Qk
perilous1's review
4.0
I'd put this novella somewhere between three and four stars—but ultimately I liked it just enough to round up.
The plot in short: A highly privileged man-whore meets the unconventional woman-of-his-dreams and has an introspective life change—almost immediately rendering him a new man.
In most cases, it takes a heck of a lot to get me to buy this sort of premise in the hero's story arc. But throw in the fact that the hero's mother appears to be secretly courting the heroine's father, and things got interesting enough to string me along for the ride. While it took a while for Royce to develop any convincing appeal, he did get there eventually. And in the meantime, I was treated to Evelyn's ill-mannered feistiness and skewering commentary.
The author's style presents a quirky hybrid, blending an array of contemporary terms with the elegance that makes so many historicals compelling. I suspect if one is a stickler for uncorrupted historical accuracy on all fronts, this isn't the author for you. But while this reviewer admittedly isn't an avid fan of meticulously researched historical romance, I am a fan of good pacing and a redemptive plotline—both of which, this story possesses.
From an editing standpoint I'll point out, as fair warning, that there was an abundance of exclamation points and a little bit of word repetition. However, clipped pacing, pithy dialogue, and clever bites of humor keep the reader well engaged.
I'll agree with those who felt the story was a bit rushed and the peripheral characters not as fleshed out as they could have been. Unfortunately, there simply wasn't room for embellishments. I think we all would have been better satisfied if this novella had instead been a full-length novel. But I will happily credit it with being an entertaining read, and one that introduced me to the charmingly unique voice of Ms. Van Dyken.
Note: I received this novella free via an epress promotion. There are several chapter teasers to be found at the back of the book, and as a direct result, I was intrigued enough to purchase one of Rachel Van Dyken's other books: The Seduction Of Sebastian St. James.
Well played, Astraea Press. Well played.
The plot in short: A highly privileged man-whore meets the unconventional woman-of-his-dreams and has an introspective life change—almost immediately rendering him a new man.
In most cases, it takes a heck of a lot to get me to buy this sort of premise in the hero's story arc. But throw in the fact that the hero's mother appears to be secretly courting the heroine's father, and things got interesting enough to string me along for the ride. While it took a while for Royce to develop any convincing appeal, he did get there eventually. And in the meantime, I was treated to Evelyn's ill-mannered feistiness and skewering commentary.
The author's style presents a quirky hybrid, blending an array of contemporary terms with the elegance that makes so many historicals compelling. I suspect if one is a stickler for uncorrupted historical accuracy on all fronts, this isn't the author for you. But while this reviewer admittedly isn't an avid fan of meticulously researched historical romance, I am a fan of good pacing and a redemptive plotline—both of which, this story possesses.
From an editing standpoint I'll point out, as fair warning, that there was an abundance of exclamation points and a little bit of word repetition. However, clipped pacing, pithy dialogue, and clever bites of humor keep the reader well engaged.
I'll agree with those who felt the story was a bit rushed and the peripheral characters not as fleshed out as they could have been. Unfortunately, there simply wasn't room for embellishments. I think we all would have been better satisfied if this novella had instead been a full-length novel. But I will happily credit it with being an entertaining read, and one that introduced me to the charmingly unique voice of Ms. Van Dyken.
Note: I received this novella free via an epress promotion. There are several chapter teasers to be found at the back of the book, and as a direct result, I was intrigued enough to purchase one of Rachel Van Dyken's other books: The Seduction Of Sebastian St. James.
Well played, Astraea Press. Well played.
alannaj's review
3.0
An Unlikely Alliance is the story of Royce McArthur and Evelyn DeJarlias. Royce McArthur is a rich man whose father has recently died. He has sought comfort in the arms of random women, hoping that the responsibilities left to him will feel less pressured. When his mother demands that he marries before the end of the summer, Royce panics, as he has no wish to settle down and he doesn’t think anyone within his circles is worth settling down with; until he meets Evelyn DeJarlias at a ball. Evelyn comes from a working-class background, with her father only recently coming into money. She is unrefined and still learning the ways of the upper class, which Royce finds charming and refreshing, but she is clever enough to know that she can’t compromise herself in any way – which is why she refuses the attempted courtship of Royce from the very beginning. However, when Royce’s mother and Evelyn’s father start spending time together, the two must come together to keep an eye on their parents and end up finding common ground. The problem is that Royce’s past isn’t what Evelyn had hoped for, and she must decide whether or not she can trust Royce, or whether his past is just too much for her to deal with.
I found Evelyn’s character particularly endearing; her unrefined charm poured out of the pages and at times provided some humour. She was easily likeable, and I instantly wanted her to succeed. Her internal fight between wanting to protect her father and wanting to protect herself from Royce was amusing to read and also fairly relatable. Royce wasn’t the character I was expecting, in that he was almost instantly shown to be vulnerable (having not properly dealt with the death of his father) and portrayed as the more romantic of the two protagonists. He’s not the typical rugged, macho male hero, but I’ve found that Rachel van Dyken is very good at writing sensitive male leads; something that I really love reading.
Compared to some of her other novels, the story was a lot shorter and, in some ways, less developed. The ending, though very enjoyable, felt a little abrupt, as I was expecting more of a struggle before the two characters reached their conclusion. The sub-plot between the protagonists parents also felt a little rushed towards the end, and slightly out of place in the last few pages. Despite that, it was a sweet story, and great for a bit of easy reading – I’m looking forward to the next Rachel van Dyken read.
I found Evelyn’s character particularly endearing; her unrefined charm poured out of the pages and at times provided some humour. She was easily likeable, and I instantly wanted her to succeed. Her internal fight between wanting to protect her father and wanting to protect herself from Royce was amusing to read and also fairly relatable. Royce wasn’t the character I was expecting, in that he was almost instantly shown to be vulnerable (having not properly dealt with the death of his father) and portrayed as the more romantic of the two protagonists. He’s not the typical rugged, macho male hero, but I’ve found that Rachel van Dyken is very good at writing sensitive male leads; something that I really love reading.
Compared to some of her other novels, the story was a lot shorter and, in some ways, less developed. The ending, though very enjoyable, felt a little abrupt, as I was expecting more of a struggle before the two characters reached their conclusion. The sub-plot between the protagonists parents also felt a little rushed towards the end, and slightly out of place in the last few pages. Despite that, it was a sweet story, and great for a bit of easy reading – I’m looking forward to the next Rachel van Dyken read.
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