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jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
Another RITA finalist, this one in the short historical category. It's a well-written traditional regency, with lots of traditional Regency references (superfine coats, overdressed dandies, etc.) and a rather bland, conventional plot. Twenty-year-old Charlotte, the daughter of an army Colonel, is sent to stay with her cousins, the Buxteds, while her father finishes up his army duties escorting Napoleon to exile (it's 1814). Charlotte is taken aback by the outspokenness of Mrs. Buxted, and by the self-involved behavior of Henrietta, the eldest daughter of the family, but resolves to grin and bear her difficult situation. It won't be long before her father returns, after all...
The Earl of Shalford, coming off a year of mourning, is thinking of take a wife, and halfheartedly pursues Henrietta. But as Henrietta is a spoiled shrew, and Charlotte a kind, lively girl with a sense of humor, of course he falls for her during the house party he arranges instead. But Charlotte, unlike Henrietta, is reputed to have a small dowry, and Shalford needs a wife with money to help him keep up the estate his grandfather nearly ran into the ground. Additional complications ensue when Charlotte's father is declared dead, and Mrs. Buxted starts acting like Cinderella's stepmother...
Really don't care for the stories with henpecked husbands who have to put their overbearing wives in their place by book's end. And stories which hold up a heroine for our admiration by using a nasty female foil to serve as contrast. It's mean to be funny, but the underlying sexism of the trope is not at all amusing.
Still, there were small touches of humor, and Charlotte and Adam are appealingly, if rather flatly, drawn. If you like your historicals in the fairy tale vein, with undeveloped characters and evil villains, this one should appeal.
The Earl of Shalford, coming off a year of mourning, is thinking of take a wife, and halfheartedly pursues Henrietta. But as Henrietta is a spoiled shrew, and Charlotte a kind, lively girl with a sense of humor, of course he falls for her during the house party he arranges instead. But Charlotte, unlike Henrietta, is reputed to have a small dowry, and Shalford needs a wife with money to help him keep up the estate his grandfather nearly ran into the ground. Additional complications ensue when Charlotte's father is declared dead, and Mrs. Buxted starts acting like Cinderella's stepmother...
Really don't care for the stories with henpecked husbands who have to put their overbearing wives in their place by book's end. And stories which hold up a heroine for our admiration by using a nasty female foil to serve as contrast. It's mean to be funny, but the underlying sexism of the trope is not at all amusing.
Still, there were small touches of humor, and Charlotte and Adam are appealingly, if rather flatly, drawn. If you like your historicals in the fairy tale vein, with undeveloped characters and evil villains, this one should appeal.
sttiiinna's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.25
Skipped a lot of pages cuz of too much nosens that did not contribute to the story
scottishpixie26's review against another edition
5.0
For a debut book, this was amazing. I absolutely loved it. It was different to see other points of view besides the hero and heroine, not sure if I liked that or not (though at times it felt like it was randomly placed and messed with the flow of the story). Pleasantly surprised at the lack of sex scenes; not having any didn't detract from the story at all and actually I think having any sex scenes in this story would have detracted from the budding romance.
Some parts were a little bit predictable, but overall I loved this story and cannot wait for more from this author.
Some parts were a little bit predictable, but overall I loved this story and cannot wait for more from this author.
bibliobeka's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars rounded up. This seemed pretty cliched, without anything particularly interesting going on.
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