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3.55 AVERAGE
3.55 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
How I Met My Countess by Elizabeth Boyle
Avon, 2010
345 pages
Romance; Historical; Series
4/5 stars
Source: Picked up cheap in a thrift store.
I've never read a romance that had so many chapters set in the past but it's necessary in order to fully tell the love story of Lucy and Clifton (His name appears to actually be Justin Grey but he's never called that.) Seven years earlier, he and his brother Malcolm arrived at her father's home to be inducted in to the world of spies. Along the way, they fall in love. But Lucy is illegitimate and Clifton is an earl so her father tried to manage her expectations. Seven years later she is widowed after marrying in desperation and thinking Clifton had forsaken her. He in turn believes her to have been untrue.
I really loved Lucy, a vibrant and exciting woman. She has a mean right hook and a tart tongue She did not seem of her time but I didn't mind. I was less enthused about Clifton, mostly because he was sometimes too intent on dominating her. He also has trust issues (see Spoiler). But he is genuninely heroic, having faithfully served England as a spy all these years.
SPOILER: I don't believe this is really a spoiler but better safe than sorry. Mickey is obviously Lucy's nephew and Clifton's as well for while Clifton hearts Lucy, his brother Malcolm loves her sister. But when Clifton meets Mickey, he jumps to the ludicrous conclusion that Lucy and Malcolm had produced the child. END SPOILER.
I believe this marks the start of what I'm calling the Lady Standon series as Lucy, Elinor, and Minerva are all called by that name. They all married men they didn't love and this is now their chance to get their happily ever after. Check out Elizabeth Boyle's website for more info.
One interesting aspect is toward the end where Lucy takes a rather philosophical approach to life that such a thing had to happen in order for other things to happen. The second book, featuring Elinor, is also set up.
My big problem with this book is how problems cropped up and were quickly dispensed with. There were a lot of problems but they never lasted for long. However I liked that the couple were pretty much always in love and were eager to resume their relationship after those misunderstandings were cleared.
This is all set in Elizabeth Boyle's Regency World with references to spymaster Pymm, spy Temple (hero of my beloved Stealing the Bride), and Felicity Langley (from Love Letters from a Duke) in a rather unsympathetic portrayal. There are also two hilarious dowagers who come to help the Lady Standons remarry and who will hopefully be in the next two books.
Overall: A perhaps too fast-paced romance spy novel with an amazing heroine from the ever-delightful Elizabeth Boyle.
Cover: Why hello Miss Cleavage-pretty necklace!
Avon, 2010
345 pages
Romance; Historical; Series
4/5 stars
Source: Picked up cheap in a thrift store.
I've never read a romance that had so many chapters set in the past but it's necessary in order to fully tell the love story of Lucy and Clifton (His name appears to actually be Justin Grey but he's never called that.) Seven years earlier, he and his brother Malcolm arrived at her father's home to be inducted in to the world of spies. Along the way, they fall in love. But Lucy is illegitimate and Clifton is an earl so her father tried to manage her expectations. Seven years later she is widowed after marrying in desperation and thinking Clifton had forsaken her. He in turn believes her to have been untrue.
I really loved Lucy, a vibrant and exciting woman. She has a mean right hook and a tart tongue She did not seem of her time but I didn't mind. I was less enthused about Clifton, mostly because he was sometimes too intent on dominating her. He also has trust issues (see Spoiler). But he is genuninely heroic, having faithfully served England as a spy all these years.
SPOILER: I don't believe this is really a spoiler but better safe than sorry. Mickey is obviously Lucy's nephew and Clifton's as well for while Clifton hearts Lucy, his brother Malcolm loves her sister. But when Clifton meets Mickey, he jumps to the ludicrous conclusion that Lucy and Malcolm had produced the child. END SPOILER.
I believe this marks the start of what I'm calling the Lady Standon series as Lucy, Elinor, and Minerva are all called by that name. They all married men they didn't love and this is now their chance to get their happily ever after. Check out Elizabeth Boyle's website for more info.
One interesting aspect is toward the end where Lucy takes a rather philosophical approach to life that such a thing had to happen in order for other things to happen. The second book, featuring Elinor, is also set up.
My big problem with this book is how problems cropped up and were quickly dispensed with. There were a lot of problems but they never lasted for long. However I liked that the couple were pretty much always in love and were eager to resume their relationship after those misunderstandings were cleared.
This is all set in Elizabeth Boyle's Regency World with references to spymaster Pymm, spy Temple (hero of my beloved Stealing the Bride), and Felicity Langley (from Love Letters from a Duke) in a rather unsympathetic portrayal. There are also two hilarious dowagers who come to help the Lady Standons remarry and who will hopefully be in the next two books.
Overall: A perhaps too fast-paced romance spy novel with an amazing heroine from the ever-delightful Elizabeth Boyle.
Cover: Why hello Miss Cleavage-pretty necklace!
Light, fluffy, romance perfect for jet lag.
The daughter of an infamous spy, falls for a count her father is training.
The daughter of an infamous spy, falls for a count her father is training.
One of my goals as I rediscovered my love for historical romance was to pick up certain books and authors I’d loved before, and see if I still enjoyed them. Elizabeth Boyle was near the top of the list, as I’d stopped her Bachelor Chronicles on what is arguably a fan-favorite, although there were more books in the series. How I Met My Countess is a bit of step down from what I remember about the prior book, but I respect it for making some bold choices, even if I had somewhat mixed feelings about the execution.
Lucy is a delightful heroine, and the daughter of a formidable spymaster at that. I felt for her as she fell for Justin, in spite of knowing what being a spy involved, and admired her courage in carrying on in his absence. Justin was also a solid hero.He didn’t make a massive impression, in either past or present, but I was invested in his spy activities.
It’s also fun to see her with the other ladies in the “present.” It’s such a chaotic family situation, what with various members of the family who held the courtesy title of Marquess of Standen having died after marrying, leaving three widowed marchionesses, especially when Felicity Langley, Duchess of Holindrake (from Love Letters from a Duke) gets tired of their shenanigans.
The structure of this book was really interesting, with a part of the book being an extended flashback, following the initial romance between Lucy and Justin, before picking up again in the present. The “past” romance was much more interesting, with Justin and his brother being trained by Lucy’s father, and that serving as a backdrop for their initial spark of romance. They get off on the wrong foot initially, but their feelings grow, and I love how Lucy was so torn about losing Justin, but helped him to become the best spy possible nonetheless.
The “present” timeline was much more lackluster in the romance department, with them having much less page time, not to mention the flashback had already taken up so much of the book. I respect the choices made here, even if they didn’t work quite as well as they did in the prior book.
While not the best of the series, there’s still a lot I enjoyed here, especially returning to the series after enjoying the first several books. While I wouldn’t recommend this as your first entry into the series or Elizabeth Boyle’s oeuvre overall, I would recommend it in the context of the larger narrative of the Bachelor Chronicles.
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
it's not that it was bad. It was just blah...
lukewarm? :/
lukewarm? :/
Guh. Oh, man was this one not good.
This is one of those "we used to know each other, fell in love a long time ago, he left, and I had a crappy life" stories. But, instead of filling us in on their backstory a little at a time, a huge chunk of this book is a flashback. That drove me NUTS. She could have told us all we needed to know in a couple of paragraphs, not 200 pages.
Also, I hate that he called "BETRAYAL!" when he came back from war two years later and found out, after not having sent her any letters or anything (just flowers), that she got married. HOW COULD SHE? You left! Ugh!
When we finally make it back to present time, the two main characters don't have a scene together until page 265! WAYYYYYY too late! They have to fall in love again! They have to like each other again! They have to learn to forgive each other again! Two years is a long time to be apart.
On pg 325, the Hero finds about about The Boy. THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE. Now, from the summary on the back, I thought the kid would be the impetus for the getting together, but is he? NO. He's barely even a plot point. Honestly, I don't even know why he's in this.
And then, as if not knowing the Hero at all, much less liking him, wasn't enough, as soon as he finds out about The Boy, he tries to take him away from the Heroine! WHAT? I get being upset about what he thought the circumstances were, but no. That I cannot forgive.
In the present part of the story, the Hero and Heroine had about four scenes together. FOUR. No joke.
Also, the "demmed" and "gel" got on my nerves.
Skip. Skip hard.
This is one of those "we used to know each other, fell in love a long time ago, he left, and I had a crappy life" stories. But, instead of filling us in on their backstory a little at a time, a huge chunk of this book is a flashback. That drove me NUTS. She could have told us all we needed to know in a couple of paragraphs, not 200 pages.
Also, I hate that he called "BETRAYAL!" when he came back from war two years later and found out, after not having sent her any letters or anything (just flowers), that she got married. HOW COULD SHE? You left! Ugh!
When we finally make it back to present time, the two main characters don't have a scene together until page 265! WAYYYYYY too late! They have to fall in love again! They have to like each other again! They have to learn to forgive each other again! Two years is a long time to be apart.
On pg 325, the Hero finds about about The Boy. THREE HUNDRED AND TWENTY FIVE. Now, from the summary on the back, I thought the kid would be the impetus for the getting together, but is he? NO. He's barely even a plot point. Honestly, I don't even know why he's in this.
And then, as if not knowing the Hero at all, much less liking him, wasn't enough, as soon as he finds out about The Boy, he tries to take him away from the Heroine! WHAT? I get being upset about what he thought the circumstances were, but no. That I cannot forgive.
In the present part of the story, the Hero and Heroine had about four scenes together. FOUR. No joke.
Also, the "demmed" and "gel" got on my nerves.
Skip. Skip hard.
I liked the setting and the characters, but I didn't like the structure and thought the end was really rushed. I don't mind flashbacks usually, but I just found the timing odd. And the end was really, really rushed - it seemed like there was as much plot in the last few chapters as there was in the rest of the book.
Lucy helped her father train the Earl of Clifton to be a spy, and fell in love. Now, years later, he's back. Nice easy read, but not the best in the series. Some of the scenes with the three dowager duchesses are quite funny.