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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I loved this book, and I can't wait for the rest of the series. 4 wallflowers in London society. All with different pressures for getting married. All with pretty extreme disadvantages. Instead of going after each other, they band together to help one another. So fun to read. 4 funny, strong girls. I loved it!
I’ve learned not to doubt Kleypas’ writing because it’s always GOOD. My only criticism with this book was that i didn’t get enough of Simon’s POV to really understand him. With such limited Simon POV he didn’t feel as multi-dimensional as some of her other heroes. We’ll see if this pattern goes throughout this series.
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
emotional
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun historical romance with good characters. Not perfect, but entertaining. Recommended.
It was okay - the pacing felt very tilted? The first half very slow. The second much more interesting and action packed.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Absolutely loved it!! I was captivated from the very beginning.
I must confess that Annabelle didn't annoy me as much as she seemed to have annoyed the majority of the readers (as seen from the reviews). There were some moments where I felt she was a tad bit snobbish, especially when it came to judging Simon. However, she was not the only one who judged him. Lillian, and the majority of London society judged him likewise.
Annabelle is also not the only woman who was bound on marrying a peer. While I don't agree with her, I also felt that her beliefs were justified because they were molded by the London society. One must also put her childhood and her upbringing into consideration. Even her mother believed that being a peer was the highest and best rank possible.
The scene where Annabelle snapped and said that she didn't know where she belonged was annoying, but understandable. Her conflict is justified and I believe that she sincerely didn't want to hurt Simon's feelings. Besides, the most important thing is that Annabelle evolved beautifully and her mindset changed over the course of the novel.
I would've liked to have read more from Simon's perspective in order to see when exactly he realized he was in love with Annabelle. Although, I have a pretty good idea when that was. I absolutely loved how besotted Simon was with her. While others might view their love story to be a tad bit slow, I actually loved it that way. I loved seeing their love blossom and I also loved seeing Simon fall hard for her. I believe that Annabelle was in love with Simon before she married him, but she just merely failed to realize the extent of her feelings.
There was always this awkwardness that hung in the air between them after their marriage -- especially after Annabelle exclaimed that she didn't know where she belonged. I think the reason why Simon refused to broach that subject was because he thought his love was one-sided and he refused to be hurt again.
My heart was bursting with joy when Annabelle risked her life to save Simon. I was close to sobbing when Simon kept yelling at her to leave and she refused to leave without saving him first. What a huge moment in the book -- it was very much needed because honestly, it was about time Annabelle realized that she was in love Simon.
"She felt a surge of exquisite pleasure, accompanied by the elusive sense of completeness, of perfect fulfillment, that they had never quite reached before."
--- PERFECTLY DESCRIBED!! I absolutely love Ms. Kleypas's writing!! She manages to describe everything that I can't exactly put into words. This is the moment where the awkwardness (the one I mentioned before) that was always hung in the air completely dissipated.
Oh and the love scenes were amazing. I love how much Simon always needs Annabelle. Ahhhh he's so perfect. Although this scene was not precisely described, I had fun imagining it:
"Laughter had shimmered in her eyes. 'I have some more shoes back at the hotel,' she told him cheerfully. 'Are you planning to drink champagne from one of them?'
'No, my love. I'm going to drink it from you.'"
My imagination ran wild at this. Can I have my own Simon Hunt, please?
Now, about Westcliff. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't believe that Westcliff's judgement of Annabelle was fair. I never agreed with him because I felt that Annabelle did indeed care for Simon even before they got married (esp. after her sickness). The only time that Westcliff was actually presented with proof that Annabelle and her friends were intent on trapping husbands was when he found Annabelle + Simon in a compromising situation. But Westcliff was only looking out for his friend, just like Annabelle's friends were looking out for her.
Suffice to say, I ended up really liking Westcliff towards the end.
One thing I felt was missing was information on Annabelle's father. I wanted to know more about him and his influence on his children.
I can't wait for the next book! I hope Lillian doesn't annoy me. The one time she really annoyed in this book was when she didn't want to take orders from Simon while Annabelle was sick. Actually, she also annoyed me by the way she loudly exclaimed that Annabelle was kissing the wrong man. So, yes, Lillian actually annoyed me the most in this book.
I must confess that Annabelle didn't annoy me as much as she seemed to have annoyed the majority of the readers (as seen from the reviews). There were some moments where I felt she was a tad bit snobbish, especially when it came to judging Simon. However, she was not the only one who judged him. Lillian, and the majority of London society judged him likewise.
Annabelle is also not the only woman who was bound on marrying a peer. While I don't agree with her, I also felt that her beliefs were justified because they were molded by the London society. One must also put her childhood and her upbringing into consideration. Even her mother believed that being a peer was the highest and best rank possible.
The scene where Annabelle snapped and said that she didn't know where she belonged was annoying, but understandable. Her conflict is justified and I believe that she sincerely didn't want to hurt Simon's feelings. Besides, the most important thing is that Annabelle evolved beautifully and her mindset changed over the course of the novel.
I would've liked to have read more from Simon's perspective in order to see when exactly he realized he was in love with Annabelle. Although, I have a pretty good idea when that was. I absolutely loved how besotted Simon was with her. While others might view their love story to be a tad bit slow, I actually loved it that way. I loved seeing their love blossom and I also loved seeing Simon fall hard for her. I believe that Annabelle was in love with Simon before she married him, but she just merely failed to realize the extent of her feelings.
There was always this awkwardness that hung in the air between them after their marriage -- especially after Annabelle exclaimed that she didn't know where she belonged. I think the reason why Simon refused to broach that subject was because he thought his love was one-sided and he refused to be hurt again.
My heart was bursting with joy when Annabelle risked her life to save Simon. I was close to sobbing when Simon kept yelling at her to leave and she refused to leave without saving him first. What a huge moment in the book -- it was very much needed because honestly, it was about time Annabelle realized that she was in love Simon.
"She felt a surge of exquisite pleasure, accompanied by the elusive sense of completeness, of perfect fulfillment, that they had never quite reached before."
--- PERFECTLY DESCRIBED!! I absolutely love Ms. Kleypas's writing!! She manages to describe everything that I can't exactly put into words. This is the moment where the awkwardness (the one I mentioned before) that was always hung in the air completely dissipated.
Oh and the love scenes were amazing. I love how much Simon always needs Annabelle. Ahhhh he's so perfect. Although this scene was not precisely described, I had fun imagining it:
"Laughter had shimmered in her eyes. 'I have some more shoes back at the hotel,' she told him cheerfully. 'Are you planning to drink champagne from one of them?'
'No, my love. I'm going to drink it from you.'"
My imagination ran wild at this. Can I have my own Simon Hunt, please?
Now, about Westcliff. Contrary to popular opinion, I don't believe that Westcliff's judgement of Annabelle was fair. I never agreed with him because I felt that Annabelle did indeed care for Simon even before they got married (esp. after her sickness). The only time that Westcliff was actually presented with proof that Annabelle and her friends were intent on trapping husbands was when he found Annabelle + Simon in a compromising situation. But Westcliff was only looking out for his friend, just like Annabelle's friends were looking out for her.
Suffice to say, I ended up really liking Westcliff towards the end.
One thing I felt was missing was information on Annabelle's father. I wanted to know more about him and his influence on his children.
I can't wait for the next book! I hope Lillian doesn't annoy me. The one time she really annoyed in this book was when she didn't want to take orders from Simon while Annabelle was sick. Actually, she also annoyed me by the way she loudly exclaimed that Annabelle was kissing the wrong man. So, yes, Lillian actually annoyed me the most in this book.