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3.51 AVERAGE
3.51 AVERAGE
Kind of all over the place, but still fun in the end.
I'm not one to throw around the words Mary Sue very often, but it does strike me as odd how many men fall in love with the heroine after very short exposure to her.
Like, all of them.
Allllllll of them. Multiple marriage proposals in a day all of them.
And I'm not really sure why. I mean, she's pretty and all, but uhhhhhhh, okay.
Like, all of them.
Allllllll of them. Multiple marriage proposals in a day all of them.
And I'm not really sure why. I mean, she's pretty and all, but uhhhhhhh, okay.
When I got this book, I knew it had good reviews but I wasn't really sure what I expected.But I absolutely loved it! It's romantic, sexy and funny. It's got the suspense and a bit of mystery. I enjoy romances that have humour in them as well (like Julia Quinn's books), for instance I'll just say the scene in the ball with Jacob...read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about, I don't want to ruin anything. It had me howling.
I'm very partial to a pirate romance as well, so this book had all the elements for me, and I can't wait to get started on James Ardmore's story in Pirate Hunter's Lady.
The only downside of this book is that it kept me up all night because I absolutely had to know what happened, so now I'm really tired. The same will probably happen to you, but it's so worth it :)
I'm very partial to a pirate romance as well, so this book had all the elements for me, and I can't wait to get started on James Ardmore's story in Pirate Hunter's Lady.
The only downside of this book is that it kept me up all night because I absolutely had to know what happened, so now I'm really tired. The same will probably happen to you, but it's so worth it :)
2.5 Stars. Clearly, this story is completely implausible. But even within that, there are things that should have had at least a little realism to them. The heroine, Alexandra, sort of sucks. She is sort of dumb, but doesn't know it. I say she doesn't know it because she does things that she thinks are clever, but even in the implausible reality of this book what she does is really, really stupid. Seriously, she is in TSTL territory. For example, another character assaults her on the street, forcing a kiss on her that smears her reputation in front of witnesses, and pages later she is willingly walking alone with this same character when he drugs and abducts her. No way she should be surprised by this, because this is clearly not a good guy, but somehow she is surprised by his actions. Also, I have no idea why so many male characters become so enamored with Alexandra, because she drove me crazy. She was abducted, and all she can talk about is propriety and how she is disappointed in their behavior. Idiot. Also, she continually puts herself in bad situations to "protect" Grayson. Dummy. And finally, the villain, James Ardmore, is very much villainous. He does a few truly awful things which make his attempted redemption at the end of the book extremely unbelievable. He either needed to remain the villain, or be a bit less despicable.
3 Stars
This was such a unique and unusual Regency/Pirate romance but it was so enjoyable. It was steamy and sweet, funny and emotional. It had a bit of everything even if a times some things felt silly. It was fun and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
This was such a unique and unusual Regency/Pirate romance but it was so enjoyable. It was steamy and sweet, funny and emotional. It had a bit of everything even if a times some things felt silly. It was fun and I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
adventurous
challenging
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
If I were to sum up this book in one word, it would be "inconsistent."
I would only recommend this book to fans of this particular writer or someone not interested in reading the best-written romance novels out there. Don't get me wrong; I love a good... er... trashy romance novel as much as the next person. And I ultimately did enjoy reading this book. But potential readers should approach this book with certain (read: low) expectations. The crux of my issues came down to character inconsistencies and clichés. Ashley's main characters are complex, interesting, and, for the most part, relatable. Yet rather too frequently they act in an odd fashion, breaking either from previous characterization, historical inconsistencies, or any rational motive. (I've documented specific instances below, if you're not afraid of spoilers.)
For those of you readers looking for a better-written romance, I would point you in the direction of: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; or anything Jane Austen. For romance novels requiring less commitment, there is Nora Roberts (her Jewels of the Sun trilogy is my favorite), Judith McNaught (Almost Heaven was the first novel of that kind that I'd ever read, and therefore has a special place in my heart), Jeanine Frost, and Bridgette Asher.
SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT
My main complaints come at the beginning and ending of the book. So, without further ado...
The book stretches the reader's belief right from the get-go, with our heroine, Alexandra, rescuing the hero, Grayson, from death by hanging. I appreciate what the author is trying to do by establishing Alexandra as a brave, does-it-herself kind of person. And yet I find it improbable that a lady, in London, in 1810, would a) enter a bachelor's house uninvited in the middle of the night (especially when a big to-do is made about his house being opened to the public later in the book) instead of notifying authorities, and b) let him "ravish" her after saving him. Especially when the intention is to portray her as being a person who can stick up to the men. And it being established that she's so well bred (in fact, the granddaughter of a Duke). AND in search of a new, respectable husband. (I don't give one fig that she's a widow. In fact, it makes the situation worse. She knows about the birds and the bees, more or less, and still lets Grayson roll all over her. Literally. In front of her servants.) And then this whole nonsense about Grayson "commanding" her to sleep naked. And her complying.
See what I mean? Inconsistent.
Then the rivalry between Grayson and his arch-nemesis, Ardmore, is revealed. For people who hate each other so much, they sure spend a LOT of time in each other's company throughout the book. They even have mutual employees. Strange. The first time Grayson rescues Alexandra is improbable, as well. For as much as Ardmore hates Grayson, and the trouble he went through to abduct Alexandra, Grayson literally walks away with her while Ardmore stands by idly. In this instance I'm thinking the author was trying to ramp up the tension by seeing our main characters successfully defeat greater and greater obstacles. By having this scene happen so early in the book, the order of magnitude is thrown out of whack.
If you manage to ignore these issues, you're rewarded with some smooth, enjoyable reading for a while.
Then the writing gets rough again.
I believe that a lot of the end-of-book issues could have been resolved either by the elimination of Burchard, or her (his? it is unclear what the character's preferred gender pronouns would be) consolidation with other "bad" characters. The way s/he acts immediately before his/her death is cliché and improbable in the extreme. For someone so interested in cultivating the enmity between Grayson and Ardmore, s/he is sure quick to make it easier for them to work together after her/his detailed explanation of everything s/he's done to goad them on, evil-villain-speach style. Ultimately this is the unfortunate incident of the author trying to wrap things up in too nice and pretty of a bow.
In summation, I wouldn't be quick to write Ashley off as a poor writer. She has good instincts and admirable intentions. I want to emphasize that I DID ENJOY this book, for all of my dissecting and criticism. Her book merely suffers from not enough editing.
I would only recommend this book to fans of this particular writer or someone not interested in reading the best-written romance novels out there. Don't get me wrong; I love a good... er... trashy romance novel as much as the next person. And I ultimately did enjoy reading this book. But potential readers should approach this book with certain (read: low) expectations. The crux of my issues came down to character inconsistencies and clichés. Ashley's main characters are complex, interesting, and, for the most part, relatable. Yet rather too frequently they act in an odd fashion, breaking either from previous characterization, historical inconsistencies, or any rational motive. (I've documented specific instances below, if you're not afraid of spoilers.)
For those of you readers looking for a better-written romance, I would point you in the direction of: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon; Here Be Dragons by Sharon Kay Penman; Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë; or anything Jane Austen. For romance novels requiring less commitment, there is Nora Roberts (her Jewels of the Sun trilogy is my favorite), Judith McNaught (Almost Heaven was the first novel of that kind that I'd ever read, and therefore has a special place in my heart), Jeanine Frost, and Bridgette Asher.
SPOILERS BELOW THIS POINT
My main complaints come at the beginning and ending of the book. So, without further ado...
The book stretches the reader's belief right from the get-go, with our heroine, Alexandra, rescuing the hero, Grayson, from death by hanging. I appreciate what the author is trying to do by establishing Alexandra as a brave, does-it-herself kind of person. And yet I find it improbable that a lady, in London, in 1810, would a) enter a bachelor's house uninvited in the middle of the night (especially when a big to-do is made about his house being opened to the public later in the book) instead of notifying authorities, and b) let him "ravish" her after saving him. Especially when the intention is to portray her as being a person who can stick up to the men. And it being established that she's so well bred (in fact, the granddaughter of a Duke). AND in search of a new, respectable husband. (I don't give one fig that she's a widow. In fact, it makes the situation worse. She knows about the birds and the bees, more or less, and still lets Grayson roll all over her. Literally. In front of her servants.) And then this whole nonsense about Grayson "commanding" her to sleep naked. And her complying.
See what I mean? Inconsistent.
Then the rivalry between Grayson and his arch-nemesis, Ardmore, is revealed. For people who hate each other so much, they sure spend a LOT of time in each other's company throughout the book. They even have mutual employees. Strange. The first time Grayson rescues Alexandra is improbable, as well. For as much as Ardmore hates Grayson, and the trouble he went through to abduct Alexandra, Grayson literally walks away with her while Ardmore stands by idly. In this instance I'm thinking the author was trying to ramp up the tension by seeing our main characters successfully defeat greater and greater obstacles. By having this scene happen so early in the book, the order of magnitude is thrown out of whack.
If you manage to ignore these issues, you're rewarded with some smooth, enjoyable reading for a while.
Then the writing gets rough again.
I believe that a lot of the end-of-book issues could have been resolved either by the elimination of Burchard, or her (his? it is unclear what the character's preferred gender pronouns would be) consolidation with other "bad" characters. The way s/he acts immediately before his/her death is cliché and improbable in the extreme. For someone so interested in cultivating the enmity between Grayson and Ardmore, s/he is sure quick to make it easier for them to work together after her/his detailed explanation of everything s/he's done to goad them on, evil-villain-speach style. Ultimately this is the unfortunate incident of the author trying to wrap things up in too nice and pretty of a bow.
In summation, I wouldn't be quick to write Ashley off as a poor writer. She has good instincts and admirable intentions. I want to emphasize that I DID ENJOY this book, for all of my dissecting and criticism. Her book merely suffers from not enough editing.