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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Cute. Just the fun kind of fluff without being trashy, that I was looking for.
Props to the author for trying something different, I guess. The first half of the book was solid - resourceful heroine with a unique hook, and an interesting and unusual setup between the hero and heroine. It felt very different from the other romances I've read.
Unfortunately that all went out the window in the second half. The heroine suddenly lost all her courage and resourcefulness (I swear every other sentence was internal monologue about how terrified and helpless she is) and eventually she flat out lost all her autonomy, too (at the end of the book, her future is decided in a discussion between the hero and another man, while she sits by silently and clings to the hero). This from a woman who, in the first chapter, knocked out a man twice her size and freed herself and two others from prison. How disappointing. It was a real slog to get through the last 150 pages.
Unfortunately that all went out the window in the second half. The heroine suddenly lost all her courage and resourcefulness (I swear every other sentence was internal monologue about how terrified and helpless she is) and eventually she flat out lost all her autonomy, too (at the end of the book, her future is decided in a discussion between the hero and another man, while she sits by silently and clings to the hero). This from a woman who, in the first chapter, knocked out a man twice her size and freed herself and two others from prison. How disappointing. It was a real slog to get through the last 150 pages.
Once I got through this one, I really enjoyed it a lot, and my struggles were with listening to the audio, not with the book itself. (And don't get me wrong, I thought the audio version was great. I'm just not great at listening to books being read to me.)
Anyway, I thought that Annique was a wonderful character, and I quite enjoyed Grey as well. I think that if you can buy into them being spies on opposite sides of a near-war, it's quite an enjoyable read. Considering that the fate of his country was supposed to be hanging on the information that Annique had, I didn't really blame Grey for being kind of a jerk. But yeah, you have to buy in, or it's just not going to work.
Anyway, I thought it was fun. I'd read more by the author, if I'm ever up for a romance again in the near future. :)
Anyway, I thought that Annique was a wonderful character, and I quite enjoyed Grey as well. I think that if you can buy into them being spies on opposite sides of a near-war, it's quite an enjoyable read. Considering that the fate of his country was supposed to be hanging on the information that Annique had, I didn't really blame Grey for being kind of a jerk. But yeah, you have to buy in, or it's just not going to work.
Anyway, I thought it was fun. I'd read more by the author, if I'm ever up for a romance again in the near future. :)
This has been on my to read shelf for years, and I'm annoyed with myself that it's taken me this long, because I quite enjoyed it. Annique!! So good.
Seriously: Ignore the terrible trashy romance-novel cover! This book isn't Great Literature, but it's much less fluffy than the Lauren Willig Pink Carnation series, and is actually a pretty good spy romp. I would categorize it as a reasonably intelligent fluff/popcorn novel.
I wanted to like this. I couldn’t. I couldn’t understand what was going on. The romance isn’t much of a romance and we are just wandering around France trying not to get captured by the wrong people the whole book. Bleh.
Well this didn’t not go down the way I thought it would. On one hand I really appreciated the high stakes. This felt like a genuine spy story. However, I didn’t feel like this was very romantic on any front. Yes technically this would be considered a romance, but that part of this story wasn’t as good to me.
If the bath tub scene had been left out completely, if Annique had been able to remain a powerful character, and if the consummation of the romance between Annique and Grey had been delayed until AFTER the resolution of Chapter 38, then it wouldn't have been so bad. I probably would have given it a 3-3.5 rating. As the book stands, I can only give it 2.5 at most. It gains points for the first half by being an intriguing rival spies story, with an interesting historical context. However, after the halfway point, Annique is forced by the author to become another helpless damsel in distress, and only a big, strong man like Grey can save her (and sexually harass and eventually deflower her in a bath tub).
I am definitely not continuing this series.
I am definitely not continuing this series.
This is a very skillfully written novel. I could tell every word had been purposely chosen and given a lot of thought, and I appreciated that about it. But the truth is I never felt swept up by the story or characters on an emotional level, and at the end of the day emotional engagement is what I'm looking for, in addition to nice prose.
Though I did enjoy certain passages and scenes, for the most part it was slow-going for me. There was something detached and dry about the characters and story that just didn't speak to me. Plus, I prefer more focus on the romance in my romance novels than what there was here; it's one of the reasons I like historical romance more than historical fiction. This book was much more about espionage and intrigue than about a great love story between the hero and heroine.
A good book, just not the book for me. 3.5 stars
Though I did enjoy certain passages and scenes, for the most part it was slow-going for me. There was something detached and dry about the characters and story that just didn't speak to me. Plus, I prefer more focus on the romance in my romance novels than what there was here; it's one of the reasons I like historical romance more than historical fiction. This book was much more about espionage and intrigue than about a great love story between the hero and heroine.
A good book, just not the book for me. 3.5 stars
The setting was great, the historical background was excellent and the characters were well rounded. It was better than your average romance, but not high literature. Well written, but I found the sex scenes a little "too much" and I am not a prude in my reading! That is the only reason that I didn't give this book five stars!
I liked reading about the spy system of the Napoleonic era, and the plot of the story was not quite what I expected. I would recommend this book to those who have read the Willig series Pink Carnation.
I liked reading about the spy system of the Napoleonic era, and the plot of the story was not quite what I expected. I would recommend this book to those who have read the Willig series Pink Carnation.