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bannisterb's review against another edition
1.0
Meh. This isn't really a story about couple who fell in love via letter and had to navigate their connection once they met in real life. No, it's more the story of a poorly-thought out political overthrow and revenge scheme that involved the easily manipulated hero and his tangential romantic interest, a frivolous and dim-witted mother hen who thinks she is smarter than she really is because of her ability to run a household and be a stepmother to a woman only 8 years her junior.
The heroine became TSTL once she met the hero and read more like a naive old woman than a 30-year old. The couple had no chemistry except in their once-a-year letters at the very beginning of the book (honestly, it could stand alone as a sweet, yet sad, story of two unhappily married people who had a connection). I'm not really into the mentally unstable, weak hero with no self-confidence, which may be this author's favored theme. I like healthy relationships, and this has zero honesty. I found myself skimming towards the end just to get past the drawn out mystery and misunderstood romance and see how everything wrapped up. It was overly convoluted, frustrating, and boring. I really thought the hero was insane for most of the first half, and with his first marriage being so awful (on both sides), how is the reader supposed to like him? I've no idea. And the mysticism (also present in Kinsale's Shadow and the Star) is so dull and hand-wave-y to gloss over the lamer parts of the plot and action. A great way to make every other character look stupid and rip me out of my suspension of disbelief.
Just a big no for me.
The heroine became TSTL once she met the hero and read more like a naive old woman than a 30-year old. The couple had no chemistry except in their once-a-year letters at the very beginning of the book (honestly, it could stand alone as a sweet, yet sad, story of two unhappily married people who had a connection). I'm not really into the mentally unstable, weak hero with no self-confidence, which may be this author's favored theme. I like healthy relationships, and this has zero honesty. I found myself skimming towards the end just to get past the drawn out mystery and misunderstood romance and see how everything wrapped up. It was overly convoluted, frustrating, and boring. I really thought the hero was insane for most of the first half, and with his first marriage being so awful (on both sides), how is the reader supposed to like him? I've no idea. And the mysticism (also present in Kinsale's Shadow and the Star) is so dull and hand-wave-y to gloss over the lamer parts of the plot and action. A great way to make every other character look stupid and rip me out of my suspension of disbelief.
Just a big no for me.
muguete's review against another edition
1.0
1,5 stars
Big, big disappointment. Delighted by [b:Flowers from the Storm|360259|Flowers from the Storm|Laura Kinsale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1275622146s/360259.jpg|788122], I couldn't wait to read something more by Laura Kinsale. I would say that only 10 percent of the book was a romance. At most. The rest, well... if I would like to read some adventure, action, I would choose authors who write proper thrillers, espionage novels etc. "My sweet Folly" is bad romance, and bad thriller, I'm afraid.
What I liked:
- beginnig: the letters were really promising :)
- some secondary characters (especially the lady who was knitting)
What I especially disliked:
- main hero being jerk and asshole
- that I didn't care about hero and heroine and didn't find emotions, for which I look in romances
- sex scenes - few and poor.
Big, big disappointment. Delighted by [b:Flowers from the Storm|360259|Flowers from the Storm|Laura Kinsale|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1275622146s/360259.jpg|788122], I couldn't wait to read something more by Laura Kinsale. I would say that only 10 percent of the book was a romance. At most. The rest, well... if I would like to read some adventure, action, I would choose authors who write proper thrillers, espionage novels etc. "My sweet Folly" is bad romance, and bad thriller, I'm afraid.
What I liked:
- beginnig: the letters were really promising :)
- some secondary characters (especially the lady who was knitting)
Spoiler
- the way Robert manipuled superintendent to let them escape from the boat.What I especially disliked:
Spoiler
- all this political plots, villains, revange, abduction, kidnapping in one novel- main hero being jerk and asshole
- that I didn't care about hero and heroine and didn't find emotions, for which I look in romances
- sex scenes - few and poor.
nbvanderhyden's review against another edition
4.0
Really liked this one! The letters are perfect at the beginning. The ending went on a little long and then just stopped, but it was a great read. My second favorite by Kinsale.
Real review:
This book starts STRONG with an epistolary component as Folie and Robert, our MC’s get to know each other. It’s hilarious and adorable. Robert is the cousin of Folie’s much older husband and though a few years of correspondence, they basically fall in love. Folie’s husband dies and when Folie makes a comment about going to India (where Robert is stationed) he tells her not to because he’s been married this whole time. GASP.
(But don’t worry. He wasn’t emotionally cheating on his wife because they had a terrible relationship where she physically cheated on him.)
Ten years later, Robert’s wife is dead, he is back in England and happens to be the guardian of Folie’s much older husband’s daughter. He orders the girls to move to the country to live with him and then things get weird. He acts like a completely different person, ie not caring about Folie, and has become a paranoid hermit, not letting anyone leave the house.
Every now and then, he will crack and they will kiss, but it takes a compromising situation to actually get them together. In true LK fashion, a lot is happening including blackmail, political spill-over from Robert’s time in India and, of course, the man his first wife cheated on him with.
The second half of the story was less fun than the first, which is why it places as 2nd in my ranking of LK books. The angst of the second chance was a bit overshadowed by all the Plot. But in closing, I still very much recommend this one.
Alrighty, they have kissed and I’ve told you about it!
Real review:
This book starts STRONG with an epistolary component as Folie and Robert, our MC’s get to know each other. It’s hilarious and adorable. Robert is the cousin of Folie’s much older husband and though a few years of correspondence, they basically fall in love. Folie’s husband dies and when Folie makes a comment about going to India (where Robert is stationed) he tells her not to because he’s been married this whole time. GASP.
(But don’t worry. He wasn’t emotionally cheating on his wife because they had a terrible relationship where she physically cheated on him.)
Ten years later, Robert’s wife is dead, he is back in England and happens to be the guardian of Folie’s much older husband’s daughter. He orders the girls to move to the country to live with him and then things get weird. He acts like a completely different person, ie not caring about Folie, and has become a paranoid hermit, not letting anyone leave the house.
Every now and then, he will crack and they will kiss, but it takes a compromising situation to actually get them together. In true LK fashion, a lot is happening including blackmail, political spill-over from Robert’s time in India and, of course, the man his first wife cheated on him with.
The second half of the story was less fun than the first, which is why it places as 2nd in my ranking of LK books. The angst of the second chance was a bit overshadowed by all the Plot. But in closing, I still very much recommend this one.
Alrighty, they have kissed and I’ve told you about it!
nura_aziz's review against another edition
4.0
I picked this book because it was convenient, never expecting it will pull me thoroughly in (since my reading slump is getting worse, I can't seem to find interest in any books, including some by my favorite authors). How surprised was I when I can't stop reading, even though it was well past my bedtime (I just picked up the book as a lullaby...hehehe).
The start was so great, it really pull my heart with Folie's innocence and her bright world. And it were all shattered just because of one letter. The letter that was not even addressed to her. I have to admit, I did not cry when the last letter came, but I can't stop the tears reading Folie's reaction. It was so true. It was what any woman would do in the exact situation.
But I was happy that Folie finally found her HEA. Knowing Kinsale, you are safe to expect some intrigue and a foray into the political world. It was not an easy breezy road, it has some surprises and its own ups and downs. But in the end, you are glad that some of us found their happiness whereas some of us would still be searching for it.
Might need another read from Ms Kinsale to lift up my slump ;)
The start was so great, it really pull my heart with Folie's innocence and her bright world. And it were all shattered just because of one letter. The letter that was not even addressed to her. I have to admit, I did not cry when the last letter came, but I can't stop the tears reading Folie's reaction. It was so true. It was what any woman would do in the exact situation.
But I was happy that Folie finally found her HEA. Knowing Kinsale, you are safe to expect some intrigue and a foray into the political world. It was not an easy breezy road, it has some surprises and its own ups and downs. But in the end, you are glad that some of us found their happiness whereas some of us would still be searching for it.
Might need another read from Ms Kinsale to lift up my slump ;)
una_macchia's review against another edition
3.0
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this messy book. I gave it 3 stars but I have no idea if that's even the rating I want.
bookstuff's review against another edition
3.0
The epistolary prologue is charming, but the guy is seriously whacked (as in run away! far far away!) at times and I cannot approve wholeheartedly of him.
nononanette's review against another edition
2.0
I love kinsale but her story didnt quite work. Her hero particularly was schizophrenic if I recall (ad a long time ago)
dwellordream's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
exmilitarygothmom's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
Minor: Racial slurs
vasha's review against another edition
4.0
An entertaining minor book. In particular it has a suspense plot that's actually suspenseful, and with Folie, a charming heroine who has a gift for seeing the humor in everything (even in the middle of her wedding with a man she's sure hates her, a stray thought makes her smile) and a way with a quick word of reply that saves the situation multiple times. And everything about Robert playing the part of a charlatan-psychic was purely delightful.
The things I didn't so much love were what maddens me about 99% of romances (and yet I keep reading them). The hero hews too much to codes of romance-masculinity -- funny that we've reached a time when a heroine in the genre can be just about anything, but the requirements for a proper hero are far narrower, and therefore, necessarily, this limits the ways the two of them can interact too. Once again in My Sweet Folly, we have a hero who may be terrified inside, but must act with a properly manly hardness, which means hurting other people and frankly being a jerk; and who must be masterful and protective (even if he needs to overcome fears to do so); and who requires the heroine to be practically a genius to guess at his carefully hidden pain, and therefore forgive his jerk behavior. Admittedly, this book is a better-than-average specimen of its type, and the hero really does understand what's wrong with his behavior, but the fact remains that in the vast majority of romances, there is only a very narrow range of ways that a man can act and still be properly manly, and this book barely deviates from them. It also carries on the harmful myth of the vaginal orgasm as ultimate goal and sign of true love. Oh well, take the good with the bad and it's still enjoyable...
The things I didn't so much love were what maddens me about 99% of romances (and yet I keep reading them). The hero hews too much to codes of romance-masculinity -- funny that we've reached a time when a heroine in the genre can be just about anything, but the requirements for a proper hero are far narrower, and therefore, necessarily, this limits the ways the two of them can interact too. Once again in My Sweet Folly, we have a hero who may be terrified inside, but must act with a properly manly hardness, which means hurting other people and frankly being a jerk; and who must be masterful and protective (even if he needs to overcome fears to do so); and who requires the heroine to be practically a genius to guess at his carefully hidden pain, and therefore forgive his jerk behavior. Admittedly, this book is a better-than-average specimen of its type, and the hero really does understand what's wrong with his behavior, but the fact remains that in the vast majority of romances, there is only a very narrow range of ways that a man can act and still be properly manly, and this book barely deviates from them. It also carries on the harmful myth of the vaginal orgasm as ultimate goal and sign of true love. Oh well, take the good with the bad and it's still enjoyable...