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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
FIRST THOUGHTS: I was pretty impressed with His at Night. It's another seriously awesome historical romance from Sherry Thomas, one that combines wit, humor and swoons. Really enjoyed reading about Spencer and Elissande, even when they were being IDIOTIC about things.
It took me three days to get past the first thirty pages, but once I did, I finished it the same day. I just didn't think I was interested in the characters or the premise, so I dragged my feet, but once I committed, I really enjoyed it. The plot was twisty and interesting and, whereas usually in a romance novel, I skim the bits where the main characters aren't directly interacting, I read every word of this book. There was also a secondary romance that I wasn't all that into, but it was okay--not unbearable, but not awesome. I was missing something between the hero and heroine, but I can't say what. There was plenty of tension, a few rescues by the hero, but...well, she thought he was an idiot for a lot of the books, and also, he acted pretty gross, and it made it hard for me to picture him as a dashing romance novel hero during the first half of the novel. I enjoyed reading the book, but I wasn't invested in the romance until 150 pages in! Which is not actually what I want out of a romance novel, you know? Good writing, and ultimately, I liked the book, but it wasn't exactly what I was hoping for, I guess.
Still a four star read; and surprisingly enough, this time around I didn't hate Vere all that much!
Guess I'm going to have to stop calling him 'the rat guy'. ;)
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Sherry Thomas is one of those authors, whose books are on my auto-buy list.
The author writes extremely engaging stories, with characters that are very human at heart.
In this one, we have the tale of two persons who in their lives are very well versed in the concept of lying.
For Elissande lying is a question of survival.
For Lord Vere, an occupational hazard.
Vere is a spy for the British crown. Due to some demons from his past, he who was once reputed as a brilliant man, decides to reinvent himself,this time in the role of a merry fool.
In Elissande's case, she lives in a state of constant fear, due to the despotic nature of her uncle. For her, a smile is an armor. A mask, just like the one Lord Vere uses.
So when the chance to save herself and her aunt appears, Elissande will do anything in her grasp to achieve that goal.
Their story is not an easy one and I confess that I every time I read this story I develop some hatred for the guy; and that is why I re-read it, because the story is so well done.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse
Minor: Physical abuse
*I listen to audiobooks while doing other tasks, so note taking is impossible, ergo Down & Dirty Quickie Reviews are impossible. Instead, here are some words.*
The Plot & The Peeps:
Heroine traps idiot hero into marriage to escape her abusive uncle, but whoops; he's only pretending to be a moron because Spy Stuff. And over all? Not a bad book.
Both peeps rock facades to disguise who they really are as a means of survival. Both got dark shit in their pasts. Both want out of the roles life plopped them into.
The Romance & The Pound Town:
Here's where our book loses some stars, 'cause damn I had trouble buying this romance. 90% of our couple's interactions are while each are playing a role. I couldn't understand how these two could genuinely fall in love when they were rarely themselves in front of the other person.
Throw in a slew of secondary characters, plus some head-hopping into a secondary romance that felt like it was an out-of-place detraction from the main romance, and I was left meh.
The narrator:
Kate Reading is 50% of the reason why this novel gets a solid 3 stars. Had I been reading this book instead of listening to it, I might not have connected as much to its characters. That's how much her voice acting breathed life into this OTP!
The Plot & The Peeps:
Heroine traps idiot hero into marriage to escape her abusive uncle, but whoops; he's only pretending to be a moron because Spy Stuff. And over all? Not a bad book.
Both peeps rock facades to disguise who they really are as a means of survival. Both got dark shit in their pasts. Both want out of the roles life plopped them into.
The Romance & The Pound Town:
Here's where our book loses some stars, 'cause damn I had trouble buying this romance. 90% of our couple's interactions are while each are playing a role. I couldn't understand how these two could genuinely fall in love when they were rarely themselves in front of the other person.
Throw in a slew of secondary characters, plus some head-hopping into a secondary romance that felt like it was an out-of-place detraction from the main romance, and I was left meh.
The narrator:
Kate Reading is 50% of the reason why this novel gets a solid 3 stars. Had I been reading this book instead of listening to it, I might not have connected as much to its characters. That's how much her voice acting breathed life into this OTP!
Well-written, as usual. The plot somewhat a la THE SCARLET PIMPERNEL. However, not as gripping as her previous two novels, and the point at which these two intersect -- i.e. see the truth of each other sufficient as to fall in love -- seems murky. I had to fill in some blanks to justify for myself why they would love each other, i.e. both are consummate actors, have suffered in their past, two lonely souls cleaving to each other in difficult times while facing a truly villainous villain, etc., etc. I wished these "justifications" were more apparent from within the story...
Excellent for the genre. Recommended.
Excellent for the genre. Recommended.
The Marquess (5 points!--I assign points to title levels in historical romances, just for fun, why not?) of Vere is a secret agent of sorts. In public, he plays a bumbling idiot. In private he is a secret agent who helps detectives solve cases. He's been doing this for years and years and not even his family and closest friends know that he is living a lie. When he meets Miss Elissande Douglas--the niece of a suspect in a case--he immediately recognizes that she is acting a role but underestimates her desire to escape her uncle's household and protect her invalid aunt, and she ends up trapping him into an undesired marriage. And it doesn't take her long to see the truth under her husband's mask. Thomas's strength lies in portraying these complex--and not always completely likeable-- characters in complex relationships and emotionally intense situations without making you lose faith in their eventual happiness.
medium-paced
This copy was from the Montgomery County Maryland Library, so I must have gotten it from one of the library book sales I went too with Jennifer. Talk about a good score.
I really really liked this one. Both the leads are playing a role - the hero’s idiot act is as funny as the heroine’s act to avoid her abusive uncle is horrible. The push/pull of the main relationship is delicious. I couldn’t put it down.
I really really liked this one. Both the leads are playing a role - the hero’s idiot act is as funny as the heroine’s act to avoid her abusive uncle is horrible. The push/pull of the main relationship is delicious. I couldn’t put it down.
4.5 stars
Miss Elissandre Edgerton is a truly desperate woman. Living isolated from the world, she has to devote her life to the care of her bedridden aunt, constantly terrorised by her uncle. The one time she tried to leave, guilt brought her back within the day, and her aunt's situation greatly worsened. The only thing she has as a comfort is a travelogue describing the island of Capri, her uncle has purged the house of all other English language books. She needs to get herself and her aunt away, but sees no way of ever escaping.
Lord Vere is a man of few words, but society in general believes him to be a half-witted idiot who can and will prattle on for ages about the most inconsequential of subjects. This cover serves him well as an agent of the Crown. It also keeps the matchmaking mamas of the ton away, even though he is extremely wealthy and very handsome. Elissandre's uncle, Edmund Douglas, is suspected of selling artificial diamonds. Vere and his agents create an excuse to stay at his house when he is away, and for the first time in years, Elissandre sees a slim chance at escape.
Three days later she has managed to get caught in a compromising situation with Lord Vere (who was only trying to prevent his younger brother from being lured into said situation) and they need to be married as soon as possible. She successfully removes herself and her aunt from her uncle's oppression, but her joy is short-lived. Lord Vere believes her to be a duplicitous, manipulative social climber and detests her, and as soon as her uncle discovers what she has done, he threatens both her and her new husband with grave harm, if his wife is not returned to him swiftly.
I read a lot of lighthearted, humorous romances, which chiefly divert and entertain - they are excellent comfort reads. [a:Sherry Thomas|266470|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1273340380p2/266470.jpg] does not write fluffy romance. Several of her books deal with estranged couples, full of resentment towards each other, learning to see the other in a new light and rediscovering the love they once had for one another.
Elissandre and Vere both have deeply troubled pasts, and a lot more emotional baggage than your run of the mill romance protagonist. While it seemed like a brilliant idea to Vere to play the idiot to cover up his covert activities, twelve years of hiding his true self from everyone but a select few, is taking its toll. He is nearly constantly playing a role, hiding his brilliant mind from all who care for him, including his beloved younger brother.
Elissandre has been forced by her uncle's cruel whims to always play the cheerful, dutiful and grateful niece, she has an arsenal of brilliant smiles to hide her inner despair, always with the knowledge that the outside world never suspects what a monster her uncle is. To escape his clutches, she is willing to do almost anything, even marry complete stranger who she believes to be an oafish moron, who clearly detests her for entrapping him. The couple's slow realization that the person they married is not what he or she appears to be, and their discovery of what they can be for the other, is beautiful.
Romances frequently have some form of antagonist, who creates problems for the couple, and slow their progress to the Happily Ever After. [b:His at Night|6903194|His at Night|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320458803s/6903194.jpg|7126917] has a true villain, and features some scenes of pure, shocking violence very unusual for the genre. There are scenes of real menace throughout the book, and it is not difficult to understand Elissandre's profound terror of her uncle.
There is also a minor subplot in the book featuring Lord Frederick, Vere's younger brother. [a:Sherry Thomas|266470|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1273340380p2/266470.jpg] introduced him in her first novel, [b:Private Arrangements|13115128|Private Arrangements|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1335625101s/13115128.jpg|2685945], where he lost in love to Lord Tremaine. In [b:His at Night|6903194|His at Night|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320458803s/6903194.jpg|7126917] he finally gets a Happily Ever After of his own. After four novels, Sherry Thomas is now one of the authors whose books I will not only buy, but pre-order.
Miss Elissandre Edgerton is a truly desperate woman. Living isolated from the world, she has to devote her life to the care of her bedridden aunt, constantly terrorised by her uncle. The one time she tried to leave, guilt brought her back within the day, and her aunt's situation greatly worsened. The only thing she has as a comfort is a travelogue describing the island of Capri, her uncle has purged the house of all other English language books. She needs to get herself and her aunt away, but sees no way of ever escaping.
Lord Vere is a man of few words, but society in general believes him to be a half-witted idiot who can and will prattle on for ages about the most inconsequential of subjects. This cover serves him well as an agent of the Crown. It also keeps the matchmaking mamas of the ton away, even though he is extremely wealthy and very handsome. Elissandre's uncle, Edmund Douglas, is suspected of selling artificial diamonds. Vere and his agents create an excuse to stay at his house when he is away, and for the first time in years, Elissandre sees a slim chance at escape.
Three days later she has managed to get caught in a compromising situation with Lord Vere (who was only trying to prevent his younger brother from being lured into said situation) and they need to be married as soon as possible. She successfully removes herself and her aunt from her uncle's oppression, but her joy is short-lived. Lord Vere believes her to be a duplicitous, manipulative social climber and detests her, and as soon as her uncle discovers what she has done, he threatens both her and her new husband with grave harm, if his wife is not returned to him swiftly.
I read a lot of lighthearted, humorous romances, which chiefly divert and entertain - they are excellent comfort reads. [a:Sherry Thomas|266470|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1273340380p2/266470.jpg] does not write fluffy romance. Several of her books deal with estranged couples, full of resentment towards each other, learning to see the other in a new light and rediscovering the love they once had for one another.
Elissandre and Vere both have deeply troubled pasts, and a lot more emotional baggage than your run of the mill romance protagonist. While it seemed like a brilliant idea to Vere to play the idiot to cover up his covert activities, twelve years of hiding his true self from everyone but a select few, is taking its toll. He is nearly constantly playing a role, hiding his brilliant mind from all who care for him, including his beloved younger brother.
Elissandre has been forced by her uncle's cruel whims to always play the cheerful, dutiful and grateful niece, she has an arsenal of brilliant smiles to hide her inner despair, always with the knowledge that the outside world never suspects what a monster her uncle is. To escape his clutches, she is willing to do almost anything, even marry complete stranger who she believes to be an oafish moron, who clearly detests her for entrapping him. The couple's slow realization that the person they married is not what he or she appears to be, and their discovery of what they can be for the other, is beautiful.
Romances frequently have some form of antagonist, who creates problems for the couple, and slow their progress to the Happily Ever After. [b:His at Night|6903194|His at Night|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320458803s/6903194.jpg|7126917] has a true villain, and features some scenes of pure, shocking violence very unusual for the genre. There are scenes of real menace throughout the book, and it is not difficult to understand Elissandre's profound terror of her uncle.
There is also a minor subplot in the book featuring Lord Frederick, Vere's younger brother. [a:Sherry Thomas|266470|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1273340380p2/266470.jpg] introduced him in her first novel, [b:Private Arrangements|13115128|Private Arrangements|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1335625101s/13115128.jpg|2685945], where he lost in love to Lord Tremaine. In [b:His at Night|6903194|His at Night|Sherry Thomas|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1320458803s/6903194.jpg|7126917] he finally gets a Happily Ever After of his own. After four novels, Sherry Thomas is now one of the authors whose books I will not only buy, but pre-order.