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thanys_thoughts's review against another edition
2.0
Book #3 for Historical Romance Readathon March 2020. Scottish Highlander romance.
I picked up this book a while ago from the used book store. I don't remember why, but it sounded interesting enough. What a disappointment. I liked Ian and Emma fine enough. (OMG, yes, we get it. She's an ICE QUEEN)
The plot was a mess. He abducts her, they fell in love in 3 days after boning, and then he brings her back only for her to marry his cousin? Was that part really necessary? And then he's engaged!? (I don't like romances with cheating or semi-cheating involved. Not my cup of tea). And then everything is fine in the last 10 pages after SO MUCH ANGST.
I was just bored. The plot meandered and was just silly. I should have ditched it during the readathon and read my other books. Because this book almost made me DNF it. Also she's no longer a duchess or a highlander (and neither is he! How is he an Earl and a Laird, which is never explained).
Like I said, I liked the characters and there were some interesting themes brought up, but they glossed over them (the sexual assault in her marriage, women's control over finances) and they didn't help develop the characters in any way. Meh.
I picked up this book a while ago from the used book store. I don't remember why, but it sounded interesting enough. What a disappointment. I liked Ian and Emma fine enough. (OMG, yes, we get it. She's an ICE QUEEN)
The plot was a mess. He abducts her, they fell in love in 3 days after boning, and then he brings her back only for her to marry his cousin? Was that part really necessary? And then he's engaged!? (I don't like romances with cheating or semi-cheating involved. Not my cup of tea). And then everything is fine in the last 10 pages after SO MUCH ANGST.
I was just bored. The plot meandered and was just silly. I should have ditched it during the readathon and read my other books. Because this book almost made me DNF it. Also she's no longer a duchess or a highlander (and neither is he! How is he an Earl and a Laird, which is never explained).
Like I said, I liked the characters and there were some interesting themes brought up, but they glossed over them (the sexual assault in her marriage, women's control over finances) and they didn't help develop the characters in any way. Meh.
loverofromance's review against another edition
3.0
Emma, Duchess and a recent widow, is still in her mourning period, but about to come out of it. Then he uncle informs her that she is to be married again, willingly or not, she has no choice in the matter. Then that night, a stranger comes into her bedroom and kidnaps her for he is in search of a mirror, a gift from her late husband, that she had practically forgotten about. Now Emma is his captive, and send her uncle a ransom: the mirror, for his niece. However it is apparent that her uncle could care less if she ends up not returning to him dead or alive, ever since her husbands death, has gambled away her fortune and if she were dead he would have full access to it. Emma even though captured, has felt more at home with Ian that she has ever been with anyone else, and she opens her heart to him, even knowing that there is no future for them, for she is to marry another, as is he.....but sometimes the matters of the heart have a way of disrupting best laid plans....
A Highland Duchess is the most recent book from Karen Ranney. As far as romances go, this was a average read for me. I could get into the story, but it wasn't like I couldn't put it down, I actually ended up pausing multiple times through the story. It wasn't a enlightening read or enchanting, but there was a drama about the story that held a certain appeal for me. I have usually enjoyed reading books from this author, so I was surprised when I had such a challenging time getting through this one. I found that there wasn't much consistency of engaging the reader much. The story had some flow, but it could be erratic at times. I did enjoy the characters and the emotional side of the story. There were parts of the story that drew me, but there were other parts, where I had to force myself to read through it. Overall it was a enjoyable read, but not one I would want to buy or re read....
A Highland Duchess is the most recent book from Karen Ranney. As far as romances go, this was a average read for me. I could get into the story, but it wasn't like I couldn't put it down, I actually ended up pausing multiple times through the story. It wasn't a enlightening read or enchanting, but there was a drama about the story that held a certain appeal for me. I have usually enjoyed reading books from this author, so I was surprised when I had such a challenging time getting through this one. I found that there wasn't much consistency of engaging the reader much. The story had some flow, but it could be erratic at times. I did enjoy the characters and the emotional side of the story. There were parts of the story that drew me, but there were other parts, where I had to force myself to read through it. Overall it was a enjoyable read, but not one I would want to buy or re read....
veryreaderie's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars because it's okay but I didn't exactly like it, either. Still, some of my complaints are probably better directed at the genre than the author. (I don't really read romance, so this was a new experience.)
I liked the historical tidbits that lent legitimacy to the setting, and the time period it was set in (Victorian, when germ theory was being debated) is fascinating. However, the characters' actions didn't seem particularly realistic, and evil male characters with dubious intentions (always centered around gambling and degrading women) abounded. While I wouldn't have minded so many purely evil characters if the main characters were interesting enough, all they did was worry about the same things all the time. Despite that, their thought processes never went beyond a certain brick wall. They were completely innocent except for (of course) their inappropriate lust for one another. A little honesty would have gone a long way, especially since I was forced to slog through pages of feelings that didn't ring true. Still, the fact that I read the whole thing is a compliment to the author - there was some tension there, and good writing when it wasn't flooded with melodrama.
I liked the historical tidbits that lent legitimacy to the setting, and the time period it was set in (Victorian, when germ theory was being debated) is fascinating. However, the characters' actions didn't seem particularly realistic, and evil male characters with dubious intentions (always centered around gambling and degrading women) abounded. While I wouldn't have minded so many purely evil characters if the main characters were interesting enough, all they did was worry about the same things all the time. Despite that, their thought processes never went beyond a certain brick wall. They were completely innocent except for (of course) their inappropriate lust for one another. A little honesty would have gone a long way, especially since I was forced to slog through pages of feelings that didn't ring true. Still, the fact that I read the whole thing is a compliment to the author - there was some tension there, and good writing when it wasn't flooded with melodrama.
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