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amshofner's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
My Beautiful Enemy is told in dual timelines, and, like other books that employ this tactic, it took a while to settle into the story. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can require a specific mood to get into, especially when the bulk of the romance happens in the past timeline.
As is the case here.
That said, the only thing stopping me from rating this book higher is the ending; certain parts of the romance (not the sex! AHEM) happened so easily I had to blink and reread just to make sure it had really happened. It was anti-climatic, especially when the rest of the book seemed to pull and tug at my heart strings because ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED.
The suspense plot line was, perhaps, also lacking in tension right in the end, with enough clues early on to guess who was causing trouble, but not enough clues to figure out why or how beforehand, so it was a surprise and obvious, all at once. If that makes sense.
But I did enjoy that a good portion of this book took place away from England and included Chinese culture. I want more Sherry Thomas books, and despite my promise to myself that I'd attend to my non-historical romance books sitting unread on my shelves, all I want to do is check to see if my library has more Sherry Thomas books.
My Beautiful Enemy is told in dual timelines, and, like other books that employ this tactic, it took a while to settle into the story. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it can require a specific mood to get into, especially when the bulk of the romance happens in the past timeline.
As is the case here.
That said, the only thing stopping me from rating this book higher is the ending; certain parts of the romance (not the sex! AHEM) happened so easily I had to blink and reread just to make sure it had really happened. It was anti-climatic, especially when the rest of the book seemed to pull and tug at my heart strings because ALL THE THINGS THAT HAPPENED.
The suspense plot line was, perhaps, also lacking in tension right in the end, with enough clues early on to guess who was causing trouble, but not enough clues to figure out why or how beforehand, so it was a surprise and obvious, all at once. If that makes sense.
But I did enjoy that a good portion of this book took place away from England and included Chinese culture. I want more Sherry Thomas books, and despite my promise to myself that I'd attend to my non-historical romance books sitting unread on my shelves, all I want to do is check to see if my library has more Sherry Thomas books.
lgallo's review against another edition
4.0
Not so much a bodice-ripper as a true romance, complete with a BAD baddie, a gut-wrenching secret, and espionage. Helped pass the hours of an intense bout of insomnia.
tendercuriosity's review against another edition
5.0
A unique plot, riveting characters, and a heartfelt romance. That's what you can expect from My Beautiful Enemy.
First and foremost, I highly recommend you start with the prequel, The Hidden Blade. Although My Beautiful Enemy can be read as a standalone, understanding the background of Catherine's (Ying Ying's) turbulent childhood and Leighton's indirect connection with her gives the readers a greater insight on their characters. Trust me, I don't think it would have been the same for me if I skipped out on the prequel. Heads up though, the prequel is not a romance.
Moving forward!
The story alternates between past and present. The past was the most endearing part of the book for me. Cathrine and Leighton's meeting and their journey in an exotic backdrop was entirely engrossing and heartwarming. Leighton is absolutely charming. Historical romance heroes seem to be all the same to me (though all enjoyable) but Leighton is a certainly a keeper.
In the present, Catherine is in England on a mission to find jade tablets for her stepfather. She runs into Leighton, a British spy, after their long separation. Old feelings resurface, past misunderstandings mix with passion that the long years apart haven't diminished, and sparks ignite. But that's not all, there's an assassin from Catherine's past that is seeking revenge (you will know more about him if you read The Hidden Blade!), which forces Catherine and Leighton to put aside their hurt and anger to work together.
Full of action, adventure, and an unforgettable romance, My Beautiful Enemy is a delightfully unique historical romance that I would recommend to everyone looking for a fresh take on romance in the Victorian era.
First and foremost, I highly recommend you start with the prequel, The Hidden Blade. Although My Beautiful Enemy can be read as a standalone, understanding the background of Catherine's (Ying Ying's) turbulent childhood and Leighton's indirect connection with her gives the readers a greater insight on their characters. Trust me, I don't think it would have been the same for me if I skipped out on the prequel. Heads up though, the prequel is not a romance.
Moving forward!
The story alternates between past and present. The past was the most endearing part of the book for me. Cathrine and Leighton's meeting and their journey in an exotic backdrop was entirely engrossing and heartwarming. Leighton is absolutely charming. Historical romance heroes seem to be all the same to me (though all enjoyable) but Leighton is a certainly a keeper.
In the present, Catherine is in England on a mission to find jade tablets for her stepfather. She runs into Leighton, a British spy, after their long separation. Old feelings resurface, past misunderstandings mix with passion that the long years apart haven't diminished, and sparks ignite. But that's not all, there's an assassin from Catherine's past that is seeking revenge (you will know more about him if you read The Hidden Blade!), which forces Catherine and Leighton to put aside their hurt and anger to work together.
Full of action, adventure, and an unforgettable romance, My Beautiful Enemy is a delightfully unique historical romance that I would recommend to everyone looking for a fresh take on romance in the Victorian era.
mnemehoshiko's review against another edition
3.0
Enjoyable but took awhile to get into it. It's a very subtle book partially I feel because the characters in question are prone to subtlety as well but it was enjoyable if a bit slow.
militantlyromantic's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
Before I start this review, MAJOR CW: infanticide.
I've been trying to figure out how to describe this book and, ironically, words are coming up short. It's sweeping and hella emotional and with few nitpicks, a really rock solid piece.
The female protag, Catherine or Ying-Ying, depending on what country she's in, is the daughter of a Chinese concubine and a Scottish man who died shortly after her birth. Her mother became the wife of a governor and died when Ying-Ying was around ten. One of the things I love is that neither the mother, nor any other women who engage in or live by any type of sex work are considered lesser anywhere in the text. They are actually commonly used as spies and other agents because of their recognized value. Her mother is remembered for numerous artistic abilities and other valued skills.
Ying-Ying is raised by a governess figure (a master thief, it's not actually clear how she ends up in this role) as a martial artist, and tutored by an Englishman in English and other Western information. When she resists being raped by her oldest step-brother, it sets off a series of events in which the English tutor is killed by a second step-brother. This, along with some other plot elements, ends in her disguising herself as a young man and acting as an information courier for her step-father (who is not a total shit, unlike his two sons).
It is while she is out acting in this capacity that she meets "The Persian." Aka, our male protag, Captain Leighton Atwood, who is not Persian even just a tiny bit, but is passing as while mapping Chinese Turkestan for the British Raj as a counteroffensive against Russia's apparent intent to come through the Asiatic continent.
One of the things I love about this relationship is that Atwood is pretty hard up for Ying-Ying the moment he meets her. (And he sees through the disguise almost immediately, but never calls her on it.) But he doesn't even attempt to get in her pants. Rather, he takes care of her. He finds food for her, and tucks her in, and does all these tiny things that nobody has ever bothered to do for her and she is absolutely slain by his kindness.
Unfortunately, after they eventually become lovers, a miscommunication leads to him leaving her, thinking her an agent for the Chinese government and preying on him. As he leaves her, she's mad enough that she gives him a "salve" that is actually poison and spends the next eight years thinking she has killed him and feeling deeply shitty about that. Because, on top of the fact that her anger wears off pretty quickly, turns out she's pregnant.
Tragically, two months after giving birth to the baby girl, the step-brother who has sworn vengeance on her due to Reasons, finds her and kills the child.
All of this plays out in flashbacks that take place in between the current action, eight years later, wherein Ying-Ying has gone to England to look for jade tablets her step-father needs. Because this is a romance, and this is how romance works, she almost immediately meets Atwood, who has just become betrothed to another woman.
One of my very few problems with this book is that the woman, Annabel Chase, ends up being a villain, giving away Ying-Ying's location to her enemy, whom Annabel well knows will kill Ying-Ying. This honestly felt unnecessary, particularly since there was another character that just as easily could have done so and would have made as much sense. It felt like an outdated trope for trope's sake.
Which is odd, because so much of this book does not fall into that. Even though there are dual POVs, this is really Ying-Ying's story. The HEA requires resolution of her family issues as much as it does Atwood giving up England (for the most part) to marry her in China, take on her life. Even when things are at their worst between them, Atwood isn't cruel or hateful to Ying-Ying, and for the most part, neither is she to him.
Overall, though, this is moving and both main characters are people you not only want to spend time with, but wish to know more about. There's a lot about this book that is different than other histroms set at the time without upsetting the norms of the genre. I enjoyed it muchly.
I've been trying to figure out how to describe this book and, ironically, words are coming up short. It's sweeping and hella emotional and with few nitpicks, a really rock solid piece.
The female protag, Catherine or Ying-Ying, depending on what country she's in, is the daughter of a Chinese concubine and a Scottish man who died shortly after her birth. Her mother became the wife of a governor and died when Ying-Ying was around ten. One of the things I love is that neither the mother, nor any other women who engage in or live by any type of sex work are considered lesser anywhere in the text. They are actually commonly used as spies and other agents because of their recognized value. Her mother is remembered for numerous artistic abilities and other valued skills.
Ying-Ying is raised by a governess figure (a master thief, it's not actually clear how she ends up in this role) as a martial artist, and tutored by an Englishman in English and other Western information. When she resists being raped by her oldest step-brother, it sets off a series of events in which the English tutor is killed by a second step-brother. This, along with some other plot elements, ends in her disguising herself as a young man and acting as an information courier for her step-father (who is not a total shit, unlike his two sons).
It is while she is out acting in this capacity that she meets "The Persian." Aka, our male protag, Captain Leighton Atwood, who is not Persian even just a tiny bit, but is passing as while mapping Chinese Turkestan for the British Raj as a counteroffensive against Russia's apparent intent to come through the Asiatic continent.
One of the things I love about this relationship is that Atwood is pretty hard up for Ying-Ying the moment he meets her. (And he sees through the disguise almost immediately, but never calls her on it.) But he doesn't even attempt to get in her pants. Rather, he takes care of her. He finds food for her, and tucks her in, and does all these tiny things that nobody has ever bothered to do for her and she is absolutely slain by his kindness.
Unfortunately, after they eventually become lovers, a miscommunication leads to him leaving her, thinking her an agent for the Chinese government and preying on him. As he leaves her, she's mad enough that she gives him a "salve" that is actually poison and spends the next eight years thinking she has killed him and feeling deeply shitty about that. Because, on top of the fact that her anger wears off pretty quickly, turns out she's pregnant.
Tragically, two months after giving birth to the baby girl, the step-brother who has sworn vengeance on her due to Reasons, finds her and kills the child.
All of this plays out in flashbacks that take place in between the current action, eight years later, wherein Ying-Ying has gone to England to look for jade tablets her step-father needs. Because this is a romance, and this is how romance works, she almost immediately meets Atwood, who has just become betrothed to another woman.
One of my very few problems with this book is that the woman, Annabel Chase, ends up being a villain, giving away Ying-Ying's location to her enemy, whom Annabel well knows will kill Ying-Ying. This honestly felt unnecessary, particularly since there was another character that just as easily could have done so and would have made as much sense. It felt like an outdated trope for trope's sake.
Which is odd, because so much of this book does not fall into that. Even though there are dual POVs, this is really Ying-Ying's story. The HEA requires resolution of her family issues as much as it does Atwood giving up England (for the most part) to marry her in China, take on her life. Even when things are at their worst between them, Atwood isn't cruel or hateful to Ying-Ying, and for the most part, neither is she to him.
Overall, though, this is moving and both main characters are people you not only want to spend time with, but wish to know more about. There's a lot about this book that is different than other histroms set at the time without upsetting the norms of the genre. I enjoyed it muchly.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
howjessicareads's review against another edition
3.0
This was better than its prequel, but it still wasn't my favorite, because of all the fight scenes I don't really care about. I liked the Chinese Turkestan flashbacks, and I am intrigued that she published this one first. Because she alludes so frequently to the back story, that she must've basically had THE HIDDEN BLADE written out completely in her head.
madanburg's review
5.0
Probably my favorite series by this author (though it's a tough call - she's awesome!)
bridget986's review
2.0
2016 Challenge: 8/50
Nothing really drew me in. I really need to read some good books over break
Nothing really drew me in. I really need to read some good books over break
alexalovesbooks's review against another edition
2.0
FIRST THOUGHTS:
3.5 stars, solidly. I loved the tension between the titular couple. I loved the hero and heroine, and the unusual lives they lead and skills they possess. I also thought the danger + thrill in the story's plot was fun! It was definitely darker than I expected it to be, and less humorous than the other Thomas historical novel I've read.
REVIEW:
(Originally posted on Alexa Loves Books)
Well, I’ll give it to you straight: My Beautiful Enemy was totally not what I was expecting it to be! It’s a lot more serious than The Luckiest Lady in London (my first Thomas romance read!), with higher stakes and grave circumstances. This, however, doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it, because I totally did!
Characters: I absolutely loved Catherine Blade! She reminds me of some of my favorite historical fiction ladies (in particular, Christina from The Lion’s Lady) with her badass fighting skills. I really love that she has Asian blood (Seriously, this is SO. FREAKING. COOL.)! Christina is beautiful, but deadly; vulnerable, but sharp. While I wouldn’t want to be her, I admired her spirit. But here’s a quick confession for you: Leighton Atwood just didn’t appeal to me until a little later in the story. He’s got skills, and deeply cares for Catherine, but I just couldn’t fall for him the way I would have wanted to.
Romance: I actually liked the romance! It was balanced between love and hate, enmity and respect. The potent mixture of feelings that it inspired in me definitely kept me turning the pages all the way to the end. While I didn’t necessarily swoon all that much (a first for me!), I did want them to end up together. My one frustration is that all of the things that they went through could have been avoided if they had just talked it out, though I guess there would have been no story otherwise. (Remember folks, proper communication is important in any relationship!)
Plot: It doesn’t just focus on the romance, and that’s totally cool with me! Catherine, in particular, has a few other things to deal with, and they are things that just so happen to involve Leighton (or happen to be things he wants to involve himself in). I loved the sense of danger and action, and the mystery behind Catherine and Leighton’s history.
Even though My Beautiful Enemy was different, it was still quite readable! I loved the mix of espionage, mystery and intrigue, especially when combined with the romance. I’ve still got quite a few Thomas romances to read, but this one was pretty darn solid.
3.5 stars, solidly. I loved the tension between the titular couple. I loved the hero and heroine, and the unusual lives they lead and skills they possess. I also thought the danger + thrill in the story's plot was fun! It was definitely darker than I expected it to be, and less humorous than the other Thomas historical novel I've read.
REVIEW:
(Originally posted on Alexa Loves Books)
Well, I’ll give it to you straight: My Beautiful Enemy was totally not what I was expecting it to be! It’s a lot more serious than The Luckiest Lady in London (my first Thomas romance read!), with higher stakes and grave circumstances. This, however, doesn’t mean that I didn’t enjoy it, because I totally did!
Characters: I absolutely loved Catherine Blade! She reminds me of some of my favorite historical fiction ladies (in particular, Christina from The Lion’s Lady) with her badass fighting skills. I really love that she has Asian blood (Seriously, this is SO. FREAKING. COOL.)! Christina is beautiful, but deadly; vulnerable, but sharp. While I wouldn’t want to be her, I admired her spirit. But here’s a quick confession for you: Leighton Atwood just didn’t appeal to me until a little later in the story. He’s got skills, and deeply cares for Catherine, but I just couldn’t fall for him the way I would have wanted to.
Romance: I actually liked the romance! It was balanced between love and hate, enmity and respect. The potent mixture of feelings that it inspired in me definitely kept me turning the pages all the way to the end. While I didn’t necessarily swoon all that much (a first for me!), I did want them to end up together. My one frustration is that all of the things that they went through could have been avoided if they had just talked it out, though I guess there would have been no story otherwise. (Remember folks, proper communication is important in any relationship!)
Plot: It doesn’t just focus on the romance, and that’s totally cool with me! Catherine, in particular, has a few other things to deal with, and they are things that just so happen to involve Leighton (or happen to be things he wants to involve himself in). I loved the sense of danger and action, and the mystery behind Catherine and Leighton’s history.
Even though My Beautiful Enemy was different, it was still quite readable! I loved the mix of espionage, mystery and intrigue, especially when combined with the romance. I’ve still got quite a few Thomas romances to read, but this one was pretty darn solid.
katydidinoz's review against another edition
3.0
It's always a struggle when an author you love grows beyond the stories you love from them. On the one hand, people need to change and develop and you can't resent that. On the other, they don't always grow in a direction you want to follow. There is nothing like a Sherry Thomas novel and everything I love about her is still here in this novel. But it strayed from the familiar historical romance structure that I anticipated and (indeed) that I was looking for. I still very much enjoyed this book and the story, but it wasn't the story I was looking for. If I had read this at a time when I wasn't seeking the comfort of one of my favourite authors in one of my favourite genres, this review might have been different.
However I think my low opinion of how the Miss Chase story line ended would remain regardless of my mood going in...
However I think my low opinion of how the Miss Chase story line ended would remain regardless of my mood going in...