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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...
book_grinch's review
3.0
It was good, but not great.
Full review to come..
Even taking into consideration the fact that I am more used to an occidental pov, than an oriental one, it still doesn't explain the fact that I found this story somewhat lukewarm.
I can't even give the explanation that I "fell " into this story without having read the previous story, because I did read it, and I pretty much loved it.
I think that for me, Ying Ying's and Leighton's story would have worked better, if instead of two books, we were to have had three: The second book following where the narrative stopped in the first book, allowing us to accompany their relationship, and all that happens next. I can't help feeling that, that would have given more strength to their story by allowing the readers to feel more empathy towards their story.
As it is, we are given flashbacks to see what happened between those two in the past, _for me the more interesting parts of the book _ and then we are thrown into the present, with just too many "balls up in the air":
We have Leighton who is engaged...
Catherine Blade, who is trying to find the Jade tablets..
A maniacal foe who sounds as if he's been having too much fun with catnip... o_O
The issue of both characters having met Herb Gordon..I don't know...it felt a little too much for nothing.
Also, I really didn't appreciate the way the engagement between Leighton and his fiancée was resolved.
It was too convoluted and convenient, designed it seemed, so that Leighton wouldn't come out as a cad.
The writing as always is flawless.
In the end, I can only say that this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but this is not to say that this is a bad book.
It isn't. Only that as an adventure book, or a romantic tale, it needed more on both fronts.
Full review to come..
Even taking into consideration the fact that I am more used to an occidental pov, than an oriental one, it still doesn't explain the fact that I found this story somewhat lukewarm.
I can't even give the explanation that I "fell " into this story without having read the previous story, because I did read it, and I pretty much loved it.
I think that for me, Ying Ying's and Leighton's story would have worked better, if instead of two books, we were to have had three: The second book following where the narrative stopped in the first book, allowing us to accompany their relationship, and all that happens next. I can't help feeling that, that would have given more strength to their story by allowing the readers to feel more empathy towards their story.
As it is, we are given flashbacks to see what happened between those two in the past, _for me the more interesting parts of the book _ and then we are thrown into the present, with just too many "balls up in the air":
We have Leighton who is engaged...
Catherine Blade, who is trying to find the Jade tablets..
A maniacal foe who sounds as if he's been having too much fun with catnip... o_O
The issue of both characters having met Herb Gordon..I don't know...it felt a little too much for nothing.
Also, I really didn't appreciate the way the engagement between Leighton and his fiancée was resolved.
It was too convoluted and convenient, designed it seemed, so that Leighton wouldn't come out as a cad.
The writing as always is flawless.
In the end, I can only say that this wasn't exactly my cup of tea, but this is not to say that this is a bad book.
It isn't. Only that as an adventure book, or a romantic tale, it needed more on both fronts.
malin12ccf's review against another edition
4.0
Link to my review of this and [b:The Hidden Blade|22751852|The Hidden Blade (The Heart of Blade Duology #1)|Sherry Thomas|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1405922335s/22751852.jpg|42298214] here: http://kingmagu.blogspot.com/2014/09/cbr6-books-93-94-hidden-blade-and-my.html
amachattie's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
mimsy42's review against another edition
3.0
sad and sweet, with both desperation and adventure. perhaps a too-pat ending resolving the fiancee situation.
vkemp's review against another edition
4.0
Ying-ying is a bandit in the wilds of Chinese Turkestan. So, Captain Leighton Atwood is quite surprised to be introduced to Miss Catherine Blade in London. Turns out they are one and the same. Captain Atwood, in service to the Crown and Ying-ying share wild passion and a dead child. Miss Catherine Blade is seeking jade tablets to send back to her adoptive father in Beijing. But their reunion sparks a web of espionage, treachery and deadly foes.
rienne's review against another edition
4.0
Sherry Thomas’s ability to turn around ordinarily unforgivable actions is just so good. She is so good at angst, at using the flashbacks as actual plot devices instead of shortcuts to character development, and mixing adventure and romance and history in interesting ways. I don’t think this is one of my all-time favorites of hers, but it gets the rating it does because of the badass half-Chinese lead!
laura_sorensen's review against another edition
3.0
Did not like as much as book one: too much crammed into it? Not sure. I felt like it went very fast and was kind of slapdash. Nevertheless: Ying-Ying and her wuxia rock my socks.
crocokat's review against another edition
4.0
If only the author hadn't been constrained by the typical romance novel format. I would have loved to see more detail in the last third of the book. It didn't quite live up to the novella in richness. All that being said, I adored it and will likely reread someday.