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alisonb's review
3.0
Liz Carlyle is a terrific author and I am slowly working my way through her body of work. What I love about Carlyle is the talent with which she transports and immerses me in the story through her descriptive writing that sees to the heart of the characters she is bringing to life from the page.
Unfortunately, this book is the first one that left me feeling disappointed in the characters. I did not connect with either of them. I am all for a rake and a scoundrel who becomes reformed, but Alasdair's reformation did not feel like a natural progression and he was never redeemed in my eyes (other than his commitment and connection with his daughter, Sorcha).
This book also falls under the category of a romance in which the couple are instantly attracted to one another, and then exist separately for a good portion of the novel (she is engaged to someone else in the last quarter of the book). It lacked the building blocks that I needed to witness in order to believe in the changes that came about with Alasdair. I also just didn't respect him as a man.
4 stars for the writing and 2 stars for the characters= 3 stars
CW/TW: Hero is intimate with mistress after meeting the heroine, a child is seriously injured in an accident, fire emergency/situation, hero still hanging around one of his mistresses late in the novel (no infidelity).
Unfortunately, this book is the first one that left me feeling disappointed in the characters. I did not connect with either of them. I am all for a rake and a scoundrel who becomes reformed, but Alasdair's reformation did not feel like a natural progression and he was never redeemed in my eyes (other than his commitment and connection with his daughter, Sorcha).
This book also falls under the category of a romance in which the couple are instantly attracted to one another, and then exist separately for a good portion of the novel (she is engaged to someone else in the last quarter of the book). It lacked the building blocks that I needed to witness in order to believe in the changes that came about with Alasdair. I also just didn't respect him as a man.
4 stars for the writing and 2 stars for the characters= 3 stars
CW/TW: Hero is intimate with mistress after meeting the heroine, a child is seriously injured in an accident, fire emergency/situation, hero still hanging around one of his mistresses late in the novel (no infidelity).
lisajo85's review
2.0
This was... pretty bad. Horrible premise, horrible hero. Heroine was great except for the fact that she thinks it's ok to sleep with the person you believe to have slept with your mother two years ago and fathered your half sister.
He didn't grovel and we didn't see enough of his redemption to believe he's changed. Honestly I didn't care enough about him or this story to remember it beyond writing this review. First book I've read by Carlyle and I have to say it was a doozy. The writing was solid though so I would definitely be willing to try something else by her in the future.
He didn't grovel and we didn't see enough of his redemption to believe he's changed. Honestly I didn't care enough about him or this story to remember it beyond writing this review. First book I've read by Carlyle and I have to say it was a doozy. The writing was solid though so I would definitely be willing to try something else by her in the future.
kate2440's review against another edition
5.0
i really enjoyed this book its my only second historical romance book and both have made me want to read more. i loved the characters well really i loved everything about it well worth a read or even a re-read at some point.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
4.0
Characters: orphaned half sister of illegitimate girl, rake/putative father of said girl
World Building: standard
Plot: bonding over childcare, finding a suitable husband
Sex: medium to euphemistic
Read another: Yes
An enjoyable read, although I don't seem to love Carlyle as much as I used to. Or maybe it was these characters. I'm not sure what they saw in each other, really.
World Building: standard
Plot: bonding over childcare, finding a suitable husband
Sex: medium to euphemistic
Read another: Yes
An enjoyable read, although I don't seem to love Carlyle as much as I used to. Or maybe it was these characters. I'm not sure what they saw in each other, really.
hawkeyeout's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
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