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crystaloona's review against another edition
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
lisaliest's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
I so desperately want a pet dragon. This is such a sweet story. I disagree with the marketing and think that this is not a mix of Jane Austen and dragons, but a cozy mystery with dragons and a little bit of romance.
That’s actually my only complain, the romance wasn’t very well developed. I didn’t mind so much, everything else was written with such warmth and care, it was fine.
That’s actually my only complain, the romance wasn’t very well developed. I didn’t mind so much, everything else was written with such warmth and care, it was fine.
wallenne's review
hopeful
lighthearted
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
lifeinthebooklane's review against another edition
5.0
As someone who doesn't naturally gravitate towards Regency romance I really wasn't sure what I was getting myself into. However the book contains dragons so what bona-fide book-lover could resist? Elinor is the destitute relative, living on the good graces of her Aunt, Uncle and Cousin. The problem is only her Aunt really wants here there and she is so brow-beaten by her bombastic and overbearing husband that Elinor's life is far from pleasant.
We pretty much join the story as things come to a head and, unable to bear things any longer, Elinor takes her leave. However she is unable to abandon Sir Jessamyn, her cousin's much traumatised and terribly endearing dragon. Covered in muddy water and penniless, Elinor embarks on a series of bold and daring misadventures which had me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.
I adored Elinor, she was so very relatable and utterly charming. Her relationship with Sir Jessamyn was so heart warming and watching her battle to do the right thing, despite the odds stacked against her, had me rooting for her every success and happiness. Benedict was just as wonderful a hero, magnificently swoon-some and caring to boot. Even the fact that their relationship was far too insta-love for my tastes couldn't persuade me to lower my rating. The story was just to wonderfully written for me to do anything but give this five stars.
Since the subtitle heralds this as the first book of a new series, I'm hoping we get to meet Rose and Harry, Elinor's sisters. I have a suspicion - or perhaps that should be hope - that one of them may just turn out to be the perfect match for Aubrey, though whether it would be the fellow academic Harry, or the romantic Rose I can not decide. What I do know is that regardless of whom features in the upcoming books I will definitely be reading them!
We pretty much join the story as things come to a head and, unable to bear things any longer, Elinor takes her leave. However she is unable to abandon Sir Jessamyn, her cousin's much traumatised and terribly endearing dragon. Covered in muddy water and penniless, Elinor embarks on a series of bold and daring misadventures which had me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.
I adored Elinor, she was so very relatable and utterly charming. Her relationship with Sir Jessamyn was so heart warming and watching her battle to do the right thing, despite the odds stacked against her, had me rooting for her every success and happiness. Benedict was just as wonderful a hero, magnificently swoon-some and caring to boot. Even the fact that their relationship was far too insta-love for my tastes couldn't persuade me to lower my rating. The story was just to wonderfully written for me to do anything but give this five stars.
Since the subtitle heralds this as the first book of a new series, I'm hoping we get to meet Rose and Harry, Elinor's sisters. I have a suspicion - or perhaps that should be hope - that one of them may just turn out to be the perfect match for Aubrey, though whether it would be the fellow academic Harry, or the romantic Rose I can not decide. What I do know is that regardless of whom features in the upcoming books I will definitely be reading them!
duchessofreadin's review
2.0
*Inital review was shared via the blog on beforewegoblog.com, and the rating we had was out of 10. You can see the full review of the team there.*
So, off the cuff – Romance is not my usual genre of reading, but this sounded like a cute, easy read – so I figured, why not? It was that, cute. There was nothing that was just drawing me back to read it, so I took my time with the book, not devouring it in one sitting.
The heroine, Elinor, I will admit was a bit lacking in some areas, but so were many of the characters. It seemed to sort of wander in the center of the book, before returning to a somewhat more tangible read. Elinor, though, for her faults, is trying to be what everyone expects, until she is pushed to a breaking point. Enter the dashing hero, and a rather peculiar scholar.
This follows a lot of the same lines as many romances. Girl meets guy, develops a crush, and so on and so forth. One of the fun parts of this book for me was the dragon, Sir Jessamyn. He was rather cute, and a bit of the savior of the book.
For the romance lovers out there, this is one that you will enjoy.
Out of 10, I give this book a 5.
So, off the cuff – Romance is not my usual genre of reading, but this sounded like a cute, easy read – so I figured, why not? It was that, cute. There was nothing that was just drawing me back to read it, so I took my time with the book, not devouring it in one sitting.
The heroine, Elinor, I will admit was a bit lacking in some areas, but so were many of the characters. It seemed to sort of wander in the center of the book, before returning to a somewhat more tangible read. Elinor, though, for her faults, is trying to be what everyone expects, until she is pushed to a breaking point. Enter the dashing hero, and a rather peculiar scholar.
This follows a lot of the same lines as many romances. Girl meets guy, develops a crush, and so on and so forth. One of the fun parts of this book for me was the dragon, Sir Jessamyn. He was rather cute, and a bit of the savior of the book.
For the romance lovers out there, this is one that you will enjoy.
Out of 10, I give this book a 5.
justasking27's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.75
marcellaluna_author's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
lenna's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
eventyrlys's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Honestly my rating might be a little generous. This isn't a bad book, but I honestly found myself uninterested in the plot sometimes. This heroine just did not do it for me. I think this is supposed to be based on Sense and Sensibility based on the title, but you could have fooled me. Things just kept happening to Elinor and she was always reacting, never acting. Even the moments where I think we're supposed to be thinking "ah yes, she's finally taking control!"...she's not. She's just giving into the inevitability of a situation. There were so many random subplots that honestly added nothing to the story. The weird thief plot with Lucinda and Sally was so unnecessary and added literally nothing except additional drama I guess? But mostly it just distracted from the main plot with basically no payoff in terms of character growth or plot development except I guess making it so Lucinda, whom we barely know anyway, getting her comeuppance?
The dragons were fun. They would have been more fun if it had been explored a little more, but I guess since the one character in this book who knew anything about dragons is destined for his own novel, we'll just have to wait. So. If you were looking for a more dragon- or magic-heavy world, you will be disappointed. These dragons, despite many protestations by Elinor to the contrary, are literally just plot devices and accessories. Do I want to read the next book? Maybe. Only because Elinor kept insisting her sisters would have managed better in her shoes, and I dearly hope that's true or the next book will be just as much of a slog at points as this book was.
And the romance was really just not believable or developed enough. So, there's that.
The dragons were fun. They would have been more fun if it had been explored a little more, but I guess since the one character in this book who knew anything about dragons is destined for his own novel, we'll just have to wait. So. If you were looking for a more dragon- or magic-heavy world, you will be disappointed. These dragons, despite many protestations by Elinor to the contrary, are literally just plot devices and accessories. Do I want to read the next book? Maybe. Only because Elinor kept insisting her sisters would have managed better in her shoes, and I dearly hope that's true or the next book will be just as much of a slog at points as this book was.
And the romance was really just not believable or developed enough. So, there's that.