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beegirl5's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. Enjoyable but not terribly compelling. Will try the next.
reka111's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
1.0
Having never been credited with a sense of humor before, she was delighted to discover he considered hers to be ill-advised.
If I had to use one word for this book to describe it perfectly; mediocre. It just had everything, but absolutely nothing. It told a lot, but showed terribly little.
Bea, by the way, wasn't as lovable a character for me as I expected her to be. She has had her flaws and her moments of glory, but all in all, she was terribly boring. Yes, that's probably the most appropriate word for her. There's nothing outstanding about her, a gray mouse (and though she intentionally is) who can't break out of her cage.
The Duke of Kesgrave (aka Damien) is probably the only character for whom I was able to elicit some affection (at great pain). There were funny lines and I loved that he showed such respect for his surroundings, but I can't give him anything else besides that.
Friendship (if you can call it that, maybe alliance would be a better word) was very much out of the blue for me. There was absolutely no reason for them to seek each other's company so quickly. Regardless, I liked their skirmishes and small moments.
The plot — if there was one, I didn't really see it — was incredibly boring and drawn-out, even despite the investigations. For 90% of the book, absolutely nothing happened except that Aunt Vera was screaming about everything, and we read about the prince's bright blue eyes (which can't be emphasised enough). The pace, without little action or basic moving elements, was unsurprisingly slow, I had to interrupt several times because I just couldn't go any further. As an individual, the age accurate descriptions are probably the only ones to which I can give a little extra point. And then we come to the wording; Good lord, I don't know whether it's the publisher's fault (or translator's) that it was so horrible, or the author's, but either way, they need to improve a lot in terms of writing because you can only call it mehh even with a good heart. The ending was relatively quickly (but with protracted dialogue). Honestly, I didn't care so much about the book that I didn't even pay attention to what it was about most of the time, and I didn't care about the identity of the killer. Either way, I believe I will let this thing rest for a bit now, but I don't think I will continue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Murder and Death
Minor: Death of parent
thenovelbook's review against another edition
4.0
This Regency cozy mystery surprised me a lot. While I find that Regency romances and mysteries are usually "much of a muchness," without much to really distinguish one from another, the witty banter in this one took it to the next level for me.
Beatrice is a 26-year-old spinster who lives with her aunt and two cousins. They are all making a visit to family friends. Late one night Beatrice can't sleep, so, as anyone would, she heads off to the library for a suitable book. While there she stumbles upon A BODY (gasp!) AND who else should be standing over it but the Duke of Kesgrave, the one member of the house party that she absolutely despises, and always wants to throw food at.
Beatrice is a shy, uncomfortable sort of girl in society, but this unexpected turn of events leads her to doing things she would never have dreamt of in the pursuit of justice. I enjoyed her blossoming personality. And I really enjoyed the standoffs between her and Kesgrave. This is a very funny book that had me chuckling more than usual.
Not that it's without its flaws. Scenes of dialogue tend to stall while too much time is being spent narrating Beatrice's thoughts, and it seems that whoever she's talking to is just silently standing around while she ponders things. A bit unnatural. But a forgivable flaw in such a funny book with characters that I really want to revisit.
I am happy to note that two more books in the series were released at the same time as this one, so I will be able to continue Beatrice's adventures without delay.
Thanks to NetGalley and Potatoworks Press for this advance review copy.
Beatrice is a 26-year-old spinster who lives with her aunt and two cousins. They are all making a visit to family friends. Late one night Beatrice can't sleep, so, as anyone would, she heads off to the library for a suitable book. While there she stumbles upon A BODY (gasp!) AND who else should be standing over it but the Duke of Kesgrave, the one member of the house party that she absolutely despises, and always wants to throw food at.
Beatrice is a shy, uncomfortable sort of girl in society, but this unexpected turn of events leads her to doing things she would never have dreamt of in the pursuit of justice. I enjoyed her blossoming personality. And I really enjoyed the standoffs between her and Kesgrave. This is a very funny book that had me chuckling more than usual.
Not that it's without its flaws. Scenes of dialogue tend to stall while too much time is being spent narrating Beatrice's thoughts, and it seems that whoever she's talking to is just silently standing around while she ponders things. A bit unnatural. But a forgivable flaw in such a funny book with characters that I really want to revisit.
I am happy to note that two more books in the series were released at the same time as this one, so I will be able to continue Beatrice's adventures without delay.
Thanks to NetGalley and Potatoworks Press for this advance review copy.
priya_amrev's review against another edition
3.0
Wonderful. Funny. Engaging. No rapid romance.
Just what I was looking for after so many pedantrious books
Just what I was looking for after so many pedantrious books
voguedonut's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
callmeren's review against another edition
I can't. It's not written for me HAHAHA. Apparently I'm not into Regency literature enough to appreciate the irony of the comedic stereotypes.. Everyone is too annoying, unfortunately even the best of them, AKA the Duke, because the main character makes him annoying through her POV alone. Unfortunate.