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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Yes
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
[4 Stars] This one of the best in the Bedwyn Saga. I keep chasing the high and the love I have for "a Summer to Remember," and I'm realizing I may not find it again. This, however, was worth the read. I liked it just a touch better than Freja's book but not as much as Wulfric's.
reflective
slow-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
I do love a marriage of convenience, and I think that core plot element made me rate this book a bit higher than I otherwise would have. I enjoyed the overall structure of this book and the slow, tentative budding of romance between the two main characters. I also liked the approach to Aidan's stoicism in that Balogh let his attempts at jokes stand for themselves rather than telegraphing them with body language cues to the reader.
I found the language, especially at the end when Aidan goes on a lengthy speech about the power of love, to be a bit unbelievable at times. Also, there were a few instances of Balogh using modern-sounding expressions that pulled me out of the book. Otherwise, I think the prose was fine.
Overall, I enjoyed this quiet, gentle approach to romance and would recommend it to other fans of the genre.
I found the language, especially at the end when Aidan goes on a lengthy speech about the power of love, to be a bit unbelievable at times. Also, there were a few instances of Balogh using modern-sounding expressions that pulled me out of the book. Otherwise, I think the prose was fine.
Overall, I enjoyed this quiet, gentle approach to romance and would recommend it to other fans of the genre.
emotional
hopeful
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I haven't been able to tolerate historical romance for a while, but this was recommended in a recent AskMefi thread. So I put my trust in the wisdom of the hive, and picked this one up with a little less trepidation.
In the first chapter the scene unfurls as if in a movie. I am impatient with elaborate descriptions, and usually gloss over them, but this one had just enough for me to really get into it. It felt like a scene from Les Mis. You could hear the dull boom of canons in the distance, and smell the iron tang of spilled blood, and the smoke of gunpowder. Another reviewer commented that the author's writing has a quality that transports you into a vivid setting of England from the past, and this one successfully conjured up those images of a bloody battlefield, and in the next chapter, the warmth and tranquility in a small summer garden. I also found myself getting emotional in the first few chapters, when the heroine receives news of the death of her brother Percy. So the writing is definitely a step above the usual!
It's your basic marriage of convenient plot. The hero, Aidan, makes a promise to the dying Percy that he will protect the latter's sister, despite never having met her, "no matter what". He means to fulfill his vow, not just because it is a dying man's wish, but because Percy once saved his life in battle. I like how Aidan's physical appearance is not romanticized like that of a typical hero. None of that "his thick dark hair and broad shoulders, those muscular thighs" etc. In fact he sounds plain and almost unattractive, with that "hawk nose" and mouth in a thin harsh line. It reminds me of the hero one of my other favorite romance books, Loretta Chase's *Lord of Scoundrels*.
The convenience part comes because the heroine, Eve (get it? Aidan and Eve?), will be kicked out of her home because of a stipulation in her father's will that says the entire property will go to a repulsive cousin, unless Eve marries by a certain time, which happens to be in four days. Eve keeps this info to herself but Aidan learns of all of this at the inn he is staying at, because of the gossiping townspeople. (How convenient!) He also keeps a straight-face and pretends to agree with the said obsequious cousin, Cecil, to find out more about the plans, but Eve overhears and thinks Aidan is a typical stuck-up lord, like her cousin, so she starts to dislike him.
Aidan eventually presents his plan of the marriage to Eve, and Eve is initially hesitant because she's still hoping her secret lover, John, will come back and propose to her. But the urgency of the situation, and her concern over her "lame ducks", the group of distant relatives and staff living in her home that she's supported when no one else would, drives her into agreeing. Since she's selfless and all.
Okay so they get married, and Aidan planned to keep it a secret from his family, especially his eldest brother, the Duke. He plans to return to the army, leave Eve in her home, and both parties will be satisfied with the arrangement, and that is that. Of course that isn't how it works out, because one earl or somesuch that they bump into spreads the news about the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, so she has to be presented to the Queen and the ton or risk dragging down the good Bedwyn name (the family has to show that they're not ashamed of her). And who else better to perform this drab-to-duchess task than the intimidating but influential she-dragon Aunt Rochester.
I don't know why I'm paraphrasing the entire book. Maybe because I really liked it and it's the kind of things you want to tell your friends about, however clumsy your retelling is. Will just focus on what I liked and disliked about it then.
Liked:
- it isn't love or even animal attraction at first sight, but their relationship grows because of realizing how kind and good-hearted the other person is. I really like that the lust is secondary.
- I like when one side or the other has a family of strong and likable characters, such as the Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family, or Jude Deveraux's Montgomery and Taggerts. So maybe it's a marketing strategy so you buy more books, but I grew up in a large family, and all the warm sibling interaction makes me feel cozy.
- the misunderstandings that are so typical in romance, to provide the necessary conflict, were also present here, but they didn't have me rolling my eyes or wanting to bash the hero and heroine's heads together. They seemed to make sense, developing naturally, and weren't more drawn out than they should have been.
- the hero is the first to say I Love You
- the hero has a deadpan kind of humor which takes a while to figure out because many think he's being completely serious. Most other heroes have a "he drawled sarcastically" plus "teasing eyes" kind of thing going on. So I liked this one, it was a little different.
- the heroine is defiant, but not to a point where she's making life harder for herself out of spite or just to prove a point. A lot of "spitfire hellions" have me going "You little fool!", but not this one. I like how the hero thinks of it as something like "Her presence seemed to say Here I am. Take me or leave me." She does get melodramatic at some point but it seems like for good reason.
- the language in the sex scenes weren't florid. No "his throbbing manroot" or "her quivering womanhood". Just plainly written, but you could feel the tenderness between them.
- the ending was lovely. The couple described Happily Ever After as something that had to be worked on daily, together, for the rest of their lives. This is possibly the most realistic, grounded HEA I've ever encountered. Good model for teens.
What I didn't like:
- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- they might have had one too many of the little misunderstandings. First about what Aidan says about not wanting Eve in London, which is what pushes her to accept the challenge of transforming into the belle of the season. Then when Aidan overhears how Eve describes his "kindness" to John. Then later on when one of them feels hurt that the other person only feels gratitude, and nothing more. So it was a little frustrating how they were both pretending that it was nothing more than an arrangement, even when they were both falling in love, so it became a waiting game, because of their pride. I was relieved when one of them finally 'fessed up.
- I wish I knew if they eventually had a child of their own, but maybe this will be mentioned in the other books in the series.
In summary, my interest in the romance genre is restored, and I'll be checking out the rest of the books by this author.
In the first chapter the scene unfurls as if in a movie. I am impatient with elaborate descriptions, and usually gloss over them, but this one had just enough for me to really get into it. It felt like a scene from Les Mis. You could hear the dull boom of canons in the distance, and smell the iron tang of spilled blood, and the smoke of gunpowder. Another reviewer commented that the author's writing has a quality that transports you into a vivid setting of England from the past, and this one successfully conjured up those images of a bloody battlefield, and in the next chapter, the warmth and tranquility in a small summer garden. I also found myself getting emotional in the first few chapters, when the heroine receives news of the death of her brother Percy. So the writing is definitely a step above the usual!
It's your basic marriage of convenient plot. The hero, Aidan, makes a promise to the dying Percy that he will protect the latter's sister, despite never having met her, "no matter what". He means to fulfill his vow, not just because it is a dying man's wish, but because Percy once saved his life in battle. I like how Aidan's physical appearance is not romanticized like that of a typical hero. None of that "his thick dark hair and broad shoulders, those muscular thighs" etc. In fact he sounds plain and almost unattractive, with that "hawk nose" and mouth in a thin harsh line. It reminds me of the hero one of my other favorite romance books, Loretta Chase's *Lord of Scoundrels*.
The convenience part comes because the heroine, Eve (get it? Aidan and Eve?), will be kicked out of her home because of a stipulation in her father's will that says the entire property will go to a repulsive cousin, unless Eve marries by a certain time, which happens to be in four days. Eve keeps this info to herself but Aidan learns of all of this at the inn he is staying at, because of the gossiping townspeople. (How convenient!) He also keeps a straight-face and pretends to agree with the said obsequious cousin, Cecil, to find out more about the plans, but Eve overhears and thinks Aidan is a typical stuck-up lord, like her cousin, so she starts to dislike him.
Aidan eventually presents his plan of the marriage to Eve, and Eve is initially hesitant because she's still hoping her secret lover, John, will come back and propose to her. But the urgency of the situation, and her concern over her "lame ducks", the group of distant relatives and staff living in her home that she's supported when no one else would, drives her into agreeing. Since she's selfless and all.
Okay so they get married, and Aidan planned to keep it a secret from his family, especially his eldest brother, the Duke. He plans to return to the army, leave Eve in her home, and both parties will be satisfied with the arrangement, and that is that. Of course that isn't how it works out, because one earl or somesuch that they bump into spreads the news about the new Lady Aidan Bedwyn, so she has to be presented to the Queen and the ton or risk dragging down the good Bedwyn name (the family has to show that they're not ashamed of her). And who else better to perform this drab-to-duchess task than the intimidating but influential she-dragon Aunt Rochester.
I don't know why I'm paraphrasing the entire book. Maybe because I really liked it and it's the kind of things you want to tell your friends about, however clumsy your retelling is. Will just focus on what I liked and disliked about it then.
Liked:
- it isn't love or even animal attraction at first sight, but their relationship grows because of realizing how kind and good-hearted the other person is. I really like that the lust is secondary.
- I like when one side or the other has a family of strong and likable characters, such as the Julia Quinn's Bridgerton family, or Jude Deveraux's Montgomery and Taggerts. So maybe it's a marketing strategy so you buy more books, but I grew up in a large family, and all the warm sibling interaction makes me feel cozy.
- the misunderstandings that are so typical in romance, to provide the necessary conflict, were also present here, but they didn't have me rolling my eyes or wanting to bash the hero and heroine's heads together. They seemed to make sense, developing naturally, and weren't more drawn out than they should have been.
- the hero is the first to say I Love You
- the hero has a deadpan kind of humor which takes a while to figure out because many think he's being completely serious. Most other heroes have a "he drawled sarcastically" plus "teasing eyes" kind of thing going on. So I liked this one, it was a little different.
- the heroine is defiant, but not to a point where she's making life harder for herself out of spite or just to prove a point. A lot of "spitfire hellions" have me going "You little fool!", but not this one. I like how the hero thinks of it as something like "Her presence seemed to say Here I am. Take me or leave me." She does get melodramatic at some point but it seems like for good reason.
- the language in the sex scenes weren't florid. No "his throbbing manroot" or "her quivering womanhood". Just plainly written, but you could feel the tenderness between them.
- the ending was lovely. The couple described Happily Ever After as something that had to be worked on daily, together, for the rest of their lives. This is possibly the most realistic, grounded HEA I've ever encountered. Good model for teens.
What I didn't like:
- ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
- they might have had one too many of the little misunderstandings. First about what Aidan says about not wanting Eve in London, which is what pushes her to accept the challenge of transforming into the belle of the season. Then when Aidan overhears how Eve describes his "kindness" to John. Then later on when one of them feels hurt that the other person only feels gratitude, and nothing more. So it was a little frustrating how they were both pretending that it was nothing more than an arrangement, even when they were both falling in love, so it became a waiting game, because of their pride. I was relieved when one of them finally 'fessed up.
- I wish I knew if they eventually had a child of their own, but maybe this will be mentioned in the other books in the series.
In summary, my interest in the romance genre is restored, and I'll be checking out the rest of the books by this author.
lighthearted
relaxing
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A bit similar to the better Slightly Dangerous. Spare me the "learn manners to rise to our level" trope. Well read.