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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
A great slightly sweet family saga. The sex is sorta lady chatterly and somewhat boring, but the characters are full-blown and its an enjoyable read.
I cried when this was over because it was SO FUCKING GOOD.
HAPPY BOOK 100 2024 LUCY!
HAPPY BOOK 100 2024 LUCY!
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
It was a friend's suggestion and I am really glad she made it!
I loved the development, the cast of characters, the setting and the stubbornness of both female and male lead, good readd indeed
I loved the development, the cast of characters, the setting and the stubbornness of both female and male lead, good readd indeed
emotional
hopeful
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:
Yes
Not my favorite Balogh but definitely still carries signature Balogh themes and character types. I've always really appreciated that Balogh doesn't always make her heroes and heroines ridiculously good looking. The world doesn't look like this so that touch of realism is not only appreciated but lets readers know that everyone does deserves and will eventually find love. Which is ultimately the romance genre language.
I also really love that this wasn't insta-love. Nothing irritates me more than needing to believe you care about someone deeply when you know nothing about them. The development of feelings was really believable, especially given the context and the involvement of the other Bedwyns and Eve's children.
The last 20% began plodding a bit because the doubt of each other's feelings felt unnecessarily dragged out. This alone may not be a big deal but it is already a rather quiet, slow-paced story. And to do this at the end felt frustrating and torturous at times for the reader.
Overall, still way better than most historical romances written by contemporary authors, but not one I would immediately recommend among Balogh's oeuvre.
I also really love that this wasn't insta-love. Nothing irritates me more than needing to believe you care about someone deeply when you know nothing about them. The development of feelings was really believable, especially given the context and the involvement of the other Bedwyns and Eve's children.
The last 20% began plodding a bit because the doubt of each other's feelings felt unnecessarily dragged out. This alone may not be a big deal but it is already a rather quiet, slow-paced story. And to do this at the end felt frustrating and torturous at times for the reader.
Overall, still way better than most historical romances written by contemporary authors, but not one I would immediately recommend among Balogh's oeuvre.
emotional
hopeful
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
slow-paced
I'll start by saying Mary Balogh writes extremely well. Her style is great and really puts to mind the era of which she is writing. I'll certainly continue to read more of her books.
However, despite being a well written story, I just don't feel like this one is a well written romance. There's just not a lot of chemistry between the MCs. Even their first frantic coupling seems to come from nowhere. Even in their internal dialog, they don't really mention any romantic feelings towards each other until the very end of the book, and even then, it's simply things like "Today was so fun. I love him/her." No real desire. They seem to spend more time examining their past feelings for others than their current feelings for each other.
I also dislike that all of their drama could have been easily avoided by having conversations. These two barely talk to each other, and when they do, they don't seem to talk about anything important. It's just frustrating.
And my final issue is just that I hate when children are used as the foundation of a relationship. The MCs only seem to spend time together and have feelings for each other when they're taking care of the orphans. It just makes the relationship feel forced.
However, despite being a well written story, I just don't feel like this one is a well written romance. There's just not a lot of chemistry between the MCs. Even their first frantic coupling seems to come from nowhere. Even in their internal dialog, they don't really mention any romantic feelings towards each other until the very end of the book, and even then, it's simply things like "Today was so fun. I love him/her." No real desire. They seem to spend more time examining their past feelings for others than their current feelings for each other.
I also dislike that all of their drama could have been easily avoided by having conversations. These two barely talk to each other, and when they do, they don't seem to talk about anything important. It's just frustrating.
And my final issue is just that I hate when children are used as the foundation of a relationship. The MCs only seem to spend time together and have feelings for each other when they're taking care of the orphans. It just makes the relationship feel forced.