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jnordgren's review against another edition
2.0
I listened to this in audiobook format. It was so uninteresting to me that I kept getting lost in my own thoughts instead of paying attention. The narrator was great, but the pacing seemed off. And, call me moralistic, but the heroine, so damaged by gossip herself, continues to have no problem damaging other people's lives in turn. The story seems to imply that only the hypocritical members of the ton are caused to suffer by gossip rags, but as the Man About Town put it "Nothing is sacred." And poor Lady Hortensia and her insect collection. Leave the poor thing alone.
ameretet's review against another edition
4.0
Drunken ruination was hilarious. I grew to really like the characters. Love felt really rushed.
nighteyes82's review against another edition
3.0
the review will be done when I re-read the book. can't remember it precisely... ^^"
balletbookworm's review against another edition
3.0
Julianna makes a terribly good heroine and it was fun to root for her and Roxbury. Although, yet again, the plotting brought the middle of the book down.
spauffwrites's review against another edition
3.0
Confession: I think I may become a fan of mass market historical romance novels, thanks to Maya Rodale. I'm usually a bit of a book snob and turn my nose up novels like this, but I read A Tale of Two Lovers because I was directed to an interesting and intelligent post on Rodale's website -- Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels, Explained
I figured I'd give one of Rodale's novels a read. Parts of the book and the writing can be repetitive, but overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The plot is entertaining, with genuinely funny moments and the characters are good. The heroine, Lady Somerset, isn't a fainting maiden, but a strong woman with writing ambitions. Ultimately she gets everything that she wants, and what's not to like about that? It's a quick read, too, so I'll probably end up reading the rest of the Writing Girls series.
I figured I'd give one of Rodale's novels a read. Parts of the book and the writing can be repetitive, but overall, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. The plot is entertaining, with genuinely funny moments and the characters are good. The heroine, Lady Somerset, isn't a fainting maiden, but a strong woman with writing ambitions. Ultimately she gets everything that she wants, and what's not to like about that? It's a quick read, too, so I'll probably end up reading the rest of the Writing Girls series.
gypsybaby75's review against another edition
4.0
In Maya Rodale, I find distinctive writing and devilishly good plots. A Tale of Two Lovers is not to be missed as it involves both to wicked extremes.
Lady Julianna Somerset is a widow who was bequeathed virtually nothing in her husband’s will, and so to make ends meet she is forced to take up a gossip column in The London Weekly, a column in good running for another gossip column in the arch rival paper The London Times. Lady Julianna is called the Lady of Distinction in her widely talked about column. One night she stumbles upon a tryst that looks most certainly like two men in a compromising position and so in effect she has ruined the reputation of one Lord Roxbury and has gained notoriety as the Lady not to be missed.
Lord Roxbury’s social life is about to be ruined with a few well placed words and the mere hint of suggestion in the local gossip column. After finding out the identity of the Lady of Distinction by accident, he stops at nothing to ruin her in revenge! In the middle of all this, Roxbury’s father believes the gossips and issues him an ultimatum. Either marry within a month’s time or be turned out the door with no inheritance. But how can he find a suitable wife when the ton believes he prefers the company of men? What’s a dandy to do? Without even realizing it, Roxbury sets on a course that neither he nor Julianna can escape. A course of lies, betrayals, and above all heated passion.
A Tale of Two Lovers was a delightful read full of heated words and sexual tension. May Rodale is an author to watch, the end was satisfaction indeed! 5 stars.
Lady Julianna Somerset is a widow who was bequeathed virtually nothing in her husband’s will, and so to make ends meet she is forced to take up a gossip column in The London Weekly, a column in good running for another gossip column in the arch rival paper The London Times. Lady Julianna is called the Lady of Distinction in her widely talked about column. One night she stumbles upon a tryst that looks most certainly like two men in a compromising position and so in effect she has ruined the reputation of one Lord Roxbury and has gained notoriety as the Lady not to be missed.
Lord Roxbury’s social life is about to be ruined with a few well placed words and the mere hint of suggestion in the local gossip column. After finding out the identity of the Lady of Distinction by accident, he stops at nothing to ruin her in revenge! In the middle of all this, Roxbury’s father believes the gossips and issues him an ultimatum. Either marry within a month’s time or be turned out the door with no inheritance. But how can he find a suitable wife when the ton believes he prefers the company of men? What’s a dandy to do? Without even realizing it, Roxbury sets on a course that neither he nor Julianna can escape. A course of lies, betrayals, and above all heated passion.
A Tale of Two Lovers was a delightful read full of heated words and sexual tension. May Rodale is an author to watch, the end was satisfaction indeed! 5 stars.
aprilbooksandwine's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
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
4.0
haewilya's review against another edition
2.0
I really liked the premise of this book. And the first few chapters were fine. Then I don’t know what happened. The chemistry promised by thise explosive scenes at the beginning weren’t realized.
There’s something off with the writing. It felt disjointed. There aren’t any character development. Or much character for that matter. There’s a minor inconsistency too pertaining to the hero’s background. Almost zero sexy times too.
It makes me so sad. There were awesome scenes. Too bad it didn’t work as whole.
Side note: It makes me wonder how long was the interval from this book to Seducing Mr. Knightley. The latter’s much much better.
There’s something off with the writing. It felt disjointed. There aren’t any character development. Or much character for that matter. There’s a minor inconsistency too pertaining to the hero’s background. Almost zero sexy times too.
It makes me so sad. There were awesome scenes. Too bad it didn’t work as whole.
Side note: It makes me wonder how long was the interval from this book to Seducing Mr. Knightley. The latter’s much much better.
witandsin's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars
The rakish Lord Roxbury is a godsend to someone like Lady Julianna Somerset, gossip columnist for The London Weekly. And when Julianna spies Roxbury in a scandalous position with someone in men’s clothing…well, she’s sure she has the scoop of a lifetime! Only Roxbury doesn’t quite see it that way and he doesn’t take kindly to the lies the mysterious “Lady of Distinction” has written about him, particularly when his reputation is shredded and chances of marriage are ruined because of it. It’s not long before Roxbury and Julianna’s battle becomes public and all of London is agog. With both Julianna and Roxbury teetering on the ledge of complete ruination, there’s only one solution: the scandalous pair will wed. It’s supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but love and desire have a funny way of bringing together even the most reticent spouses.
Gossip and scandal pile up faster than a modern-day celebrity rumor-mill in A Tale of Two Lovers. Maya Rodale’s unique Writing Girls falters in its second installment, dragged down, as it were, by an incredibly unlikeable heroine. For the first third of A Tale of Two Lovers I attempted to find something to like about Julianna. After that, I simply tried (and failed) not to hate her. Julianna wears emotional scars thanks to her first husband, a vice-ridden rake. Because of this, and her eagerness to beat another gossip columnist, Were this in another story, Julianna would be a halfway-decent villain. I don’t catalogue Julianna’s faults to belabor the point, but rather to explain why I was so disappointed in A Tale of Two Lovers. Perhaps what irritated me about her will not bother other readers. Roxbury, on the other hand, is a perfectly likeable hero. He’s amiable, sensual, and when he makes mistakes, he owns up to them. The only thing I didn’t entirely understand was why he fell in love with Julianna.
Roxbury and the cast of secondary characters bring charm to A Tale of Two Lovers. It was nice to revisit Sophie and Brandon (of the first Writing Girls book, A Groom of One’s Own), but what delighted me the most was the glimpses of the other two Writing Girls, Eliza and Annabelle, and the men I sincerely hope will be their heroes. Though A Tale of Two Lovers was not the story for me, I still liked Roxbury and the supporting characters enough that I am looking forward to Eliza and Annabelle’s books.
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
The rakish Lord Roxbury is a godsend to someone like Lady Julianna Somerset, gossip columnist for The London Weekly. And when Julianna spies Roxbury in a scandalous position with someone in men’s clothing…well, she’s sure she has the scoop of a lifetime! Only Roxbury doesn’t quite see it that way and he doesn’t take kindly to the lies the mysterious “Lady of Distinction” has written about him, particularly when his reputation is shredded and chances of marriage are ruined because of it. It’s not long before Roxbury and Julianna’s battle becomes public and all of London is agog. With both Julianna and Roxbury teetering on the ledge of complete ruination, there’s only one solution: the scandalous pair will wed. It’s supposed to be a marriage of convenience, but love and desire have a funny way of bringing together even the most reticent spouses.
Gossip and scandal pile up faster than a modern-day celebrity rumor-mill in A Tale of Two Lovers. Maya Rodale’s unique Writing Girls falters in its second installment, dragged down, as it were, by an incredibly unlikeable heroine. For the first third of A Tale of Two Lovers I attempted to find something to like about Julianna. After that, I simply tried (and failed) not to hate her. Julianna wears emotional scars thanks to her first husband, a vice-ridden rake. Because of this, and her eagerness to beat another gossip columnist,
Spoiler
I understand her jumping the gun and writing a piece insinuating that Roxbury is interested in men. What I fail to understand is why – once she learns that she was wrong and sees firsthand how all but one of Roxbury’s friends completely turns on him – she persists in writing more pieces insinuating the same thing. Considering the laws targeting homosexuals during that time period, Julianna’s willfully misleading columns are not something that I could simply brush aside. Julianna, quite simply, comes off as a brat, one who blames Roxbury for everything that goes wrong in her life and takes out her frustration regarding her first marriage on him. She also insists throughout the book that she did nothing wrong and is not responsible for ruining Roxbury’s reputation. Yet, when her own reputation takes a hit, she seems to blame all and sundry for her own predicament which she, in part, caused.Roxbury and the cast of secondary characters bring charm to A Tale of Two Lovers. It was nice to revisit Sophie and Brandon (of the first Writing Girls book, A Groom of One’s Own), but what delighted me the most was the glimpses of the other two Writing Girls, Eliza and Annabelle, and the men I sincerely hope will be their heroes. Though A Tale of Two Lovers was not the story for me, I still liked Roxbury and the supporting characters enough that I am looking forward to Eliza and Annabelle’s books.
Reviewed for Joyfully Reviewed.
julia_myendlesslibrary's review
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? It's complicated
3.0