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meanna's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
aklovekorn's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence, Fire/Fire injury, Racism, Sexual content, and Classism
zaza_bdp's review against another edition
3.0
*** 3.5/5 ***
J'ai passé un agréable moment en compagnie de ces nouveaux personnages, j'ai particulièrement apprécié de retrouver les personnages de La ronde des saisons, surtout Westcliff et Saint-Vincent. La famille Hattaway est très attachante, avec ses travers, ses petits et ses grands malheurs. J'ai aimé la complicité entre les soeurs, la manière dont Cam s'immisce dans ce petit noyau familial, lui qui a jusqu'à présent fui toute forme d'enracinement et d'attachement.
La romance entre Cam et Amélia est charmante, mais j'avoue avoir été plus émue par le couple Merripen/Winnifred. Ces deux-là sont très touchants, et je me réjouis de lire leur tome ! Cam est un héros original, j'ai aimé le voir pris entre ses deux cultures, sa personnalité est assez riche et bien exploitée. Amélia est quant à elle une vraie mère courage, elle tient toute sa famille à bout de bras.
La romance est riche et bien menée, mais j'avoue que certains passages m'ont paru too much
Une lecture sympathique donc, et une série que je poursuivrai avec plaisir.
J'ai passé un agréable moment en compagnie de ces nouveaux personnages, j'ai particulièrement apprécié de retrouver les personnages de La ronde des saisons, surtout Westcliff et Saint-Vincent. La famille Hattaway est très attachante, avec ses travers, ses petits et ses grands malheurs. J'ai aimé la complicité entre les soeurs, la manière dont Cam s'immisce dans ce petit noyau familial, lui qui a jusqu'à présent fui toute forme d'enracinement et d'attachement.
La romance entre Cam et Amélia est charmante, mais j'avoue avoir été plus émue par le couple Merripen/Winnifred. Ces deux-là sont très touchants, et je me réjouis de lire leur tome ! Cam est un héros original, j'ai aimé le voir pris entre ses deux cultures, sa personnalité est assez riche et bien exploitée. Amélia est quant à elle une vraie mère courage, elle tient toute sa famille à bout de bras.
La romance est riche et bien menée, mais j'avoue que certains passages m'ont paru too much
Spoiler
le coup de fantôme et du grand méchant voleur de trésor qui finir par se sauver sans finir par être rattrapé, et Leo m'a agacée, moi qui aime pourtant les héros torturés, là il m'a juste fait l'effet d'un enfant gâté (même s'il se rattrape dans sa dernière scène).Une lecture sympathique donc, et une série que je poursuivrai avec plaisir.
amberg8's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
marscandy37's review
4.0
I've been obsessed with Lisa Kleypas at the moment. I love her writing style, and she always has interesting plots to her stories. She likes to write about common people of the 19th century as opposed to all those other romance writers who seem hell-bent on only writing about dukes and earls and so on and so forth.
This was no exception. The Hathaways are a family of quirky people, not what you'd call refined by any definition of the word, specially not by English society with their strict rules about etiquette. But English society will have them nonetheless, for Leo, the oldest Hathaway, and only male, has just inherited a viscountcy. One that comes with a derelict house, tenants and it's very own curse. It seems that the recipients of said noble title usually die young, and Leo seems to be heading down the same road as all the previous Lords Ramsay before him. After losing his fiancée to scarlet fever he has been on a path to self destruction. He is haunted by her memory and has no desire to live without her.
His oldest sister Amelia though is hopeful that this new ascendancy to Aristocracy will provide a new beginning for all the Hathaways. But first she needs to make sure everyone gets to Ramsay house alive. When her brother disappears for several days she goes out to search for him in London, with her faithful Gypsy friend Merripen.
There they meet Cam Rohan, an jack of all trades of Jenner's, one of London's most notorious gambling dens, who Amelia is instantly captivated by. With Cam's help they locate Leo, and as thanks Cam takes two parting gifts from Amelia, a kiss and a hair ribbon.
They mutually hope never to see each other again. Neither can afford to become attached to the other. They have different paths, different plans. But fate has other plans for them...
We have a lot going on in this book, which is only normal since it's the first in the series and usually firsts get bog down with introductions and set ups. Unlike other books I actually enjoyed getting to know all the Hathaways. I genuinely thought they were great characters. Merripen and his mysterious past, Wynn with her illness, Beatrice being a Kleptomaniac, and Leo's ghost fiancee. It was all intriguing and made me want to get to know them further. I liked the sisterly dynamic of the Hathaway girls, and even Leo who didn't come off as such a likeable character was interesting.
Amelia was a bit of a control freak, and that turned me off a little to her but I think Cam mellowed her out somewhat throughout the book, which made up for it a bit.
The thing that I really loved about this book was the haunting parts. If Lisa Kleypas ever decided she wanted to be the next Stephen King, I think she'd pull it off perfectly. I wasn't expecting some of those scenes to be so chilling. I started looking forward to them just to see what happened next. I remember when I was younger, in the days when Netflix actually had content that was interesting, I saw a Korean film that I don't remember the name of to save my life, but it was about a woman who married her dead daughters soul to a young doctor. For the rest of his life the young girls soul followed him around wrecking his relationships until one day he decided he'd had enough and welcomed her to kill him. I remember how eerie that movie was, and Leo's predicament reminded me of this movie a lot.
I think too much time was spent on Merripen and Wynn, which really made me feel like not enough time was spent on Amelia and Cam's relationship. But I get it, first book syndrome.
The writing is always superb with a Kleypas book and I have nothing bad to say about it. Pacing wise it started off a bit slow, but it picked up a little after the fourth chapter so it wasn't so bad.
I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the rest of the series. Lets see where Lisa Kleypas takes the rest of the Hathaways now.
This was no exception. The Hathaways are a family of quirky people, not what you'd call refined by any definition of the word, specially not by English society with their strict rules about etiquette. But English society will have them nonetheless, for Leo, the oldest Hathaway, and only male, has just inherited a viscountcy. One that comes with a derelict house, tenants and it's very own curse. It seems that the recipients of said noble title usually die young, and Leo seems to be heading down the same road as all the previous Lords Ramsay before him. After losing his fiancée to scarlet fever he has been on a path to self destruction. He is haunted by her memory and has no desire to live without her.
His oldest sister Amelia though is hopeful that this new ascendancy to Aristocracy will provide a new beginning for all the Hathaways. But first she needs to make sure everyone gets to Ramsay house alive. When her brother disappears for several days she goes out to search for him in London, with her faithful Gypsy friend Merripen.
There they meet Cam Rohan, an jack of all trades of Jenner's, one of London's most notorious gambling dens, who Amelia is instantly captivated by. With Cam's help they locate Leo, and as thanks Cam takes two parting gifts from Amelia, a kiss and a hair ribbon.
They mutually hope never to see each other again. Neither can afford to become attached to the other. They have different paths, different plans. But fate has other plans for them...
We have a lot going on in this book, which is only normal since it's the first in the series and usually firsts get bog down with introductions and set ups. Unlike other books I actually enjoyed getting to know all the Hathaways. I genuinely thought they were great characters. Merripen and his mysterious past, Wynn with her illness, Beatrice being a Kleptomaniac, and Leo's ghost fiancee. It was all intriguing and made me want to get to know them further. I liked the sisterly dynamic of the Hathaway girls, and even Leo who didn't come off as such a likeable character was interesting.
Amelia was a bit of a control freak, and that turned me off a little to her but I think Cam mellowed her out somewhat throughout the book, which made up for it a bit.
Spoiler
I was annoyed that after they had done the deed she still refused to marry him, and kept taking off his ring. There was a part of me that hoped he'd give up on her and leave her high and dry.The thing that I really loved about this book was the haunting parts. If Lisa Kleypas ever decided she wanted to be the next Stephen King, I think she'd pull it off perfectly. I wasn't expecting some of those scenes to be so chilling. I started looking forward to them just to see what happened next. I remember when I was younger, in the days when Netflix actually had content that was interesting, I saw a Korean film that I don't remember the name of to save my life, but it was about a woman who married her dead daughters soul to a young doctor. For the rest of his life the young girls soul followed him around wrecking his relationships until one day he decided he'd had enough and welcomed her to kill him. I remember how eerie that movie was, and Leo's predicament reminded me of this movie a lot.
I think too much time was spent on Merripen and Wynn, which really made me feel like not enough time was spent on Amelia and Cam's relationship. But I get it, first book syndrome.
The writing is always superb with a Kleypas book and I have nothing bad to say about it. Pacing wise it started off a bit slow, but it picked up a little after the fourth chapter so it wasn't so bad.
I really enjoyed this book, and am looking forward to the rest of the series. Lets see where Lisa Kleypas takes the rest of the Hathaways now.
sofia_santana's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
jennvonsherer's review
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
suyi's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75