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3.85 AVERAGE
3.85 AVERAGE
What a fun and wonderful romance! I loved James and Phoebe and their constant sparring. I loved how he helps her to discover her wings and then tries to do the noble thing and let her fly away from him. I love how she helps him to discover his heart and the steals it away. Sweet, sexy and sigh-worthy romance!
emotional
funny
mysterious
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:
Yes
It's been years since I've read a Maiden Lane book, but I fell right back into the familiar and smooth cadence that this author writes in. I don't always love her characters, but I adored Phoebe (h) and James (H) esp since James is silently longing for her, thinking she's out of reach, and it takes Phoebe a bit longer to consider him as more than that guard who's keeping her in line. Phoebe's the sister of a duke who's extra swaddled in wool and overprotected because she's slowly lost her sight over the course of years. Though she has this disability, Phoebe also maintains a sunny personality and a zest for life, she was a wonderfully sweet character and a fantastic foil for the cynical and life toughened James. James is more than a decade older and was a captain with the dragoons before being seriously injured, to the point that he uses a cane and worries that he may need to step back from watching over Phoebe at some point. But he's not just a general guard for his charge, there's a kidnapping plot afoot and multiple attempts to spirit Phoebe away for questionable purposes.
Written in third person, multi-POV (including some side characters at times). No ow drama, slight om drama from someone who's interested in h but who she rejects. H isn't a virgin but appeared to have been celibate while pining for h and h is a virgin with no prior experience (h does ask H about some of his experience and the masculine outrage made me laugh but he's also upfront with her about his past).
There's angst, push/pull with lots of forced proximity creating additional tension, family drama on both their ends, and an overall sweet romance with a fulfilling HEA. The romance is a slow burn but gets plenty steamy, though the solidification of them as a couple takes pretty much the whole book. Some danger occurs but the suspense is pretty light imo. The mystery over who's behind the plotting isn't super strong, since the hints are clear, but the reasoning why doesn't come out til the very end, alongside the resolution. The epilogue is only two weeks into the future and partially includes a lead-in to the next book/couple, but also shows this couple on their wedding day. Plus, prior characters are featured heavily throughout the series so I would think these two pop back up at some point, though I'm not sure.
I definitely recommend historical readers give this series a try if they haven't. As I said before, not all of the characters worked for me personally, but the ones that did have been ones I've reread. I bounced around and read books out of order back in the day (I'll continue to do so since my next read from these books will be earlier in the series) and you can absolutely do that, just know that minor spoilers may occur and side characters are very interconnected thanks to families, friendships, and social issues.
Written in third person, multi-POV (including some side characters at times). No ow drama, slight om drama from someone who's interested in h but who she rejects. H isn't a virgin but appeared to have been celibate while pining for h and h is a virgin with no prior experience (h does ask H about some of his experience and the masculine outrage made me laugh but he's also upfront with her about his past).
There's angst, push/pull with lots of forced proximity creating additional tension, family drama on both their ends, and an overall sweet romance with a fulfilling HEA. The romance is a slow burn but gets plenty steamy, though the solidification of them as a couple takes pretty much the whole book. Some danger occurs but the suspense is pretty light imo. The mystery over who's behind the plotting isn't super strong, since the hints are clear, but the reasoning why doesn't come out til the very end, alongside the resolution. The epilogue is only two weeks into the future and partially includes a lead-in to the next book/couple, but also shows this couple on their wedding day. Plus, prior characters are featured heavily throughout the series so I would think these two pop back up at some point, though I'm not sure.
I definitely recommend historical readers give this series a try if they haven't. As I said before, not all of the characters worked for me personally, but the ones that did have been ones I've reread. I bounced around and read books out of order back in the day (I'll continue to do so since my next read from these books will be earlier in the series) and you can absolutely do that, just know that minor spoilers may occur and side characters are very interconnected thanks to families, friendships, and social issues.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-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:
Yes
I loved how she tackled a female lead with a disability. Loved it, like all the books in the series.
Phoebe chaffs at her brother's protections and restrictions, which include a bodyguard. Captain Trevellion, formally of the King's Dragoons. The Captain finds himself falling in love with Phoebe and when she is targeted by kidnappers, he takes her off himself to protect her, but who is to protect him from her seduction?
I received an autographed copy from the author as a Goodreads First Reads win. My opinions are my own.
I'd never read an Elizabeth Hoyt novel before, so I'd no idea what to expect, though I know she's prolific based on the number of her books that our library carries. I was kind of expecting a heroine that was kind of two-dimensional and shallow, and found that Phoebe was anything BUT two dimensional and I fell in love with her. And as Phoebe found that though James was sometimes arrogant, he was willing to learn from his mistakes and was thoughtful, kind, and caring, while giving her the space to be a fully-fledged human (once he got used to the idea) in her own right, I also found myself falling in love with him. I think James Trevillion is my new book-boyfriend.
I'll be on the hunt now to fill in the blanks in the stories surrounding that of Phoebe and James, now that I know how deliciously Elizabeth Hoyt writes her characters. (Oh, and I HOPE to see what the hell is up with Valentine. I mean.... there has GOT to be a very juicy story there!)
I'd never read an Elizabeth Hoyt novel before, so I'd no idea what to expect, though I know she's prolific based on the number of her books that our library carries. I was kind of expecting a heroine that was kind of two-dimensional and shallow, and found that Phoebe was anything BUT two dimensional and I fell in love with her. And as Phoebe found that though James was sometimes arrogant, he was willing to learn from his mistakes and was thoughtful, kind, and caring, while giving her the space to be a fully-fledged human (once he got used to the idea) in her own right, I also found myself falling in love with him. I think James Trevillion is my new book-boyfriend.
I'll be on the hunt now to fill in the blanks in the stories surrounding that of Phoebe and James, now that I know how deliciously Elizabeth Hoyt writes her characters. (Oh, and I HOPE to see what the hell is up with Valentine. I mean.... there has GOT to be a very juicy story there!)
ONE BED TROPE
Damn this book HIT. I loved it. Maybe it's because I haven't read Hoyt or historical romances in awhile but man this was so much fun.
Damn this book HIT. I loved it. Maybe it's because I haven't read Hoyt or historical romances in awhile but man this was so much fun.
The series gets better with each book, which of course makes this one an awesome story. Ibelieved at the beginning Phoebe would not get a book, but hoped she did. It's not common to have a blind heroine, but Phoebe was amazing and I feel in love with her instantly. Captain Trevillion was such a swoonworthy hero. In the beginning of the series he was a little annoying, but book by book he got better until he made me love him in this one... the kidnappings were a little over the top, but fit the story nicely...
3,5 stars rounded to 4.
I wanted to love this book more than I did. That being said, it's still very good. Phoebe is lovely, as is Trevillion (our heroine and hero), but this lacked something. Maybe it's the loss of the Ghost of St Giles, or even St Giles itself. The story is interesting and the characters are well drawn, but there's a certain oomph missing from this. I think I just need to get past the original set up for the story. The Ghost seems to be completely gone now and St Giles itself might now only be important for the Ladies Society that meets there. It's a hard pivot though and I'm not feeling as captivated as I did when those plots were more relevant.
I wanted to love this book more than I did. That being said, it's still very good. Phoebe is lovely, as is Trevillion (our heroine and hero), but this lacked something. Maybe it's the loss of the Ghost of St Giles, or even St Giles itself. The story is interesting and the characters are well drawn, but there's a certain oomph missing from this. I think I just need to get past the original set up for the story. The Ghost seems to be completely gone now and St Giles itself might now only be important for the Ladies Society that meets there. It's a hard pivot though and I'm not feeling as captivated as I did when those plots were more relevant.