Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
adventurous
lighthearted
tense
medium-paced
I liked it. It was hilarious, exciting and angsty. It was well balanced, and the pacing was good. At times it felt a bit repetitive, though it wasn’t too much, and there were a couple things that sounded anachronistic, but I could ignore them because they weren’t major details and I wasn’t quite sure. Caroline was irritating at times, but in general, she was very funny and intelligent. And I didn’t need the characters to tell me over and over how intelligent she was. I could see it.
2.8
La amistad de Caroline y James es todo lo que está bn
La amistad de Caroline y James es todo lo que está bn
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
I thought this was quite fun and easy to read. The story opens really strongly with , and it was well-paced from there with something important happening every few pages. There was a nice sense of humour running throughout the novel - a bit slapstick, almost. Despite some serious topics, it wasn’t a serious book in my opinion, and it was entertaining and passed the time well.
I liked the heroine, Caroline. She was brave and stood up for herself, and I really liked the opening scene where she’s introduced for the first time. I found Blake a little irritating, but I did think some of his bits were the funniest, especially when he was at the mercy of Caroline, James, or his servants’ wit.
I thought they had good chemistry, particularly early on, and their relationship was quite sweet.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was Blake’s servants - the housekeeper and butler, and their immediate loyalty to Caroline and how it manifested itself, I found quite charming and funny. I liked Blake’s little sulks over how kindly they treated her, and how the butler particularly was not at all intimidated by his boss.
The epilogue was cute and I liked the use of the dictionary entries to tell the story of their future together.
I found the writing a little amateurish at times and a little on the repetitive side. Blake “roared” a lot when he was angry, which was a bit hard to take seriously sometimes as he occasionally is meant to have said something quite benign. There was also the case of the butler saying “if I might be so bold”, which was used as a comedic device, but that also got a little irritating towards the end.
I wasn’t so keen on Blake’s backstory It got a bit repetitive towards the end.
I also found the introduction of Blake’s sister a bit unnecessary -
Apart from that, the only other criticism I had was the spelling of “marquis”, which I thought was “marquess” in the United Kingdom. It’s a minor mistake and not one that normally bothers me but for some reason I found it a little irritating.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I probably wouldn't reread it, but it was a fun little read.
I would recommend it if you want quite an easy, funny historical romance with spies and intrigue.
Content Warnings:, attempted rape, mentions of rape, gun violence, kidnap (on-page).
Spoiler
the heroine shooting a man that was trying to assault herI liked the heroine, Caroline. She was brave and stood up for herself, and I really liked the opening scene where she’s introduced for the first time. I found Blake a little irritating, but I did think some of his bits were the funniest, especially when he was at the mercy of Caroline, James, or his servants’ wit.
I thought they had good chemistry, particularly early on, and their relationship was quite sweet.
One of the things I enjoyed most about the book was Blake’s servants - the housekeeper and butler, and their immediate loyalty to Caroline and how it manifested itself, I found quite charming and funny. I liked Blake’s little sulks over how kindly they treated her, and how the butler particularly was not at all intimidated by his boss.
The epilogue was cute and I liked the use of the dictionary entries to tell the story of their future together.
I found the writing a little amateurish at times and a little on the repetitive side. Blake “roared” a lot when he was angry, which was a bit hard to take seriously sometimes as he occasionally is meant to have said something quite benign. There was also the case of the butler saying “if I might be so bold”, which was used as a comedic device, but that also got a little irritating towards the end.
I wasn’t so keen on Blake’s backstory
Spoiler
mainly because it involved the death of a woman to further his emotional development.I also found the introduction of Blake’s sister a bit unnecessary -
Spoiler
a lot of the Julia Quinn books I’ve read so far seem to feature the hero/heroine marry a bit before the end of the story, instead of off-page afterwards or in the epilogue; this is fine, but in this case, I think I would have preferred for them to choose to marry after everything had concluded, instead of being pressured into marriage by his sister.Apart from that, the only other criticism I had was the spelling of “marquis”, which I thought was “marquess” in the United Kingdom. It’s a minor mistake and not one that normally bothers me but for some reason I found it a little irritating.
Overall, I enjoyed the novel. I probably wouldn't reread it, but it was a fun little read.
I would recommend it if you want quite an easy, funny historical romance with spies and intrigue.
Content Warnings:
Spoiler
Child abuseSpoiler
The heroine was raised by a succession of terrible guardians, who abused her in various ways - neglect, forcing her to work as a servant, groping her, and physically assaulting her
I only meant to read a few chapters of this before bed, but it was so refreshing and light that I ended up reading the whole thing!
It was, as most romances, entirely predictable and ended happily, but actually I found that it's quick dialogue and witty, smart characters it was much better than many others in the genre. In many romances such as this there is habit to over exaggerate the humour aspects, or to make them too unbelievable in order to get the laughs but in this book they were not only believable but actually funny.
Could Blake have already gotten over Marabelle? Yes probably, but if you actually read it you see that he IS over Marabelle, he isn't over the grief and guilt that he has held since her death, therefore I can forgive the over-use of Marabelle as an excuse not to persue Caroline.
Caroline wasn't as air-headed as I felt other reviews made out. She more than held her own with Blake and James and could be described as clumsy rather than air-headed. Afterall she WAS at the heart of the investigation into Oliver and offered much needed advice throughout.
It was, as most romances, entirely predictable and ended happily, but actually I found that it's quick dialogue and witty, smart characters it was much better than many others in the genre. In many romances such as this there is habit to over exaggerate the humour aspects, or to make them too unbelievable in order to get the laughs but in this book they were not only believable but actually funny.
Could Blake have already gotten over Marabelle? Yes probably, but if you actually read it you see that he IS over Marabelle, he isn't over the grief and guilt that he has held since her death, therefore I can forgive the over-use of Marabelle as an excuse not to persue Caroline.
Caroline wasn't as air-headed as I felt other reviews made out. She more than held her own with Blake and James and could be described as clumsy rather than air-headed. Afterall she WAS at the heart of the investigation into Oliver and offered much needed advice throughout.
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
adventurous
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
I was skeptical from the start of this one - Stockholm Syndrome tropes are generally a no-go for me. And there was some of that at the start, but it got significantly better as it went. I liked Caroline a lot as a female lead - she was independent and smart and funny. Blake's grief over his fiancée became somewhat stale and overworked toward the end of the book - it felt slightly forced and stiff, not complex as I imagine that kind of loss would be. Overall it was entertaining and quite fun.
I was skeptical from the start of this one - Stockholm Syndrome tropes are generally a no-go for me. And there was some of that at the start, but it got significantly better as it went. I liked Caroline a lot as a female lead - she was independent and smart and funny. Blake's grief over his fiancée became somewhat stale and overworked toward the end of the book - it felt slightly forced and stiff, not complex as I imagine that kind of loss would be. Overall it was entertaining and quite fun.
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced