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A review by sil_the_lobster
The Legend of the Werestag by Tessa Dare
3.0
I quite enjoyed reading this novella (the re-released version, “How to catch a wild Viscount” which is a much better title, btw, and THANKS for making if a free download!) but I will readily admit that I might have frowned upon a few things here and there had I not known this was Tessa Dare’s first published work. But I did know when I started reading and must say that if this was the work of any other author, I might not even thought about what was missing, or not quite perfect.
Well, it’s a novella with all of a novella’s usual problems. There simply isn’t room for a satisfying story or character development, or maybe there would be enough room if Ms Dare hadn’t tried to squeeze as much into it as possible – the MCs’ past, explanations of what has changed since then, witty bantering, the “legend”, what is the relationship amongst the members of this small group, etc etc. Today’s Tessa Dare would have turned this into one of her delightful novels instead of squeezing it all into a novella format – yesterday’s Tessa Dare was still stretching her wings.
As for the characters, I must admit I couldn’t really connect with either Cecily or Luke – don’t know why, but I just couldn’t. I liked Portia and Brooke a lot better and I wonder if there’s a book dedicated to them. I need to take a closer look at all of Tessa Dare’s other novels!
In any case, I can’t stress enough how Tessa Dare is the author who made me re-discover historical romance and for this alone, she’s turned me into a fan.
I’m only giving this three stars because obviously, it cannot keep up with her more recent novels, but it’s a pleasant read nevertheless, an easy read for the daily commute to and from work and I did enjoy it. Only, not as much as Romancing the Duke, or A Week to be Wicked, for example :-)
Well, it’s a novella with all of a novella’s usual problems. There simply isn’t room for a satisfying story or character development, or maybe there would be enough room if Ms Dare hadn’t tried to squeeze as much into it as possible – the MCs’ past, explanations of what has changed since then, witty bantering, the “legend”, what is the relationship amongst the members of this small group, etc etc. Today’s Tessa Dare would have turned this into one of her delightful novels instead of squeezing it all into a novella format – yesterday’s Tessa Dare was still stretching her wings.
As for the characters, I must admit I couldn’t really connect with either Cecily or Luke – don’t know why, but I just couldn’t. I liked Portia and Brooke a lot better and I wonder if there’s a book dedicated to them. I need to take a closer look at all of Tessa Dare’s other novels!
In any case, I can’t stress enough how Tessa Dare is the author who made me re-discover historical romance and for this alone, she’s turned me into a fan.
I’m only giving this three stars because obviously, it cannot keep up with her more recent novels, but it’s a pleasant read nevertheless, an easy read for the daily commute to and from work and I did enjoy it. Only, not as much as Romancing the Duke, or A Week to be Wicked, for example :-)