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A review by sandywilliams03
Lady Be Good by Meredith Duran
5.0
I've been on a book slump for forever. Just couldn't seem to motivate myself to pick up something and read. But for Reasons, I haven't been able to sleep easily lately, so I was determined to find a good book to read. On a whim, I checked to see if Meredith Duran had anything new out, since it had been a while since I read her last book. Lo and behold, she had TWO books out that I hadn't read. Happy me!
Lady Be Good was just as great as the rest of Duran's books. I loved Lilah, a former thief trying to make an honest life for herself. She was not a push over.
Palmer was an interesting character. I did have a little trouble picturing his personality in my mind. He was a war hero. A song was written about him. Everyone knew and respected him, and he acted like the typical charming bachelor. But then sometimes, he acted like Duran's usual solemn, brooding characters. That's what I saw most of the time while reading, so any time the happy-go-lucky Palmer was mentioned, it kind of jerked me out of the story a bit. It just didn't fit with what I felt Palmer was. But despite that, I totally didn't mind him. Loved him just like all of Duran's other characters.
Duran--and Joanna Bourne--is the author I read when I feel like all my descriptions are blah. She has a way with putting words together to show more than just surface looks. It's a talent I desperately wish I had. But I totally lack it, so I always hope that, by reading her books over and over again, I'll eventually absorb at least a part of her skill.
Let me show you what I mean. My typical description would go something like this: "A dark lock of hair escaped from her pontytail. Palmer wanted to tuck it behind her ear."
Duran's description: "A dark lock had escaped, and unfurled along her throat like a suggestion: touch me here."
See how much better that is?
Here's another great description: "That startled him. He laughed, flashing white teeth. One of his incisors was slightly crooked. A relief, to spot that imperfection."
Look what Duran did there. She made the story move along, told us that the hero smiled while showing us the emotion of the heroine, with a super short paragraph that described a slightly crooked tooth. It's freaking brilliant.
I could go on and on with little, almost insignificant descriptions that have such a huge impact on the story and writing, but let's just see all of Duran's books are worth reading.
The only part of this book that I thought could be better was the ending. Not the ENDING ending, but how Lilah gets out of the predicament at the end, and how the villain was dealt with. I kind of wanted that whole part to be more excruciating, but...
SPOILER WARNING...
... she and Catherine just kind of moseyed their way to freedom.
That's such a minor issue, though. The entire book was an enjoyable read, and the moment I finished it, I bought the next book.
P.S. Oh, wait! I did have another issue. This is spoilery too, so you might stop reading.
So, the whole Palmer can't be with Lilah thing because it puts her in danger? I didn't understand that. I didn't understand why he needed to forever push her away and marry Catherine. All he had to do was temporarily pretend Lilah didn't exist. Then, once he took care of the villain, he could be with her with no problems. Or am I wrong? Did I just totally miss the reason why he tried to snub her completely?
Lady Be Good was just as great as the rest of Duran's books. I loved Lilah, a former thief trying to make an honest life for herself. She was not a push over.
Palmer was an interesting character. I did have a little trouble picturing his personality in my mind. He was a war hero. A song was written about him. Everyone knew and respected him, and he acted like the typical charming bachelor. But then sometimes, he acted like Duran's usual solemn, brooding characters. That's what I saw most of the time while reading, so any time the happy-go-lucky Palmer was mentioned, it kind of jerked me out of the story a bit. It just didn't fit with what I felt Palmer was. But despite that, I totally didn't mind him. Loved him just like all of Duran's other characters.
Duran--and Joanna Bourne--is the author I read when I feel like all my descriptions are blah. She has a way with putting words together to show more than just surface looks. It's a talent I desperately wish I had. But I totally lack it, so I always hope that, by reading her books over and over again, I'll eventually absorb at least a part of her skill.
Let me show you what I mean. My typical description would go something like this: "A dark lock of hair escaped from her pontytail. Palmer wanted to tuck it behind her ear."
Duran's description: "A dark lock had escaped, and unfurled along her throat like a suggestion: touch me here."
See how much better that is?
Here's another great description: "That startled him. He laughed, flashing white teeth. One of his incisors was slightly crooked. A relief, to spot that imperfection."
Look what Duran did there. She made the story move along, told us that the hero smiled while showing us the emotion of the heroine, with a super short paragraph that described a slightly crooked tooth. It's freaking brilliant.
I could go on and on with little, almost insignificant descriptions that have such a huge impact on the story and writing, but let's just see all of Duran's books are worth reading.
The only part of this book that I thought could be better was the ending. Not the ENDING ending, but how Lilah gets out of the predicament at the end, and how the villain was dealt with. I kind of wanted that whole part to be more excruciating, but...
SPOILER WARNING...
... she and Catherine just kind of moseyed their way to freedom.
That's such a minor issue, though. The entire book was an enjoyable read, and the moment I finished it, I bought the next book.
P.S. Oh, wait! I did have another issue. This is spoilery too, so you might stop reading.
So, the whole Palmer can't be with Lilah thing because it puts her in danger? I didn't understand that. I didn't understand why he needed to forever push her away and marry Catherine. All he had to do was temporarily pretend Lilah didn't exist. Then, once he took care of the villain, he could be with her with no problems. Or am I wrong? Did I just totally miss the reason why he tried to snub her completely?