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A review by reader44ever
Gossamer Wing by Delphine Dryden
5.0
4.5 stars - great!
At the beginning of this book, I found the story to be a bit slow and I was easily distracted from it. At the time I suspected and hoped that this was because I had finished [a:Simon R. Green|41942|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224555729p2/41942.jpg]'s [b:Something from the Nightside|155421|Something from the Nightside (Nightside, #1)|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354812342s/155421.jpg|150023] earlier the same day I started [b:Gossamer Wing|17347638|Gossamer Wing (Steam and Seduction, #1)|Delphine Dryden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366435132s/17347638.jpg|24087883]. I already knew the two stories were very different: Gossamer Wing is a steampunk romance, while Something from the Nightside is most definitely not. I so loved the latter book that I was having trouble stopping my thoughts about it ("it was so great!...I must buy it!...I need to read book two ASAP!...why doesn't my library own book two?...wahhhh!"). This litany is likely what kept distracting me from Gossamer Wing.
I had hoped that the next day, after a hopefully good night's rest, I would be able to read Gossamer Wing with a fresh perspective and hopefully enjoy it more. Thankfully, my hopes were realized. :)
On this new day, I began by reading a chapter (Chapter Four) that I thoroughly enjoyed. I smiled widely whenpoor young Meggie's hopes of snagging Baron Dexter Hardison for herself were so rudely dashed. But then in Chapter Six, I read something that really made me laugh (and still makes me laugh!):
In his need to rescue his obviously feather-brained wife from unintentional porpoise-motivated suicide...
lol!!
And then in Chapter Seven, thefirst sexual encounter between Dexter and Charlotte was so well-written it actually made me sigh in delight. *sigh* Dexter is pretty much perfect in every way to me. And if I didn't like Charlotte so much, I'd be insanely jealous of her. But as it was/is, she's pretty much perfect for him. :)
This great day of reading was capped off by the spying portion of the story really taking off. There's really nothing I like more in my fiction than a combination of intrigue and romance. Between that and Dexter and Charlotte's "escalating war of endearments," I was highly entertained.
On my third night with this book, I was so engrossed in the story I couldn't put it down to go to sleep. FirstCharlotte flew off to Paris to complete the primary purpose of her mission in France. While Dexter worried for her, I worried with him. Then later Dexter was kidnapped and Charlotte was worried for him, with me worrying for him right along with her! I certainly couldn't sleep when two characters I'd come to care for so much were in such peril!! :)
I'm still not sure if the beginning was really a bit slow or if it was purely my mood that was responsible for my lackluster feelings for this story, but I do know that even if it was slow, my mood played into it. I can say this because I don't usually feel that way about books I've just begun, especially when I'm not even 50 pages into a 300 page book.
However, the fact remains that my initial impression was that the beginning was slow and I was easily distracted from it (never a good sign). For this reason, I have docked a half-star from what would otherwise have been a five star book for me.
By the end, though, I was thoroughly in love with this story. I am going to have to buy it so I can reread the parts I mentioned above and the rest again and again. It turned out to be a great story and I'm very glad I picked it up on that second day to see how it went. :)
At the beginning of this book, I found the story to be a bit slow and I was easily distracted from it. At the time I suspected and hoped that this was because I had finished [a:Simon R. Green|41942|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1224555729p2/41942.jpg]'s [b:Something from the Nightside|155421|Something from the Nightside (Nightside, #1)|Simon R. Green|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1354812342s/155421.jpg|150023] earlier the same day I started [b:Gossamer Wing|17347638|Gossamer Wing (Steam and Seduction, #1)|Delphine Dryden|https://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1366435132s/17347638.jpg|24087883]. I already knew the two stories were very different: Gossamer Wing is a steampunk romance, while Something from the Nightside is most definitely not. I so loved the latter book that I was having trouble stopping my thoughts about it ("it was so great!...I must buy it!...I need to read book two ASAP!...why doesn't my library own book two?...wahhhh!"). This litany is likely what kept distracting me from Gossamer Wing.
I had hoped that the next day, after a hopefully good night's rest, I would be able to read Gossamer Wing with a fresh perspective and hopefully enjoy it more. Thankfully, my hopes were realized. :)
On this new day, I began by reading a chapter (Chapter Four) that I thoroughly enjoyed. I smiled widely when
And then in Chapter Seven, the
This great day of reading was capped off by the spying portion of the story really taking off. There's really nothing I like more in my fiction than a combination of intrigue and romance. Between that and Dexter and Charlotte's "escalating war of endearments," I was highly entertained.
On my third night with this book, I was so engrossed in the story I couldn't put it down to go to sleep. First
I'm still not sure if the beginning was really a bit slow or if it was purely my mood that was responsible for my lackluster feelings for this story, but I do know that even if it was slow, my mood played into it. I can say this because I don't usually feel that way about books I've just begun, especially when I'm not even 50 pages into a 300 page book.
However, the fact remains that my initial impression was that the beginning was slow and I was easily distracted from it (never a good sign). For this reason, I have docked a half-star from what would otherwise have been a five star book for me.
By the end, though, I was thoroughly in love with this story. I am going to have to buy it so I can reread the parts I mentioned above and the rest again and again. It turned out to be a great story and I'm very glad I picked it up on that second day to see how it went. :)