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A review by joanav
It Started with a Whisper by Christina McKnight, Ava Stone, Dawn Brower, Deb Marlowe, Amanda Mariel, Erica Monroe
4.0
I've received an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, it was a good book.
I did not enjoy the first story (maybe 2, 2.5*) and that was a bit of a problem because it took me sometime to get really involved with the book. The next two stories were quite good (4*) and I got through them very easily and enjoyed them much more than the first story. The 4th story was a bit different and I liked but thought at the same time that is rapped up to quickly - I know it's a novella, but maybe instead of in the beginning doing more description, a bit more of the story could have been developed? I really liked how strong Jemma was, she really made an impression on me (3.5,4*). I really liked the concept of How to Land an Earl in Ten Days or Less - I love the film "how to lose a guy in 10 days"! - so it was fun to see Ava's take on it. I really enjoyed it, it was fun and at the same sweet and romantic. The last story was one of my favourites as well , although I would have changed just one thing: instead of having Oliver chase Helena, I would have just made them share the carriage ride to Scotland and made them fall in love during the trip, and maybe it would have been more believable for me that Oliver had fallen in love in Helena, instead of just one day waking up and thinking "wow the girl I ignored for years is actually a clever, intelligent, beautiful woman". Apart from that, I really liked the story, Helena was one of my favourite heroines and Oliver (much like Daring!) was very dashing and alluring.
In the end, I liked this anthology, but I think I'm finally understanding that novellas aren't my favourite kind of book - I like more fully developed stories. Still, it was a good book and I would recommend it to any historical romance fan.
Overall, it was a good book.
I did not enjoy the first story (maybe 2, 2.5*) and that was a bit of a problem because it took me sometime to get really involved with the book. The next two stories were quite good (4*) and I got through them very easily and enjoyed them much more than the first story. The 4th story was a bit different and I liked but thought at the same time that is rapped up to quickly - I know it's a novella, but maybe instead of in the beginning doing more description, a bit more of the story could have been developed? I really liked how strong Jemma was, she really made an impression on me (3.5,4*). I really liked the concept of How to Land an Earl in Ten Days or Less - I love the film "how to lose a guy in 10 days"! - so it was fun to see Ava's take on it. I really enjoyed it, it was fun and at the same sweet and romantic. The last story was one of my favourites as well , although I would have changed just one thing: instead of having Oliver chase Helena, I would have just made them share the carriage ride to Scotland and made them fall in love during the trip, and maybe it would have been more believable for me that Oliver had fallen in love in Helena, instead of just one day waking up and thinking "wow the girl I ignored for years is actually a clever, intelligent, beautiful woman". Apart from that, I really liked the story, Helena was one of my favourite heroines and Oliver (much like Daring!) was very dashing and alluring.
In the end, I liked this anthology, but I think I'm finally understanding that novellas aren't my favourite kind of book - I like more fully developed stories. Still, it was a good book and I would recommend it to any historical romance fan.