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A review by accidentalspaceexplorer
Beyond the Sunrise by Mary Balogh
3.5
Okay, so I picked this one randomly off the shelf at the library completely based on the description on the back cover. I ended up loving the plot! It was complicated and twisty and full of fun double-crosses. I really appreciated the dual POV in this book, because it meant that you knew what both sides were thinking and planning for, and you could go, "NO you're so DUMB she's CLEARLY doing this thing!!!" I enjoyed that very much. If I could give a rating just based on the plot, I would absolutely give it 5 stars. I was very hooked by the plot and turned pages rapidly to watch as it unfolded.
The reason my rating is not a 5 star rating is because of the romance, unfortunately enough with this romance novel. The characters were well-developed, I just didn't like them, and I definitely didn't like them together. Joana/Jeanne was infuriating, and while I enjoyed that she was independent, her stubbornness and constant "teasing" of Robert was awful and dumb. And Robert wasn't a lot better, with his super angry lusting after her, the lack of respect, the yelling, etc. I did not enjoy the hate sex, and I didn't feel the romance, the passion, the anything.
So, on balance, it comes out to about 3.5/5! Great plot, but disappointing and irritating romance.
The reason my rating is not a 5 star rating is because of the romance, unfortunately enough with this romance novel. The characters were well-developed, I just didn't like them, and I definitely didn't like them together. Joana/Jeanne was infuriating, and while I enjoyed that she was independent, her stubbornness and constant "teasing" of Robert was awful and dumb. And Robert wasn't a lot better, with his super angry lusting after her, the lack of respect, the yelling, etc. I did not enjoy the hate sex, and I didn't feel the romance, the passion, the anything.
So, on balance, it comes out to about 3.5/5! Great plot, but disappointing and irritating romance.