Thursday, December 29, 2011

A Lesson in Patience (Lesson #3) by Jennifer Connors - 3 stars

A LESSON IN PATIENCE by Jennifer Connors continues her unique time travel/historical romance themed series. This third installment in the Lesson series battles some credibility and editing issues, but still provides a good read. I give it 3 stars and recommend another round of editing with fresh eyes.

A LESSON IN PATIENCE follows Ginny to the US Midwest during the 19th century. Ginny is an amnesiac sold into marriage to Colby, a man who is really just looking for a governess for his brothers and a chaperone for his sister. Colby is bitter and resentful about his lot in life even before marrying Ginny, having been forced to give up a career in law to take care of his family after his parents died, but Ginny's 21st Century mindset makes his life even worse. He spends most of the book being surly, and then makes the dramatic shift towards "love." Add some competition from Colby's best friend, danger from the elements, and menace to Ginny (and thereby Colby's sister) from Ginny's nearly bankrupt father and a sadistic former betrothed, and drama ensues.

I am uncertain whether this "lesson in patience" is meant to tout the benefits of waiting to be physically intimate in a relationship or waiting for someone you love to "come around." The character and thought development of Ginny's character is a bit incredible here. Perhaps she is just so tired of being in someone else's life that she immediately begins wondering when she gets to the "great sex" perk of the story. The development of the romance between Colby and Ginny was also a bit thin and could use more substance. Colby's flip in perspective is a bit abrupt, and Ginny seems calculated, not at all like a woman in love. Even so, there are some humorous parts and some nice action scenes.

On the technical side, the pace of the book is decent, but the editing definitely needed another pair of fresh eyes, as there were many glaring grammatical errors. Also, while not pervasive, the love scenes are specific enough to warrant a level 3 heat rating, appropriate for those 18 years of age and older.

Overall, even though A LESSON IN PATIENCE doesn't quite meet expectations, the novel is a decent read, and certainly necessary to the overall Lesson series plotline.

*Original review revised for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=10168

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

A Lesson in Forgiveness (Lesson #2) by Jennifer Conners - 4 stars

Have you ever made a mistake that is so monumental you can't bear to repent? Have you ever had a relationship issue so complex that you have no idea how to fix it? This second book in Jennifer Connors' Lesson series, A LESSON IN FORGIVENESS, is a sad one because it involves both of those issues. The title alone should clue you in to the fact that Ginny must learn to forgive, but it doesn't give you any indication about how heartbreakingly difficult this book is to read. Grab your tissue box and put your ringer on silent. I give A LESSON IN FORGIVENESS 4 stars.

After departing her first romance novel life in medieval Scotland, Ginny wakes up in Regency-era England. Her new parents want her to marry and bring her to a house party at the country home of Lord Whitmore, an earl. Lord Whitmore's friend, Lord Clarendon, a viscount, rake, and future duke, is also in attendance. Ginny befriends both Whitmore and Clarendon, neither of whom wants to be tied down by a marriage to her.

Sadly, the friendships dissolve when the characters can't be honest about what they really want. Clarendon sabotages his chance at happiness by devising a scheme that ultimately puts Ginny and Whitmore in a compromising situation. After being discovered by Bethany's father, a forced marriage is the end of the friendship between Whitmore and Ginny, as the new husband immediately abandons Ginny to sow his wild oats in a previously planned Grand Tour of the Continent. Add adultery, swindling, money troubles, and some serious gossip, and you have a heartbreaking story. When all is said and done, can Ginny learn to forgive her new husband, and more importantly, can she forgive herself?

I must say first and foremost that I loved this book, but I must also tell you how difficult it is to read because it is just so darn sad. The reader is made to fall in love with both Whitmore and Clarendon, and then made to hate them both after Whitmore and Ginny wed. The reader can see both sides of the dispute, but the only real solution is the most difficult one – forgiveness. Setting aside the circumstances that brought husband and wife together, the novel provides a realistic view of what happens when there is serious damage to a marital relationship via infidelity and abandonment. Ginny does some soul searching and finally learns the lesson of this particular romance novel.

Aside from the plotline, the pace of the book is nice. I could have used some more time spent showing Ginny's soul searching, especially after the amount of time she spent in heartache. Forgiveness from the heart often takes time and effort to work through. For hurts this deep, residual emotions will linger for a while before true bliss is found. Ginny's forgiveness came too quickly for it to be realistic, but this could be a personal thing. Perhaps the powers that control Ginny's romance novel-hopping life only needed her to understand the importance of forgiveness in any relationship, and if she were to spend more time in this particular novel, residual insecurities would be seen. Regardless, the reader fully understands the lesson in this book.

As for technical issues, this book had some issues with homonyms, specifically with those that sound the same but are spelled differently, e.g., to and too, do and due. Another round of editing with a pair of fresh eyes could take care of those issues.

Overall, I really loved this book. I'm looking forward to the next book and hope for some better times for Ginny.
 
*Original review revised for The Romance Reviews.com http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooksreview.php?bookid=10161

A Lesson in Passion by Jennifer Connors (Book 1 in Lesson Series) - 4 stars

A LESSON IN PASSION by Jennifer Connors presents a fresh and interesting twist on the time travel genre. In her Lesson series, the main character is catapulted into various romance books, here medieval. I loved the believable characters and witty repartee, and I give it 4 stars.

In this first installment in Jennifer Connors' Lesson series, physician's assistant Ginny goes on vacation, and it turns into the worst vacation ever. She brought some trashy romance novels a friend insisted she take with her for educational purposes. On her return, she gets into a car accident and is transported into one of the romance novels, set in medieval Scotland during a time of unrest among the clans.

Ginny finds herself in the body of Lady Chatham, a hostage of a lowlander clan. She has the woman's memories, but is still Ginny. As Ginny figures out what is going on, how to navigate the story and how to live in medieval times, she makes use of her medical knowledge, and she gets involved with Ian McKenna, the "mega-hunk" Laird of the McKenna clan. Add a pre-arranged betrothal, clan alliances and betrayals, skirmishes, more kidnapping, and rival suitors, and you have a dramatic (and often funny) novel.

I enjoyed this novel and can't wait to read the next. The plot does not disappoint, and the book only rarely succumbs to the cheesy, melodramatic flare of the typical romance book. The beginning isn't slow per se, but it seems to take a long time for Ginny to get to the accident and into the romance novel. The dialogue is witty, and Ginny's comments on daily life in medieval rural Scotland are sometimes downright hilarious. The book is long enough to have realistic character and romantic relationship developments. The romance, while not pervasive, is specific enough to warrant a heat level rating of 3, appropriate for those 18 and over.

There is really nothing better than a romance novel making fun of itself. I highly recommend A LESSON IN PASSION for your summer reading enjoyment.


*Original review revised for The Romance Reviews.com at http://www.theromancereviews.com/viewbooks.php?bookid=10157.

Why Blog?

I used to post reviews of books I've read on the website of a well-known bookseller.  Then, one day, I discovered that several of my reviews of books purchased from that website were removed from the website by the publishers of the books.  Surprise, surprise - the reviews that were removed were negative reviews.  Since the bookseller refused to change its policy regarding consumer reviews, and the publishers refuse to re-post the reviews that were removed, I decided to find my own place to post reviews of books that I've read.  Thus the beginning of my blog.