This book for me was unimpressive. It was a nice read, with only a few editing errors, but it contained the standard ridiculous melodrama that so many authors feel necessary to put in their books. This causes the lead female character to be unbelievable - here she starts out as an intelligent, fully independent, self-assured woman of 24 who runs her late father's shipping company. She goes through a great deal of drama whilst looking for a husband, and suddenly, all that intelligence flies out the window. She realizes she's in love with her husband and then works hard to push him away. Even after he makes all this effort to make the marriage work, she is completely irrational. If she had been pregnant, that kind of irrationality could be easily explained by hormones, but in this case, it just makes her character annoying and unbelievable.
This book does not deviate from the standard regency romance fare.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Bride's Baby by Liz Fielding - 2 stars
Bride's Baby, by Liz Fielding, had such potential in its plot, but fell so short in the end due to a slow start, too short of a period for relationship development, poor editing and an abrupt ending. The concept was great, but I found myself re-writing the book in my head. Adding parts where the author didn't provide a segue. The book was choppy, and in several parts, I had to re-read the text just to be sure I hadn't missed something or read it incorrectly. The editing was atrocious. A simple read through or software spell checker would have caught most of the missing words or misspelled words.
The part at Longborne where the two main characters spend time together was nice - especially the scene sitting by the fire in the library - but it needs to be longer and more fleshed out if the characters are going to exchange credible "I love You"s in the end.
The discussion of the Steamtrain wedding theme was either too brief or too vague to get a visual. If you are going to go into detail about those kinds of things, make sure it is enough to give the reader a solid idea of what it looks like. Otherwise, it is superfluous material that only confuses the reader and takes up space in the book.
Overall, it could have been a great book, but I'm glad it was free.
The part at Longborne where the two main characters spend time together was nice - especially the scene sitting by the fire in the library - but it needs to be longer and more fleshed out if the characters are going to exchange credible "I love You"s in the end.
The discussion of the Steamtrain wedding theme was either too brief or too vague to get a visual. If you are going to go into detail about those kinds of things, make sure it is enough to give the reader a solid idea of what it looks like. Otherwise, it is superfluous material that only confuses the reader and takes up space in the book.
Overall, it could have been a great book, but I'm glad it was free.
Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood Series #1) by J.R. Ward
If you attempt to download the free sample of this book to your Nook or Kindle, BEWARE! The sample portion of this book only contains definitions for the book. While a glossary is helpful to a book in which you introduce uncommon words and concepts, the sample needs to be long enough to actually show the reader what the writing is like. This sample does not provide any clue for the reader to determine whether they are interested in buying this book, and for the cost of the book, that is a huge mistake. I am currently on the waiting list at my local library for this book, and so will read the whole thing for free. Your other alternative is to go sit at Barnes & Noble with your Nook and read it 1 hour a day for free. Like I said, I'm waiting for the library book.
Isaiah's Haven (Legacy Book 2) by N.J. Walters - 1 star
Like the first book, this second installment of a werewolf trilogy had the
ability to be good, but it wasn't. The plot had promise, but fell way short.
Plot was clearly second to sexual dialogue and narration, and narration did not
vary between characters. Author needs to realize that not every character will
think or speak the same way about a common subject. This lack of variation just
makes this book full of unnecessary, gratuitous words. Narration and description
of characters were repeated - almost as if there was a minimum page requirement.
Don't waste your time on this R-rated (maybe even NC-17 rated) book.
Don't waste your time on this R-rated (maybe even NC-17 rated) book.
Annabelle Lee (Summersville Secrets, Book 1) by N.J. Walters - 1 star
While the male character was somewhat believable, the female character was NOT.
A thirty y/o woman who has had only 1 relationship, who has the insecurities
described in the book, whose parents have died, and who spent time taking care
of an ill parent may have the fantasies that Annabelle Lee has, but the way she
would speak and act are completely different. Her character would not be nearly
as shallow and wanton as this female character. Additionally, there was NO
character development - these two characters "fall madly in love" after 2 weeks
of having sex, and without any kind of acquaintance before their first
introduction. As IF! Romance novels do have the ability to be well written with
excellent plots that are bolstered by the development of the relationship
between the characters. THIS one is absolutely NOT one of them.
Alexandra's Legacy (Legacy Series Book 1) by N.J. Walters - 2 stars
This first installment of a werewolf trilogy had the ability to be good, but it
wasn't. The plot had promise, but was not really fleshed out. Plot was clearly
second to sexual dialogue and narration, and narration did not vary between
characters. Author needs to realize that not every character will think or speak
the same way about a common subject. This lack of variation just makes this book
full of unnecessary words and makes it seem gratuitous. Narration and
description of characters were repeated - almost as if there was a minimum page
requirement. The characters and plot had promise, but fell totally flat.
Stolen by Merrill Gemus
Love the concept, but the story is too short - Bitten and Stolen should be 1
book. Also, the book has some other VERY annoying issues. E.g., Characters don't
do obvious things like call each other when they need to talk. Duh! Pick up the
phone if you need to talk to someone. You don't just pace around their home
hoping they'll show up. ALSO - EDIT THE FREAKIN' BOOK!!! Even a casual read out
loud after you haven't looked at the manuscript in a day will alert you to many
of the problems. When in doubt of your own skills, use the grammar and spell
checker on your computer! Repeated uses of THAN instead of THEN, and words in
sentences are jumbled up so that they are ridiculously incomprehensible. These
things are so distracting that they seriously impede the reader's enjoyment of
the story.
The Maiden at Midnight by Kate Harper-1 star
The Maiden at Midnight follows the lives of Isabella Hathaway and her mother and
two sisters after they arrive in London for their first season out of mourning
for their father. The father killed himself after bankrupting the family with
gambling debts. The only brother is MIA in the Napoleonic War, and Isabella's
fiancée has broken off their engagement in light of the scandal surrounding the
father's death.
Enter Male Protagonists, best friends since Eton - Joss, 6th Earl of Stoneley (whose estate is held in trust until 1 year and 1 day after he is married) and Harry (waiting on Uncle to die so he can inherit obscene amount of money)
Joss needs to wed an heiress quickly so that he can repay 600 pounds to a loan shark (Gallows Jack). While attending a masquerade ball, Joss gets drunk, and in that drunken stupor, decides to kidnap the woman he fancies and elope. Harry tries to dissuade him from the idea, but Joss doesn't listen. Kidnapping goes awry when Joss grabs the wrong girl (it is a masquerade ball, after all), and Joss calls in Harry to help him clean up his mess. Isabella is understandably furious, and through her attempts to secure her own release from Joss' madness, comes to like Joss in a friend sort of way. (He's mad, but not malicious.) After she returns home, she concocts her own plan to help Joss get the woman he loves while finding a wealthy husband of her own who can secure her family's future.
As Joss and his love's relationship grows, so does Isabella's and Harry's, resulting in a happy ending for all. I have to admit that I appreciated the slow development of Isabelle's and Harry's relationship - they might have runaway thoughts or dreams, but they keep themselves in check (mostly). So I have nothing but good thoughts about the plot line and character development. HOWEVER, the editing was so poor that it seriously distracted me from the book. I had to re-read sentences two or three times to get the meaning. Commas should be used to join two independent sentences! (,and ,but ,or) Where has the basic standard of grammar gone? Many of the editing issues seemed to result from poor re-writes - the sentence changed construction, but the superfluous words remained. Very disappointing on that front. There was also the occasional repetition of narration - of descriptions and thoughts that had already been fleshed out earlier in the book.
Enter Male Protagonists, best friends since Eton - Joss, 6th Earl of Stoneley (whose estate is held in trust until 1 year and 1 day after he is married) and Harry (waiting on Uncle to die so he can inherit obscene amount of money)
Joss needs to wed an heiress quickly so that he can repay 600 pounds to a loan shark (Gallows Jack). While attending a masquerade ball, Joss gets drunk, and in that drunken stupor, decides to kidnap the woman he fancies and elope. Harry tries to dissuade him from the idea, but Joss doesn't listen. Kidnapping goes awry when Joss grabs the wrong girl (it is a masquerade ball, after all), and Joss calls in Harry to help him clean up his mess. Isabella is understandably furious, and through her attempts to secure her own release from Joss' madness, comes to like Joss in a friend sort of way. (He's mad, but not malicious.) After she returns home, she concocts her own plan to help Joss get the woman he loves while finding a wealthy husband of her own who can secure her family's future.
As Joss and his love's relationship grows, so does Isabella's and Harry's, resulting in a happy ending for all. I have to admit that I appreciated the slow development of Isabelle's and Harry's relationship - they might have runaway thoughts or dreams, but they keep themselves in check (mostly). So I have nothing but good thoughts about the plot line and character development. HOWEVER, the editing was so poor that it seriously distracted me from the book. I had to re-read sentences two or three times to get the meaning. Commas should be used to join two independent sentences! (,and ,but ,or) Where has the basic standard of grammar gone? Many of the editing issues seemed to result from poor re-writes - the sentence changed construction, but the superfluous words remained. Very disappointing on that front. There was also the occasional repetition of narration - of descriptions and thoughts that had already been fleshed out earlier in the book.
Masquerade Secrets (Book 2 in Scandals & Secrets series) by Janelle Daniels - 2 stars
Masquerade Secrets picks up about 3 months after Scandal of Love ends. Although
it is helpful, you don't need to read Book 1 to understand or enjoy Book 2. Lady
Sera and her Earl are off on the Continent enjoying their honeymoon, and Lady
Sera's best friend, Aubrey, is left to handle the social whirl alone. Bradford,
the Duke of Wathersby, has been hiding himself in the country since the
unsuccessful abduction of Lady Sera. Upon his return to society, Aubrey makes an
effort to be nice to him because the Duke was always genuinely nice to Aubrey
when he was courting Lady Sera.
Then, a masquerade ball is held, and Aubrey shows up in this magical gold dress that has all the men fighting over her. Of course, there is instant attraction between the Duke and Aubrey, and so he wins her first dance. He takes a long time to speak, and when he does, she realizes who he is, and then will not tell him who she is. He is smitten and declares himself to her, but she doesn't believe that he would still want her if he knew who she was. She pulls a Cinderella, and runs away at the first opportunity.
Lady Victoria's brother throws a 2-week house party, and after a really long time, he figures out that Aubrey is the masquerade woman. There is a happily ever after for these two, but I won't spoil the story by telling you how it happens.
This follow up to Scandal of Love is definitely an improvement in the depth of the characters and the believability of their interactions and reactions to what life throws their way. We even get to understand Lady Victoria some more. (It wouldn't suprise me if Book 3 deals with her story.) Given the leading characters' history, their suddenly discovered attraction is more understandable. The foundation has been there since before the time covered by Book 1 - the characters have been acquainted for years. Also, the drama created by Aubrey's nemesis is much more dramatic and unsettling than in Book 1. Such a challenge could easily happen in this day and age, and so it is not a leap that the characters would struggle as they do.
However, the editing in this book was also poor. Words are clearly misused - e.g., when a business matter suddenly arises, sometimes you are unavoidably detained, NOT: "the business matter could not be detained." If you say, "Nothing can come between us" it means there is nothing separating the two people, but it was used here to mean that "nothing can come of us" or "nothing can happen between us." Misuse/mix-up of adjectives and adverbs was also a problem.
I would give this book a PG-13 rating because the characters' thoughts about each other are set forth in greater detail, which makes part of the book more suggestive. I still don't remember any curse words.
Then, a masquerade ball is held, and Aubrey shows up in this magical gold dress that has all the men fighting over her. Of course, there is instant attraction between the Duke and Aubrey, and so he wins her first dance. He takes a long time to speak, and when he does, she realizes who he is, and then will not tell him who she is. He is smitten and declares himself to her, but she doesn't believe that he would still want her if he knew who she was. She pulls a Cinderella, and runs away at the first opportunity.
Lady Victoria's brother throws a 2-week house party, and after a really long time, he figures out that Aubrey is the masquerade woman. There is a happily ever after for these two, but I won't spoil the story by telling you how it happens.
This follow up to Scandal of Love is definitely an improvement in the depth of the characters and the believability of their interactions and reactions to what life throws their way. We even get to understand Lady Victoria some more. (It wouldn't suprise me if Book 3 deals with her story.) Given the leading characters' history, their suddenly discovered attraction is more understandable. The foundation has been there since before the time covered by Book 1 - the characters have been acquainted for years. Also, the drama created by Aubrey's nemesis is much more dramatic and unsettling than in Book 1. Such a challenge could easily happen in this day and age, and so it is not a leap that the characters would struggle as they do.
However, the editing in this book was also poor. Words are clearly misused - e.g., when a business matter suddenly arises, sometimes you are unavoidably detained, NOT: "the business matter could not be detained." If you say, "Nothing can come between us" it means there is nothing separating the two people, but it was used here to mean that "nothing can come of us" or "nothing can happen between us." Misuse/mix-up of adjectives and adverbs was also a problem.
I would give this book a PG-13 rating because the characters' thoughts about each other are set forth in greater detail, which makes part of the book more suggestive. I still don't remember any curse words.
Scandal of Love by Janelle Daniels - 2 stars
Sandal of Love is about Lady Sera, a duke's daughter, whose reputation is ruined
by a false rumor. The rumor is that she was compromised by Quinton, the Earl of
Sutton, a man she hasn't ever met. The Earl's father gambled away the family
fortune, and he is forced to marry an heiress in order to keep himself from the
poorhouse. They both arrive at the same conclusion - they must marry to save
themselves, and big surprise - they fall in love within a
week.
Ridiculous! First of all, the characters are shallow - one dimensional and unsurprising. Sera and her friend seem fairly bright and knowledgable about the ways of the ton. Why then does she not suspect that her **nemesis** started the rumor so that she could move in on Lady Sera's suitor, the Duke of Wathersby??? DUH. I figured that one out immediately. Still, TOO MUCH time and TOO MANY words are spent pondering and hemming and hawing over who started the rumor, who has anything to gain by it, and whether it was the Earl. Lame. Second, there is no character development. Sera and Quinton "fall in love" after 2 balls, an opera, a morning call, a gift, some flowers and a clandestine meeting where Quinton crawls in her window to make sure she is not deathly ill. Incredible. Absolutely unbelievable. At the end of the book, we know as much about the characters as we did in the beginning. There are no surprises, and we know nothing aside from their insecurity re: them getting married.
Although this love story is G rated - I don't even remember any curse words - it is a complete waste of time and money. No wonder this book is only found on Amazon, and not on other noteworthy booksellers' websites
Ridiculous! First of all, the characters are shallow - one dimensional and unsurprising. Sera and her friend seem fairly bright and knowledgable about the ways of the ton. Why then does she not suspect that her **nemesis** started the rumor so that she could move in on Lady Sera's suitor, the Duke of Wathersby??? DUH. I figured that one out immediately. Still, TOO MUCH time and TOO MANY words are spent pondering and hemming and hawing over who started the rumor, who has anything to gain by it, and whether it was the Earl. Lame. Second, there is no character development. Sera and Quinton "fall in love" after 2 balls, an opera, a morning call, a gift, some flowers and a clandestine meeting where Quinton crawls in her window to make sure she is not deathly ill. Incredible. Absolutely unbelievable. At the end of the book, we know as much about the characters as we did in the beginning. There are no surprises, and we know nothing aside from their insecurity re: them getting married.
Although this love story is G rated - I don't even remember any curse words - it is a complete waste of time and money. No wonder this book is only found on Amazon, and not on other noteworthy booksellers' websites
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)