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| 1945089474
| 9781945089473
| B07GRF29VP
| 4.15
| 62
| unknown
| Nov 20, 2018
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it was amazing
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This light but fast paced little Regency paranormal was an enjoyable diversion and I found myself thoroughly charmed by the nuances written into the a
This light but fast paced little Regency paranormal was an enjoyable diversion and I found myself thoroughly charmed by the nuances written into the action by this author. I'll leave the synopsis to other reviewers and focus on the technical. The book wasn't perfect, but it was not that far off the mark. Editing missed some Americanisms for the British speakers in the book, such as "toward" instead of "towards," "gotten," and "we will" for "we shall." A contraction slipped into a place where it wouldn't have been used in the Regency. The author over-used the word "as" where she should have used "while" or "because." "Pin money" is the expression, not "pen money." In a couple of instances, singular words were used for plural. "Stout" was used to mean fat, when in the Regency, it meant sturdy, hearty, hale. And then there were the colour problems. A green dress became grey, the latter a mourning colour. Moire's hair was red, then white, then red again. Emilia had cropped hair for no good reason, which was described as "unfashionable." There were plenty of short haircuts in style in the Regency. I should have chopped half a star for all this. However, the Americanisms and non-Regency words are not a lot different than most Regency romances can manage these days, so the incongruities were not worth marring a good grade. What it does not do that many Regency romances do is head hop. The writer balances narrative and dialogue well and uses introspection to get into the heads of the characters and show us the story. She doesn't rely on awing us with vocabulary or filter words to do the work for her, instead, the lively prose takes us to the Regency and fills our head with that time with ease. The characterization was good for the major players, if a bit vague for the children, who became more of their skills than anything else until a revelation at the end. A revelation isn't character building. The villains were well drawn out, though, and stayed consistent to the end. The senses were used well to highlight the scene-setting, another character in this book. The plot flowed well, into the action range of things, with no boring parts whatsoever, ending on a bang with a minor cliffie that doesn't affect the sense of the book being a full story arc. In other words, there's something that leads us to the next book, but it's not necessary to read the next book. This is a stand-alone novella. The cover is eye-catching and draws the reader into the book well enough, though it may miss a little on the magic that pervades this story. Even so, it's a little different than your average Regency romance and should draw some eyes towards it. I definitely recommend this as an entertaining read for lovers of both Regency and paranormal romances. Merged review: This light but fast paced little Regency paranormal was an enjoyable diversion and I found myself thoroughly charmed by the nuances written into the action by this author. I'll leave the synopsis to other reviewers and focus on the technical. The book wasn't perfect, but it was not that far off the mark. Editing missed some Americanisms for the British speakers in the book, such as "toward" instead of "towards," "gotten," and "we will" for "we shall." A contraction slipped into a place where it wouldn't have been used in the Regency. The author over-used the word "as" where she should have used "while" or "because." "Pin money" is the expression, not "pen money." In a couple of instances, singular words were used for plural. "Stout" was used to mean fat, when in the Regency, it meant sturdy, hearty, hale. And then there were the colour problems. A green dress became grey, the latter a mourning colour. Moire's hair was red, then white, then red again. Emilia had cropped hair for no good reason, which was described as "unfashionable." There were plenty of short haircuts in style in the Regency. I should have chopped half a star for all this. However, the Americanisms and non-Regency words are not a lot different than most Regency romances can manage these days, so the incongruities were not worth marring a good grade. What it does not do that many Regency romances do is head hop. The writer balances narrative and dialogue well and uses introspection to get into the heads of the characters and show us the story. She doesn't rely on awing us with vocabulary or filter words to do the work for her, instead, the lively prose takes us to the Regency and fills our head with that time with ease. The characterization was good for the major players, if a bit vague for the children, who became more of their skills than anything else until a revelation at the end. A revelation isn't character building. The villains were well drawn out, though, and stayed consistent to the end. The senses were used well to highlight the scene-setting, another character in this book. The plot flowed well, into the action range of things, with no boring parts whatsoever, ending on a bang with a minor cliffie that doesn't affect the sense of the book being a full story arc. In other words, there's something that leads us to the next book, but it's not necessary to read the next book. This is a stand-alone novella. The cover is eye-catching and draws the reader into the book well enough, though it may miss a little on the magic that pervades this story. Even so, it's a little different than your average Regency romance and should draw some eyes towards it. I definitely recommend this as an entertaining read for lovers of both Regency and paranormal romances. ...more |
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2
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Feb 03, 2021
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Feb 04, 2021
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Sep 27, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 0984968202
| 9780984968206
| B0056TJOSY
| 3.78
| 828
| Jun 18, 2011
| Jun 18, 2011
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liked it
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None
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2
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not set
not set
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May 2012
not set
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Sep 12, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 1611946387
| 9781611946567
| B010TZ08GG
| 4.26
| 27
| Jun 01, 2015
| Jul 01, 2015
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it was amazing
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Vedam's best book of the Rue Alliance series! As per usual for my reviews, I won't present a synopsis, rather I'll focus on the technical issues that c Vedam's best book of the Rue Alliance series! As per usual for my reviews, I won't present a synopsis, rather I'll focus on the technical issues that can mean a smooth or bumpy read. The plot was well thought out and complete, without distractions other than necessary to tie into the other books of the series. I detected no issues that would take away from the plot such as plot holes or unrealistic contrivances. In a fantasy, some leeway must be given for the magic, and this worked. Flow was steady, with nothing boring about this book and a good deal of dramatic tension to keep the reader involved in the action. The scene-setting was good in terms of the magic itself; however, some locations could have had better descriptions, since this reader was lost in the Spanish house. Physical descriptions of individuals were awesome, which added to the Regency feel of the novel. The scenes on the boat were quite good--you felt like you were there. Ms. Vedam credits this to her own experiences on a tall ship. Language enhanced that Regency feel, with only six non-Regency words used or words used in a non-Regency application: outing, styled, outerwear, chuckled, normal, and headed. "Knots an hour" is a redundancy since a knot is a measure of a nautical mile per hour. Punctuation was good except one instance where a comma should have been a semicolon. This would lead me to say that the editing in this book was excellent. Characterization is well drawn out, consistent, and the detail is appropriate for each character's role in the story. The female protagonist may come off being a little too jumpy, but that didn't bother me too much. The magic is was well done and there was enough of it to give the book that right kind of "feel" that a fantasy novel ought to have, while still maintaining the romance aspect. The romance was slightly rushed, but in the end it was realistic, and the author made certain that the reader could feel the way these two pined for each other in more ways than one. Dramatic tension ebbed and flowed throughout the novel, but I'd say the angst ranged from moderate to high, given the villain's propensities. Some sensitive readers might find some scenes painful, but the story makes up for it and all is happy in the end. I don't like this cover. It's too busy and tries to tell too much of the story at once. Because of this, it appears confused about its own identity. The overall effect doesn't wow the potential reader to the extent it should given the quality of novel they'll find inside. It's different, there's no doubt about that, but the wrong kind of different. This is an excellent merging of the fantasy/magic type of book with a Regency romance novel, a mash-up I happen to adore. You don't get much better than this novel for the balance between the two. A top read that I'd recommend to readers of either area of specialty. I do hope that Shereen Vedam will consider writing another series like the Rue Alliance. She has exceptional skills already honed with these books, and has a big fan in this reader. Merged review: Vedam's best book of the Rue Alliance series! As per usual for my reviews, I won't present a synopsis, rather I'll focus on the technical issues that can mean a smooth or bumpy read. The plot was well thought out and complete, without distractions other than necessary to tie into the other books of the series. I detected no issues that would take away from the plot such as plot holes or unrealistic contrivances. In a fantasy, some leeway must be given for the magic, and this worked. Flow was steady, with nothing boring about this book and a good deal of dramatic tension to keep the reader involved in the action. The scene-setting was good in terms of the magic itself; however, some locations could have had better descriptions, since this reader was lost in the Spanish house. Physical descriptions of individuals were awesome, which added to the Regency feel of the novel. The scenes on the boat were quite good--you felt like you were there. Ms. Vedam credits this to her own experiences on a tall ship. Language enhanced that Regency feel, with only six non-Regency words used or words used in a non-Regency application: outing, styled, outerwear, chuckled, normal, and headed. "Knots an hour" is a redundancy since a knot is a measure of a nautical mile per hour. Punctuation was good except one instance where a comma should have been a semicolon. This would lead me to say that the editing in this book was excellent. Characterization is well drawn out, consistent, and the detail is appropriate for each character's role in the story. The female protagonist may come off being a little too jumpy, but that didn't bother me too much. The magic is was well done and there was enough of it to give the book that right kind of "feel" that a fantasy novel ought to have, while still maintaining the romance aspect. The romance was slightly rushed, but in the end it was realistic, and the author made certain that the reader could feel the way these two pined for each other in more ways than one. Dramatic tension ebbed and flowed throughout the novel, but I'd say the angst ranged from moderate to high, given the villain's propensities. Some sensitive readers might find some scenes painful, but the story makes up for it and all is happy in the end. I don't like this cover. It's too busy and tries to tell too much of the story at once. Because of this, it appears confused about its own identity. The overall effect doesn't wow the potential reader to the extent it should given the quality of novel they'll find inside. It's different, there's no doubt about that, but the wrong kind of different. This is an excellent merging of the fantasy/magic type of book with a Regency romance novel, a mash-up I happen to adore. You don't get much better than this novel for the balance between the two. A top read that I'd recommend to readers of either area of specialty. I do hope that Shereen Vedam will consider writing another series like the Rue Alliance. She has exceptional skills already honed with these books, and has a big fan in this reader. ...more |
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2
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Nov 04, 2021
not set
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Nov 09, 2021
not set
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Aug 05, 2024
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Kindle Edition
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| 9781681314
| 9781681310794
| B0CJHJTFS4
| 4.00
| 6
| Oct 10, 2023
| Oct 10, 2023
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it was amazing
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Author review: In the spirit of Georgette Heyer, with nods to Jane Austen, this is a chaste, short, light-hearted Regency romance. All books in the se
Author review: In the spirit of Georgette Heyer, with nods to Jane Austen, this is a chaste, short, light-hearted Regency romance. All books in the series are stand-alone.
...more
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1
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not set
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Jan 2023
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Oct 17, 2023
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ebook
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| 3.88
| 2,342
| Aug 2000
| May 19, 2013
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really liked it
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3.5 rounded up to four because this book was better than just okay, and its limitations weren't in story but in execution. This novel was an entertain
3.5 rounded up to four because this book was better than just okay, and its limitations weren't in story but in execution. This novel was an entertaining romp with high drama throughout, and tight in its plot. Too bad more attention wasn't paid to detail in terms of period "feel" using correct language and minimizing contractions, as well as technique related to viewpoint consistency and minimizing redundancy. Perhaps this author pumps out too many novels too quickly and gives them short shrift in regard to editing. I write technical reviews, so there won't be a synopsis nor much of a subjective analysis. Instead, I'll concentrate on those issues that, if ignored by the author, niggle the reader into dropping stars, yet aren't well commented on by most reviewers. - The plot was excellent in general. Some redundancy in content existed--trust that your readers know the material rather than repeating it! Some of the drama near the ending was low on detail, thus, difficult to follow. The ending was abrupt, and that disappointed, though. One does like to feel the HEA rather than have it truncated in favour of book-stuffing. - Flow was good, with a consistent pace that kept the reader on their toes, although the redundancy mentioned above did make for some slow spots. The drama near the ending was too fast-paced, so it became difficult to follow at times. - Dramatic tension was fairly intense throughout the book. This is not for angst weenies. I loved this aspect of the writing, though. - Point of view appeared to be third person, multiple, with head-hopping and filter words. This means the author probably misused a hybrid with omniscient narrator in the narration portions of the novel while trying to make her POV deeper. She should read up and practice deep POV, the gold standard in romance these days. - Narration was "telling" and not "showing." This is another modern writing technique for this author to embrace. - Language was clearly intended to be Regency, with about double the average number of non-Regency words for a Regency romance (eleven), and an average number of non-British usages (four)--I don't count spellings. Three cases of incorrect words or phrases were found. 92+ contractions were used, including some which had not yet been invented by the time of the story. Each one pulls the reader out of the era, something the author should be loath to see happen in her book. Most Regency romances have less than ten, and Pride and Prejudice had only eight contractions. Austen only used them for lower class and silly people. Authors who leave them in their books tend to be either amateur or lazy. - One punctuation error, a missing possessive, was noted. - Regency correctness errors included use of a presentation dress for a regular gown--I'm told that presentation dresses had panniers and impossible trains. In the Regency, "drab" was a colour, not a descriptor. Brothers and sisters never, ever danced together. Since dancing was akin to the courtship process, they could not dance together due to the rules of consanguinity. This is alluded to in Jane Austen's "Emma." - Characterization was consistent for the most part. Secondary characters were more likeable than the protagonists, whose mistrust of each other was so overplayed (the redundancy I mentioned) that it put them in a bad light. The protagonists' waffling almost made them into inconsistent characters--good one day, horrid/stupid the next. - The author had some good visuals, particularly with regard to clothing and people. Scene-setting using all the senses was evident, and more of this would have enhanced the book. - The romance in purest terms was harder to swallow. There was clearly healthy passion in a sexual sense; however, it was quite clear that this was lust not love. The animosity, particularly from the hero, made any development of love hard to believe. Little in the way of flirtation or banter or understanding between the two took place to initiate such feelings, and the male protagonist was indifferent to the joys of the family and the heroine just enough that it was difficult to accept him capable of being lovable or loving. But the three little words popped out because of the drama near the end, so it must be true. I found it to seem too convenient. - I commend the author for getting all her titles and inheritances correct. With such a large cast, it was certainly a lot of balls in the air. - The cover is clever due to the artwork with the cards, and I especially like that it's different than all those polyester-clad, shirtless, blow-dried covers we so often see in Regency romance. The balance of the title fonts seems just a bit off to me, as if they were forced to fit, but the scale is good for an Amazon thumbnail, which is important. The lady in the artwork isn't as pretty as I would have preferred given the heroine's descriptions in the book. Overall, this is a high-angst story well told, with excellent twists and turns that only enhance that dramatic tension. The background familial tale is entertaining as well. I believe this book would be stunning with removal of redundancies, use of deep point of view, POV changes by section clearly marked, and no contractions. A bit of reading on these gold standard practices, plus a good editor could help. The author's brilliant voice would still be front and centre. ...more |
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1
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Jul 28, 2023
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Jul 31, 2023
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Aug 01, 2023
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Paperback
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| B0B1JFHJRW
| 3.93
| 1,032
| Mar 26, 2014
| May 16, 2022
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liked it
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Redundancies and editing problems bog down this quirky sweet romance. The editing errors were bad enough that I was tempted to make a complaint to Ama
Redundancies and editing problems bog down this quirky sweet romance. The editing errors were bad enough that I was tempted to make a complaint to Amazon. The author is lucky I gave her the third star. I write technical reviews so my review won't have a synopsis or much in the way of subjective analysis. Instead, it will dwell on the items that can niggle a reader into dropping a star if done poorly. - The premise is excellent and the plot is well carried out to a complete HEA, even if there is some repetition of the theme of the "she can't because..." that could have been avoided. - Flow is steady with a moderate to fast pace that is only slowed by the redundancy mentioned above and some long narrative sections. - Point of view is third person multiple with head hopping. This would have been improved had the POV characters been clearly separated with scene breaks and deep point of view been used in the narrative. - Most of the narrative is telling and includes filter words. The book could have benefited had the author known of and applied showing techniques. - Language was fairly modern for a Regency romance, yet it didn't have the sparkly of a wallpaper novel. Instead, it was a poor Regency voice, with too many (31, which is 5x normal) non-Regency words and phrases and non-British words (five) to pull the reader out of the era and feel of the story. The worst thing the author did, however, to jar the reading experience was to make absolutely no effort to edit for contractions. This book had 171 contractions, a record for a Regency romance in my reading. A good Regency romance will have less than ten. Pride and Prejudice had eight, and those were reserved for silly or lower-classed characters. Many of these contractions weren't even in use yet by the Regency, and in my view, their presence in this book is evidence of a lazy writer and a lazy editor. In addition, the book had eight misused or wrong words that I found, though I suspect there were more. More than any other book I've read lately, Millard leaned on unnecessary adverbs, including and over-use of "really." Some awkward wording seemed like it was meant to sound period "Sure and why would not you" but fell flat. - The editing problems extended to punctuation, where the understanding of punctuation of appositives and complex sentences was sadly lacking. I counted 17 instances of missing commas, making the novel read in a clunky manner. Other punctuation issues included extra space, en-dashes used for em-dashes, an en-dash for trailing off instead of an ellipsis, missing apostrophe on possessive, misplaced hyphen, misplaced period, extra period, out-of-place apostrophe, extra comma, comma for period...well, you get the idea. The proofreading sucked. - Five sentence fragments were found that did not seem to be artistic, rather, they were phrases that tended to belong to the previous sentence. - The author used redundant dialogue tags "thought" with italicized thoughts. - "Smiled" was used as a dialogue tag. It is not appropriate for that usage. - Regency errors included incorrectly calling a duchess "Lady Catherine." That would be the name of her daughter. She would be called "Duchess Titlename." In addition, the only time a peeress is referred to as "dowager" is when the current titleholder is in the room at the same time. Otherwise, she just gets the plain title. Dowager is just a word used to differentiate between them. There would be no such title as "The Dowager Townhouse." The butler would not be introduced first to the ladies as ladies are always introduced first; besides, they had precedence and should be introduced to a butler first. I have never heard of sweet tea as a tonic in Regency England; it sounds American to me. It is inappropriate for the men to call each other by first names rather than by title names. - Was it Mr. Crawdon or Mr. Crawford? - A cliché was that he tucked an errant curl behind her ear. I read that in the book I read just after this one, too. - The countess would not say "Stevens, the valet" to the girls. They would know this. It's an unnecessary redundancy. - The author used some excellent scene setting right from the beginning of the book. She has a gift for the descriptive. - Similarly, the scenes of passion were dynamic and well written. One could almost be there, the sense of the mutual attraction was so strong. Therefore, the romance was quite believable and its pacing was perfect. The only problem was that the line "his body reacted" was used too often. - Characterization was clear, concise, and consistent. Level of use of each character was appropriate for their role in the novel. Both the hero and heroine were quite likeable and the reader was ready to cheer on their romance from early on in the novel. - The cover is fabulous. It's so different from all the other Regency romance covers that it stands out and says "Pick me!" The colour, font, and artwork choices are all excellent, and the composition makes it pretty. I really enjoyed reading this engaging story despite the hiccups of all the non-Regency words, errors, and contractions that kept nagging at me. Nadine Millard is a good writer who needs to realize that there's much, much more to putting out a novel than having a good idea for a story. Certain style issues are now the gold standard of romance writing: she needs to read up on deep point of view and apply it as well as she can, use only one POV per scene and use scene breaks to show the change, and find an editor who has experience with Regency novels and who will tidy up her contractions and punctuation as well. There are quite a few out there--ask around. In the meantime, I do encourage her to keep writing, as this showed lots of promise. ...more |
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1
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Jul 20, 2023
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Jul 24, 2023
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Jul 20, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| B00JAK0X9E
| 3.74
| 42
| Nov 01, 1995
| Mar 26, 2014
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really liked it
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Enjoyable, interesting Regency romance novel with some editing issues that pulled the reader out of the time period somewhat. This book was from 1995
Enjoyable, interesting Regency romance novel with some editing issues that pulled the reader out of the time period somewhat. This book was from 1995 and I suspect it needs an update. I write technical reviews so there won't be a synopsis or much in the way of subjective analysis. Instead, I'll concentrate on those details that can possibly put off readers and cause them to drop a star but that most reviewers ignore. - The plot was unique and mostly well executed, if choppy at points as the story twisted wildly on several occasions and almost seemed contrived. It's a full story arc and keeps from the distractions of side plots. The male protagonist's past life issues weren't quite fully described, leaving a tiny plot hole. Some redundancy existed as the male protagonist's story was repeated as other characters learned of his situation. - Pace was average, with a few slower spots when the male protagonist was recovering. - Dramatic tension never goes much lower than a moderate angst and hits high angst at several points. This book has an adventure quality to it that adds to the drama. - Point of view was third person limited, multiple speaker, with clear changes, but no section breaks to show the changes. - Narration included showing and telling, where the author used filter words to tell how the POV protagonist reacted to a situation. It's easy (and better) to NOT say "he felt" or "she saw" and tighten up the POV. - Language is Regency with an average number of non-Regency words for a Regency romance novel at nine. There were also some Americanisms that would jar readers when coming out of a British character's mouth, e.g., "main street." The author used "were" for "was" in one case: "were" following "if" is used for a wish or similar situation. The spelling for the verb was used for the noun chaperon. - There were 37+ contractions used. Most good Regency romance novels have less than ten. Jane Austen used eight in Pride and Prejudice, and never used a contraction except for lower class and silly people. These contractions are jarring as they take the reader out of the historical feel of their reading experience. A Regency romance author who leaves contractions on the table is just plain lazy. - Some inappropriate capitalization was used that was more in line with a modern setting. - A Regency error was that a single woman could not write to a single man. - The male protagonist "recalls" that his grandfather was handsome as if he hardly ever knew him, yet his grandfather brought him up. - Excellent scene setting was used often to show the reader more than just the interaction of the characters, and it rounded out the novel well by giving a sense of place and time with the senses. - The use of character building was also well done, as we got to know the male and female protagonists well, and the minor characters only as much as necessary for their parts in the story. The number of characters was ideal to suit the story and keep track of. I really liked Merissa and could see us being friends. And Alex was an engineer like me! - The development of the romance was a bit slow for my tastes, and I would like to have seen a little more passion or banter between the protagonists to push their feelings faster. However, in the context of what was on the page, it was entirely believable, and that's what counts. - The cover is different than those blow-dried polyester mixes of shirtless men and breathless women that are ubiquitous on Regency romance novels, and that will set this book apart. I'm not certain it's enough to grab the reader and say "buy me," though. It's simple, especially the fonts, and has a balance problem. I'm not certain what the bridge has to do with the story--the one in the story wasn't full-sized. The gentleman could be our hero, though, and I like that. This book was entertaining enough that I looked forward to my nightly reading time and was sad when it ended. I was disappointed to see the book-stuffing at the end, something that I thought had gone the way of the dodo. In any case, I loved the drama, the action, the romance, the engineering (it wasn't too much for the general reader, though), the visual backgrounds, the heart-wrenching just before the ending, and the magic that developed between the hero and heroine. I'd recommend this book to others. ...more |
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1
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Jul 15, 2023
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Jul 18, 2023
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Jul 15, 2023
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1733056904
| 9781733056908
| B07SJM7XF6
| 4.19
| 7,897
| Jul 23, 2019
| Jul 23, 2019
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liked it
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An average Regency romance with an above average number of instances of the reader getting knocked out of the era by non-Regency text. Clearly the edi
An average Regency romance with an above average number of instances of the reader getting knocked out of the era by non-Regency text. Clearly the editor was only a proofreader and not interested in content. The book could have used a line editor for the anachronisms and a development editor to help the general story line. I'm a technical reviewer and won't provide a synopsis nor much in the way of subjective analysis. Instead, I'll comment on the niggling bits that cause readers to drop a star inexplicably but that aren't usually commented upon by reviewers. - The plot was a forced marriage scenario with the romance occurring following the marriage and a faux villain in the background. It has a complete story arc with minimal side plots or redundancies and few contrivances. The ending twist was unexpected since it had little foreshadowing and poor transition. - Pace was slow in spots where the author leaned on "telling" narrative with filter words, but for the most part, the story moved along well. - Point of view was third person multiple and changes were clearly shown. - Language was modern with three times the non-Regency words as the average Regency novel, as well as more than usual non-Regency Americanisms. In other words, don't expect to "feel" like you're in the Regency by the use of words. In several cases, the wrong word or spelling was used. By 30% through the book, I had counted 300 contractions. The average Regency novel has under 10, and Jane Austen used 8 in Pride an Prejudice, and only used them for lower class or silly people. You can even see in this novel how well it sounds when the expression is spelled out--then Ms. Matthews goes and uses the same words as a contraction in the next sentence. All the above situations cause the well-read Regency reader to be jolted out of the era each time they read the anachronistic word, slowing down their enjoyment of the novel, something the author should be loath to allow in a well-written Regency romance. - Regency error was that the female protagonist, a gentlewoman, was housed in the attic where the maids would normally sleep. - A general error was having the point-of-view protagonist "see" their own facial expression. This is a typical mistake of a first-time writer. - The author over-used the word "infirmity." - Excellent scene-setting was seen in this novel, including nature to enhance the feel of the situation the protagonists found themselves in. I love the clothing descriptions, but most readers tend to skim them, so I've quit putting them in my novels. - The characterizations were well-done if you're looking for consistency, however, I found it hard to like the protagonists at first. However, the faux villain was easy to dislike and well-painted. Other supporting characters were well described and fit the story. - The development of the romance was at a believable pace, though the passion was a bit weak in the love scenes. You can have a sex free book with lots of passion. - There was book stuffing at 96%, something that annoys me and many other readers. - The cover is stunning and will sell this book in a flash compared to all those other blow-dried/polyester covers. The artwork is unique, the fonts well-chosen and balanced on the page, and the colours pop. The font size is perfect for Amazon thumbnails. Overall this was fairly lighthearted for a forced marriage scenario, even with the looming issue of the villain in the background. Some of the problems were solved too easily, making them seem like contrivances. The ending was a huge surprise, so kudos to the author in that respect. Perhaps too much of a surprise, though, as the entire tone of the book changed, as if it was another book at the end. Most stars in this review were lost due to quality control issues related to non-Regency words and contractions that knock the reader out of the story. This is pure laziness on behalf of the author, and she should never ask readers to pay for a book where the editing is so unfinished. How can one fuss over the details of a gown and bypass the details of the language? However, this is her choice to make, not mine. She seems to be able to sell plenty of books and get good reviews despite the hundreds of annoying contractions, so her formula works, even if it's not Regency. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 20, 2023
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Jun 24, 2023
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Jun 20, 2023
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ebook
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| B09484DC1D
| 4.41
| 993
| Jul 22, 2021
| Jul 22, 2021
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really liked it
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I could never give five stars to a book with more contractions than it had passion. In any case, the author who can say don't in one sentence and do n
I could never give five stars to a book with more contractions than it had passion. In any case, the author who can say don't in one sentence and do not in the next is just lazy and has an even lazier editor. My review will be technical, with very little in the way of subjective story analysis, and no synopsis. - The plot comes from a good premise and does a fairly good job of sticking to the story arc considering the number of characters that no doubt fit into the balance of the series. - Flow is moderate to slow in pace, with a fair bit of redundancy as the same scene is retold on several occasions throughout the book. Dramatic tension flares briefly a few times, but the desire to shield the reader from anything too worrying stifles the ability to raise angst in this book. - The author uses third person multiple point of view with head-hopping. The latter is a mistake that should be avoided like the plague. - Telling is the major way of communication in this narrative-heavy story. The reader would be more engaged if there had been more showing and there would have been better passion in the story. - Language was easy to read, with no big words to distract from the flow of prose. The words weren't all that Regency in flavour. Some modernisms crept in, such as movie expressions and specifically, seven non-Regency words/phrases, three Americanisms, and four misused words/expressions. However, these numbers are par for the course in a Regency romance. What's not normal is the 65+ contractions. Most Regency romances have under six. It's clear the author didn't even try to remove them. In the Regency, only lower classes and silly people used contractions, yet this author put them in the mouths of all characters. - The only punctuation error was a missing question mark. There was a change of speaker without a new paragraph break. - The sole Regency error was calling a duchess Lady Madelyn. That would be the duchess's daughter. The duchess would be called Lady Lastname under all circumstances. - A tongue-in-cheek suggestion to the author is to never name a horse after a country and western song. The reader will be stalled and pulled out of the era by having the song run through their head. - Characterizations were flip-floppy for the protagonists. They weren't steady to a single style, and changed depending on the circumstances. Side characters were more reliable. - The romance was too slow, and the characters remained on edge in each other's company for far too long. A lack of titillating banter or spark was noticed for the first three-quarters of the book, resulting in a question of their suitability in the minds of the readers. When they eventually get together, the book uses such a telling style that the passion is barely believable, e.g., the female protagonist's reactions to a kiss. That kiss was rather sterile as a result. - Scene-setting was very good. We could visualize what was happening most of the time, though there were places where the situation was a bit vague, such as on the hill or in the pub. Even then, the smells and sounds were excellent. One fault was that nothing at all was said on how the one bodyguard died, probably to save the book a violence rating. However, it left too many unanswered questions. Some small hint without detail would have been appropriate. - Because this book had a mystery twist, I feel impelled to comment on that aspect. It's done extremely well. The final twist is an excellent surprise. - The cover is meant to titillate with the open shirt, yet this book is not particularly heavy on the passionate side, nor well done in that regard. However, the rest of the scene on the cover shows the setting of the book well, and the colours and style of the artwork give a sense of nostalgia, assisting in the Regency feel. It's much better than those non-Regency gowns on those other authors' books. Does it say "buy me?" I think so. I enjoyed this book even though the romance was weak and slow because the mystery that was shared by the protagonists was excellent. I particularly liked the secondary characters, which will lead me to have a great deal of interest in the next books in the series. My only misgivings about reading another book by this author is that every time I read a contraction, it jolted me out of the story. Very few Regency romance authors are stubborn and lazy about this issue and continue to use contractions. Do they not see what it does to their readers, or do they not care? I know it's their choice, but it's a poor one. Whether it be contractions, incongruous language, out-of-era technology, continuity errors, plot holes, tangents, spelling, punctuation, etc., every time the author takes a reader out of the story, they risk losing that reader. This is why authors try so hard on all aspects of the story when they write. Disclaimer: I'm a Regency romance author, and some might consider this review a conflict of interest. However, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. I write them for the benefit of both the reader and the author. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 13, 2023
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Apr 18, 2023
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Apr 18, 2023
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Kindle Edition
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| 0449005844
| 9780449005842
| 0449005844
| 3.97
| 4,523
| Jun 29, 1999
| Jul 05, 2000
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really liked it
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This was a delightful story with excellent prose, though written in simple, modern English and not historical, and thus without a great deal of care f
This was a delightful story with excellent prose, though written in simple, modern English and not historical, and thus without a great deal of care for Regency language and contractions. Loss of a star for the loss of that Regency and British "feel" and some blatant editing lapses. I write technical reviews so you won't see a ton of subjective reactions or a synopsis. Instead, you'll see the little issues that bug readers into dropping a star because they cringe when they see them as they read them, and most reviewers eschew writing about these small items. The plot is excellent and doesn't get into any side plots that are unnecessary to the completion of the story arc. There's a bit of redundancy in showing the disability of the female protagonist, which doesn't aid in the flow of the book. The story takes its time, which does causes some slow spots in the flow, which is languid at best in the first place. Don't expect a fast pace here. Yet there's still dramatic tension throughout, and it hits some very high points several times in the book. Point of view is third person multiple, deep, with no head-hopping. In one case, the author's POV was used ("response was unprintable"), which was confusing. You're not Jane Austen, dear. If you want to use her style, do it in the whole book, but don't just dump in one line and think it'll seem normal. It seems odd. Showing is done well, with an absence of filter words. Language is clear, concise, and used lovely prose, but alas, it didn't contribute well to a certain type of scene-setting. The story was set in Britain in the Regency and there was little indication as such within the prose other than vaguely in descriptions of places and apparel. Contractions were liberally used, jarring me over 60 times, and that wasn't all of them. 17 non-period words/phrases were counted, triple that of the average Regency novel, and three common non-British words/phrases were repeatedly used. This pulls the reader out of the sense of when and where the book takes place. Two words were misused, again causing confusion to the reader. There were no "big words" that the reader had to look up. A certain power to the author's modern words did help the feel of the book, though, especially in dialogue using argument. So all was not lost in language. The author couldn't make up her mind if a lady's suitor was named Robert or Robin. This wasn't just once, but half a dozen times. In several locations, closing quotation marks were missing, but this was the only punctuation error detected. Scene-setting was a good effort, but often was unclear. For example, the castle's location and layout were not described well enough to know what was happening at certain critical points in the book. It was the same for the gardens. The author tries hard to use these visual points to add life to the book, but it backfires when the descriptions lead to confusion with the reader. In other types of scene-setting, the author is exceptional, such as in clothing as a way to show aspects of the character. The development of the romance is so-so. It's clear that the two should be in love long before they admit it to themselves, but they won't even admit slight feelings when the author has done enough in the book to validate such. With such powerful changes between them, there would be more profound reactions in their emotions at earlier times in the book. It leaves the reader thinking the protagonists are lying to themselves and the reader. Tie that in with the overall slow pace, and it starts to feel like a romance rip-off. The cover is pretty weak. It's pale and monotone and certainly wouldn't make me run out and buy the book. Even though it's got some story themes in the artwork, it's not redeeming enough when one hasn't read the story. The cover must say "Buy me" over all those other livelier books on the shelf, and the only thing this one has going for it is the reputation and name of the author herself. This is the first book I've read by this well-known author, and I was surprised in the extreme that she got such a winning reputation with these handicaps behind her writing. However, the plot is what saved her. Even with its slow pace and redundancies, it's charming and unusual for a romance novel, and the twists and turns add enough angst to make the reader feel drama. I doubt I could ever give her five stars if the contractions and plain (boring, modern) language are her style, though. But I'd probably read another of her books, even though I know I'd be cringing over those items, just because the story is so good. Disclaimer: I write Regency romance and some might say this review is a conflict of interest. However, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. They are intended to benefit both the reader and the author. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Mar 17, 2023
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Mar 23, 2023
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Mar 24, 2023
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Paperback
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| 0062867474
| 9780062867476
| B0796SN24S
| 3.96
| 4,192
| Feb 26, 2019
| Mar 26, 2019
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really liked it
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Star lost due to editing errors (mainly contractions) and book stuffing. Otherwise, this would be a five star book for excellent writing and angst. I w Star lost due to editing errors (mainly contractions) and book stuffing. Otherwise, this would be a five star book for excellent writing and angst. I write technical reviews, so no synopsis will be found in this review. Rather, the niggling things that cause readers to drop a star are noted. With this high a rating, a positive set of comments should be expected in most areas. The plot is tight, with no unnecessary tangents or gaping holes, and is fully resolved by the end of the novel. Pacing is steady at a pretty good clip due to excellent dialogue, good use of language (only two words that had to be looked up and 9 non-Regency words), and good use of deep point of view, third person alternating. The biggest issue I had with the book that threw me out of the period again and again was the contractions, an easy-to-fix situation that amounts to pure laziness on behalf of the author and editor. Not only were there contractions used by people who would not have said them (genteel, well-bred people), but some hadn't even been invented yet by the story time-line, assumed to be 1820ish by the hints in the book. Also, some were used where an alternate sentence construction would sound more to the period. The author had fairly good use of showing and not telling, but once in a while used a filter word (felt, saw) with a protagonist, taking the reader out of the tightness of the deep point of view. Some of the language was superb and poetic, though, causing me to very much admire Long's eloquence, in particular, in her love scenes. Characterization was excellent, as were the descriptions of the protagonists. We felt we knew them. Long is an expert at scene-setting, and her descriptions of the environs use all the senses to their height, something to be admired to a huge extent by other authors. This creates a fullness in a scene that isn't always there in a novel, even in good novels. Yet this book oozed with exceptional pictures of the exact situation in so many cases, we could see ourselves in the scene. It fit with her close POV. Angst (dramatic tension) is at least moderate through most of the story, with quite a number of high spots, so if you like a lot of late-night "I can't put it down," this is a great book. The development of the romance had appropriate timing, and the use of the introspection of each character assisted greatly in the sense of their position related to the other at any given time, yet it didn't feel like the author was telling. There was a strong sexual pull as part of this romance, and the steamy scenes were developed with expertise that demonstrates the maturity of Long's writing. Nothing was gratuitous, rather, sensual enhancement was the rule in these scenes, causing the reader to be titillated to an appropriate extent. You can still read this on the bus. The book ended at 88%, meaning that there was 12% book stuffing with an excerpt from the next book. I always thought that was cheap, shoddy salesmanship and I thought it had gone out of style. Well, no one told Julie Anne Long. Shame on you. I can't give a five star review to a stuffed book. The cover is good, since it portrays the sense of the book, including that stairwell, yet has a look that goes along with the ubiquitous large-skirted gowns look that is so common in Regency romances today. Kudos to Julie Anne Long for having a proper Regency gown and hairstyle on this book, though, even if the man's cuff looks a bit 1990's. The colour pops and overall, I think this one would say "Buy me!" I loved this tale, and pretty much expected to, given the track record I've had with loving Julie Anne Long's books. I just wish she'd take the extra effort and help her readers keep in the period feeling by removing that last few non-Regency words and all those contractions. That would make my day. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 27, 2023
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Jan 30, 2023
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Jan 27, 2023
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ebook
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| 1964408075
| 9781964408071
| B09NT54TPB
| 4.22
| 320
| unknown
| Apr 28, 2022
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liked it
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This is another of those books that has left the story arc unfinished and expects the reader to shell out for the next book to read the rest of the st
This is another of those books that has left the story arc unfinished and expects the reader to shell out for the next book to read the rest of the story. It's a ripoff, and I'm not afraid to say it. The author did it for pure commercial value, in order to make the reader pay for more than one book, and it's cruel to readers. No one should buy any of her books just to pay her back for this insult to the intelligence. A full star lost for this. The other star is for technical issues. I write technical reviews, so there won't be a synopsis or much for subjective opinions other than the first and last paragraph. Instead, I focus on what most reviewers leave out, but niggles at readers and causes them to drop a star. As said, there's an unfinished plot here. The romance aspect is completed, but the mystery aspect of the story is just getting interesting when the book ends. Some small side stories should have been left out. They make the book drag. The pace is rather slow, with sections leaning on side characters that probably should have been left out. Angst is low to moderate at best until near the end, when the pace is picked up due to the mystery that ends on a cliffhanger. The author uses third person multiple point of view with a fair bit of head-hopping. Filter words are used, taking the sentences from showing to telling mode and disrupting the point of view. At one point in the book, present tense was used, where it's inappropriate in a romance novel. I counted 25 contractions, which were rarely used at the time period of the book, as well as several words that had not yet been in the language at the time. Some redundancy of ideas marred the book. As a mentor once told me, count on your readers to remember. The author had numerous sentence fragments throughout the book, and they were not for stylistic impact, but done as a poor writing/editing job. The characterization was well done, as explained in the novel. This is a gift the author has above other writers and she can build her writing around this. New characters were introduced near the end. This is a poor writing decision. The development of the romance is reasonable and believable. Too bad it's so low-key in comparison to the main story that is unfinished. The cover is neither eye-catching nor memorable. It isn't different enough from other Regency romances to stand out and say "Buy me" and its slightly dull colour scheme makes it even less of a standout in that plethora of similar covers. It also doesn't suit the story at all! The clothing of the people in the picture are from a ball, and the bulk of the book has the characters rather drab. Overall, the story is interesting, but not standout. Perhaps if the end of the story were at hand, it might be better, but that was snatched out from under us. I do not recommend this book. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 2023
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Jan 04, 2023
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Jan 01, 2023
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| B08GZPF99G
| 3.00
| 5
| unknown
| Sep 15, 2020
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it was ok
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This book was a horrible example of what happens when you don't hire an editor--it was difficult to keep your head in the time period, never mind to m
This book was a horrible example of what happens when you don't hire an editor--it was difficult to keep your head in the time period, never mind to make sense of it with all the errors. The book is also an example to show that sexy, romantic banter is not sniping, hurtful arguments. And to top it off, it's an example that sex scenes don't make up for generally weak writing. My reviews are technical, so there will be little subjective material here. I capture the issues that most reviewers forget about, but that turn off readers and cause the loss of stars. First, because I didn't finish the book, I was unable to tell whether the plot made for a full story arc. The story idea itself was clever, if a little uneven in the execution. The part I read was fairly well paced and flowed forward without deviations from the main story line. The point of view was third person multiple, with plenty of head-hopping to confuse the reader into wondering whose point of view was being represented. At times, when the point of view was steady, there was excellent deep point of view utilized with showing style, though filter words (e.g., the protagonist felt, saw) did creep in on occasion. Language was reasonable for the Regency (1796 is the book's setting, the long Regency), with the exception of a much greater than average number of non-Regency words and phrases for a Regency romance. Some examples include bratty, stressed/stressing, yeah, nope, okay, alright, timetable, foyer, and staff for words (not a complete list), and modern no-nos like "sucked into," "you're not the boss of me," "brutally honest," and "she was going to lose it." These knock the reader out of the feel of the era with a sledgehammer. In addition, the author knocked the reader further out of the story with Americanisms that just would never make it into the mouth of a British person. For example, gotten, and stores instead of shops. There were erroneous words and typos such as an invented word dopily, drug for dragged, bare for bear, to for too, and groomsman for groom. Over five dozen contractions were counted in the part I read of the book. Though contractions were used in the Regency, they were rarely used, and mostly by foolish and silly people, in particular, from lower classes. Some of the contractions the author used weren't even invented yet. A good rule of thumb on how many contractions to use in a Regency novel is Pride and Prejudice: it had eight, and most were by servants and Lydia. I'd keep them out of the mouths of peers. Punctuation errors included extra periods, and hyphens used for the em-dash. Parenthesis were used, which are a no-no in fiction (commas and em-dashes are used to set off parenthetical phrases). Style issues included multiple instances of the POV character "seeing" themselves (e.g., she can't see her face change colour). Once in a while, the present tense slipped in. There were copied phrases from Jane Austen that were so out of context that they didn't work. The author had sentence fragments that weren't style, but were just poor writing. A continuity error of saying five thousand when it should have been seven thousand was detected. Regency errors included referring to "their" bedroom instead of the master's and mistress's separate chambers, simple bread and soup for dinner, hiring a maid to cook, and confusing shooting with hunting when they were separate things. Wearing a 20 year old gown for a wedding that had panniers and a stomacher would have been next to impossible to remake. Characterization was a bit uneven. The female protagonist was difficult to like, and the male protagonist was inconsistent. Some minor characters weren't used to the extent they could have been, yet others were annoyingly present with no purpose but for us to wish they'd leave the room. The descriptions of the hero and heroine were over done. Descriptions used for scene-setting used all five senses, so that part of the book was well done. The romance development needed help. We find out quite by surprise that the male protagonist has been in love with the heroine for some time, yet he shows little in the way of romantic love for her, more a desire to dominate her and enjoy sex with her. The female protagonist insists she detests the male protagonist but is extremely sexually forward for the time period. This is just a ploy to get in some sex scenes early in the story rather than to actually work at developing the romance. There is lots of dialogue between them that had potential to bond them, but it was biting, vicious arguments that set them back, and it did the opposite of causing tension in the reader--after a while, it was so irritating, you wanted to throw the book across the room. Where was the clever banter from these two? The sex scenes were well written and titillating, while not overly explicit. The beef I have about them is that they occurred too early in the development of the plot. The characters weren't ready for sex at that time. It was as if the author wanted a sexy book and just twisted her plot to suit. Angst was intended to be moderate, but as an angst lover, I didn't get a sense that I cared that these two weren't getting together, because they didn't strike me enough as deserving it, so there wasn't the level of tension that the author probably planned for. The cover has a model in a modern polyester gown that is no way something from 1796, where a round gown with an Empire waist made of a natural material would have been in style. The text isn't quite balanced, but it's close. The scale is good for an Amazon thumbnail. However, next to other Regency romances, this does not scream "Buy me." It's a bit pretty, but ordinary. The author makes an end note that she wrote this book when she was eighteen and then went back and did some work on it. I wish she'd hired a good Regency-knowledgeable editor for it, as well as learned to spell out her contractions. It's pure laziness to use them. We as authors fuss over spelling, punctuation, grammar, formatting, cover art, etc, and yet we can't even make an effort to make the book sound like it was in the period it was written for? Give me a break. This sounds like a very negative review, and it is, despite my efforts to find the good parts of the book. However, I did read 78% of this book for some reason. It was boring, repetitive, low tension, full of Regency errors, yet there was enough there in the writing to keep me going for a while (I started wanting to quit pretty early on, though). This means the writer should take heed of all the issues above and keep at it. Fix those errors. Learn about point of view and head hopping. Watch to make your heroine more likeable and your banter teasing. You can do it. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Aug 26, 2022
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Aug 29, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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Kindle Edition
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| 180055298X
| 9781800552982
| B091TDPJYQ
| 4.22
| 74
| unknown
| Jun 15, 2021
|
really liked it
|
I struggled as to whether to give this three or four stars, and four stars won because I'm an author too, and I like other authors to have that feel g
I struggled as to whether to give this three or four stars, and four stars won because I'm an author too, and I like other authors to have that feel good about a book review, even one that's going to blast them for their technical problems. Yes, I write technical reviews. No synopsis, few subjective comments. I write about what the other reviewers miss that cause readers to drop stars. The plot was good in concept, with a full story arc and then a sort of bonus twist at 80%, which I suppose was intended to be the climax, but it was another story. The cover promises multiple twists, yet I didn't see this book as having anything substantial that you wouldn't see in other books. The dramatic tension was below average, even with the supposed climax. The author just can't seem to write angst. The book was a long one, with some redundancy that should have been on the cutting room floor. The flow was mostly forward at a slow pace, exacerbated by a great deal of rambling narrative and some redundancy. More dialogue would have upped the pace. Even the action scenes were bogged down. As far as language went, the author had a Georgette Heyer rather than a Jane Austen sound to her story, making it sometimes sound a bit trite to my ears, yet there was also a nice cadence which I believe belonged to the author herself. The author could turn a phrase well. However, lazy writing and editing left literally dozens of contractions in the mouths of higher-classed characters, when at the time (based on novels of the period) only low-classed people tended to use contractions. "Don't" was used twenty times by my count, whereas Austen used 8 contractions in Pride and Prejudice. Non-Regency words and phrases or applications of words for the Regency slipped in: "out cold," outings, staff, attitude, modistes, normal, bored, head (v), attitude, and trousseau are the ones I caught. This is a normal length of list for a Regency romance. British errors were use of "I will" and "we will" for "I shall" and "we shall" as well as the Americanism "passed away." The word "compelled" was used where "impelled" would be more appropriate. The author over-uses adverbs, and likes to use fancy words for dialogue tags, e.g., "asked teasingly." The best dialogue tag is "said." The dialogue itself should show the reader what it means, and the author should have no reason to tell with distracting big words on the end. The author used filter words such as "felt" and "wondered" for her point of view character, where showing would have been preferable writing technique. Punctuation was good, though I noted one missing comma. The point of view was omniscient narrator with head-hopping, which is an older style of writing that is no longer common in romances and can be jarring to readers when they can't figure out which character's POV is being used, especially with quick changes, which this book used. The author had Rufus knowing what his mother and sister were doing that they didn't hear him arrive--as if he could see through walls. There were errors in Regency correctness. The author referred to a carriage that was not designed to carry passengers--that would be a cart, not a carriage. Rufus's father was an earl, making Lydia, his sister, Lady Lydia and not Miss Lydia. A footman would have carried Sophie, not the earl. There were no betrothal announcements in the papers. Characterizations were lively and consistent and suited the time the character had on the page. The male protagonist was a really good guy compared to the typical complex, difficult male characters you usually see in the Regency romance, and this watered down the angst a lot. Likewise, the female lead character's foibles were not that complex compared to some, though she was interesting and had the lion's share of twists associated with the book. The romance was believable and the pacing of the development of the love story was perfect. Scene-setting was lovely at times, e.g., descriptions of the ballroom and of the dower house. This makes the reader feel like they're there. The cover is what drew me to buy this book, so it's a success. It has good artwork, good balance, good fonts, is readable at thumbnail size, and is different than all those same-old books out there that don't differentiate themselves. Seen one billowing skirt, seen 'em all. I did enjoy the storyline for this book, even with the technical criticisms listed above. It was a nice read that I'd recommend to others. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 06, 2022
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Jun 11, 2022
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Jun 06, 2022
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 0995917957
| 9780995917958
| B09DWQZ5SM
| 4.67
| 3
| unknown
| Aug 28, 2021
|
really liked it
|
Helena Korin is becoming known for her novellas, which are tightly plotted, engaging, complete stories. This book is no exception. My review will not h Helena Korin is becoming known for her novellas, which are tightly plotted, engaging, complete stories. This book is no exception. My review will not have a synopsis since other reviewers will accomplish that well enough. Instead, I'll focus on the technical aspects of the book. As said earlier, the plot is interesting and the book has a full story arc with nothing missing. This is a good accomplishment for a novella, where often, the reader has something wanting. Not in this case. There is a villain to add conflict for the protagonists, and a bonus: more than one romance. The romance thread is quite believable and works even though it's a short time in the story line. An interesting twist was that the author chose to give the cat a voice in italics. This was well done and added a great deal of interest to an already engaging tale. The humorous side stories for the little cat did not distract at all from the main story arc. The characterization was well done, including the cat. We felt like we knew these people, and that each of the major and lead minor characters got what they deserved in the story. There was a great deal of head hopping with no indication of the point of view change. There were also scene changes without indication. Ms. Korin would do well to include some kind of symbol for a scene break and a change of point of view character to make reading smoother. Regency errors were noted in language and application, and a non-British word that was important was "creek." Non-Regency words included headed, neckline, décolletage, scanned, staff, assess, and fiancé/fiancée: none of these words existed in 1820. This is a rather short list for a Regency romance. Non-Regency applications were the gentleman's queue, the chignon for a lady, and the gentlewoman's friendship with the seamstress's daughter. There were quite a large number of contractions, which in the Regency, were only used by silly people and the lower class. Contractions pull the reader out of the era and make for a less rewarding read. A continuity error was that the seamstress was called Mrs. Comfort in one place and Mrs. Cushion thereafter. Otherwise, the story was well referenced throughout. It is in the punctuation that the book's editor should be ashamed. Multiple instances of dual periods and commas popped out at the reader. Missing commas and periods also were noted, as were missing quotation marks. Then, there were extra commas where they weren't necessary. The book used some excellent prose used to ignite the reader's imagination and set the scene for us to feel like we were there. One example is "light as thistledown." I happen to like this cover even though I tend to dislike covers with blow-dried male protagonists and polyester-gowned female protagonists. However, there is something fresh in the way this is put together, and the clothing is period-appropriate, unlike a great number of Regency romances these days. Overall, if the punctuation and contractions were fixed, I'd find this a better book to read. It's a fantastic story that's quite different, plus it has a kitty! Disclaimer: I am a friend of Helena Korin. However, my review is honest and impartial and intended to help both the reader and the author. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Sep 30, 2021
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Oct 02, 2021
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Sep 30, 2021
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||
| 0312622848
| 9780312622848
| 0312622848
| 3.72
| 2,991
| Mar 2011
| Mar 2011
|
really liked it
|
This time travel magic fantasy young adult Regency romance book covers so many bases, it must have been hard for the author to place it for marketing.
This time travel magic fantasy young adult Regency romance book covers so many bases, it must have been hard for the author to place it for marketing. Indeed, the characters are a tad too young for the average Regency romance reader, and the (view spoiler)[ time travel jolts that same reader out of their norm, making them almost want to stop reading. Those who love magic will find plenty to enjoy in this book regardless of the era. For me, I love magical Regencies but tolerated the time travel scenes. I would have given the book three stars on personal preference, but I gave it four on the basis that the plot and flow of the parts that were to my preference deserved four stars, and as far as I know, the (view spoiler)[ wartime sections were well done. Certainly the reactions of the Regency characters to the new world was. That's as close as I'm going to get to a synopsis since my reviews don't reiterate the book to give out all the spoilers, rather, they're technical reviews of all the items other reviewers miss but that affect the quality of reading, whether conscious or unconscious. One of the big ones was that this author paid no attention to contractions, which were rarely used by other than lower class or silly people in the Regency. Not all contractions were even invented in the Regency. Putney has all characters using them, and they're constantly knocking the reader out of the Regency "feel" of the period piece. The big ones were "I'm" and "don't." It would be so much nicer to read "I am" and "do not," or in the case of a question, "Am I?" or "Do you not?" in a Regency piece of fiction. I don't think there was one modern contraction that the author left out. I usually count them for my reviews. I got tired and stopped counting at 92 in this book. Most Regency authors have less than 10. Talking of words not invented in the Regency, the author also knocked me out of the story with language such as "wing chair," headed, normal, evaluated(ing) and staff. This is a short list for a Regency romance, so this author must have done her homework. There were also some Americanisms for British words such as can for may, toward for towards, and "I will" for "I shall." Other "typos" included "to night" for tonight, equals for equal, and "fi thy" for filthy. I saw no typos in punctuation. In this novel, the protagonist used feeling words a lot, what we call "filter words." That's "telling." It takes the reader out of the closeness of the story just as much as a contraction does. Overall, language usage was at a good level. I didn't have to look up any words, yet the prose was far from simplistic, meaning the author's word use suited the story well. The plot seems a bit ambitious, but not overly so. It could have had help from some better details in description, and I'll get to that later. The story line does seem unfinished, but since the book is called #1, perhaps the author is hoping I'll buy #2 to have the loose ends tied up. I doubt I will. I liked this book, but it was too much off the edge of my normal reading for me to want to read another one in the series. Or perhaps the protagonists are too young to have a definitive future. Even so, the story arc was finished with a slightly unfinished edge. Flow was jumpy at times, especially around the changes in time travel and into the hidden locations within the school. But in an overall viewpoint, the story arc made sense and the story was complete within one book and didn't expect you to read another book to get the whole story. Characterizations were well done, though sometimes slightly inconsistent. This is mostly seen in Allarde. Though one could argue his change is character growth, I beg to differ, because some of it's seen too early, making him mercurial. It's a large cast of major minor characters on top of the main protagonist, Tory, so the author did well on keeping their voices straight and working with their growth in the story. Scene setting is where this book shines. It has to. Fantasy world-building is a do or die exercise. But this author does put the picture into the reader's brain, with a few exceptions. I was lost on how they returned to the mirror from the 40's. The route was unclear to me. I wonder if it was even clear to the author. However, one of the best descriptions in the book is how it feels (view spoiler)[ to go through the mirror. That was pure genius. The cover is marvellous. It captures the story and the eye, just as a cover should. It's different and will stick out from those other books on the shelf and say "Pick me!" Overall, if the author had not been lazy and had spelled out those contractions like Jane Austen did (there were only 8 contractions in Pride and Prejudice where there were probably 100+ in this book), I'd say this was a good read that helped me expand my experience on typed of subgenres that I've tried and enjoyed. But because of those contractions, I'm not certain I'd recommend it to everyone. Some Regency readers are such sticklers, they'd skewer this book and give it fewer stars. (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] (hide spoiler)] ...more |
Notes are private!
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2
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Sep 04, 2021
not set
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Sep 10, 2021
not set
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Sep 26, 2021
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Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
| B095N7F1MW
| 4.47
| 459
| unknown
| Jun 28, 2021
|
really liked it
|
This is a novel I won't forget, which is half the battle among so many good yet easily forgettable novels these days. Its biggest problem was that it
This is a novel I won't forget, which is half the battle among so many good yet easily forgettable novels these days. Its biggest problem was that it dragged out with too much canon interspersed in the original material as if the author didn't trust that the reader remembered the original, or alternatively, had a desire to rewrite Austen in her own words, or copy canon right into her book. Well, as good as her paraphrasing turned out to be, Austen's version is still better, and I say leave canon be and write your own book, merely touching on canon. You'll keep up reader interest better. Up to 50% of this book should have been summarized rather than rehashed. You won't get a summary of the book in my review, rather, a summary of the pros and cons of the technical issues that made or broke the novel. I feel that the most important part of any book is its opening line. It must be crisp, unique, catchy, and make the reader want more. What it should not be is a paraphrase of "truth universally acknowledged..." Lame. Just a warning to the reader that the author plans to rehash lots of the book, I guess. There was a good use of language in this book, with good grammar, though there was some use of passive voice. The author must have read a lot of Georgette Heyer or some such novel to catch all those slang phrases. In some sections, however, it was too much. It was sentence after sentence of Regency Buck. The only real cliche was "Jane is serene." I filed this under "get an editor," and its sheer length made for that issue to be more noticeable. Non-Regency words and phrases that were misused included staff, decor, parure, roiling, rifle (as in rifle through something), decolletage, scrunching, taken aback, snort/snorting, "wanted some distance," "downed his coffee," and of course, the perpetually misused compromise. Authors, I don't know who made up the trope that it meant forced marriage, but in the Regency, it meant the same as it does today. Quit copying this misuse of a word! The author also used "I will" for "I shall,"and "we will" for "we shall" frequently, and in one case, "I would" for "I should." And why would she say "patent oil?" Surely this is not Regency. The author had words she really liked to use. An editor would have said "That word is unusual. Only use it once in your book." Examples are cavil, used 5 times (4 of them in the first 6% of the book!), anathema, credulous, fulsome, and the big winner, sardonic, was used 10 times! Yet there were words that should not have been used at all because they were too complex and could not be discerned from the context of the sentence: embrasure (used twice: could she not have just said window frame?), surcease (also used twice), bellicose, fulminating, abase, truculence, obdurate, traduce, djinn (I get a spelling error, this one's so obtuse), and trenchant were ones for me, and I tend to use big words in my writing, so I allow for quite a few that others may have also said are too difficult. Punctuation misses were noted more than usual for a JAFF: missing periods, commas, and extra commas. There was a missing "the." The author has sentence fragments where she should have combined two sentences. I have some quibbles with issues within the book. Routs would not be the sort of thing ladies in Meryton would go to if I understand them correctly. Port is a fermented beverage to start with, so to say it tastes "fermented and spoiled" to express it as a bad taste is just wrong. Lunch or nuncheon was a rarity in the Regency and is a Victorian thing. When someone meanders as they walk, you'd expect them to be drunk. In Elizabeth's discussion with Wickham, he says "proud" where in canon, she brings it up first. And as said before, repeats, particularly that of "the letter." The author otherwise has done excellent work in terms of Regency research and incorporating a Regency feel to the story. In terms of the original work, the premise was excellent, and those sections that represented it were also. This is why I won't forget this book. The author's twists to contrive certain happenings that would be spoilers were done beautifully and can not be questioned. The romance is developed slowly and naturally so it's believable, unlike so many stories in JAFF these days that just rush it as if it's expected. The final proposal is lovely even if it's too long and has too much canon in it. Characterizations were excellent, including the new characters. They were consistent and came to life in this story. I have mixed emotions over the cover. It's unique, works well for the story, the art work is lovely, and the layout is good to my untrained eye, but it just doesn't pop enough for my tastes. I don't think it would help someone want to buy the book over other books. Overall I recommend this book with the warning that you have to wade through lots of rehash of canon to get to the good stuff. Disclaimer: I am a JAFF author and some might suggest that my review is a conflict of interest, however, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. I write them for the benefit of readers and authors. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jun 28, 2021
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Jul 09, 2021
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Jun 28, 2021
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| unknown
| 4.13
| 79
| unknown
| unknown
|
liked it
|
Was Bethany Bennett truly trying to make her book sound like it was in the Regency, or is she one of the growing list of authors who writes essentiall
Was Bethany Bennett truly trying to make her book sound like it was in the Regency, or is she one of the growing list of authors who writes essentially a contemporary novel with a few ballrooms and gowns thrown in? The story itself is interesting, though a bit rushed. What can one expect when a novel is pushed into a six-chapter promo book? The romantic path is underdeveloped, leaving the reader in a state of disbelief that the protagonists' love could be so strong given the slight circumstances they had together. Little evidence was given of the growth of that love, except a rushed narrative. However, when the 5h*t hits the fan and the conflict occurs, the scene is worthy of any top author in romance. Good job. In fact, Bethany Bennett does write fairly well overall, but strong themes of a beginner stick out, and her attention to detail is a huge one. The language of the Regency keeps readers feeling like they're in the time, and this is where this short story fell down. More errors existed in this short than in the average full length Regency romance novel. Modern phrases such as "figure out," "society wife," "behind the scenes," and "out of sync" have no place in a novel set in 1820. Words such as fractal, assessing, tsunami, bun, manning, outing, and chuckle either weren't invented or meant different things in the Regency. "Mad" should not be used for "angry," and "Benedict Arnold" is an Americanism, as is "toward." The British say "towards." The book stuffing at the end had worse: "collateral damage," "worst enemy," and lousy. Lots of commas where not needed, as well. There was awkward grammar as well, however, the author did use some nice similes. The technical aspect of codes was a clever touch. I don't know how historically correct it was, though. I read a book recently that had much more meticulous detail on mechanical code machines than these simplistic code styles that these protagonists used. The description of the female protagonist as a piglet went over the top. We understood it the first time. After that, it was cruel for the author to keep doing it. In addition, she was hard to warm to. She was clever, but not vivacious enough. The gentleman was drawn out as kind since, well, he must be to be nice to such an unwanted woman. It was bad balance all around. I'm glad I got this for free. It was a fast read, though! ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Apr 17, 2021
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Apr 17, 2021
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Apr 19, 2021
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Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| 173416302X
| 9781734163025
| B088PZCV1Z
| 4.21
| 358
| unknown
| Jun 01, 2020
|
it was amazing
|
It's been a while since I've been so thoroughly charmed by a book, but this one did it for me. With nice changes in POV between Elizabeth and Darcy, w
It's been a while since I've been so thoroughly charmed by a book, but this one did it for me. With nice changes in POV between Elizabeth and Darcy, we are told the story in a neat and tidy story arc without unnecessary deviations. I won't summarize the plot here--there are plenty of other reviewers who have already done that. Instead, I'll comment on the technical wins and wants. The author effectively used thoughts sprinkled in among the introspection to heighten the mood. Usually this doesn't work well, but somehow in this book, it was a brilliant addition to the already great deep point of view. There's a perfect mix of narrative and dialogue to make the story move along at a good clip. You won't be bored. New characters were sketched only as much as they needed to be, so time was never wasted getting to know someone who was only a minor interest in the story. This boded well since there were a few important ones as well as quite a few lesser new people. The author was genius in the way she used technical fact for the agricultural methods. Instead of boring the reader with lengthy descriptions (similar to back story), she doled it out a little at a time, and only used as much as was warranted for understanding of the situation and no more. The premise regarding the application of these methods in secret was solid, believable, and well-executed, including the near-misses, which contributed to the best of the angst. I shelved this book as high angst only because I thought it had strong sections with moderate dramatic tension. Because I happen to like angst, I tend to under-rate it, so I rated it higher for those who are nervous. The angst is mostly about Elizabeth's Rebellion, though there is a short application of angst between E&D. There's definitely a happy ending, and you know it's going to happen earlier in the book than usual in this one as far as E&D as a couple goes (is that a spoiler?). Scene-setting was well done, with little descriptions playing to all the senses woven into the story seamlessly. You feel as if you're there. There's some great humour woven into the story as well, particularly where the new steward gets his comeuppance--more than once! I saw a sort of plot hole specific to the travels in Canada. The travels were first said to be in Upper Canada, English speaking territory. Then Montreal, in Lower Canada was mentioned. Now, at that time, there were quite a few skirmishes going on near the US in both Canadas and near Montreal, making this trip inadvisable at this time in history. To travel much farther away from the St. Lawrence would be in "wild, uncivilized country." One bonus element I noticed was the correct use of handshakes rather than bows for men who knew each other well. I took a course called "Dancing in the Regency" where it was indicated that this was the way friends greeted each other at that time. Remember Marianne asking Willoughby for a handshake at the ball in S&S and him cutting her? This book used handshakes several times where most books would have used a bow. Other nit picks: The barouche box is not a carriage type. The box is on top of a carriage, and a barouche is a sort of carriage with a box on top. Use of the concept of luncheon, a small repast in London that was still rare in the Regency, was questionable, though not absolutely incorrect. The book used language comfortably, with minimal use of big words that the reader had to look up. There were a few non-Regency words, non-British words, or words that were used differently in the Regency as follows: staff, forgotten, snorted, "I will" for "I shall," toward for towards, fiancee, "French doors," "taken aback." This is an average number for a good quality JAFF novel. In addition, there were two words that were so misused that I blame spell checker: "obsequious" where a word such as "excessive" should be used (I don't know what the writer had in mind), and "ostentatiously" where a word more like "obviously" should be used. A common spelling error for "pouring over" instead of "poring over" was seen. Present tense was used in a few instances where past tense would have been preferable, and I noted places where there must have been a missing word, because the sentence seemed strange. Some title issues cropped up. Anne de Bourgh is not Lady Anne. This caused confusion, as I thought the author was referring to Darcy's mother. Anne de Bourgh's father is a baron or baronet, thus she has no title. (Lady Catherine gets her title from her father being an earl.) Also, Darcy refers to Lady Catherine as Aunt Catherine, a significant unlikelihood, even if he were a child. This is common in JAFF, and is an expression of modern values on a Regency novel; however, he would refer to her as Lady Catherine. With so much ground to cover, this novel could have been an epic, yet it comes through at a very comfortable average length. I found it perfect for a few nights' read. (I read before bed.) I really enjoyed the book more than expected, and I had expected a lot from it since I love the author. The cover is amazing! This book was on my Jolabokaflod list (I got a different book) because if I got a hard copy, I wanted one with a beautiful cover. Whoever did the artwork is genius. This pays homage to the ubiquitous blow-dried covers of JAFF books, but makes it POP. The details are superb. The expression on Elizabeth's face is that of a young lady determined to make things better for the people. The man has all kinds of emotions on his, and he looks like a mashup of Clive Owen, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Fitzwilliam Darcy. Their postures and positions are perfect for the tale within the novel, and the gold tones of Luckington Court loom in the background, complete with a need for a repair of the siding. The costuming is right for the story, too. Even the flowers painted on the bodice and sleeves of Elizabeth's ball gown show the Regency so well. I love it. I'd love to know who painted this beautiful piece. This novel sweeps the reader away with a spellbinding plot that never stands still, and the love story is the backdrop for a fantastic Regency romp, extraordinary in my reading of JAFF. I've always enjoyed Victoria Kincaid's books, and this is no exception. Disclaimer: I am a JAFF novelist and because of that, some might say that my review could be a conflict of interest. However, I was a reader first, and my reviews are honest and impartial. They are intended for both the reader and the author. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 19, 2021
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Feb 23, 2021
|
Feb 07, 2021
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ebook
| ||||||||||||||
| B007387N5M
| 3.72
| 71
| unknown
| Jan 28, 2012
|
really liked it
|
Did the villain have to be so evil and so close to the hero? I kept asking that throughout the book. Apparently I should have read the second book to
Did the villain have to be so evil and so close to the hero? I kept asking that throughout the book. Apparently I should have read the second book to find out why, but it was poorly rated, so I skipped it. I liked the first book and thought that the excellent reviews for the third book would bode well for its value, and it appeared as though I didn't have to read them in order. This book met my expectations for the most part. I'm not going to give a synopsis full of spoilers; other reviewers revel in that task. Rather, I'll analyze what I liked and didn't like about this book. The hero and heroine are well-drafted and lovable, their romance feels real and works. Adriana is a strong female lead, in fact, she is stronger than Morgan in some senses, which is okay. Minor characters were likewise carefully written so they were well understood and fit their role in a superior sense. There were no extraneous characters so the book was tight in terms of extra scenes. All the senses are on alert in the story, which is pretty easy to do in a novel where magic is a character. The magic is balanced well and clever, fitting in without taking over, and understandable enough for the average reader without long descriptions of how it works. It's almost too little magic. I was able to predict Adriana's surprise early on. The author left us a bit of a WTF as to why she didn't just go out and (spoiler) sell something rather than let it be used as a weapon against her, and that was never explained. But the twist on that aspect near the end was genius, then the double, then the triple twist--good writing! Visual scene-setting is wonderful. The author sure knows how to describe the background. Speaking of visuals, the cover is attractive and draws the reader to this book, giving a hint of what's in the book. Language is suited to the Regency with the exception of some applications of contractions. The American "toward" was used rather than the British "towards." Marshmellow is a misspelling, and the proper word is from 1877 in any case. In the Regency, "stout" meant sturdy or athletic and not fat. Regency fashion and styling seems to be impeccable with the strong exception of Morgan's hair, which begs the question "why?" There's no need. The story arc is complete with no side-plots distracting the author, and it ends fairly well. The biggest problem with this book was slow pacing. Given that it's an action book, this shouldn't be the case, but it was. At times, I felt like abandoning the book, and it lost a star for that reason. Some love-making scenes were gratuitous and redundancy of description of back-story contributed to the ho-hum feeling. The tight scenes and plot twists near the end did make up for this, though. ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Jan 22, 2021
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Jan 27, 2021
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Jan 22, 2021
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Kindle Edition
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my rating |
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| 4.15
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it was amazing
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Feb 04, 2021
not set
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Sep 27, 2024
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| 3.78
|
liked it
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May 2012
not set
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Sep 12, 2024
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| 4.26
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it was amazing
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Nov 09, 2021
not set
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Aug 05, 2024
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| 4.00
|
it was amazing
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Jan 2023
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Oct 17, 2023
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| 3.88
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really liked it
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Jul 31, 2023
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Aug 01, 2023
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|||||
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| 3.93
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liked it
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Jul 24, 2023
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Jul 20, 2023
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| 3.74
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really liked it
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Jul 18, 2023
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Jul 15, 2023
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| 4.19
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liked it
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Jun 24, 2023
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Jun 20, 2023
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| 4.41
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really liked it
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Apr 18, 2023
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Apr 18, 2023
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| 3.97
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really liked it
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Mar 23, 2023
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Mar 24, 2023
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| 3.96
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really liked it
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Jan 30, 2023
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Jan 27, 2023
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| 4.22
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liked it
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Jan 04, 2023
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Jan 01, 2023
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| 3.00
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it was ok
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Aug 29, 2022
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Aug 26, 2022
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| 4.22
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really liked it
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Jun 11, 2022
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Jun 06, 2022
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|||||
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| 4.67
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really liked it
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Oct 02, 2021
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Sep 30, 2021
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|||||
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| 3.72
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really liked it
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Sep 10, 2021
not set
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Sep 26, 2021
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|||||
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| 4.47
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really liked it
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Jul 09, 2021
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Jun 28, 2021
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| 4.13
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liked it
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Apr 17, 2021
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Apr 19, 2021
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| 4.21
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it was amazing
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Feb 23, 2021
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Feb 07, 2021
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| 3.72
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really liked it
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Jan 27, 2021
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Jan 22, 2021
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