This is now one of my all-time-favorite books. It was amazing all around. The plotline was engaging enough and it had some twists that keptRating: 5/5
This is now one of my all-time-favorite books. It was amazing all around. The plotline was engaging enough and it had some twists that kept it going, even if it is a predictably predictable.
But what I loved best about was the character journeys. They evolved at such a natural pace and you just couldn't not love them and be emotionally involved in all that was happening around them. And the characterisation of Graciela was so layered and, while she acted quite mature in many cases, you could never forget that she was just a child, suddenly alone and surrounded by strangers.
It was also an interesting portrayal of those times in Mexico, the trains, the towns, the steep discrepancy between the rich and the poor. While I don't know how accurate the descriptions are, they did paint a great setting for our adventure to take place in.
I already see myself coming back to this book over the years....more
This is my second book by this author and, while I enjoy the writing style in general, this book didn't do it for me.
We kind of have two Rating: 2.5/5
This is my second book by this author and, while I enjoy the writing style in general, this book didn't do it for me.
We kind of have two stories in one, which would be perfectly fine. Except, the transition between them is... well, there is no transition. You just get immersed in one story, on the edge of your head, your heart in your throat, and BAM! next few chapters are on a totally different emotion/place/setting/everything. The reader's experience isn't the best.
I appreciated Rosie's story arc, in the sense that, while she was frustrating at times, she overcame her hardships. But(view spoiler)[ I can't accept that the people close to her just stood on the sidelines and watched her get raped over and over, and then watched again as she destroyed herself with drink over years without lifting a finger. Romantic notions aside, why did it take Bowie to knock some sense into them and finally give her some tough love and help her? (hide spoiler)] And I would've appreciated Susan's story as well, if it didn't interrupt the other story at times of intense emotion.
Also, have I mentioned I hate how Maggie Osborne finished her books? It's so abrupt! I always expect there to be like a couple more pages, or at least a couple more sentences. I'm left craving that feeling of happily ever after, of things coming together, of that moment of bliss between the hero and the heroine, I mean it's a romance book! But yeah. It shall have to exist in my imagination only, I guess.
Things are a bit dramatic at times, and a lot of secrets kept for (I think) the sake of adding tension and conflict. There's a slight tendency for the characters to feel like caricatures, probably because the author chooses to exhibit certain traits more than others. But I noticed a trait in the heroes (so far): if the heroine is acting upset/angry, they don't bury their head in the sand and pretend the issue isn't there, or pretend it's a "woman thing", instead they address it, ask about it outright and insist of discussing said issue. I appreciated that so much. Which is why the whole secret-keeping-thing is all the more annoying. Why can they be so wholesome and adult in some situations, but so dumb in others?
Anyhow. The writing is solid and the book does take you on a journey in a different time. It just... could have been a bit better, in my humble opinion, that's all....more
It's a great book, I really like how Maggie Osborne writes. I went into this book with no expectations (I'm not sure I fully read the sumRating 3.5/5
It's a great book, I really like how Maggie Osborne writes. I went into this book with no expectations (I'm not sure I fully read the summary before diving in) and it was a pleasant surprise.
Now, I have to mention the few aspects I didn't like.
The premise was a bit... thin. I doubt anyone could be pressured into something like this, at least not in that hasty manner. Honor bound men and all, I don't think anyone would have gone through with it.
Then there's Max. I get that the story needed some drama, some tension, but for the life of me I couldn't understand why (view spoiler)[ he hurried to sleep with Low Down. He didn't like her, he mostly resented the marriage, and he wished he could go on with his life, go home to his fiancé. He could've waited. I mean, he found out her real name after they slept together... Where's the honorable man now? (hide spoiler)]
That brings us to the way Philadelphia was characterized. I get the feeling that the author wanted to give us a little push as to where to pile out sympathies, but it was a bit too on the nose. This character became a caricature, one dimensional, stuck into hysterics and blunt displays of narcissism to the point I couldn't take her seriously. She became an entity easy to hate, no complexity to the character, nothing that could give the reader at least partially mixed feelings about her.
(view spoiler)[I get that Philadelphia was the mean girl, the author made her so unlikable that there wasn't one moment when, as a reader, I felt any sympathy towards her. Here lies a missed opportunity to summon some real emotional turmoil. Max experienced the guilt, the resentment towards the situation. For a big part of the book he still thought of the life he would've had. But the reader is robbed of the opportunity of going through the same emotions, because we were never given the chance to like Philadelphia, we never entertained the thought that there was something worthwhile between her and Max. The relationship was doomed from the get-go. The "nicely wrapped up ending" was the cherry on top. The hero was absolved of his sins, so to speak. The mean girl became even meaner, the baby wasn't his, she cheated. Case closed. The bad witch banished, hero is free of guilt to live his happily ever after. I was DISAPPOINTED (hide spoiler)]
I did like Low Down's character. The transformation is subtle, but there is indeed a progress, a growth throughout the story. And, in the beginning, I was tempted to say she was a victim, the poor girl with a sob story. But she was such a great character, non-apologetic, owning her background and who she was, doing good for goodness' sake, genuinely not expecting anything in return. She wants a child of her own, someone to love unconditionally, someone who would love her like that in return. She didn't make any dreams of Max loving her, she accepted that Philadelphia had his heart, but she still fought to help him, to support him, even knowing all would come to an end eventually. She genuinely cared.
The great way her character was built only adds up to my disappointment at such a missed opportunity to truly make a remarkable antithesis between her and Philadelphia.
I wanted to rate this a 3, but the story was so engaging and it got me so curious, that I finished it in one sitting (without planning to do so, but I just couldn't stop). So, even though there are things that bugged me, I rounded up the rating to 4....more
A little bit (a fair amount) of instant love, a little bit of the fun dialogue that Julia Quinn is sooo good at, a sprinkling of the charmiRating: 3/5
A little bit (a fair amount) of instant love, a little bit of the fun dialogue that Julia Quinn is sooo good at, a sprinkling of the charming family dynamics that suck you right in aaaaand you get this book. Not very eventful, a bit dramatic at times (the whole revenge story seemed a bit thin to me to be honest, but oh well) and other times... weird (I'm talking about Hugh and the suicide threats he hangs over his father's head, which was so odd and not very plausible).
But overall it's okay, this book is like a cup of hot tea on a rainy day, in one word: cozy....more
I rounded up the rating because it didn't quite feel like a 2, the writing is too good for that rating. But this books fell flat to me, eRating: 2.5/5
I rounded up the rating because it didn't quite feel like a 2, the writing is too good for that rating. But this books fell flat to me, especially compared to the other two I've read from this author.
I can do with the oh so very slow pace, but the plot felt like it was going nowhere in the first half of the book, then it was messy and all over the place in the last quarter of the book. There were too many subplots and whatevers happening, it felt like they were fillers, something to occupy space on a page until the happily ever after. Or maybe it just wasn't my type of drama.
I also did not get what was so special about Suyin, maybe because the hype built around her was too great (both in the story's universe and in the crafting of the author). She was surprisingly (and maybe disappointingly) passive, using her time to sigh and pine after a man. And (view spoiler)[ of course she was a virgin, how could our hero get a woman that had been with a man before him, nevermind that she had been a concubine. Then there would be no more sparks and magic and tearing of barriers, and we can't have that, can we... (hide spoiler)]
It was interesting to see the character of Li Tao from another angle, I admit I wasn't a fan of him when he made an appearance. I just wish this story had hit differently, I wish I could've liked it. But I wasn't that invested in it, by the time I hit the 65% mark I didn't really care what happened to the characters anymore, I was just curious how it would end. I am guilty of skimming through that last few chapters just to see it to the end....more
This is a slow burn, a very slow burn. And I loved every minute of it.
The transformation of the characters as the story unfolds is gradual, Rating 4/5
This is a slow burn, a very slow burn. And I loved every minute of it.
The transformation of the characters as the story unfolds is gradual, and done in such a natural way. You see, bit by bit, what makes them tick, you see when doubt creeps in, when the struggle intensifies. And I didn't want to smack anyone over the head (sorta).
Two words: Bai Shen. You need him in your life.
Sure, you may see the solution/ending a mile away... but will the characters see it as well? Maybe a bit predictable but still keeps you hanging on, and how the story gets from A to B makes all the difference. Oh, I'm seriously getting addicted to Jeannie Lin's books....more
I went head-first with this one, didn't linger much on the reviews or summary. Aaaaaand I really, really like it. It had just enough romanRating: 4/5
I went head-first with this one, didn't linger much on the reviews or summary. Aaaaaand I really, really like it. It had just enough romance to keep me hooked, and enough story filling besides the romance-topping to keep things interesting. I'm not at all familiar with Chinese history and customs, so I can't be a harsh critic, but this book immersed me into the world it built, and I was all too happy to tag along on the adventures.
I appreciated that the dialogue was... normal. Sometimes in historical romances (that are not set in England), the dialogue is sometimes... awkward, or dry, or just plain... stiff. I don't know how to describe it. In this one, the author tried to convey attitudes rather than make it sound like an old kind of speech. And I appreciated that. It conveyed the use of dialects pretty well too.
The pace of the story felt alright to me, didn't feel like it was too slow, but maybe because I became very invested in the characters, so that worked for me. It gave the relationship time to develop in a way that felt natural, it was believable. There were doubts, there were moments of intense feeling, there were inner struggles, that didn't drown the reader into monologues might I add, and nothing felt like too little or too much.
The ending though... that left me wanting more. I mean, I suffered along with them, shed tears, felt anguish and desperation, all but walked the dusty roads along with them. I wanted MORE! I like the idea of that ending, but I wanted an epilogue, something, a glimpse to satisfy my craving for happily ever after, haha. I would've also liked a bit more background to the hero, I kinda got a general idea of where his homeland might be, but it felt a little too vague.
Do give this book a try. It was worth it for me and I will most certainly give the other books in the series a try....more
I would've enjoyed this more if it would've been given a little bit more depth, especially to the characters. I had a hard time buying inRating: 2.5/5
I would've enjoyed this more if it would've been given a little bit more depth, especially to the characters. I had a hard time buying into Hawk's feelings, given that he seemed to so easily disregard Louisa's own feelings and reputation. He intentionally ignored the aftermath of his actions, only to fulfil his own selfish agenda. He was not above using her, even after he had a suspicion he felt something for her. I did not like that at all.
(view spoiler)[ And don't get me started on Louisa's brother. He was a poor excuse of a human being, he basically compromised his own sister so that he had a better chance at scoring an heiress (even though in reality he didn't). Then he completely disappeared out of the story, not even a remote attempt at redemption. (hide spoiler)]
It's not a bad story, but the characters felt awkward at times, or dull... or plain dumb. All in all it's enjoyable, if you squint past the glaring flaws....more
I started this fully expecting to give it at least 4 stars, it seemed a bit different from the usual dragon-kin romances I've stumbled acRating: 3.5/5
I started this fully expecting to give it at least 4 stars, it seemed a bit different from the usual dragon-kin romances I've stumbled across, maybe because the writing style resembles historical romance genre.
It has an interesting premise, our damsel, Freyja, marching into the dragon's lair to get her ram back, planning to give the beast a piece of her mind. This certainly caught my attention. And the first third of the book delivered to my expectations, it indeed followed a different course and I was intrigued.
Aaaaaand then the instant attraction started sort of happening. Our heroine, allegedly hardened by tough times, seemed surprisingly soft and malleable once the right man turned his attention her way. Although I'm a bit disappointed Freyja fell for our guy's charm so fast, at least he wasn't an alpha jackass who stomped around, growling his way through conversations (well, not all the time). Rurik actually tried to understand her and be a gentleman, keyword tried. He is a beast, after all, and we can't hold him up to human standards, even if he's oh, so very old and wise.
The book as a whole is quite good, it sets a good start for the series, it isn't dumping information on your head, and gives just enough context to keep the story flowing. And it doesn't have cardboard secondary characters; this earned it brownie points from me, I like authors who take the time to flesh out the characters even though they're not in the spotlight.
I couldn't help comparing Freyja to Belle, and Rurik to the Beast (and obviously there's a Gaston thrown there in the mix). But there's enough going on to make this a story of its own, it's not a retelling of a classic fairytale.
All in all, not sorry I gave this a try. I might go on with the next books in the series, who knows....more
I think I've read this book some years ago, or parts of it. It's time I left a proper review for it.
I admit, everything that happens in thiRating: 4/5
I think I've read this book some years ago, or parts of it. It's time I left a proper review for it.
I admit, everything that happens in this book, the circumstances of it all, it's all so absurd and unbelievable. And I loved it. It was an adventure, a journey I was all too happy to come along on.
Sure, some things were rather... umm ridiculous? (view spoiler)[ Like Colin having to sleep with a woman at night otherwise he just cannot sleep. It was like a sneaky way of the author trying to excuse his debauchery and make us a bit more sympathetic. It didn't work. (hide spoiler)] But somehow the rake was lovable all by himself and his weird charm (view spoiler)[and the impulse of his to weave stories and lies every chance her got, every time he got cornered (hide spoiler)] dug itself a comfy, little nest in my heart.
I think Minerva is really relatable to some of us, the creatures that would rather ignore the world every now and then (or more like always) and just do our own thing. And all the while the world would sigh at how we're going to end up alone, how, if we were just a little bit more like this or that, someone would notice us and we'd get our happily ever after (dangling that probability over our heads like a carrot, hoping we'd hop in their desired direction).
I loved Minerva's unapologetic way of being, how she embraced her passions so fiercely and fought so hard for what she wanted. I loved that she was set to carve a place for herself, in spite of the world not bothering to acknowledge her, a nod to all the female scientists who pursued their passions in spite of the world not being ready to accept them as they were just yet. And I'd like to believe that there were men like Colin who tried to move mountains for their dreams.
And you know what else I liked? I liked that Colin wasn't infatuated and in awe of her at all times. I liked how they both saw the ridiculous side of each other, the side that would make one sigh wearily, the damaged side that would test one's patience... and they accepted each other wholly. More please.
So, yes, I quite enjoyed this book. What's not to love about a dashing rake, falling for the nerdy girl that will make an honest man out of him, hmm? :) It's the perfect book to take you away from worries and send you off on a journey, at the end of which you'll feel all sunshiny and fuzzy on the inside....more
I usually don't rate books I do not finish, because I'm trying to give the book an honest chance and give a rating for the whole thing, noRating: 1/5
I usually don't rate books I do not finish, because I'm trying to give the book an honest chance and give a rating for the whole thing, not for the first few chapters that failed for me. But, in this case, I'm making an exception.
If you've watched the Netflix series, then there's no need to read this book. Simple as that.
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It looks like the author got the movie script with the dialogue and then proceeded to fill in the gaps by describing the movie. That's it. Oh no, the writing isn't exactly bad (thought it feels a bit empty compared to the author's other writings), but everything is exactly as in the movie. Exactly. Even when a character puts emphasis on a certain word, or when they're cutting off mid-sentence, it's precisely as in the movie. Even the scenes end exactly where they ended in the movie, nothing from behind the curtains, not a breath or a blink more.
Usually a book gives more depth to the story, or there are scenes that don't make it to the movie adaptation, or maybe certain topics are treated differently. You basically get different experiences from the book and from the movie, even though they follow the same basic plotline. They have different flavors, if you will; one bears the mark of the author, the other of the director and the whole team that helps bring it to life on the screen.
In this case, the book gives you nothing more than the movie, nothing. There aren't any surprising bits that weren't on the screen, the inner ranting monologues of the characters don't offer you any additional insight. I personally found it hard to empathize with the anybody, I was too distracted by the movie soundtrack playing in my head as I read the same thing I had seen a few days before.
It's not a bad book per se, but I'm sooo disappointed by the lack of imagination and creativity. They published a book that is basically a transcript of a movie. Why bother publishing it at all?
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