Another Georgian masquerading as a Regency - for the most part, this could be a Regency, except for the references to lace cuffs and high heeled shoes (for the men!)
The Parfit Knight by Juliet Blyth
(1986, Georgian) 10/26/07
Grade: 3.5
Since a childhood accident, Rosalind has lived in the country, her routine making it easier to deal with her blindness. It’s only when the Marquis of Amberley is stranded on her doorstep that she realizes what she’s been missing, and decides to join her brother in London. But will secrets in Amberley’s past keep them apart?
There were a lot of good things about this book. The characters were well written, and the scenes in the country show the attraction between Amberley and Rosalind. But once the action moves to London, the book becomes crowded with characters and side plots. The secondary characters are interesting, but it takes away from the central love story, which is pushed off to the side for a large part of the book. And the “misunderstanding” between the hero and heroine goes on for too long, and keeps them apart during much of the second half. I enjoyed the book, but it didn’t reach the heights that it could have, if the author had followed through.
I found it hard to grade this book, because I read it in fits and starts over a period of a couple of weeks. Maybe I would have liked it more if I'd read it straight through - but if it had been a better book, I probably would have found the time to keep reading.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Monday, October 22, 2007
Not Quite Up To Par
I consider Cheryl St. John a buried treasure, and I'm always surprised she's not a more popular writer. Although I don't have any of her books as keepers, she's one of the most reliable romance writers today - even when she's not at the top of her game, her books are still worth reading. I can't say that about many other authors (even Mary Balogh has written some books I couldn't finish!).
Land of Dreams by Cheryl St. John
(1995, Western) 10/20/07
Grade: 3.5
Booker has come to Nebraska looking for his orphaned niece, who was taken in by spinster Thea. Little Zoe needs a mother, so Booker hires Thea as a housekeeper, and quickly realizes he’d rather have her as a wife. But Thea finds it hard to believe that anyone could love a tall, red-headed, older spinster like her.
Unfortunately, not one of Cheryl St. John’s best books. (It’s one of her earliest ones, and it shows.) Although the characters are well written (as always!), the relationship between Booker and Thea founders in the second half, in the wake of the “big misunderstanding”. The kids are cute (especially the hostile, abused teenager Luke) but this book just doesn’t have St. John’s usual flair and emotional appeal. Good, but not great.
I'm glad I have several more St. John books in my TBR pile - hopefully they'll be more satisfying than this one.
Land of Dreams by Cheryl St. John
(1995, Western) 10/20/07
Grade: 3.5
Booker has come to Nebraska looking for his orphaned niece, who was taken in by spinster Thea. Little Zoe needs a mother, so Booker hires Thea as a housekeeper, and quickly realizes he’d rather have her as a wife. But Thea finds it hard to believe that anyone could love a tall, red-headed, older spinster like her.
Unfortunately, not one of Cheryl St. John’s best books. (It’s one of her earliest ones, and it shows.) Although the characters are well written (as always!), the relationship between Booker and Thea founders in the second half, in the wake of the “big misunderstanding”. The kids are cute (especially the hostile, abused teenager Luke) but this book just doesn’t have St. John’s usual flair and emotional appeal. Good, but not great.
I'm glad I have several more St. John books in my TBR pile - hopefully they'll be more satisfying than this one.
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Blah Series Books
I haven't been reading a lot lately - between moving and catching up on the new TV season (I love Reaper!), I haven't had much time. Now that I've unpacked my books, hopefully I'll get back to reading a little more.
But here are two older series books that I read in between unpacking boxes, both kind of blah, unfortunately.
A Chance of Rainbows by Anne McAllister
(1985, Contemporary Series) 9/4/07
Grade: 3
After seven months of marriage, Lainie is frustrated by her husband’s silences - until she comes home one night to find he’s moved out! Griff thinks the problem is Lainie’s demanding job as a marriage counselor, but is the real problem his memories of a turbulent childhood?
Surprisingly dull. I really wanted to like this book, because I usually enjoy “marriage in trouble” stories, but this one just didn’t do much for me. The characters were likeable, but the problems between them just didn’t seem that difficult to overcome. There were some interesting aspects of the book - I liked Lainie’s job as a marriage counselor, and I’ve never read about a hero who was an umpire, but the book just seemed predictable from the first page. Some authors can make a tried-and-true story come alive, but this one just fell flat.
Body and Soul by Janice Kaiser
(1990, Contemporary Series) 10/6/07
Grade:3
Derek Gordon has escaped to a remote cottage, to work on his book and escape the turmoil at home. His wife is in a nursing home, and his relationship with his stepson is unraveling. Despite his situation, he is immediately drawn to poet Lara Serenov, but knows he must stay away. But when her ex won’t take “No” for an answer, they are forced together.
Although the situation between Derek and Lara was poignant (and handled very sensitively), the book lacked something. One problem was the “instant attraction” between Derek and Lara. It seemed like the author put them together, said “they’re attracted” and then never really grew their relationship beyond that. Also, the situation with Lara’s ex-husband, seemed contrived, a way to get the hero and heroine together. But mostly, the book was just dull - I can’t explain exactly why, but despite the potentially heartrending situation, it just left me cold.
I have a large backlog of old series books, but I know that reading them is kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack - there are some great series reads, but there are a lot more that are just blah. But still, they're quick and easy to read, so I keep trying...
But here are two older series books that I read in between unpacking boxes, both kind of blah, unfortunately.
A Chance of Rainbows by Anne McAllister
(1985, Contemporary Series) 9/4/07
Grade: 3
After seven months of marriage, Lainie is frustrated by her husband’s silences - until she comes home one night to find he’s moved out! Griff thinks the problem is Lainie’s demanding job as a marriage counselor, but is the real problem his memories of a turbulent childhood?
Surprisingly dull. I really wanted to like this book, because I usually enjoy “marriage in trouble” stories, but this one just didn’t do much for me. The characters were likeable, but the problems between them just didn’t seem that difficult to overcome. There were some interesting aspects of the book - I liked Lainie’s job as a marriage counselor, and I’ve never read about a hero who was an umpire, but the book just seemed predictable from the first page. Some authors can make a tried-and-true story come alive, but this one just fell flat.
Body and Soul by Janice Kaiser
(1990, Contemporary Series) 10/6/07
Grade:3
Derek Gordon has escaped to a remote cottage, to work on his book and escape the turmoil at home. His wife is in a nursing home, and his relationship with his stepson is unraveling. Despite his situation, he is immediately drawn to poet Lara Serenov, but knows he must stay away. But when her ex won’t take “No” for an answer, they are forced together.
Although the situation between Derek and Lara was poignant (and handled very sensitively), the book lacked something. One problem was the “instant attraction” between Derek and Lara. It seemed like the author put them together, said “they’re attracted” and then never really grew their relationship beyond that. Also, the situation with Lara’s ex-husband, seemed contrived, a way to get the hero and heroine together. But mostly, the book was just dull - I can’t explain exactly why, but despite the potentially heartrending situation, it just left me cold.
I have a large backlog of old series books, but I know that reading them is kind of like looking for a needle in a haystack - there are some great series reads, but there are a lot more that are just blah. But still, they're quick and easy to read, so I keep trying...
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