It has been a very long time since I have updated my blog! This was mainly due to lack of time and energy between my work, home and other responsibilities. Plus, we have been running around finalizing the purchase of our new home! It has been a huge achievemnt for us leaving us with almost no time.. anyways.. will try to write more and update with photos of my new home soon!
Monday, June 20, 2011
Review: The Duke (Knight Miscellany #1)
Book Details:
Author: Gaelen Foley
Publisher: Ivy Books
Book Summary: Driven to uncover the truth about the mysterious death of his ladylove, the Duke of Hawkscliffe will go to any lengths to unmask a murderer. Even if it means jeopardizing his reputation by engaging in a scandalous affair with London's most provocative courtesan - the desirable but aloof Belinda Hamilton.
Bel has used her intelligence and wit to charm the city's titled gentlemen, while struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. She needs a protector, so she accepts Hawk's invitation to become his mistress in name only. He asks nothing of her body, but seeks her help in snaring the same man who shattered her virtue. Together they tempt the unforgiving wrath of society - until their risky charade turns into a dangerous attraction, and Bel must make a devastating decision that could ruin her last chance at love...
Review: The first instalment of the Knight Miscellany series, and my first read by Gaelen Foley. I got exactly what I expected out of the book, a nice textbook historical romance. Though it was a little different from the others out there in terms of the maturity of the characters. I did not find Robert, the Duke of Hawkscliffe or Belinda very immature and impractical or even impossible to imagine. It was a believable story (well other than the revenge part, but we can excuse that in the name of romance!) with believable characters. Belinda, is a proper miss who is the unfortunate target of an overzealous admirer, whereas the Duke is a good guy (a paragon really) with a strong white knight complex. They meet when she decides to become a courtesan and he decides to take her help in avenging his lady love. So smoothly does she go from being a naive little virgin to the most sought after courtesan with all their glamour and shine, that you almost feel like there was a Cinderella type fairy godmother who swished her wand and made all the bad (good actually in this case) thoughts go away. So a woman who is afraid of sex, almost invites it at every turn, strange... Anyways, as the story progresses, they fall in love and then he has to decide between honour and social standing or LOVE! Needless to say, he chooses love and they live happily ever after!
All in all it was a likeable story, but at times I found myself wondering what was so great about it to put it on many Best Historical Romance lists. The heroine was a little confused, she wants sex, she doesn’t want sex, she likes being a courtesan, she doesn’t like it... also, it was strange to see that she did not miss being respectable at all... she keeps going on about how liberating and empowering it is to become a courtesan, and then just gives it up. I liked the way that the author kept bringing colour to the times they were in by emphasising how people would be called names and judged immediately on their behaviour. It was interesting to know that society is still the same..
I rate it 3/5, mainly because it was like a historical version of Pretty Woman, one of my all time fav movies! What more do you want??
Rating: 3/5
Author: Gaelen Foley
Publisher: Ivy Books
Book Summary: Driven to uncover the truth about the mysterious death of his ladylove, the Duke of Hawkscliffe will go to any lengths to unmask a murderer. Even if it means jeopardizing his reputation by engaging in a scandalous affair with London's most provocative courtesan - the desirable but aloof Belinda Hamilton.
Bel has used her intelligence and wit to charm the city's titled gentlemen, while struggling to put the pieces of her life back together. She needs a protector, so she accepts Hawk's invitation to become his mistress in name only. He asks nothing of her body, but seeks her help in snaring the same man who shattered her virtue. Together they tempt the unforgiving wrath of society - until their risky charade turns into a dangerous attraction, and Bel must make a devastating decision that could ruin her last chance at love...
Review: The first instalment of the Knight Miscellany series, and my first read by Gaelen Foley. I got exactly what I expected out of the book, a nice textbook historical romance. Though it was a little different from the others out there in terms of the maturity of the characters. I did not find Robert, the Duke of Hawkscliffe or Belinda very immature and impractical or even impossible to imagine. It was a believable story (well other than the revenge part, but we can excuse that in the name of romance!) with believable characters. Belinda, is a proper miss who is the unfortunate target of an overzealous admirer, whereas the Duke is a good guy (a paragon really) with a strong white knight complex. They meet when she decides to become a courtesan and he decides to take her help in avenging his lady love. So smoothly does she go from being a naive little virgin to the most sought after courtesan with all their glamour and shine, that you almost feel like there was a Cinderella type fairy godmother who swished her wand and made all the bad (good actually in this case) thoughts go away. So a woman who is afraid of sex, almost invites it at every turn, strange... Anyways, as the story progresses, they fall in love and then he has to decide between honour and social standing or LOVE! Needless to say, he chooses love and they live happily ever after!
All in all it was a likeable story, but at times I found myself wondering what was so great about it to put it on many Best Historical Romance lists. The heroine was a little confused, she wants sex, she doesn’t want sex, she likes being a courtesan, she doesn’t like it... also, it was strange to see that she did not miss being respectable at all... she keeps going on about how liberating and empowering it is to become a courtesan, and then just gives it up. I liked the way that the author kept bringing colour to the times they were in by emphasising how people would be called names and judged immediately on their behaviour. It was interesting to know that society is still the same..
I rate it 3/5, mainly because it was like a historical version of Pretty Woman, one of my all time fav movies! What more do you want??
Rating: 3/5
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)