Review: What Happens in London (Bevelstoke#2)

Book Details:


Author: Julia Quinn
Publisher:Hachette Group

Book Description: Rumors and Gossip . . . The lifeblood of London

When Olivia Bevelstoke is told that her new neighbor may have killed his fiance, she doesn't believe it for a second, but, still, how can she help spying on him, just to be sure? So she stakes out a spot near her bedroom window, cleverly concealed by curtains, watches, and waits . . . and discovers a most intriguing man, who is definitely up to something.

Sir Harry Valentine works for the boring branch of the War Office, translating documents vital to national security. He's not a spy, but he's had all the training, and when a gorgeous blonde begins to watch him from her window, he is instantly suspicious. But just when he decides that she's nothing more than an annoyingly nosy debutante, he discovers that she might be engaged to a foreign prince, who might be plotting against England. And when Harry is roped into spying on Olivia, he discovers that he might be falling for her himself...

Book Review: It looks like my week to read light and fluffy romances. All tempted by the Royal Wedding tamasha, I was craving to read a historical romace, preferable one with a Prince :). So, I decided to read the second in the Bevelstoke Series. I had liked The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever and was waiting to read Olivia's story. I'm happy to say, Julia Quinn doesn't dissapoint. The story is absolutely delightful. The hero, Harry Valentine!! Olivia is a sassy miss, who also happens to be a great beauty.

I loved the potraying of Harry as a reluctant spy and the irony of Olivia spying on a spy! I also liked the fact that none of the characters were commitment phobic and scared of falling in love. Both of them readily declare their feelings for each other. I loved the character of Sebastian Grey and his love for the awful Ms. Butterworth book.. Also, I got my wish to read about a Price through Alexi, the Russian Price, who was awful in a very funny way.

All in all it is a great read and I can't wait to read the last installment of the series. I rate the book 4/5 for awesome dialogues and LOL moments. I would reccommend it to everyone. I read it as part of the 2011 E-Books Reading Challenge, 100+ Books a Year Challenge, the Historical Romance Challenge and Historical Fiction Challenge


Rating: 4/5

Review: Mr. Cavendish, I Presume

Book Details:






Author: Julia Quinn


Publisher: Harpercollins


Book Summary:


In this follow-up to "The Lost Duke of Wyndham," Thomas Cavendish's world is rocked by the arrival of a long-lost cousin, who may or may not be the true Duke of Wyndham. Original.


Amelia Willoughby has been engaged to the Duke of Wyndham for as long as she can remember. Literally. A mere six months old when the contracts were signed, she has spent the rest of her life waiting. And waiting. And waiting . . . for Thomas Cavendish, the oh-so-lofty duke, to "finally" get around to marrying her. But as she watches him from afar, she has a sneaking suspicion that he never thinks about her at all . . .


It's true. He doesn't. Thomas rather likes "having" a fiancée--all the better to keep the husband-hunters at bay--and he "does" intend to marry her . . . eventually. But just when he begins to realize that his bride might be something more than convenient, Thomas's world is rocked by the arrival of his long-lost cousin, who may or may not be the true Duke of Wyndham. And if Thomas is not the duke, then he's not engaged to Amelia. Which is the cruelest joke of all, because this arrogant and illustrious duke has made the mistake of falling in love . . . with his own fiancée


Review: This is the second book of the Duke of Wyndhams series and it is narrated from the point of view of Thomas, the first (original) duke of Wyndham. In my previous review, I had said that I was looking forward to reading this one. Well, it didn’t quite meet my expectations. I usually like to have a gap between reading books in series and I must say that I am thankful I did that for this one. If I had read it back to back, I would have found it terribly boring. The problem with the book is that it is just a different perspective to the same story, it does not take the story forward. It feels nice to have one or two same scenes explained from another perspective, not a whole book! It is like reading a book after you have seen the movie, you already know everything!


The hero does not live up to the promise of the last book, in the first book he seemed mysterious and interesting but, in this one he seems bland and slightly boring. For a Duke, he does not seem very powerful or interesting. The story suffers from a microscopic vision as it focuses only on one aspect, more importantly, one week or so in the life of the characters. This does not really bring the characters to life. Amelia, the heroine is shown to have transformed from a girl who does what she is told, to one who discovers that she also has an opinion. But, why now? What was she doing all these years? Also, Thomas is very predictable, the poor little rich boy, who had everything, but was missing the most important thing, freedom! Well dude, or should I say duke, who stopped you from doing exactly as you pleased??


All in all it was OK. Read it if like me you feel that you cannot leave a series halfway.


I rate it 3/5, mainly because in essence I ended up reading practically the entire book again. I read this as a part of my 100 e-books Challenge, Historical Romance Challenge, Historical Fiction Challenge and 100+ Books in a Year Challenge. 


Rating: 3/5

Book Review: The Lost Duke of Wyndham

Book Summary:
Highwayman Jack Audley has never wanted to be responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of others. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. If his birth proves to be legitimate, Jack will find himself with the one title he has never wanted: Duke of Wyndham. Original.


Jack Audley has been a highwayman.


A soldier. And he has "always" been a rogue. What he is not, and never wanted to be, is a peer of the realm, responsible for an ancient heritage and the livelihood of hundreds. But when he is recognized as the long-lost son of the House of Wyndham, his carefree life is over. And if his birth proves to be legitimate, then he will find himself with the one title he never wanted: Duke of Wyndham.
Grace Eversleigh has spent the last five years toiling as the companion to the dowager Duchess of Wyndham. It is a thankless job, with very little break from the routine… until Jack Audley lands in her life, all rakish smiles and debonair charm. He is not a man who takes no for an answer, and when she is in his arms, she's not a woman who wants to say no. But if he is the true duke, then he is the one man she can never have…


Review: This book is the first part of a two part series and is paired with Mr. Cavendish, I Presume… The book starts off with on an interesting note, with the hero, retired soldier-turned highwayman, Jack Audley, trying to rob the dowager Duchess of Wyndham and her companion Grace Eversleigh. However, what follows is a little fantastic (even for a historical romance). The dowager recognizes Jack as her long-lost grandson at first encounter itself, simply by observing his charm and seeing the top half of his face (the bottom half is covered by a mask). She gives him a ring which belonged to his father as proof. Of course Jack recognizes the ring, and of course, he is the true Duke (it IS a romance after all!). The duchess then goes on to kidnap him the next day (easily) and brings him to her castle to restore him to his rightful position as the Duke of Wyndham, displacing the current Duke, Thomas, who she dislikes for some reason (though I don't know why, he seems perfect!). In the midst of all this, there is that instant attraction between him and the heroine Grace Eversleigh.


Grace is shown as a calm and collected woman, who is in control of her emotions. The author has gone so far with the character that the heroine comes across as spineless, timid and uninteresting. She takes a lot of nonsense from the Duchess to whom she feels indebted to for rescuing her from an unpleasant situation with her cousin. She is also torn between her loyalty to Thomas and her growing attraction to Jack. There is a friendship between her and Thomas and at one point I had hopes that the story will take a twist with Grace or Thomas acting on the attraction... But, sadly the author stuck to her formula and led the heroine unerringly to Jack.


Whereas this is all standard fare, what sets this story apart from other Julia Quinn books (most of which I thoroughly enjoy) is that the hero is not very convincing. Despite his protestations, he just goes along with the dowager's plans. The heroine is like one in a Bollywood movie, perpetually confused… she loves Jack but can't decide if she wants him to be a Duke or not...The most interesting character of the novel turns out to be Thomas. He displays true Hero quality and steps down when Jack's legitimacy is proven and also his relationship with his long-term fiancée Amelia is intriguing.


The book has the expected Julia Quinn charm and humor, but doesn't have that LOL quality exhibited by her previous books. There are times of great humor but, most of Jack's dealings with the dowager, though sometimes funny, often fall flat. It would be great if she had also come back with some snappy reply. But, that would not do as she is portrayed of the bitchy grandmom (à la Lalita Pawar) who has lost her sense of humor. It almost seemed as if the author had drawn up a list of qualities for each of her character and has not allowed them to stray from the script. The characters (except Thomas) almost feel one-dimensional, either black or white, with very little room for grey... I would have loved some wickedness in the novel, with some characters actually behaving out of character. Alas, that does not happen…


The novel ends predictably with Jack, despite his lack of skills, becomes the Duke, and is hugely successful at it. Grace, doing credit to her name, visits the bitchy dowager, even though she doesn't have to... And they live happily ever after…


All in all a good read, but not memorable. I rate this one as 3 as I enjoyed reading it and am definitely looking forward to reading the second part of the series, Mr. Cavendish, I Presume… I can't wait to see what happens to Thomas!


Rating: 3/5
I read this as a part of my 100 e-books Challenge, Historical Romance Challenge, 1^st in a Series Challenge, Historical Fiction Challenge and 100+ Books in a Year Challenge (Almost all of them! Good choice!).