kgullo's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
haewilya's review against another edition
3.0
It was okay. I liked the plot even with the supernatural elements (currently, I'm not in the mood for paranormal stuff). I like Anais, the heroine. I like Geoff, the hero. And I like the other characters. Well, maybe except for Lady Anisha. She rubs me the wrong way. The ending, for the mystery(?), is expected. Same with the romance. In the end, I was hooked more by the secret society than the romance.
taisie22's review against another edition
3.0
Anais de Rohan has been trained to become a member of a secret paranormal society. After some to-do (the members don't permit females to enter), she is teamed up with Geoff, Lord Bessett, to go to Brussels to rescue a child who has paranormal abilities. Of course, the two have a sexual attraction, but Anais is sure that she is going to marry a Tuscan prince based on a Tarot reading done by her grandmother. So Geoff is Mr. Right-for-now and the two fall into bed while trying to complete their mission.
Liz Carlyle is kind of hit or miss with me and unfortunately, this book was a miss. Anais was kind of bratty and Geoff was a bit of a stiff. I could have gotten past that if they had grown together more, but this was another romance that seemed based strictly on the sex and not much else.
Liz Carlyle is kind of hit or miss with me and unfortunately, this book was a miss. Anais was kind of bratty and Geoff was a bit of a stiff. I could have gotten past that if they had grown together more, but this was another romance that seemed based strictly on the sex and not much else.
ssejig's review against another edition
3.0
Anais de Rohan has been trained to be a part of the St. James Society, one of the Guardians. But she's a woman. And this is a problem for most of the membership. Lord Bessett, Geoff, isn't sure. he's got a feeling about Anais. Lots of them actually. But he's not sure if the feelings are because she has power or because she's hitting all of the right vibes. We're told over and over that she's not pretty. She's not ugly but not drop-dead-gorgeous either. Her great-grandmother predicted great things for her so she was sent away to train.
The St. James Society needs a woman. There's a little girl who's in danger and they need someone to go pose as a married couple so they can save her.
Not enough development of the little girl and I wish that we had heard more about Anais' family and her training. But I was able to read it in one sitting. So, an okay book.
The St. James Society needs a woman. There's a little girl who's in danger and they need someone to go pose as a married couple so they can save her.
Not enough development of the little girl and I wish that we had heard more about Anais' family and her training. But I was able to read it in one sitting. So, an okay book.
turophile's review against another edition
3.0
When I searched for this book, Goodreads asked if I really meant the Bride wore Chocolate. Now that's a book I could love. This one, my feelings are mixed. The rating should really be a 3.5.
It's a book that I wanted to love more than I did. I wish I could better identify why, but the relationship between the two main characters never rang true from me. I know in 99.9% of romance novels there will be a happy ending with the two main characters pledging their undying love. But in the middle I still want to feel like there's a real conflict. In this book, the end never felt in doubt for me. These two characters clearly had the hots for each other and the heroine's concern that he was committed to someone else did not seem like enough of a barrier.
There were a few other things that drove me crazy. This is the second book in this series and I did not read the first. I thought it took too many chapters to feel grounded in the story. It also seemed that several characters made random appearances in the story simply to set them up for a sequel.
The author has clearly done a lot of research into this era as was evidenced by the level of detail with respect to clothing, dialogue, and other aspects of the story. Yet the story seemed to swing between "I swallowed a Victorian dictionary" and modern, boring language. For example, the first sentence starts with a description of a "dark, old-fashioned house." This is Victorian times. What does old-fashioned mean?
And since I appear to be on a rant - why do so many romance novelists use the word "coltish" when describing the heroine's legs? Seriously, why would you want a woman whose legs are like a young, uncastrated horse?
At times I like the detail and language, at other times I thought it was a tad bit overwritten. "the sky wisped with a fog that twined like languid cats about the bare masts of the ships." I'll buy a beer for the first person to explain to me what that even means.
I'm going to stop now because I may be starting to sound mean (and as a Minnesotan, generally we don't like to do that.) This book did not work for me. It will work for some readers. Readers who enjoy paranormal elements more than I do (did I mention the heroine and hero have the undefined "Gift") and who enjoy flowery detailed language. I can't condemn the book, but it's just not my thing.
It's a book that I wanted to love more than I did. I wish I could better identify why, but the relationship between the two main characters never rang true from me. I know in 99.9% of romance novels there will be a happy ending with the two main characters pledging their undying love. But in the middle I still want to feel like there's a real conflict. In this book, the end never felt in doubt for me. These two characters clearly had the hots for each other and the heroine's concern that he was committed to someone else did not seem like enough of a barrier.
There were a few other things that drove me crazy. This is the second book in this series and I did not read the first. I thought it took too many chapters to feel grounded in the story. It also seemed that several characters made random appearances in the story simply to set them up for a sequel.
The author has clearly done a lot of research into this era as was evidenced by the level of detail with respect to clothing, dialogue, and other aspects of the story. Yet the story seemed to swing between "I swallowed a Victorian dictionary" and modern, boring language. For example, the first sentence starts with a description of a "dark, old-fashioned house." This is Victorian times. What does old-fashioned mean?
And since I appear to be on a rant - why do so many romance novelists use the word "coltish" when describing the heroine's legs? Seriously, why would you want a woman whose legs are like a young, uncastrated horse?
At times I like the detail and language, at other times I thought it was a tad bit overwritten. "the sky wisped with a fog that twined like languid cats about the bare masts of the ships." I'll buy a beer for the first person to explain to me what that even means.
I'm going to stop now because I may be starting to sound mean (and as a Minnesotan, generally we don't like to do that.) This book did not work for me. It will work for some readers. Readers who enjoy paranormal elements more than I do (did I mention the heroine and hero have the undefined "Gift") and who enjoy flowery detailed language. I can't condemn the book, but it's just not my thing.
prgchrqltma's review against another edition
4.0
Characters: Both trained guardians.
World Building: Brussels. Fencing.
Plot: Child rescue. Continuing story arc.
Sex: Medium to hot.
Read another: Yes.
World Building: Brussels. Fencing.
Plot: Child rescue. Continuing story arc.
Sex: Medium to hot.
Read another: Yes.
erinnaissance's review against another edition
5.0
I picked up this book because I quite liked the story of the heroine’s parents in a previous book; No True Gentleman. Although her parents are barely mentioned in this book, I was delighted with the character Anais and how she was no wilting wallflower. She was strong willed, brave and capable.I also found the theme of mystical arts intriguing. Overall, the book was a refreshing change from reading historical romance books that were beginning to feel cookie cutter-esque.
I am still giving the book five stars but I do wish the author would have spared including plot development for St. James Society members who get their own books and instead caught the reader up on Anais’s parents’ love match, her foster brother Nate and maybe her twin Armand.
I am still giving the book five stars but I do wish the author would have spared including plot development for St. James Society members who get their own books and instead caught the reader up on Anais’s parents’ love match, her foster brother Nate and maybe her twin Armand.
barbifowler's review against another edition
3.0
The female protagonists in this series have all been quite interesting and not at all like most 19th century female protagonists that I've read. I liked Anaïs; she was nice and feisty. But Besset was decidedly meh and the plot felt a little flat to me. But overall, the novel is a fun light read.
cleocleveland's review against another edition
3.0
3/5*s really. I really liked Geoff and Anais and once they got on the road to Brussels I enjoyed their story. I have to admit to being confused by some of the cast of characters in the beginning. I did read the first in the series but it was a little while ago. I'm usually pretty good at recalling characters once reintroduced but some of these left me perplexed. I remembered the couple from the first book but not really any one else from the FAC. Names kept being thrown out as though I should know who they are and I found that a bit frustrating. That's why my enjoyment picked up once Geoff and Anais were separated from the others.
I loved Anais as a heroine. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. Anyone who is really into the naive, innocent historical miss probably will not like her. She's strong in character, physically well trained and intent on her goal. At the same time, she's not just trying to make a point about women joining the group. She's been brought up by her family to feel it is her destiny to join. Geoff is probably a bit less of a well formed character. But again, he is the offspring of a couple from a previous Carlyle book so I felt like his backstory was sketched in but that I may know more if I had read that book.
I like Carlyle's way with a story and I've enjoyed the couples in the books I've read but I've also felt like there's backstory that I'm missing. I know that a lot of her books feature intertwining families and I'm beginning to feel like I should go back to the beginning to read them in order to see the full picture.
I loved Anais as a heroine. She knows what she wants and she goes for it. Anyone who is really into the naive, innocent historical miss probably will not like her. She's strong in character, physically well trained and intent on her goal. At the same time, she's not just trying to make a point about women joining the group. She's been brought up by her family to feel it is her destiny to join. Geoff is probably a bit less of a well formed character. But again, he is the offspring of a couple from a previous Carlyle book so I felt like his backstory was sketched in but that I may know more if I had read that book.
I like Carlyle's way with a story and I've enjoyed the couples in the books I've read but I've also felt like there's backstory that I'm missing. I know that a lot of her books feature intertwining families and I'm beginning to feel like I should go back to the beginning to read them in order to see the full picture.
rissahoo's review
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0