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bookloverchelle's review
4.0
Great start in a new series by Erin Knightley. Charity had a disastrous first season when her engagement ends. After facing a second season as the face of gossip she's very ready to retreat to Bath to encounter new faces and work on her music, her real passion. What she doesn't want it the cranky neighbor next door to trying hard to stop her from practicing. After receiving injuries during the war Hugh is hoping this time in Bath can be used to improve his health but the music from next door just makes his headaches worse. Even though he initially sought out Charity to silence her, once look at he realizes there's more to her than just her melodies. Desires both fuels them and drives them apart as they attempt to find the balance between Hugh's health problems and Charity's talent. Great first read in the series and I'm excited to continue!
tashas_books's review
3.0
2.5 stars
I didn't particularly like or dislike this. It was fine but nothing that stands out.
I didn't particularly like or dislike this. It was fine but nothing that stands out.
loverofromance's review
4.0
This review was originally posted on Addicted To Romance
I was recently introduced to this author, and I knew that I needed to give her a chance. So I picked up the first book in this Prelude To a Kiss series. And I had pretty low expectations for this one, mostly due to the fact that lately regency settings in historical romance has seemed a bit "bleh" to me. I have had a harder time getting involved in the setting. However Erin Knightley drew me into this one. I grew to really like this story and the beginning is what I found very compelling. The chemistry between the two main characters: was mind blogging. Now these two are a riot because there are a few misunderstands and hidden secrets. Our hero, is a war hero suffering from some brain and spine trauma. He gets intense headaches when exposed to certain sounds. Our lovely heroine, Charity is a lover of music and tends to really get into it. At first she finds Hugh to be quite annoying and boorish. But she finds an attraction to him, and at times she feels drawn to him in ways she can't explain. Even to her newest friends. The romance between these two is fresh and lighthearted. But still had some deep moments to bring balance to the story. Another plus was seeing the dynamics of the trio of friends here. Their friendship is instantaneous and engaging and it was so fun to see their interactions with each other. I am very eager for the second book.
[foogallery id="19942"]
I was recently introduced to this author, and I knew that I needed to give her a chance. So I picked up the first book in this Prelude To a Kiss series. And I had pretty low expectations for this one, mostly due to the fact that lately regency settings in historical romance has seemed a bit "bleh" to me. I have had a harder time getting involved in the setting. However Erin Knightley drew me into this one. I grew to really like this story and the beginning is what I found very compelling. The chemistry between the two main characters: was mind blogging. Now these two are a riot because there are a few misunderstands and hidden secrets. Our hero, is a war hero suffering from some brain and spine trauma. He gets intense headaches when exposed to certain sounds. Our lovely heroine, Charity is a lover of music and tends to really get into it. At first she finds Hugh to be quite annoying and boorish. But she finds an attraction to him, and at times she feels drawn to him in ways she can't explain. Even to her newest friends. The romance between these two is fresh and lighthearted. But still had some deep moments to bring balance to the story. Another plus was seeing the dynamics of the trio of friends here. Their friendship is instantaneous and engaging and it was so fun to see their interactions with each other. I am very eager for the second book.
[foogallery id="19942"]
una_macchia's review against another edition
2.0
I have mixed feelings about this one. I liked the hero rather more than the heroine for most of the book, because she's pretty immature and obnoxious at the start, and I felt like her character was kind of inconsistent. There are some really nice moments between them towards the end, but I thought their romantic feelings for each other began too early to really make sense -- they had barely interacted, so it seemed forced. "Love at first sight" type stories sometimes work for me, but it didn't seem right for these characters. There are some linguistic anachronisms and American phrases, but for the most part I liked the setting in Bath, the health treatments and the music festival.
It did bother me how the narrative treats a side character who grew up in the East Indies with her businessman father and has just recently arrived in England. There's a lot of talk about how "exotic" she is; it's not really negative or more racist than I would expect from early 1800s English people, but the point is belabored so much that it got on my nerves.
It did bother me how the narrative treats a side character who grew up in the East Indies with her businessman father and has just recently arrived in England. There's a lot of talk about how "exotic" she is; it's not really negative or more racist than I would expect from early 1800s English people, but the point is belabored so much that it got on my nerves.
caitwork's review
3.0
The Baron Next Door (Book 1) Starting off with Charity Effington, a very unconventional heroine and Baron Cagwith, a very wounded hero. I think the characters individual backstory could have been more in depth and in turn provide more spark to their romance. 3/5
mrsbooknerd's review against another edition
2.0
'The Baron Next Door' was the third Erin Knightley novel that I've read, and unfortunately I've had the same complaint about all of the books; Lovely read, but too nice.
Yes, everyone likes vanilla ice cream, but sometimes there needs to be a lump of cookie dough or a swirl of raspberry to liven it up. 'The Baron Next Door' had all the elements of a regency romance novel but no spark, no flair, nothing that made it distinctive. It was a nice regency romance, but nothing more. Compare this to one of, say, Julia Quinn's novels which sparkle and live and even years after reading them, you still thinking about the characters and their stories…
Hugh was a good hero. I liked Hugh. He was troubled but I think he was genuinely trying his best from about halfway through the novel. His character had developed and progressed. Though I may be biased because I like the heroes who are a Mr. Grumpy-gills.
Charity on the other hand was an empty headed fool. How many monologues did we read where she noted that he looked tense, or had purple marks beneath his eyes or looked tired. Yet never once did she even suspect that something was amiss. I also felt that Charity had no personality at all. May was the blunt, straight-talking one, Sophie the lovable chatterbox. Charity was blah. She was meh. She wasn't witty or blunt or rude or caring or overly intelligent etc. Charity loved music and beyond of that, she was lifeless.
The romance between Hugh and Charity was nowhere near developed enough. They went from hating each other to loving each other after one glance across a room. There was no steam, no crackle, no ignition. Their meetings were repetitive and their arguments the same. It all came down to the fact that neither would just up and say that they liked the other.
I feel that if less page time had been given to May and Sophie, and the set up for their novels, and more time given to developing Hugh and Charity's romance, I might have upped to a 3*.
The focus of the novel was supposed to be Hugh and Charity's relationship but I felt that the focus wavered too often. Charity wasn't vibrant enough to capture my attention and so I've rated as the novel being 'okay'.
Yes, everyone likes vanilla ice cream, but sometimes there needs to be a lump of cookie dough or a swirl of raspberry to liven it up. 'The Baron Next Door' had all the elements of a regency romance novel but no spark, no flair, nothing that made it distinctive. It was a nice regency romance, but nothing more. Compare this to one of, say, Julia Quinn's novels which sparkle and live and even years after reading them, you still thinking about the characters and their stories…
Hugh was a good hero. I liked Hugh. He was troubled but I think he was genuinely trying his best from about halfway through the novel. His character had developed and progressed. Though I may be biased because I like the heroes who are a Mr. Grumpy-gills.
Charity on the other hand was an empty headed fool. How many monologues did we read where she noted that he looked tense, or had purple marks beneath his eyes or looked tired. Yet never once did she even suspect that something was amiss. I also felt that Charity had no personality at all. May was the blunt, straight-talking one, Sophie the lovable chatterbox. Charity was blah. She was meh. She wasn't witty or blunt or rude or caring or overly intelligent etc. Charity loved music and beyond of that, she was lifeless.
The romance between Hugh and Charity was nowhere near developed enough. They went from hating each other to loving each other after one glance across a room. There was no steam, no crackle, no ignition. Their meetings were repetitive and their arguments the same. It all came down to the fact that neither would just up and say that they liked the other.
I feel that if less page time had been given to May and Sophie, and the set up for their novels, and more time given to developing Hugh and Charity's romance, I might have upped to a 3*.
The focus of the novel was supposed to be Hugh and Charity's relationship but I felt that the focus wavered too often. Charity wasn't vibrant enough to capture my attention and so I've rated as the novel being 'okay'.
amshofner's review
4.0
Not even the lack of sexy times can make me stop reading these books. I do love me a good love story. (But the lack of sexy times does make the kiss-anticipation that much sweeter. So, so sweet.)