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alysonhere's review
4.0
I wanted a book that featured someone from the past time traveling to the modern day. This hit the spot for that. Romance was a bit cringe and dated in places, but fine overall.
lelo_vicks's review
5.0
Read this book for the first time when I was 13. Reading it again nearly 13 years after and it is just as amazing as it was on the first read. I read the author’s notes this time and I was super impressed. There are amazing writers and there is Jude Deveraux
palomien's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book overall, it felt like a very nice fairytale. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships, and how the events went. (I also read/listened to at least half of the book while being in park by medieval castle so that definitely helped with the atmosphere!)
I also really liked how the book ended, it was logical and bittersweet, and with hope for the future. I'm proud of the development Dougless made as a person, of the confidence and self-worth she gained through all the adventures.
The only thing that bothered me is doubts regarding any historical accuracy. My recent increased interest in history of how people lived and especially historical clothing has detrimental effect on my ability to truly enjoy historical books.
[start of historical rant] In the afterword the author tells how she carried out extensive research and I would be very interested in seeing that as my existing knowledge and some very quick research suggests that things were not as bad (hygiene, infant/toddler care etc). And corsets! Oh, poor corsets! Instead of completely erasing them from the history (as most of historical romances do) this goes down the good old path of describing it as torture device when in most cases they were made individually for a person and quite comfortable, and not squeezing all organs and reducing ability to breathe. Not mentioning that steel boning was not used until mid-19th century, and I cannot imagine any aristocracy using corset with protruding rusted steel through the fabric... [end of rant]
I also really liked how the book ended, it was logical and bittersweet, and with hope for the future. I'm proud of the development Dougless made as a person, of the confidence and self-worth she gained through all the adventures.
The only thing that bothered me is doubts regarding any historical accuracy. My recent increased interest in history of how people lived and especially historical clothing has detrimental effect on my ability to truly enjoy historical books.
[start of historical rant] In the afterword the author tells how she carried out extensive research and I would be very interested in seeing that as my existing knowledge and some very quick research suggests that things were not as bad (hygiene, infant/toddler care etc). And corsets! Oh, poor corsets! Instead of completely erasing them from the history (as most of historical romances do) this goes down the good old path of describing it as torture device when in most cases they were made individually for a person and quite comfortable, and not squeezing all organs and reducing ability to breathe. Not mentioning that steel boning was not used until mid-19th century, and I cannot imagine any aristocracy using corset with protruding rusted steel through the fabric... [end of rant]
brendalovesbooks's review
2.0
I really liked this when I read it a long time ago (almost 20 years). Either it hasn't aged well, or I'm just a completely different person than I was back then. I thought Dougless (the main character) was so obnoxious. All she did was cry and talk about how things were different in regards to women, all the while letting men treat her like garbage. I don't care if she had a bit of growth near the end, when for pretty much the entire book I couldn't stand her.
And Nicholas is a piece of work. When he comes to the future, he is so sad that he is only remembered for his womanizing ways, when that's exactly who he is!!! And there was also a lot of hand waving instead of explaining how any of this was really happening. Needless to say, I won't be re-reading this in the future, and I'll probably be steering clear of romance novels in general because they're not my thing.
Original 5 star review:
This book is about a man and woman whose lives get intertwined even though they live centuries apart. I really liked the parts of the book that took place in the middle ages. This is one of my favorite books by Jude Deveraux.
And Nicholas is a piece of work. When he comes to the future, he is so sad that he is only remembered for his womanizing ways, when that's exactly who he is!!! And there was also a lot of hand waving instead of explaining how any of this was really happening. Needless to say, I won't be re-reading this in the future, and I'll probably be steering clear of romance novels in general because they're not my thing.
Original 5 star review:
This book is about a man and woman whose lives get intertwined even though they live centuries apart. I really liked the parts of the book that took place in the middle ages. This is one of my favorite books by Jude Deveraux.
bookfortbuilder's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The heroine is a doormat for a good portion of the book. At least to everyone else except the hero.
crabat_the_queen's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Holy moly, oh god, I am still crying and I finished it a couple of minutes ago.
blessedwannab's review
3.0
It was a fun romance. love, jealousy, comedy... not alot of substance but that's normal for a romance. It was exactly what I needed after reading the Gone series.