island_reader's review
3.0
There were parts of this book I really liked and parts that I didn't. It took me awhile to warm up to the characters, and longer to get used to the constant having to stop reading to look up a word or phrase I've never heard of in modern times. That's always been my biggest concern when reading historicals; that I wouldn't understand what the hell was being talked about. It was infuriating having to stop reading at least five times a page to look something up! Thank god for wiki!
All of the previous complaint led to super slow pacing for me. Honestly, it was kind of a snooze fest at times. Especially with the redundancy. This book is a lesson in beating dead horses. We learn one thing, then have to character head hop at least a dozen times to see what everyone else thinks of that one little thing. Not to mention the author intrusion points… as if I didn't have enough pov's already.
Despite that though, I completely loved the writing. I was captivated with the adventure and the less prominent romance between Geoff and Shelby. Even when pulled from the story, it was very easy to slip back in without missing a beat. Ultimately, that fact is the reason for a higher rating and my enjoyment of the book. If not for the writing, I would have walked away in the beginning. I'd recommend it to someone who is more patient than I am and those who are more familiar with the dated language and words. But if you're new to historical fiction as I am then be warned, you'll need wiki and a dictionary on hand.
All of the previous complaint led to super slow pacing for me. Honestly, it was kind of a snooze fest at times. Especially with the redundancy. This book is a lesson in beating dead horses. We learn one thing, then have to character head hop at least a dozen times to see what everyone else thinks of that one little thing. Not to mention the author intrusion points… as if I didn't have enough pov's already.
Despite that though, I completely loved the writing. I was captivated with the adventure and the less prominent romance between Geoff and Shelby. Even when pulled from the story, it was very easy to slip back in without missing a beat. Ultimately, that fact is the reason for a higher rating and my enjoyment of the book. If not for the writing, I would have walked away in the beginning. I'd recommend it to someone who is more patient than I am and those who are more familiar with the dated language and words. But if you're new to historical fiction as I am then be warned, you'll need wiki and a dictionary on hand.
More...