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suzsbooks's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
bookselle's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
mamap's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed it. Fit well in the genre.
She is a master of disguises currently acting as a make French Chef in order to get closer to those she blames for her father's death. An attempt on "Prinny's" life puts different events in motion.
It's not a sweet book, it has adult themes, but no smut.
Lots of chocolate recipe's, but alas - I am not fond of cooking or baking.
She is a master of disguises currently acting as a make French Chef in order to get closer to those she blames for her father's death. An attempt on "Prinny's" life puts different events in motion.
It's not a sweet book, it has adult themes, but no smut.
Lots of chocolate recipe's, but alas - I am not fond of cooking or baking.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
3.0
There was nothing particularly surprising or unexpected about this book, but it was pleasant enough.
antithesis90's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
milkteajeon's review against another edition
3.0
was kind of worried the characters were going to be really similar to wrexford & sloane based on the synopsis (or the other way round since this was published first lol) but they're quite different. the recipes at the start of every chapter had me itching to bake lol.
momopeach's review against another edition
5.0
While sometimes chocolate can be overpoweringly sweet Penrose has found the perfect blend to create a decadent confection of words. While I will say that the character development leading up to the end is a bit veiled I never felt as if the characters were being forced. I have already started the second in this series by now and look forward to what new intrigue lies in the bottom of my chocolate cup.
tita_noir's review against another edition
3.0
Overall a pleasant intro to a new mystery series. I think people who like Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily series will like it. Reminiscent of that series, except I think Alexander is the better writer.
The political intrigue in this book is very much evident, which I usually adore. However, I found myself impatient at points in the story. I think the shenanigans the villains were up too and all the betrayals and counter betrayals felt a tick over-plotted.
I also think the dialogue came off as too clever for itself. There were too many occasions when every person spoke in heavy-handed metaphor. Especially food metaphors.
I also thought the author did too much telling and not enough showing with Arianna's character. She grew up in the West Indies with her father, a disgraced Earl, in exile and they were poor. She tells Saybrook often that she had to fend for herself or that she'd "been to hell and back" or she "has no heart" and lots of other oblique references to a hard background. The problem for me is that it all came off as sounding somewhat unconvincing, like she was just mouthing the words. Arianna would throw out some bit of dialogue about how hard she's had it and that would be it. However, the book was curiously absent of anything that described in detail exactly what Arianna's life was like or exactly what she did growing up since she was 14.
Over-plotting and prosaic dialogue aside, the book's strength is in the characters of Arianna and Saybrook. Their interaction alone rescued the story and kept me reading.
The political intrigue in this book is very much evident, which I usually adore. However, I found myself impatient at points in the story. I think the shenanigans the villains were up too and all the betrayals and counter betrayals felt a tick over-plotted.
I also think the dialogue came off as too clever for itself. There were too many occasions when every person spoke in heavy-handed metaphor. Especially food metaphors.
I also thought the author did too much telling and not enough showing with Arianna's character. She grew up in the West Indies with her father, a disgraced Earl, in exile and they were poor. She tells Saybrook often that she had to fend for herself or that she'd "been to hell and back" or she "has no heart" and lots of other oblique references to a hard background. The problem for me is that it all came off as sounding somewhat unconvincing, like she was just mouthing the words. Arianna would throw out some bit of dialogue about how hard she's had it and that would be it. However, the book was curiously absent of anything that described in detail exactly what Arianna's life was like or exactly what she did growing up since she was 14.
Over-plotting and prosaic dialogue aside, the book's strength is in the characters of Arianna and Saybrook. Their interaction alone rescued the story and kept me reading.