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A review by writerish
Must Love Chainmail: A Time Travel Romance by Angela Quarles
3.0
3 out of 5 Stars
Overall, this book was a quick, entertaining read. I don't know much about Welsh history in the late 13th century, but I would imagine that it was relatively well-researched. The writing wasn't terrible. The characters were mostly bearable. The sex scenes were hot and had good build up - in fact, I would say that they were probably the best part of the book. This story centres around modern girl Katy Tolson, a micro-managing OCDish over-planner who somehow (I didn't read the first book in the series, so this part is a little fuzzy for me - it involves some sort of coin? Silver credit card-type thing?) finds herself in the year 1294 and quickly becomes acquainted with our male lead, Sir Robert Beucol, a half-Welsh, half-Norman knight who is trying to avenge the wrongs done by his father, a stain he has lived with almost his entire life.
What Works
- As previously mentioned, Quarles can write a good love scene
- The historical aspect is interesting and made me want to read more about the time period
- She doesn't shy away from the realities of the time, like the fact that, hey, everyone didn't really smell all that great
What Doesn't
- The time traveling logic (is this an oxymoron?) defies my understanding. Maybe because I didn't read the first book in the series.
- Too much weird flipping back and forth between somewhat "Olde English-y" speak and modern speak (I also find it weird that the hero thinks of her as "Kaytee" when her name is Katy - phonetically it's the same. Why is the spelling different??)
- The "dramatic breaks" between chapters and/or chapter breaks often fell flat
- The plot is clunky and nothing really flows in an elegant, seamless way
- Very predictable, although I'm not sure the author intended for it to NOT be predictable, with the way she set up the events of the novel from the beginning
- Inconsistencies within the script - for example, Katy's pink toenail polish and subsequent need to cover her feet is mentioned at the beginning and then never again, even when she receives a bath by a lady's maid later on in the novel
- Katy's inner dialogue, while not quite "Anastasia Steele" in its insufferability, is still incredibly annoying at times - what grown woman from the 21st century says things like "Jiminy Crickets!" or "Frickety Frick"?????
Final Thoughts
It's possible to enjoy this book as a quick, light, "empty calorie" read, but you will likely have to suspend your disbelief (and your appreciation for well-written, historically accurate novels with a well-characterized hero and heroine) in order to do so.
Overall, this book was a quick, entertaining read. I don't know much about Welsh history in the late 13th century, but I would imagine that it was relatively well-researched. The writing wasn't terrible. The characters were mostly bearable. The sex scenes were hot and had good build up - in fact, I would say that they were probably the best part of the book. This story centres around modern girl Katy Tolson, a micro-managing OCDish over-planner who somehow (I didn't read the first book in the series, so this part is a little fuzzy for me - it involves some sort of coin? Silver credit card-type thing?) finds herself in the year 1294 and quickly becomes acquainted with our male lead, Sir Robert Beucol, a half-Welsh, half-Norman knight who is trying to avenge the wrongs done by his father, a stain he has lived with almost his entire life.
What Works
- As previously mentioned, Quarles can write a good love scene
- The historical aspect is interesting and made me want to read more about the time period
- She doesn't shy away from the realities of the time, like the fact that, hey, everyone didn't really smell all that great
What Doesn't
- The time traveling logic (is this an oxymoron?) defies my understanding. Maybe because I didn't read the first book in the series.
- Too much weird flipping back and forth between somewhat "Olde English-y" speak and modern speak (I also find it weird that the hero thinks of her as "Kaytee" when her name is Katy - phonetically it's the same. Why is the spelling different??)
- The "dramatic breaks" between chapters and/or chapter breaks often fell flat
- The plot is clunky and nothing really flows in an elegant, seamless way
- Very predictable, although I'm not sure the author intended for it to NOT be predictable, with the way she set up the events of the novel from the beginning
- Inconsistencies within the script - for example, Katy's pink toenail polish and subsequent need to cover her feet is mentioned at the beginning and then never again, even when she receives a bath by a lady's maid later on in the novel
- Katy's inner dialogue, while not quite "Anastasia Steele" in its insufferability, is still incredibly annoying at times - what grown woman from the 21st century says things like "Jiminy Crickets!" or "Frickety Frick"?????
Final Thoughts
It's possible to enjoy this book as a quick, light, "empty calorie" read, but you will likely have to suspend your disbelief (and your appreciation for well-written, historically accurate novels with a well-characterized hero and heroine) in order to do so.