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A review by ccgwalt
The Admiral's Penniless Bride by Carla Kelly
4.0
3.5 rounded up for goodreads.
Carla Kelly's writing is fun to get lost in, which is saying something since I rarely read historical romances. She has an easy, flowing style that drew me in and held my interest. Her writing has a light touch, including enough detail without getting wordy and the right amount of dry humor in her characters. Charles and Sophie weren't perfect in form or character, but were warm and believable.
What holds this book back from being great is a weak plot. The outlines of a conflict are there, but most of the book concerns itself with events that illuminate the characters of our hero and heroine, but don't advance the plot in any significant way. The first third of the book deals with them meeting (which is marvelous) and the last third deals with the conflict (which is emotional and well-written). In the middle third we get somewhat disjointed, albeit interesting, vignettes involving neighbors, servants, and memoirs.
I'll definitely be searching for more books by this author based on the strength of her writing and her characters.
Carla Kelly's writing is fun to get lost in, which is saying something since I rarely read historical romances. She has an easy, flowing style that drew me in and held my interest. Her writing has a light touch, including enough detail without getting wordy and the right amount of dry humor in her characters. Charles and Sophie weren't perfect in form or character, but were warm and believable.
What holds this book back from being great is a weak plot. The outlines of a conflict are there, but most of the book concerns itself with events that illuminate the characters of our hero and heroine, but don't advance the plot in any significant way. The first third of the book deals with them meeting (which is marvelous) and the last third deals with the conflict (which is emotional and well-written). In the middle third we get somewhat disjointed, albeit interesting, vignettes involving neighbors, servants, and memoirs.
I'll definitely be searching for more books by this author based on the strength of her writing and her characters.