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A review by cheesy_gordita_grack
Redeeming the Reclusive Earl by Virginia Heath
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Whew, this was fun! The plot sounds somewhat cliché upon first summarizing, but I loved it anyway: Max is a dark, brooding Earl bearing both literal and figurative scars from a traumatic event in his past. Effie is a supremely intelligent, "uncommonly pretty" spinster at age 29 (LMAOOOOOOOO). Will her brilliant mind and beautiful bosom soften this reclusive (yet gentle and charming) Earl? Yes!!!!!!!!!!!
What I liked: There was a lot of exposition surrounding the character's thoughts and feelings, which I appreciated. There's nothing I hate more than when I don't buy into why a character is behaving the way they do (or when I don't feel like a character is fully fleshed out enough). Here, I thought Max and Effie occasionally acted like total idiots, but at least I believed that they would act the way they did. A lot of care was put into believably building their relationship, and I giggled more than once at the situations they found themselves in.
The reason this loses a star for me: I often struggle reading romance because I can't stand when entire plotlines (or books!) are based on poor communication skills. There was a touch of that here. Effie and Max both have cause to be cautious and lacking in confidence (Effie being deemed "strange" by society's standards and Max being disfigured by a burn scar), but for REAL y'all, I can't count how many times both of them were like "I'm weird/ugly and no one could ever love me, so I'm SURE I'm misreading all these very clear, very romantic signals."
A concrete example of this (with minor spoilers): it's stressed to us over and over again that Effie is a literal genius. Towards the end of the book, Effie spends a few pages trying to figure out Max's intentions, and if he likes her, since he's been giving mixed signals. She touches on every possible explanation for this, barring the very obvious truth: that Max is holding back because he's horribly disfigured from being burned in a fire, and fears no one could ever love him (as proven by his former fiance straight up dumping him). Girl, if you're a genius, how did THAT possibility not cross your mind? When the man literally covers all the mirrors in his house with sheets and wears his hair in front of his face like a veil?
Yes, people in real life lack confidence, and yes, people in real life also suffer poor communication skills that affect their relationships. But for once, I'd like to read a romance novel where the central conflict doesn't revolve around the main characters' not communicating properly. If you know of any, hit me up.
Don't get me wrong, tho: loved this and it was SO MUCH FUN.
What I liked: There was a lot of exposition surrounding the character's thoughts and feelings, which I appreciated. There's nothing I hate more than when I don't buy into why a character is behaving the way they do (or when I don't feel like a character is fully fleshed out enough). Here, I thought Max and Effie occasionally acted like total idiots, but at least I believed that they would act the way they did. A lot of care was put into believably building their relationship, and I giggled more than once at the situations they found themselves in.
The reason this loses a star for me: I often struggle reading romance because I can't stand when entire plotlines (or books!) are based on poor communication skills. There was a touch of that here. Effie and Max both have cause to be cautious and lacking in confidence (Effie being deemed "strange" by society's standards and Max being disfigured by a burn scar), but for REAL y'all, I can't count how many times both of them were like "I'm weird/ugly and no one could ever love me, so I'm SURE I'm misreading all these very clear, very romantic signals."
A concrete example of this (with minor spoilers): it's stressed to us over and over again that Effie is a literal genius. Towards the end of the book, Effie spends a few pages trying to figure out Max's intentions, and if he likes her, since he's been giving mixed signals. She touches on every possible explanation for this, barring the very obvious truth: that Max is holding back because he's horribly disfigured from being burned in a fire, and fears no one could ever love him (as proven by his former fiance straight up dumping him). Girl, if you're a genius, how did THAT possibility not cross your mind? When the man literally covers all the mirrors in his house with sheets and wears his hair in front of his face like a veil?
Yes, people in real life lack confidence, and yes, people in real life also suffer poor communication skills that affect their relationships. But for once, I'd like to read a romance novel where the central conflict doesn't revolve around the main characters' not communicating properly. If you know of any, hit me up.
Don't get me wrong, tho: loved this and it was SO MUCH FUN.