This post was originally published at Novelicious.com and is now at WritingTipsOasis.com. WritingTipsOasis.com acquired Novelicious.com in June 2022.
Reviewed by Susan Lobban
Lady Sarah Pleinsworth is not a timid female typical of the 1800s and Hugh Prentice has no time for dramatics so, right from the start, they are no match made in heaven.
Sarah has not forgiven Hugh for the duel that nearly destroyed her family. Hugh ruined his leg in the process, but this holds no weight with Sarah, especially as she feels his personality is not much better. When they are forced to spend a week together, they soon discover that first impressions are not always correct. One kiss leads to another and soon they begin to lose count!
He thinks she’s an annoying know it all and she thinks he’s just plain mad, but how long will that last?
This is Julia Quinn’s third novel in the Smythe-Smith Quartet. I am new to this series and author so, as ever, I am intrigued to see if it matters that I have not read any of the previous books. Similarly, historical romance is not a genre that I have ever read before, but I will try anything once. Unfortunately, after reading this, I think once is enough!
I started reading with an open mind, but I did not engage with the story however much I read. There was an awful lot of dialogue without much going on. The storyline clearly does follow on from the previous books and, as such, this made me lose interest. Sarah was a hard to love heroine, who did little to redeem herself. I did like the fact that Hugh was not your typical romantic lead, rather a mathematician with a gammy leg, but surely he could do better than Sarah? All the other characters faded into the background and were not memorable and added little to the overall story.
I have no doubt that fans of this quartet will be eager to see how the characters progress, but they held little appeal for me. I was looking forward to losing myself in the romance of the 18th century, but the over the top caricature characters did not endear themselves.4/10
Julia Quinn's Website