SHA
3,5 stars.
I couldn't decide at first to rate this 3 or 4 stars but after considering I enjoyed the first half, I guess the book deserves 4 stars.
Reading the first half of the book, I was actually surprised I found it enjoyable since I didn't like Zapata's last two books. But then I got to “the big reveal” (which was lame) and then the book turned into the usual formulaic Zapata.
3.5 stars. Love the beginning but then the story kind of dragged and the end was a bit too crowded with too many characters.
I thought I had left a rant on this book but I guess it was all in my head. I was exhausted with all my inner rants and needed time to gather the energy to write them down. This series is a major letdown from the usual Penny Reid. I didn't really enjoy the first book but there were bright spots with Mona's wit making me chuckle time and again. The second book didn't even have Mona's wit to save it that I had a really hard time finishing the book. The book left me exhausted with all its blatant agenda with no rewarding romance development nor was it any fun that I have doubts the series is worth continuing. Even though it's rare for me to not finish a series.
I'm not sure the last book will be worth the money or the TIME.
DNF. What was I thinking?? The last Winston made me give up Penny Reid but since this book was technically before that one I was hoping this might turn out okay. NOT.
I decided to give this one a try months after this came out, even though SPACE was maddeningly disappointing. Read the first chapter and realized that I didn't remember how the previous one ended (which is why I went back and changed SPACE rating from 2 to 1). I also found out that I was (again) very annoyed with Penny Reid's style. This told me that my decision to give up on her was actually correct the first time.
I think I'm done with Penny Reid. I haven't been able to enjoy all her recent books and I couldn't even finish this one. Either her style changed or I just outgrew her tryingtoohardtobefunnyandsexy style.
NO, BIG NO.
I felt weird right from the beginning with characters appearing in sequences badly written you'd think you're watching a made-for-TV movie. It's as if the author was just pointing out what characters A, B, etc. were doing instead of telling a story.
If this is the way the author writes a suspense, she really should stick to romances.
The editing of this book is a mess. Add to that the messy plot and increasingly inconsistent characters and you will find this book is a disappointment in the series.
3.5 stars however I decided to rate this 4stars in order to increase the average rating since I think the book deserves better. I really enjoyed this book up until the H and h meet again in Brazil. The Napoleonic Wars being my favorite historical fiction era, I thoroughly enjoyed the historical aspects (which I rarely do in Harlequin historicals, the books' atmosphere mostly not much different from Contemporary romance). Unfortunately it seemed as if the editor found the unHarlequin characteristic unsatisfactory and ordered a pointless love scene and from then on ordered the author to focus more on the romance and leave off the history. This change felt very abrupt and could have been written more smoothly.
I read this book not knowing it was Christian romance. At first it didn't feel much different from my usual historical romance novels but then nearing the end the prayers suddenly came every several pages (at least it felt that way to me). It was as if the writer felt it was not religious-y enough so decided to crank up the prayers, which felt weird. Or maybe that's just the way these books go. Never read one before this and I don't think I will again.
3.5 stars. This book caters to fans of Sebastian-Evie and Kleypas spoil us with Challons galore every now and then I feel like this book's main objective is to please said fans above. New readers might find it a bit tedious to find the book focusing more on showing someone they do not know (Gabriel's family) than on Gabriel and Pandora. And Pandora was also a disappointment since in the previous books she was shown to be an independent-minded girl and her boardgame was referenced a lot that you expect to see it here. Instead it was merely used as a lead-in to a poor facsimile of the key plot in [b:Devil in Winter 114166 Devil in Winter (Wallflowers, #3) Lisa Kleypas http://images.gr-assets.com/books/1309220205s/114166.jpg 1823830], you can't help but feel it was forced as some sort of a homage. There was no part dedicated to describe how the boardgame venture was undertaken. The reader just gets told at the end of the book how successful Pandora's game was. I also found the character Nora Black pointless because Gabriel said the reason he had a married woman as a mistress was because she was the only one that can keep up with his "perversions". I had no idea what these perversions are since he didn't seem to be doing anything out of the ordinary with Pandora.I enjoyed this book for the appearances of Evie and Sebastian and their children but I could not identify with Pandora or Gabriel. On its own, the book feels just like a run-of-the-mill bodice ripper where a rake seduces an innocent. Also, you can't help feeling the book being used as a showcase for a whole new series of the Challons. Being Sebastian-Evie's fan I will surely be reading them though I'm worried the books will again be used merely as a peek to Sebastian and Evie's happily ever after and will not be able to stand on their own (assuming the books were actually written).
