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Showing posts with label Anne Gracie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anne Gracie. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Review: The Autumn Bride by Anne Gracie
The Autumn Bride
Author: Anne Gracie
Release Date: Feb. 5, 2013
Publisher: Berkley
Chance Sisters #1
ISBN: #978-0425259252
Genre: Historical Romance
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher/ NetGalley
About the book:
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Governess Abigail Chantry will do anything to save her sister and two dearest friends from destitution, even if it means breaking into an empty mansion in the hope of finding something to sell. Instead of treasures, though, she finds the owner, Lady Beatrice Davenham, bedridden and neglected. Appalled, Abby rousts Lady Beatrice's predatory servants and—with Lady Beatrice's eager cooperation—the four young ladies become her “nieces,” neatly eliminating the threat of disaster for all concerned!
It's the perfect situation, until Lady Beatrice’s dashing and arrogant nephew, Max, Lord Davenham, returns from the Orient—and discovers an impostor running his household…
A romantic entanglement was never the plan for these stubborn, passionate opponents—but falling in love may be as inevitable as the falling of autumn leaves...
What Ang is talking about:
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What I love about an Anne Gracie novel is her understanding that strong, well written characters and complex plot lines are just as enjoyable in a romance novel as they are in other fiction. She delivers both in The Autumn Bride. All too often I feel like authors of romance novels dumb down the storyline and rely too much on the sex to sell the book. Gracie understands that a well placed, well written kiss or a heated look can do as much, if not more than all the heaving bosoms on the planet to get your attention, build the romance of the story and strengthen the relationship between the characters. And she does a wonderful job of illustrating this in The Autumn Bride. The tension between Abby and Max is felt from the moment they meet and continues through the entire storyline adding beautifully to the sweet ending.
Another thing I throughly enjoyed about this book were the characters. All of them, main and secondary were colorful, fun, engaging and wonderfully written. Aunt Bea is so well written she almost steals the story in a few places, and the sisters add an element of sweetness and loyalty to the novel that strengthens the themes woven throughout. While Featherby, William and Freddy add unexpected flavor and color. I loved them all and am excited to read the upcoming stories of the other sisters.
I had only a couple minor complaints which brought the overall rating down. First, I felt like the scene in Bath was out of character for Abby. Despite her trust of Max, I felt like her previous experience would have kept her from "anticipating her vows," but I couldn't complain about the way the scene was written.
Second, I felt like the ending was hurried. We had so many interesting insights into Abby and Max throughout the novel that at the end I felt like we were just thrown into the country, anticipating a wedding without getting to see the prep work and the enjoyment that Abby would have received during the process. This disappointed me. I wanted to experience that journey with her.
Despite the above issues I found this novel to be a quick paced, page turner that was funny, insightful and explored beautifully the theme of home and how often times we find our place in the most unlikely circumstances with the most unexpected people. It was a perfect introductory novel for this series, and for the first time in a VERY long time I find myself looking forward to the adventures, mishaps, journeys and self discovery that will take place as the other novels in the series come out. I've not doubt that the Chance Sisters and Anne Gracie will continue to deliver.
Ang’s Rating:
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Loved it - enthusiastically recommend (A)
Purchase Info:
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Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Review: Bride By Mistake
Bride By Mistake
Author: Anne Gracie
Release Date: Jan. 3, 2012
Publisher: Berkley Sensation
The Devil Riders #5
ISBN: #978-0425245798
Genre: Regency, Historical Romance
Format(s): Paperback (320 pgs), e-book
Book Source: Publisher
About the book:
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Eight years ago, Lieutenant Luke Ripton made a hasty wartime marriage-in-name-only to protect a young girl from a forced union and left her protected in a remote mountain convent. Now, Luke is Lord Ripton, but he has been unable to obtain an annulment. Which leaves him no choice but to collect a wife he doesn’t want.
For nearly a decade, Isabella has waited like a princess locked in a tower, dreaming of her handsome, dark-eyed prince. Her dreams are shattered when Luke reveals himself not as a prince, but an autocratic soldier, expecting her unquestioning obedience, which is something Isabella’s fiercely independent nature will not tolerate.
And while Luke and Isabella’s fiery personalities clash at every turn, they remain bound to their vows, ever expecting that the passionate fury they share could become passion of a different kind…
What Nima’s talking about:
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When I saw the title of Anne Gracie’s Bride By Mistake, I have to admit that my first thought was of Deeanne Gist’s 2005 novel, A Bride Most Begrudging. Gist’s book is very loosely based on Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew.” Bride By Mistake does deal with issues of respect, obedience, and submissiveness, but bears no other resemblance to the earlier novel.
The Devil Riders series follows four of five best friends, Gabe, Harry, Rafe, Michael, and Luke, labeled in school as, “Wellington’s Angels or his Devil Riders, depending on who you talk to.” Bride by Mistake is the fifth installment and follows the last hold-out, the most haunted by his experience during England’s war with France. This is Luke’s story of recovery, redemption, and true love. The action in Luke’s story takes place almost exclusively in Spain with virtually no interaction between him and his friends back in England so it stands alone very nicely if you haven’t read the previous books.
Gracie’s novel splits the narration, vocal and internal, between Lieutenant, newly titled Lord, Luke Ripton and Spanish heiress Isabella Mercedes Sanchez y Vaillant Ripton. Luke begins the book as a haunted bad boy, suffering from post traumatic stress disorder, with the secret heart of a gentleman--always duty-bound to do the right thing and protect the innocent. You just want to spank him, send him to bed…and then join him. Isabella has a fiery Spanish temper, but is duty-bound to her own priorities as well. Sparks fly between them when the pair’s priorities are in completely different directions and on opposing time-tables. They must consciously choose to split up, or come together and make it work.
I sat down “just to start” the Regency period historical romance and was over 100 pages in before I came out of my “book trance.” The movie played completely effortlessly in my head in full color with casting, costuming, and sets. (U.S. soccer player Carlos Bocanegra would do exceptionally well as Lord Ripton and wouldn’t you just love to see him in formalwear?) The action is quick paced and moves you quickly along, including the love scenes which are not crudely explicit or drawn out. Instead the story opts to focus on building the emotional intimacy between Luke and Bella. Likewise, the focus on relationships in the book pushes out most of what another author might have expanded into intense action scenes. Instead, Bride By Accident reads, very happily, like an Andrew Davies screenplay. There are tense moments, but very little bloodshed.
Luke’s change of complete disinterest in Bella to lusty attraction happened, perhaps, a little too quickly for me. Then again, lust tends to strike much quicker than love and respect. Those come with time and observation which the couple has in spades when Bella takes off after her father’s jewels and Luke’s sense of honor compels him to follow.
I also have to take some minor points off for a couple of unnecessary repetitions and a personal pet peeve, secret-keeping. I believe in foreshadowing. I believe in the right of characters to keep their own secrets. I have an issue with characters who tell us they have a secret and then hold it back solely for the sake of controlled story pacing. It’s a practice that feels forced to me, not a natural flow of the plot.
Overall, the book was an excellent read. There is a certain novel satisfaction in having a couple start the book already married. We know they’re supposed to be together, not just hope it. Bella makes the declaration, “Luke, however it happened, mistake or not, I made sacred vows to love you and honor you and I promise you I will never ever break them.” Awwww…. *contented sigh* With that security, watching their love build and grow is a delight, not a predictable or boring premise at all as it might have been in the hands of a less skilled author.
Nima’s Rating:
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Enjoyed - strongly recommend (A-)
Purchase Info:
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