Author: Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz)
Rating: ★★★
As I previously mentioned before, I have been thinking of also doing reviews of some of the historical romance/romance books I’ve been reading. Today, I finally have the chance to do so. No, it’s not the first romance book I’ve read for the year. It’s simply the book I finished yesterday and I have the chance to write about it today.
I have to say that I love Amanda Quick (Jayne Ann Krentz). I’ve enjoyed several of her other novels, but I must say that this book was quite a disappointment. Oh, I’ve enjoyed it, but after finishing the book, I just didn’t feel satisfied.
The story revolves around the cat-and-mouse game between Augusta Ballinger and Lord Harry Graystone. Augusta Ballinger is a bold, rash beauty coming from the reckless Northumberland Ballingers, as it was (painfully) frequently pointed out, while Lord Harry Graystone is said to be in the market for a new, virtuous, perfect wife.
Graystone, despite himself, finds Augusta attractive, funny, and desirable. Of course, Augusta likes him because he’s handsome. Nevertheless, when Graystone finally decides to have her become his wife and sneakily gets her uncle’s approval, Augusta cannot believe it. Well, after all, she’s almost the anti-thesis to everything Graystone supposedly wants.
Even before their marriage, Augusta finds herself in love with Graystone and of course, like almost every other historical romance book, Graystone doesn’t realize he loves her, too, because he doesn’t believe in love.
The two have peaceful days and passionate nights, but crisis strucks when Graystone finds out that Augusta’s late brother, rumored to be an English traitor, has a poem that could possibly lead to Graystone’s discovery of his late arch rival when he was still a secret agent during the war against Napoleon.
Anyway, the plot is good, but it felt like every other book just the same. Furthermore, the point of Augusta being a Northumberland Ballinger did not have to be pointed out about twenty times throughout the book. It was just wearying to keep reading about it. Moreover, Augusta is this supposedly rash, but intelligent, female and she did not seem to be as such. It’s like when she was married to Graystone, her being an intelligent female went out the window. The characterization just felt a bit weak throughout the story, except for the establishment that Augusta is a Northumberland Ballinger.
I’m sure you can do better, Quick/Krentz.
