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The Splendid Trilogy #2
Dansa Tengah Malam = Dancing at Midnight
Lady Arabella Blydon, atau Belle, punya kecantikan sekaligus kecerdasan yang jarang dimiliki oleh wanita lain. Namun, ia merasa lelah menghadapi para pria yang mendekatinya selama ini karena mereka hanya memuja kecantikannya tanpa menghargai kecerdasannya, sehingga ia memutuskan untuk berlibur di pedesaan guna menenangkan diri.
Lord John Blackwood adalah seorang pahlawan perang yang memiliki masa lalu kelam, dan hal itu terus membuatnya dihantui perasaan bersalah sehingga ia merasa khawatir untuk menjalin hubungan dengan orang lain. Sampai ia bertemu dengan Belle yang memesona. Belle membuat John bersemangat hidup kembali dan melupakan masa lalunya. Di lain pihak, Belle telah terpikat pada John sejak pertama kali mereka bertemu karena John ternyata sangat menghargai kecerdasan seorang wanita. Akan tetapi, rasa sakit, ketakutan, dan masa lalu yang terus membayangi John membuatnya berpikir kalau ia tidak layak untuk mendapatkan Belle, apalagi ditambah dengan keadaan fisiknya yang tak sempurna.
Mampukah Belle membuat John membuka hatinya untuk mencintai lagi? Apakah ketulusan cinta Belle mampu menyembuhkan jiwa dan hati John yang telah tersiksa sejak lama?
Lord John Blackwood adalah seorang pahlawan perang yang memiliki masa lalu kelam, dan hal itu terus membuatnya dihantui perasaan bersalah sehingga ia merasa khawatir untuk menjalin hubungan dengan orang lain. Sampai ia bertemu dengan Belle yang memesona. Belle membuat John bersemangat hidup kembali dan melupakan masa lalunya. Di lain pihak, Belle telah terpikat pada John sejak pertama kali mereka bertemu karena John ternyata sangat menghargai kecerdasan seorang wanita. Akan tetapi, rasa sakit, ketakutan, dan masa lalu yang terus membayangi John membuatnya berpikir kalau ia tidak layak untuk mendapatkan Belle, apalagi ditambah dengan keadaan fisiknya yang tak sempurna.
Mampukah Belle membuat John membuka hatinya untuk mencintai lagi? Apakah ketulusan cinta Belle mampu menyembuhkan jiwa dan hati John yang telah tersiksa sejak lama?
436 pages, Paperback
First published December 1, 1995
952 people are currently reading
7763 people want to read
About the author
Julia Quinn
183 books45.6k followers#1 New York Times bestselling author Julia Quinn loves to dispel the myth that smart women don't read (or write) romance, and and if you watch reruns of the game show The Weakest Link you might just catch her winning the $79,000 jackpot. She displayed a decided lack of knowledge about baseball, country music, and plush toys, but she is proud to say that she aced all things British and literary, answered all of her history and geography questions correctly, and knew that there was a Da Vinci long before there was a code.
A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Ms. Quinn is one of only sixteen members of Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame. Her books have been translated into 32 languages, and she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bridgertons, her popular series of historical romance, is currently in production by Shondaland as a Netflix original series starring Julie Andrews, Phoebe Dynevor, and Rége-Jean Page.
A graduate of Harvard and Radcliffe Colleges, Ms. Quinn is one of only sixteen members of Romance Writers of America’s Hall of Fame. Her books have been translated into 32 languages, and she lives with her family in the Pacific Northwest.
The Bridgertons, her popular series of historical romance, is currently in production by Shondaland as a Netflix original series starring Julie Andrews, Phoebe Dynevor, and Rége-Jean Page.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,072 reviews
October 7, 2015
"Belle," he said flatly. "I don't want your love. I can't accept it."
"How dare you belittle me this way?"
His hand closed around her wrist. "You misunderstand me. It is because I value your love so highly that I do not accept it."
Time for another reimagined play. Settle down, folks.
Cast of Characters:
Lady Arabella Blydon (Bella): a lovely and (allegedly) brilliant young woman
Lord John Blackwood: a grumpy, self-flagellating war veteran
Khanh: self-explanatory
Act I:
*a blissful pastoral scene*
Bella: *sigh* Woe is me! WOE IS ME! I am the daughter of an earl, child of two doting parents, with a beloved older brother, a huge dowry, and an ancient and noble lineage. I'm also considered a bluestocking who loves to read and I have suitors from dukes to viscounts falling all over my feet. BUT IF ONLY I CAN FIND SOMEONE WHO REALLY UNDERSTANDS ME!!!!!!!!!!! ;_;
John: HEY! WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING ON MY LAND?! GET THE FUCK OUT!!!!!!! RAWR!!!!!!!!! RAAAAAAAAAAAAWR!
John: *snarls for good measure*
Bella: *___________________* OH MY GOD I'M IN LOVE
John: WHAT THE FUCK WOMAN? I'M NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR YOU. GO AWAY. STOP MAKING COW EYES AT ME
Bella: But ._. I LIKE YOU ._. :D :( ;) <3
John: IT DOESN'T MATTER. I DON'T WANT YOU. EVEN IF I DO. NOW GO AWAY. I MEAN IT,
Bella: *most definitely not going away* Ok *_* *sighs*
Khanh: *makes stabby motions at both*
Act II:
*A dark room with lots of dark curtains and candles, there might as well be thunderstorms outside and shit to make it look appropriately dark, too*
John: *engages in a soliloquy* I...I'm uncommonly attracted to her. Bella's beauty! Her wit! The way she makes me FEEL things I haven't felt since they almost sawed off my legs in the war! I can't contains my feels! MY FEEEEEEEEEELS! *shakes fist in despair*
John: But alas, it can never be. She is more noble than I am and we are not equal at all, although she is the daughter of an earl and I'm the son of an earl and even if I'm a noble war hero who's been granted a barony for my brave deeds. ALAS! My soul! *howls at the moon* MY SOUL IS DARK AND TAINTED FOR A MAN UNDER MY COMMAND DURING THE WAR RAPED A YOUNG WOMAN AND I DIDN'T PREVENT IT. THAT MEANS I AS WELL AS RAPED HER MYSELF! I AM UNWORTHY OF HER!!!!!!!! I'M A RAPIST! OR I MIGHT AS WELL BE ;_;
Bella: *peeks out from curtains* Hi! Want a scone? Let's go for a ride!!!
John: O_O Her persistance! Her charm! It is breaking all my defenses ;_; WHAT THE FUCK BITCH, GO AWAY. WHY DO YOU KEEP ON PURSUING ME!!!
Bella: WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! FINE I'LL GO AWAY DX
Khanh: *throws up her hands* FINALLY
Act III:
*London*
Bella: I'm going to forget that asshole. I'm going to forget him by doing everything I can to spread rumors to bring him after me. GIRL POWER! YEAH! I'm going to tell my friend to tell my other friend to tell my other friend that I'm about to get married and then surely he'll come after me and be my love!
Khanh: Are you kidding me?
*10 seconds later*
John: WHAT THE FUCK WOMAN, WHY U GETTIN MARRIED?
Bella: JOHN! I love you!
John: FINE! I love you too! But I have to tell you that I AM A RAPIST!
Bella: What? You?! NO!
John: YES! A woman got raped by someone else under my watch! You'll be marrying a rapist! And someone might be trying to kill me!
Bella: I DON'T CARE!
John: Let's get married right now
Bella: But...we don't have my family's approval. None of my friends know you. My brother is away at university. My parents are on vacation and god knows when they'll come back. We'll be wed by a drunken priest. I won't even have a decent gown. This won't be any girl's dream wedding.
John: DON'T CARE. MARRY ME NOW!
Bella: Yes, master!
Khanh: *grits teeth* Are you fucking kidding me right now?!
ACT IV:
*London again*
*bullet whizzes by*
John and Bella: WAAAAH!
John: Ok, Bella, this is dangerous. I want you to hide because this guy is wily and he'll surely go after you in order to get revenge on me.
Bella: BUT I CAN HELP YOU! I'm going to help you by going where I'm not supposed to go despite the fact that I'm defenseless. I can help you by talking to your enemy and telling him that I'm your wife. I'm going to help you by inserting you in wherever regardless of my safety!
John: ARE YOU BATSHIT CRAZY, WOMAN?
Bella: *waaaaaaaaaaaaails and runs away* I NEED TO BE ALONE RIGHT NOW SO I'M GOING TO TAKE MY MAID AND WANDER INTO A DARK PART OF TOWN BECAUSE OF MY DISTRESS
Khanh: ENOUGH! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU BEFORE THE BAD GUY DOES IT!!!!!!!!! STUPID IDIOT!!!! *pulls curtains to hide the carnage* THE END!!!!!!!!
March 30, 2017
I'm really, really sorry, but I found this book to be the ode to stupidity!
I was spoiled by other Ms. Quinn's books and I was expecting something like those, but I just wanted to yell, cry and pull out my hair while reading this book!
The story could have been interesting, the writing was good, but the actions of ALL characters were sooooo.... idiotic that it was over-the-top!
I was rolling my eyes so much that I was dizzy! They all had so many TSTL moments the it was not funny!
I could rant and rant and rant about it that this review would be as long as this book, so I'll just cut it short and say that loathed it and finish it here!
I was spoiled by other Ms. Quinn's books and I was expecting something like those, but I just wanted to yell, cry and pull out my hair while reading this book!
The story could have been interesting, the writing was good, but the actions of ALL characters were sooooo.... idiotic that it was over-the-top!
I was rolling my eyes so much that I was dizzy! They all had so many TSTL moments the it was not funny!
I could rant and rant and rant about it that this review would be as long as this book, so I'll just cut it short and say that loathed it and finish it here!
March 11, 2010
You know that Katy Perry song that has the line "You PMS like a chick that I know." That's the song that comes to mind when I think of the hero John in this book.
Not that he's a bad hero, but he gives a reader whiplash. He will go from relaxed and bantering with the heroine to yelling "You can never understand what I've done!" and crushing her into a kiss, then push her away in the space of ten seconds.
It's Julia Quinn's second book and it's nice to know that she improves. A lot of this book is actually very good. The dialog and bantering, Quinn's trademarks, are all present. It has a nice little mystery plot that plays out well. I even like the hero John very much, even though I think he has an undiagnosed case of rapid cycle bi-polar disorder.
The book starts out that John is a war hero that has recently come into a title. He has been traumatized by the war, and is guilt ridden by an event that he could have prevented if he had not been drunk that night. As a result a young girl was raped and killed. He feels undeserving of love.
Enter the heroine, who of course, gets him out of his shell. They fall in love and John's old nemesis during the war shows up to wreak havoc on the newly happy couple.
It's a light, sweet read. (well not the trauma parts but the rest) Not one of Julia Quinn's best but I don't consider it reading time wasted.
Not that he's a bad hero, but he gives a reader whiplash. He will go from relaxed and bantering with the heroine to yelling "You can never understand what I've done!" and crushing her into a kiss, then push her away in the space of ten seconds.
It's Julia Quinn's second book and it's nice to know that she improves. A lot of this book is actually very good. The dialog and bantering, Quinn's trademarks, are all present. It has a nice little mystery plot that plays out well. I even like the hero John very much, even though I think he has an undiagnosed case of rapid cycle bi-polar disorder.
The book starts out that John is a war hero that has recently come into a title. He has been traumatized by the war, and is guilt ridden by an event that he could have prevented if he had not been drunk that night. As a result a young girl was raped and killed. He feels undeserving of love.
Enter the heroine, who of course, gets him out of his shell. They fall in love and John's old nemesis during the war shows up to wreak havoc on the newly happy couple.
It's a light, sweet read. (well not the trauma parts but the rest) Not one of Julia Quinn's best but I don't consider it reading time wasted.
July 5, 2022
"My world has turned from black to white. Kissing in starlight, basking in sunlight, dancing at midnight."
°•*⁀➷
Find a man who writes you poetry as beautiful as this boy does for Bell. Even if it's only one time, I'm absolutely positive there will be more.
This has got to be one of my favorite Julia Quinn books. So comforting and beautiful and emotional. I love when the male character in romance thinks he's the "bad guy" and it takes the female character to show him that he's not. I mean.... Rhys and Edward? John took that trope and ran with it, I loved him from the very first moment I met him. And it only got better with every page I turned.
I feel like I'm never going to stop smiling over this book. Their jabs about poetry and their friendship... above all else, you could tell these two were friends before they were lovers. In the time period it's written in, I know that's more of an ideal of our time, but it's beautiful to see nonetheless.
And I know that Julia likes to slip some mystery into her books, but this one was done so perfectly. Just, exceptional story-telling. This really lived up to my shelf name for Julia's books. Such a fairytale for these two beautiful souls.
What a great book. Julia Quinn strikes again.
- Paige
°•*⁀➷
Find a man who writes you poetry as beautiful as this boy does for Bell. Even if it's only one time, I'm absolutely positive there will be more.
This has got to be one of my favorite Julia Quinn books. So comforting and beautiful and emotional. I love when the male character in romance thinks he's the "bad guy" and it takes the female character to show him that he's not. I mean.... Rhys and Edward? John took that trope and ran with it, I loved him from the very first moment I met him. And it only got better with every page I turned.
I feel like I'm never going to stop smiling over this book. Their jabs about poetry and their friendship... above all else, you could tell these two were friends before they were lovers. In the time period it's written in, I know that's more of an ideal of our time, but it's beautiful to see nonetheless.
And I know that Julia likes to slip some mystery into her books, but this one was done so perfectly. Just, exceptional story-telling. This really lived up to my shelf name for Julia's books. Such a fairytale for these two beautiful souls.
What a great book. Julia Quinn strikes again.
- Paige
April 23, 2017
This was the darkest Julia Quinn novel that I have ever read, and honestly, the worst too.
Pros
– Belle’s supportive family: I loved that Belle had a great support system in her family. It was clear how much they loved her.
– Seeing Emma and Alex again: They were the couple from the last book, and ughhhh they were cuter than ever.
– Persephone: She was the MVP. She seemed like just another old, friendly woman, who made occasional funny remarks. However, she was pretty badass, and she literally was saving everyone with her wisdom and badassery.
Cons
– Dark: While I do not prefer dark reads, I’m good with it if it’s executed well and if the inspiration and bright spots overshadow the dark, depressing areas. This read was certainly romantic and cute at times, but the sensitive, dark topic dimmed my enjoyment in what I thought was supposed to be a romantic and silly read. Perhaps it was wrong of me to presume that this would be a “lighter” read like all of the previous Julia Quinn’s books I have read, but this book was startlingly and contrastingly dark. It was such a surprise – and not a pleasant one. And while this book did explore the complexity of the emotions that revolved around rape, having it placed next to this “all-consuming, sweet romance,” with a female character who did not take it seriously enough for my mind… it was just not a good mix. Rape in any read would obviously make readers feel morose and sad and angry, and all sorts of conflicting emotions, but having it be a huge central point in this book, alongside the naïve, careless Belle and this “sweet” romance made this just... not good at all.
– What careless characters: The characters got annoying at times because of their careless actions. Belle, in particular, was exceedingly careless and naïve. She would say “I’m not a helpless, little girl,” and yet, she got dragged down an alleyway – and was literally about to be kidnapped, but fortunately, an old woman saved her. She followed John who was meeting a killer and rapist. Because she thought she could protect him in some way? Like, girl, you don’t even have a weapon, you’re wearing a fuckin’ dress. If you want to protect him, be at least smart about it, and bring a pistol. Otherwise, it would be better off not following because John would’ve worried for her safety. And after her fighting about him not including her on this, she ran out while a storm was coming and it was turning dark, with a young female servant. And she CHOSE to stay away from the crowded areas. And I’m like WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? Did we not just establish there was a killer/rapist on the loose – who wanted to murder her husband and kidnap her??? I just can’t. No weapon. No worry. No precaution. She treated this so flippantly that I was cringing so hard. I understood her intentions, but damn it, she needed to be smarter about this. And then, she promptly hit her head on a branch when she thought she saw him, and fainted, and ended up suffering from hypothermia and a fever – and I’m like, “And you said you were not helpless. Yeesh.”
Final Thoughts
I’m giving it 1.5 stars There were good components to it, but it got both annoying and predictable. This was dark and sometimes quite sweet, but in this case, the romance that resulted was not executed well. I hate the issue – the injustice of it all, and thus, I don’t like reading about it, but this book – especially being a fiction of a “cute-cheesy romance” variety just made me sad and frustrated, and all sorts of terribly conflicting emotions. I was dying for proper justice, especially for a fictional romance read. The characters also got annoying, and I started wishing for the book to end already. I was hugely disappointed, especially because I loved the 1st book of this trilogy. Ugh.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Is there a happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scene?
What age level would be appropriate?
------------
When a book starts off with 2 bookish people fangirling/fanboying about books - <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
And #Ishipit
Pros
– Belle’s supportive family: I loved that Belle had a great support system in her family. It was clear how much they loved her.
– Seeing Emma and Alex again: They were the couple from the last book, and ughhhh they were cuter than ever.
– Persephone: She was the MVP. She seemed like just another old, friendly woman, who made occasional funny remarks. However, she was pretty badass, and she literally was saving everyone with her wisdom and badassery.
Cons
– Dark: While I do not prefer dark reads, I’m good with it if it’s executed well and if the inspiration and bright spots overshadow the dark, depressing areas. This read was certainly romantic and cute at times, but the sensitive, dark topic dimmed my enjoyment in what I thought was supposed to be a romantic and silly read. Perhaps it was wrong of me to presume that this would be a “lighter” read like all of the previous Julia Quinn’s books I have read, but this book was startlingly and contrastingly dark. It was such a surprise – and not a pleasant one. And while this book did explore the complexity of the emotions that revolved around rape, having it placed next to this “all-consuming, sweet romance,” with a female character who did not take it seriously enough for my mind… it was just not a good mix. Rape in any read would obviously make readers feel morose and sad and angry, and all sorts of conflicting emotions, but having it be a huge central point in this book, alongside the naïve, careless Belle and this “sweet” romance made this just... not good at all.
– What careless characters: The characters got annoying at times because of their careless actions. Belle, in particular, was exceedingly careless and naïve. She would say “I’m not a helpless, little girl,” and yet, she got dragged down an alleyway – and was literally about to be kidnapped, but fortunately, an old woman saved her. She followed John who was meeting a killer and rapist. Because she thought she could protect him in some way? Like, girl, you don’t even have a weapon, you’re wearing a fuckin’ dress. If you want to protect him, be at least smart about it, and bring a pistol. Otherwise, it would be better off not following because John would’ve worried for her safety. And after her fighting about him not including her on this, she ran out while a storm was coming and it was turning dark, with a young female servant. And she CHOSE to stay away from the crowded areas. And I’m like WHAT ARE YOU DOING?? Did we not just establish there was a killer/rapist on the loose – who wanted to murder her husband and kidnap her??? I just can’t. No weapon. No worry. No precaution. She treated this so flippantly that I was cringing so hard. I understood her intentions, but damn it, she needed to be smarter about this. And then, she promptly hit her head on a branch when she thought she saw him, and fainted, and ended up suffering from hypothermia and a fever – and I’m like, “And you said you were not helpless. Yeesh.”
Final Thoughts
I’m giving it 1.5 stars There were good components to it, but it got both annoying and predictable. This was dark and sometimes quite sweet, but in this case, the romance that resulted was not executed well. I hate the issue – the injustice of it all, and thus, I don’t like reading about it, but this book – especially being a fiction of a “cute-cheesy romance” variety just made me sad and frustrated, and all sorts of terribly conflicting emotions. I was dying for proper justice, especially for a fictional romance read. The characters also got annoying, and I started wishing for the book to end already. I was hugely disappointed, especially because I loved the 1st book of this trilogy. Ugh.
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Is there a happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scene?
What age level would be appropriate?
------------
When a book starts off with 2 bookish people fangirling/fanboying about books - <3 <3 <3 <3 <3
And #Ishipit
February 21, 2021
3.5-4 stars! My favorite of the series. John is a wounded war hero, which means tortured, damaged hero! He does push the heroine away a bit too much for my liking but they were still so adorable together.
May 1, 2025
dnf @32% I originally picked this up for the ‘loner’ romance & war hero mmc but I don’t think I can get passed all flaws.
I don’t even know where to start with the on-page sexual assault (not fmc/mmc) and how it was used to justify mmc’s reluctance for romantic relationship ❌ Like hold the fuck up…John supposedly feels like a sexual predator because…he is consensually pursuing this FULL GROWN lady… unchaperoned.
The push & pull between the characters was done in such a crude way it was actually ridiculous *insert eyeroll* He would touch her but then immediately push her away or kiss her and then immediately say something mean 👀 Where is the finesse?? It was like they both had an ON/OFF switch that they turned every other chapter.
The narrator was so awful I already wanted to quit the book before the sexual assault trauma was introduced. She was doing an ’evil stepsister’ voice for the Arabella whenever she flirted with John. The tone of the narration was so off it completely changed the meaning of certain lines.
I don’t even know where to start with the on-page sexual assault (not fmc/mmc) and how it was used to justify mmc’s reluctance for romantic relationship ❌ Like hold the fuck up…John supposedly feels like a sexual predator because…he is consensually pursuing this FULL GROWN lady… unchaperoned.
The push & pull between the characters was done in such a crude way it was actually ridiculous *insert eyeroll* He would touch her but then immediately push her away or kiss her and then immediately say something mean 👀 Where is the finesse?? It was like they both had an ON/OFF switch that they turned every other chapter.
The narrator was so awful I already wanted to quit the book before the sexual assault trauma was introduced. She was doing an ’evil stepsister’ voice for the Arabella whenever she flirted with John. The tone of the narration was so off it completely changed the meaning of certain lines.
January 30, 2021
3 Lacklustre Stars
This started well and I was getting read to get cosy on the sofa but alas it wasn't the tantalising HR read I was hoping for.
Hero gave me whiplash with how his mood/actions changed.
Persephone as a secondary character I really liked.
Potential Trigger:
This started well and I was getting read to get cosy on the sofa but alas it wasn't the tantalising HR read I was hoping for.
Hero gave me whiplash with how his mood/actions changed.
Persephone as a secondary character I really liked.
Potential Trigger:
September 18, 2019
* 3.5 stars
The first book was better, but I enjoyed this one too.
I loved John, he was a good love interest for Belle. I liked their story, but John shouldn't have blamed himself so much for what Spencer did in the past.
The first book was better, but I enjoyed this one too.
I loved John, he was a good love interest for Belle. I liked their story, but John shouldn't have blamed himself so much for what Spencer did in the past.
August 24, 2025
2.5 stars
Instead of writing an entirely new review of this book, I decided to copy and paste my review for Julia Quinn’s first book, Splendid, with a few minor alterations. This is her second book but it has the same problems as the first, and I’m sorry I spent time reading it when I could have reread a later and much better work by this author.
This isn’t good, although it probably is pretty good for a second novel. Like the first book, it feels like an immature work: contrived and trite, with characters emotionally going from 0 to 60 without much motivation and even less sense, and causing the reader a mild case of whiplash. The hero waffles from seeking the heroine out to pushing her away because of weak Romance Reasons, the heroine is forward and witless, the grim and the whimsical don’t mix well, and other period details are slippery at best and wincingly wrong at worst.
There are some sections that showcase the lighthearted style that earmarks Julia Quinn’s later works, but too few and far between. Mostly this is a poise and panache-free zone.
Instead of writing an entirely new review of this book, I decided to copy and paste my review for Julia Quinn’s first book, Splendid, with a few minor alterations. This is her second book but it has the same problems as the first, and I’m sorry I spent time reading it when I could have reread a later and much better work by this author.
This isn’t good, although it probably is pretty good for a second novel. Like the first book, it feels like an immature work: contrived and trite, with characters emotionally going from 0 to 60 without much motivation and even less sense, and causing the reader a mild case of whiplash. The hero waffles from seeking the heroine out to pushing her away because of weak Romance Reasons, the heroine is forward and witless, the grim and the whimsical don’t mix well, and other period details are slippery at best and wincingly wrong at worst.
There are some sections that showcase the lighthearted style that earmarks Julia Quinn’s later works, but too few and far between. Mostly this is a poise and panache-free zone.
May 2, 2022
Belle está pasando unos días con su prima y su marido, los duques de Ashbourne, cuando se tropieza con su nuevo vecino: John Blackwood, veterano de la guerra contra Napoleón. Ella está acostumbrada a impresionar a los hombres con su belleza... y a espantarlos con su fuerte carácter, sin embargo, John se aleja de ella desde el primer momento, lo que hace que el interés de ella se despierte por completo. El conflicto dejó a John lesiones físicas, pero también una terrible herida en el espíritu, y Belle está dispuesta a hacer lo que sea para sanarlo.
Uf, sé que a algunas personas les está pensando que se están cansando de la autora y por eso ya no disfrutan tanto de sus historias, pero personalmente, después de lo muchísimo que me gustó el anterior, y lo emocionada que estaba por el estreno de la segunda temporada de los Bridgerton, no creo para nada que sea mi caso, simplemente, este libro ha sido... aburrido y soso.
Suena un poco fuerte, porque lo he leído rápido y está entretenido, como todos los de Julia, pero lo que más tenía que haberme emocionado, la historia de romance entre Belle y John no me ha convencido para nada, no acababa de ver cómo podían conectar, ni tampoco de dónde salía esa atracción, por no hablar de que sus conversaciones no me transmitían nada. Además, por culpa del trauma que tiene él, los ahora sí, ahora no que tiene... me cansaban bastante; no digo que no fueran justificados pero se me ha hecho muy cuesta arriba.
Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...
Uf, sé que a algunas personas les está pensando que se están cansando de la autora y por eso ya no disfrutan tanto de sus historias, pero personalmente, después de lo muchísimo que me gustó el anterior, y lo emocionada que estaba por el estreno de la segunda temporada de los Bridgerton, no creo para nada que sea mi caso, simplemente, este libro ha sido... aburrido y soso.
Suena un poco fuerte, porque lo he leído rápido y está entretenido, como todos los de Julia, pero lo que más tenía que haberme emocionado, la historia de romance entre Belle y John no me ha convencido para nada, no acababa de ver cómo podían conectar, ni tampoco de dónde salía esa atracción, por no hablar de que sus conversaciones no me transmitían nada. Además, por culpa del trauma que tiene él, los ahora sí, ahora no que tiene... me cansaban bastante; no digo que no fueran justificados pero se me ha hecho muy cuesta arriba.
Reseña completa: http://fiebrelectora.blogspot.com/202...
March 9, 2022
Este libro cayó en mis manos con el presentimiento de que no me gustaría, me estoy saturando con la autora. Y es que no sé si os pasa que cuando cogéis un libro con pocas expectativas al final os sorprende para bien, y ese ha sido mi caso. Como es costumbre en sus libros en esta ocasión aunque sea trilogía estamos hablando de una serie, lo que hace que cambiemos de protagonistas. Ahora contamos con Belle, la prima de Emma, una chica acostumbrada a llamar la atención por su belleza, las pedidas de mano le llueven, pero ella busca el amor. Un día leyendo tranquilamente en el campo aparece un hombre, él es John y enseguida entablan un vínculo. Me ha gustado su historia de amor, no es de esas que crean una tensión constante, aunque en muchas ocasiones las indecisiones de él me hayan sacado de mis casillas. He sentido entre ellos un mejor vínculo que el que me transmitía los personajes del primer libro. Además tengo que decir que la autora nos va creando una atmósfera de inquietud frente a algo que rodea a John, un peligro que le acecha, y que me tuvo intrigada toda la novela, aunque tengo que decir que era bastante predecible, pero bueno, me gustó aún así.
December 1, 2015
DNF. I just can't do it anymore. I read 161 of 255 pages. And that took several times to accomplish.
I like Julia Quinn, she's kinda cheesy, but usually in a cute way. This book is excessively cheesy and beyond melodramatic.
John, the hero, he is whiny, whiny, mopey, woe is me. He has the worst case if PMS ever. He was wounded during the war, now has a limp, but was made an earl & owns a house. Yet he can't get over something that happened during the war, even though in no way was it his fault - really, it's basically like he's blaming himself for it having snowed, that's how much it's not his fault. He uses this as his excuse to not be with Belle.
Belle as the heroine is fine, I liked her, mostly, she's sappy, too. But why she kept talking to that mope fest known as John is beyond me.
Second biggest fault in this book: no plot problem, John's "issue" is such a nonissue that it makes the book pointless. I just can't do it any longer. I've seen better plots in cartoons.
I like Julia Quinn, she's kinda cheesy, but usually in a cute way. This book is excessively cheesy and beyond melodramatic.
John, the hero, he is whiny, whiny, mopey, woe is me. He has the worst case if PMS ever. He was wounded during the war, now has a limp, but was made an earl & owns a house. Yet he can't get over something that happened during the war, even though in no way was it his fault - really, it's basically like he's blaming himself for it having snowed, that's how much it's not his fault. He uses this as his excuse to not be with Belle.
Belle as the heroine is fine, I liked her, mostly, she's sappy, too. But why she kept talking to that mope fest known as John is beyond me.
Second biggest fault in this book: no plot problem, John's "issue" is such a nonissue that it makes the book pointless. I just can't do it any longer. I've seen better plots in cartoons.
Read
October 11, 2021Yüzde 60-70'lik kısım klasik Quinn temalıydı. Orta tempoda keyifle okuyorsunuz. İki geri bir ileri git geller, eğlenceli diyaloglar, sağa sola dağıtılan merak unsurları felan. Ama son yüzde 30'luk kısım baydı beni. Nasıl saçma tripler, olaylar... Sonu anlamlandıramadım bile. John'un peşinde ki adam yakalandı ama sonra ne oldu? Çift eve döndü ama, eeeee🤷🏻♀️ Cıks... Son sahnelerde çok göz devirdim.
Belle, Emma ve Alex ile kaldığı dönem, bazen kibar bazen agresif ama kesinlikle kalp çarptıran John ile tanışır. Bir kontun yedinci oğlu olarak ünvan beklentisi olmasa da askerdeki başarılarından dolayı Baronluk alır. Biraz birikim yapar, ev-mal-mülk edinir. Ve bu mülk asker arkadaşı Alex'e çok yakındır. Belle ile tanışmaları da kaçınılmazdır. O ilk anda başı döner ama mutluluğu asla haketmediğini düşündüğü için ondan uzaklaşır. Bir yere kadar...
John ve askerde yaşadığı acı durum ve üzerinde ki ağır psikolojiyi anlıyorum. Ama bir süre sonra bunu dillendirme şekli bende bunaltıya sebep oldu. İlk etapta empati kurabilirken sonraları adamı silkeleyip aş bunları demek istedim. Şimdi o durumun bu durumla alakası ne diye beynimde deli sorular dolandı 🤭
Birde şeye sinir oluyorum. Sadece bu kitaba özel değil. Diyelim tehlikeli bir durum var. Karakterlerden biri dan diye ortaya çıkıyor. İşte seni koruyabilirim, beni de dahil et. Ya da tehlikeli bir durumda gidip yardım istek yerine öleceksek beraber ölelim felanlar filanlar😒 Ay salaklar! Bari bir planınız olsun. Şansa ortaya atılıyorsunuz. O değil işler tıkırında giderken işi de bozuyorsunuz 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ Gereksiz kahramanlıklar yapmayın, yaptırmayın😒
Aman sevmedim ben... Belle kitap kurdu. Ben daha çok okuma aşkı ile dolu zeki bir kız, herkes onun bu sevgisini küçük görürken onu anlayan ve buna saygı duyan, aklını takdir eden bir adamın hikayesi olur sanmıştım. Hoş bu esintiler de vardı ama dozu beni tatmin etmedi.
Ay bak aklıma geldi. John şiir okumayı seviyor. Bu salak Belle de diyor ki bana şiir yaz. Annem okumak başka yazmak başka 🤦🏻♀️kitap boyunca resmen tutturdu şiirde şiir diye🤦🏻♀️ ilk kitap daha iyiydi bunu sevmedim.
Belle, Emma ve Alex ile kaldığı dönem, bazen kibar bazen agresif ama kesinlikle kalp çarptıran John ile tanışır. Bir kontun yedinci oğlu olarak ünvan beklentisi olmasa da askerdeki başarılarından dolayı Baronluk alır. Biraz birikim yapar, ev-mal-mülk edinir. Ve bu mülk asker arkadaşı Alex'e çok yakındır. Belle ile tanışmaları da kaçınılmazdır. O ilk anda başı döner ama mutluluğu asla haketmediğini düşündüğü için ondan uzaklaşır. Bir yere kadar...
John ve askerde yaşadığı acı durum ve üzerinde ki ağır psikolojiyi anlıyorum. Ama bir süre sonra bunu dillendirme şekli bende bunaltıya sebep oldu. İlk etapta empati kurabilirken sonraları adamı silkeleyip aş bunları demek istedim. Şimdi o durumun bu durumla alakası ne diye beynimde deli sorular dolandı 🤭
Birde şeye sinir oluyorum. Sadece bu kitaba özel değil. Diyelim tehlikeli bir durum var. Karakterlerden biri dan diye ortaya çıkıyor. İşte seni koruyabilirim, beni de dahil et. Ya da tehlikeli bir durumda gidip yardım istek yerine öleceksek beraber ölelim felanlar filanlar😒 Ay salaklar! Bari bir planınız olsun. Şansa ortaya atılıyorsunuz. O değil işler tıkırında giderken işi de bozuyorsunuz 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️ Gereksiz kahramanlıklar yapmayın, yaptırmayın😒
Aman sevmedim ben... Belle kitap kurdu. Ben daha çok okuma aşkı ile dolu zeki bir kız, herkes onun bu sevgisini küçük görürken onu anlayan ve buna saygı duyan, aklını takdir eden bir adamın hikayesi olur sanmıştım. Hoş bu esintiler de vardı ama dozu beni tatmin etmedi.
Ay bak aklıma geldi. John şiir okumayı seviyor. Bu salak Belle de diyor ki bana şiir yaz. Annem okumak başka yazmak başka 🤦🏻♀️kitap boyunca resmen tutturdu şiirde şiir diye🤦🏻♀️ ilk kitap daha iyiydi bunu sevmedim.
February 14, 2017
June 10-23, 2015
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... I dunno....... I wasn't as impressed this time around as I have been before. STILL CUTE though!
April 6-9, 2014
Cute! Love it!
June 29-July 1, 2013
I love this book! Oooooohhhh! You forget how AWFUL the bad guy is! I wish John had Bella and John are pretty great though. I'm gonna read Dunford's book next! It's been a while!
January 22-25, 2011
Ditto my 2007 comments! :) I think John's issues are more reasonable NOW than I apparently did then, though. He's a great, great character! I love how INSANELY JEALOUS he got over Belle. If only she'd worn that dress she ordered that first night. He would have FREAKED OUT, which would have been totally hilarious! ;)
April 12, 2009
If I were in a funny mood, I'd probably say the exact same thing again.... It was a really cute book with quite a lot of kissing... I really like Belle and John, as well as Emma and Alex and Dunford... who are featured in other Julia Quinn books... :) Cute cute.
July 1, 2007
Okay, I LOVED Lord John. Yes, he had issues that were COMPLETELY ridiculous, but at least he was willing to take a bit of blame for crap that happened.
Anyway, this book features Lady Arabella (Belle) Blydon, cousin of Splendid's Emma. She's a beautiful bluestocking, which is exactly her problem. Men like her for her looks, but none appreciate her brains. So, she's sick of London, and she goes out to the country to visit Emma and Alex (which is also a lovely movie), where she meets Lord John. He doesn't have very good social skills, and she ends up thinking he doesn't like her, when he's actually just trying not to jump on her. So she's like, "I hate when people don't like me. I must spend time with him and MAKE him like me!" which results in fun kissing scenes... :) Anyway, she spends most of the book trying to convince him that he's worthy of her (which includes some GREAT jealousy scenes), because he thinks he's this AWFUL person, which he's not. *eye-rolling*
Many fun times are had because of Lord John's estate's name... Bletchford Manor. Heeheehee... Fun times!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... I dunno....... I wasn't as impressed this time around as I have been before. STILL CUTE though!
April 6-9, 2014
Cute! Love it!
June 29-July 1, 2013
I love this book! Oooooohhhh! You forget how AWFUL the bad guy is! I wish John had Bella and John are pretty great though. I'm gonna read Dunford's book next! It's been a while!
January 22-25, 2011
Ditto my 2007 comments! :) I think John's issues are more reasonable NOW than I apparently did then, though. He's a great, great character! I love how INSANELY JEALOUS he got over Belle. If only she'd worn that dress she ordered that first night. He would have FREAKED OUT, which would have been totally hilarious! ;)
April 12, 2009
If I were in a funny mood, I'd probably say the exact same thing again.... It was a really cute book with quite a lot of kissing... I really like Belle and John, as well as Emma and Alex and Dunford... who are featured in other Julia Quinn books... :) Cute cute.
July 1, 2007
Okay, I LOVED Lord John. Yes, he had issues that were COMPLETELY ridiculous, but at least he was willing to take a bit of blame for crap that happened.
Anyway, this book features Lady Arabella (Belle) Blydon, cousin of Splendid's Emma. She's a beautiful bluestocking, which is exactly her problem. Men like her for her looks, but none appreciate her brains. So, she's sick of London, and she goes out to the country to visit Emma and Alex (which is also a lovely movie), where she meets Lord John. He doesn't have very good social skills, and she ends up thinking he doesn't like her, when he's actually just trying not to jump on her. So she's like, "I hate when people don't like me. I must spend time with him and MAKE him like me!" which results in fun kissing scenes... :) Anyway, she spends most of the book trying to convince him that he's worthy of her (which includes some GREAT jealousy scenes), because he thinks he's this AWFUL person, which he's not. *eye-rolling*
Many fun times are had because of Lord John's estate's name... Bletchford Manor. Heeheehee... Fun times!
June 5, 2024
2'5⭐
Si analizo la historia más "objetivamente", lo más seguro es que se merezca las 3⭐, pero por desgracia, a nivel personal no he podido disfrutar mucho de este libro porque una parte importante de la trama gira entorno a lo que para mí es un trigger warning importante. Por suerte no es nada excesivamente explícito, pero es que a mí la más mínima insinuación ya hace que no disfrute mucho de la historia, y como se comenta a menudo a lo largo del libro, me ha costado bastante.
Realmente, esa parte de la trama ha acabado siendo lo que más recuerdo, por lo que el resto de cosas positivas que pudiera decir de él quedan un poco difuminadas en mi memoria.
Pero a ver, sí me ha gustado la protagonista, me gustan su pasión por la lectura y sus ganas de casarse por amor, así como que nunca se rinda cuando encuentra al hombre al que ama, por mucho que él se resista, que se resiste mucho. Y se resiste sobre todo por este trigger warning que os comento, que es algo del pasado de él que lo ha traumatizado bastante. Que por un lado es normal, pero por el otro, una cosa es tener trauma y la otra pensar como piensa sobre su grado de culpabilidad. Es muy difícil hablar de esto sin spoilers, perdón. El caso es que John se comporta de una forma indecisa y ahora sí, ahora no, que llega a ser desesperante.
No obstante creo que hay aspectos de esta pareja que me han gustado más que los de la primera pareja Blydon. Hay escenas en las que he visto más ternura, y eso me ha gustado mucho.
De nuevo, como en el primer libro de las Blydon, creo que el libro se ha alargado un poco más de lo necesario, aunque en esta ocasión toda la trama tenía sentido conjunto, no se ha añadido un nuevo y último drama diferente al final, así que en ese sentido está mejor.
Ya os digo que mi fuerte desagrado por este trigger warning me ha impedido apreciar bien los demás aspectos del libro, pero no creo que sea una mala historia. Es de las primeras de Julia y sí, hay cosas a mejorar, pero básicamente es uno de esos casos clarísimos de "no es para mí".
Si analizo la historia más "objetivamente", lo más seguro es que se merezca las 3⭐, pero por desgracia, a nivel personal no he podido disfrutar mucho de este libro porque una parte importante de la trama gira entorno a lo que para mí es un trigger warning importante. Por suerte no es nada excesivamente explícito, pero es que a mí la más mínima insinuación ya hace que no disfrute mucho de la historia, y como se comenta a menudo a lo largo del libro, me ha costado bastante.
Realmente, esa parte de la trama ha acabado siendo lo que más recuerdo, por lo que el resto de cosas positivas que pudiera decir de él quedan un poco difuminadas en mi memoria.
Pero a ver, sí me ha gustado la protagonista, me gustan su pasión por la lectura y sus ganas de casarse por amor, así como que nunca se rinda cuando encuentra al hombre al que ama, por mucho que él se resista, que se resiste mucho. Y se resiste sobre todo por este trigger warning que os comento, que es algo del pasado de él que lo ha traumatizado bastante. Que por un lado es normal, pero por el otro, una cosa es tener trauma y la otra pensar como piensa sobre su grado de culpabilidad. Es muy difícil hablar de esto sin spoilers, perdón. El caso es que John se comporta de una forma indecisa y ahora sí, ahora no, que llega a ser desesperante.
No obstante creo que hay aspectos de esta pareja que me han gustado más que los de la primera pareja Blydon. Hay escenas en las que he visto más ternura, y eso me ha gustado mucho.
De nuevo, como en el primer libro de las Blydon, creo que el libro se ha alargado un poco más de lo necesario, aunque en esta ocasión toda la trama tenía sentido conjunto, no se ha añadido un nuevo y último drama diferente al final, así que en ese sentido está mejor.
Ya os digo que mi fuerte desagrado por este trigger warning me ha impedido apreciar bien los demás aspectos del libro, pero no creo que sea una mala historia. Es de las primeras de Julia y sí, hay cosas a mejorar, pero básicamente es uno de esos casos clarísimos de "no es para mí".
November 1, 2019
Belle is witty, fun and loves books, poetry and Shakespeare. I remember the hero had a limp and was a soldier, but I remember that I liked this book the least in the trilogy. *an hour or so later* ahhh, now I remember why I didn't enjoy this book much, the whole rape part of it was too much for me. John while in Spain as an army man witnesses a fellow soldier raping a child and her mother blames him, the girl kills herself three days later hence the wounded (gothic-y) brooding John. I really don't like John, I think Belle deserves much better!
March 1, 2019
Το δεύτερο μέρος της τριλογίας ήταν απολαυστικό όσο και το πρώτο! Η αλήθεια είναι πως περίμενα κάποιον άλλον για τη Belle, αλλά ο John αποδείχτηκε ιδανικός!
May 19, 2023
As Julia Quinn's second book it is still very rough. Lots of angst and a hero with a martyr complex. Our spunky heroine is a bright spot, but the book is just not that good. The narration by Lucy Rayner was good, but not great and I listened to the audio at 1.25 speed which helped considerably.
Lady Arabella Blydon is beautiful, smart and very popular. She has had several marriage proposals, but wants a love match like her cousin, Emma. With her parents on a trip to Italy, Belle is traying with Emma and Alex at their country estate. While there she meets and falls in love with Lord John Blackwood.
Lord John is an injured war veteran. For his valor in the war, the Crown awarded him a title and he just his business sense investing to earn enough money to buy an improvised country estate. But John has a demon and an enemy to deal with and doesn't want to court Belle because he can't be the man she deserves. But their meetings lead to a deep yearning and Belle is relentless and John, well, John is just a man after all.
Lady Arabella Blydon is beautiful, smart and very popular. She has had several marriage proposals, but wants a love match like her cousin, Emma. With her parents on a trip to Italy, Belle is traying with Emma and Alex at their country estate. While there she meets and falls in love with Lord John Blackwood.
Lord John is an injured war veteran. For his valor in the war, the Crown awarded him a title and he just his business sense investing to earn enough money to buy an improvised country estate. But John has a demon and an enemy to deal with and doesn't want to court Belle because he can't be the man she deserves. But their meetings lead to a deep yearning and Belle is relentless and John, well, John is just a man after all.
April 5, 2022
Vaya, con lo muchísimo que me gustó el anterior, y las ganas que le tenía a este, me he llevado un chasco: la historia y el comportamiento de los protagonistas no me ha acabado de convencer, ni he visto ese amor y esa atracción que suele haber en las novelas de la autora.
September 13, 2019
3 estrellas y media (7/10)
Es un libro sin grandes pretensiones, con una lectura facil y amena, y totalmente del estilo de la autora. Ha habido partes que John no ha terminado de convencerme y lo cierto es que esperaba un mejor libro para Belle.
Es un libro sin grandes pretensiones, con una lectura facil y amena, y totalmente del estilo de la autora. Ha habido partes que John no ha terminado de convencerme y lo cierto es que esperaba un mejor libro para Belle.
July 13, 2015
2.5 stars...
I really hate to say, but this wasn't one of Julia's best. It started out good, but quickly turned into something I wasn't fond of. I found myself flipping to see how many pages were left and almost skim reading so I could hurry and finish. In fact, I thought about not finishing. That is not in character for me and Julia Quinn books!
Anyway, the worst of it is that after all drama with John & Belle in the beginning and his "reasons" for self hate, you'd think he'd act a little more gentlemanly and with more restraint towards the woman he loved. It just doesn't make much sense to me. It put a bad taste in my mouth. I had hard time buying into the whole storyline overall really.
It's obvious to me that it was one of her earlier books. The writing isn't magical like I've come to expect.
Newcomers to Julia Quinn, DON'T start with this one. Longtime fans may appreciate it, but others like me may not so much. Read at your own risk. :)
I really hate to say, but this wasn't one of Julia's best. It started out good, but quickly turned into something I wasn't fond of. I found myself flipping to see how many pages were left and almost skim reading so I could hurry and finish. In fact, I thought about not finishing. That is not in character for me and Julia Quinn books!
Anyway, the worst of it is that after all drama with John & Belle in the beginning and his "reasons" for self hate, you'd think he'd act a little more gentlemanly and with more restraint towards the woman he loved. It just doesn't make much sense to me. It put a bad taste in my mouth. I had hard time buying into the whole storyline overall really.
It's obvious to me that it was one of her earlier books. The writing isn't magical like I've come to expect.
Newcomers to Julia Quinn, DON'T start with this one. Longtime fans may appreciate it, but others like me may not so much. Read at your own risk. :)
March 3, 2019
I am re-reading all my 5 star rated romance novels. There are 60 on my shelf. This is book 30.
This is how my 29th re-read held up.
How I gave this 5 stars in the first place I have no idea. The clichés, melodrama, dialogue, hot and cold characters, TSTL behavior.
So unlike JQ’s usual books.
DNF 50%
Downgraded to 1.5 star
This is how my 29th re-read held up.
How I gave this 5 stars in the first place I have no idea. The clichés, melodrama, dialogue, hot and cold characters, TSTL behavior.
So unlike JQ’s usual books.
DNF 50%
Downgraded to 1.5 star
July 7, 2013
Could John get any more maudlin? I mean, for the love of testicles, brother, MAN UP. I got so tired of listening to him whine and throw tantrums and blame himself for something that....OK, you know what, blaming yourself for not acting in time to help someone is one thing, but when he went so far as to say he did it...that was where Quinn lost me. Which totally sucked because I like Belle and John. But melodrama is fast becoming my literary kryptonite, and silly, nonsensical melodrama is like kryptonite laced with rat poison.
December 23, 2022
It was fine; not good, not bad, just fine.
June 24, 2015
This was okay. Had a very promising start with a dark forlorn tone and emotional back story for the tormented wounded-hero that reminded me of her Bridgerton series. But it quickly lost flavor with the sappy heavy-handed dialogue, dull predictable plot and dragged out pacing half way through. Oh man the number of Oh John, 'oh my darling Belle. You heal me. You are my sunshine, my reason for living! I don't deserve you!' just sucked out all the quiet subtle moments and made the characters come off like cartoons from a bad play. The repetitive flowery melodramatic dialogue became so sickly sweet you could choke on the syrup. I got tired of the dramatic sighing, giggling and shrieking that was obviously used for comedic timing but it just fell flat. And JQ's annoying quirk of using the unrealistic expression er bled it's way into here much to my horror. So awkward and unnecessary. And here I thought this was a new habit of hers? *head desk* Guess not.
I'm such a sucker for prickly brooding wounded war-heroes who deal with the trauma of PTSD. I thought the flashes of memory and John's fear, while over-dramatized, was a nice touch and had great potential. But of course not even half way in he's pouring out all his secrets and fears to Belle so quickly and it was over and done with. It just lost all edge and dramatic build up after that. And the 'mystery' stalker angle was so obvious from the first page, having John a seasoned solider brush it off several times made him come off painfully dense and TSTL. Same goes for the other characters. I really hate when authors do this especially for a subplot that's so humdrum. A shame that the second half of this was focused on the 'suspense' plot when there was zero suspense in the capturing of the fool villain. Made Belle and John and their group of friends come off like bumbling idiots going in circles shaking in fear over a villain who is a complete moron. SMH. I say this with respect but Quinn can't do suspenseful mystery subterfuge subplots at all and I really wish she left if out of this one entirely. All it managed to do was drag the story out at a turtle's pace.
I'm such a sucker for prickly brooding wounded war-heroes who deal with the trauma of PTSD. I thought the flashes of memory and John's fear, while over-dramatized, was a nice touch and had great potential. But of course not even half way in he's pouring out all his secrets and fears to Belle so quickly and it was over and done with. It just lost all edge and dramatic build up after that. And the 'mystery' stalker angle was so obvious from the first page, having John a seasoned solider brush it off several times made him come off painfully dense and TSTL. Same goes for the other characters. I really hate when authors do this especially for a subplot that's so humdrum. A shame that the second half of this was focused on the 'suspense' plot when there was zero suspense in the capturing of the fool villain. Made Belle and John and their group of friends come off like bumbling idiots going in circles shaking in fear over a villain who is a complete moron. SMH. I say this with respect but Quinn can't do suspenseful mystery subterfuge subplots at all and I really wish she left if out of this one entirely. All it managed to do was drag the story out at a turtle's pace.
June 28, 2022
Note: Originally read this sometime in like 2017-2018 and rated it as 2 stars. I did up my rating upon this reread to 3 stars.
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (Didn’t get an exact count here but It’s probably about a solid 3)
Humor: Yes (I think there was quite a bit here too that was meant to be funny, but it wasn’t for me, you might find it more humorous than me!)
Perspective: Third person perspective from both the hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
It’s not super necessary. Much of the book is just the two main characters together. There is some time spent with the hero and heroine from book 1 – they are supposed to be the chaperones of this book’s heroine. They have their HEA in book 1 so if you’re okay with missing that you could pick this one up (though, of course, ultimate enjoyment, including some minor character development for Belle, happens in book 1) (another note: I liked book 1 more than this one, so sure, read that one too hehe)
Basic plot:
Belle retires to the country after being totally unimpressed with society’s marriage mart. There, she meets John Blackwood, a wounded war hero.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1816)
- Mix of London and country estate setting
- Soldier hero
- Disability featured – hero has a severe limp from war
- Heroine chases hero (she’s pretty determined in the beginning of the story)
- Lots and lots of push and pull between the characters including the hero believing he’s not good enough or worthy of the heroine
My thoughts:
So I read this one quite a few years ago and was so angry, annoyed and not into it. This was my top ‘not favorite’ book for years. I just remember I couldn’t stand the hero and their romance.
So I reread it – because I had never read Splendid or Minx and I figured I’d reread the middle book as well. I did like it more this time around! I guess I’ve read worse since my first reread lol. But I still did struggle with similar issues.
The hero carries a lot of guilt with him. He suffers from a war injury and limps, he wants to be a recluse at his estate and be left alone. But he meets our heroine, who is quite determined to bring him out of his shell. And she starts to have feelings for him and encourages him to embrace them as well.
The first half of this book annoys me purely for the non stop ‘shes too good for me’ mentality. And I think I’ve probably just read too much of this because it’s a fairly common theme in the early 2000s hr romance I’ve read haha. So, once he finally gets over that I had a few other issues – the constant push and pull of the characters, their enemy feeling banter...none of it really endeared them to me and I ended up not caring about either character much at all. Overall I just wanted the story to be over with.
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥🔥 (Didn’t get an exact count here but It’s probably about a solid 3)
Humor: Yes (I think there was quite a bit here too that was meant to be funny, but it wasn’t for me, you might find it more humorous than me!)
Perspective: Third person perspective from both the hero and heroine
(These are all personal preference on a scale of 1-5 (yours ratings may vary depending what gives you feels and how you prefer you sex scenes written, etc) except the Steam Scale which follows our chart from The Ton and Tartans Book Club )
Should I read in order?
It’s not super necessary. Much of the book is just the two main characters together. There is some time spent with the hero and heroine from book 1 – they are supposed to be the chaperones of this book’s heroine. They have their HEA in book 1 so if you’re okay with missing that you could pick this one up (though, of course, ultimate enjoyment, including some minor character development for Belle, happens in book 1) (another note: I liked book 1 more than this one, so sure, read that one too hehe)
Basic plot:
Belle retires to the country after being totally unimpressed with society’s marriage mart. There, she meets John Blackwood, a wounded war hero.
Give this a try if you want:
- Regency time period (1816)
- Mix of London and country estate setting
- Soldier hero
- Disability featured – hero has a severe limp from war
- Heroine chases hero (she’s pretty determined in the beginning of the story)
- Lots and lots of push and pull between the characters including the hero believing he’s not good enough or worthy of the heroine
My thoughts:
So I read this one quite a few years ago and was so angry, annoyed and not into it. This was my top ‘not favorite’ book for years. I just remember I couldn’t stand the hero and their romance.
So I reread it – because I had never read Splendid or Minx and I figured I’d reread the middle book as well. I did like it more this time around! I guess I’ve read worse since my first reread lol. But I still did struggle with similar issues.
The hero carries a lot of guilt with him. He suffers from a war injury and limps, he wants to be a recluse at his estate and be left alone. But he meets our heroine, who is quite determined to bring him out of his shell. And she starts to have feelings for him and encourages him to embrace them as well.
The first half of this book annoys me purely for the non stop ‘shes too good for me’ mentality. And I think I’ve probably just read too much of this because it’s a fairly common theme in the early 2000s hr romance I’ve read haha. So, once he finally gets over that I had a few other issues – the constant push and pull of the characters, their enemy feeling banter...none of it really endeared them to me and I ended up not caring about either character much at all. Overall I just wanted the story to be over with.
Content Warnings:
Locations of kisses/intimate scenes:
July 19, 2010
Well, I'm not making a huge review about this book because I don't think it deserves it.
I liked the beginning, sounded entertaining and different. But then it went downhill. I did loved the characters though, all of them.
My problem with this installment was that the romance felt forced and unbelievable. I hate it when characters get in love in the first week. But I hate it even more when it becomes extremely cheesy which was the case with this story. I mean, there's a limited number of times I can stand a couple telling how much they love each other. And they do this every 2 pages, over and over again with different words.It just gets boring after a while. It just felt forced.
But if you see each character individually, you can't help to like them,lol. And there were some extremely funny moments. Overall it was a nice read, just not my type. I think I won't be seeing anything better than the Bridgerton's series from this author.
I liked the beginning, sounded entertaining and different. But then it went downhill. I did loved the characters though, all of them.
My problem with this installment was that the romance felt forced and unbelievable. I hate it when characters get in love in the first week. But I hate it even more when it becomes extremely cheesy which was the case with this story. I mean, there's a limited number of times I can stand a couple telling how much they love each other. And they do this every 2 pages, over and over again with different words.It just gets boring after a while. It just felt forced.
But if you see each character individually, you can't help to like them,lol. And there were some extremely funny moments. Overall it was a nice read, just not my type. I think I won't be seeing anything better than the Bridgerton's series from this author.
April 29, 2021
Lady Arabella Blydon pasa unos días junto a su prima Emma es allí donde conoce a Lord John Blackwood, su nuevo vecino, un hombre enigmático que la descoloca por su carácter variable. Su frialdad con ella la atrae mucho puesto que ella se considera una joven "atractiva" para los demás.
Tengo que decir que es difícil no seguir los hábitos y he vuelto a saltarme la primera novela para leer ésta que me atraía más de la serie "Blydon". En este caso no le he encontrado problema alguno, así que tranquilidad por si queréis hacer lo mismo que he hecho yo.
La historia se ambienta en Oxfordshire, Inglaterra (1816) donde Belle pasa unos días en el campo junto a la recién pareja de casados Emma y Alex (protagonistas del primer libro). Belle es una joven amable, simpática, amante de la lectura y que destaca por su belleza, no tiene problemas para conquistar corazones pero ella desea encontrar el verdadero amor. Cuando conoce a John su mundo se descoloca, él es un hombre que en un momento es el más encantador y al siguiente se muestra frío con ella, con lo cual se siente atraída a conocerlo más, saber el por qué de su distanciamiento.
Sin duda Julia Quinn demuestra sus principales puntos fuertes que destacan en sus novelas, historias de amor con un humor característico y unos personajes muy peculiares.
Belle me ha gustado, ella es el sol, llena de energía y determinación y John es todo lo opuesto, es la luna, hechos del pasado le hacen creer que no es merecedor de nada bueno y menos de Belle.
Me encanta encontrarme personajes como John... https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
Tengo que decir que es difícil no seguir los hábitos y he vuelto a saltarme la primera novela para leer ésta que me atraía más de la serie "Blydon". En este caso no le he encontrado problema alguno, así que tranquilidad por si queréis hacer lo mismo que he hecho yo.
La historia se ambienta en Oxfordshire, Inglaterra (1816) donde Belle pasa unos días en el campo junto a la recién pareja de casados Emma y Alex (protagonistas del primer libro). Belle es una joven amable, simpática, amante de la lectura y que destaca por su belleza, no tiene problemas para conquistar corazones pero ella desea encontrar el verdadero amor. Cuando conoce a John su mundo se descoloca, él es un hombre que en un momento es el más encantador y al siguiente se muestra frío con ella, con lo cual se siente atraída a conocerlo más, saber el por qué de su distanciamiento.
Sin duda Julia Quinn demuestra sus principales puntos fuertes que destacan en sus novelas, historias de amor con un humor característico y unos personajes muy peculiares.
Belle me ha gustado, ella es el sol, llena de energía y determinación y John es todo lo opuesto, es la luna, hechos del pasado le hacen creer que no es merecedor de nada bueno y menos de Belle.
Me encanta encontrarme personajes como John... https://oceanodelibros.blogspot.com/2...
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