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The book opens thusly: "To say that I met Nicholas Brisbane over my husband's dead body is not entirely accurate. Edward, it should be noted, was still twitching upon the floor."
An excellent beginning! It is, unfortunately, all downhill from there. Lady Julia Grey, the narrator and heroine, is a sensible, good hearted gentlewoman far ahead of her time. She's a very readable character, although a bit too anachronistic. I would like to read a book in which she simply goes through life. Unfortunate ...more
An excellent beginning! It is, unfortunately, all downhill from there. Lady Julia Grey, the narrator and heroine, is a sensible, good hearted gentlewoman far ahead of her time. She's a very readable character, although a bit too anachronistic. I would like to read a book in which she simply goes through life. Unfortunate ...more
Just started this book and so far I am loving it. It's got everything: good writing, interesting plot with just enough twists and turns, three-dimensional characters ... so long as the twists and turns make sense, this one is a winner (well, at least for me, I am easily amused - witness the trashy historical romances I spend so much time with ...). Set in the same time period as the Regency romances I read so often (1880-something), this starts as a murder mystery, but I believe a romance develo
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I am sure there have been times when you finished a book and did not want to start a new one right away ....you needed time with the characters from the one you just finished to hold sway in your memory. This is one of those books. I loved it. I posted in a few places the opening line which is why I actually bought it, happily enough that is not the plateau. This book is full of wit and sarcasm, I got a bit misty near the end (but I can be a bit girly at times). All of the characters are really
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I really enjoyed reading this book. I found most of the characters appealing, and I loved the heroine and the overall tone of the book.
I have no idea if it's historically accurate - I imagine that in real life, Lady Julia's modern sensibilities might have ostracized her and perhaps crippled her ability to function in society more than has been portrayed in this book. I don't actually CARE if it's historically accurate, as long as it was a good read and I found her character relatable, but I can ...more
I have no idea if it's historically accurate - I imagine that in real life, Lady Julia's modern sensibilities might have ostracized her and perhaps crippled her ability to function in society more than has been portrayed in this book. I don't actually CARE if it's historically accurate, as long as it was a good read and I found her character relatable, but I can ...more
I'm about 100 pages into this, and I just can't bring myself to go any further. This isn't something that happens often, and I was actually very much looking forward to this one. I just don't care what happens next.
The characters are coming across as flat to me, and I don't particularly like any of them. But mostly, it's the historical incorrectness that bothers me - sure, the setting and the clothes are right, but the way the characters behave is definitely not. It just keeps pulling me out of ...more
The characters are coming across as flat to me, and I don't particularly like any of them. But mostly, it's the historical incorrectness that bothers me - sure, the setting and the clothes are right, but the way the characters behave is definitely not. It just keeps pulling me out of ...more
Utterly predictable in plot, but the heroine was engaging and I had the feeling that the author had a lot of fun writing the book. That's always something that appeals!
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Better than Tasha Alexander's similar "Lady Emily" series, in that it is less pedantic about chosen setting (Victorian England), which allows you to enjoy the spunky heroine and gothic story for what it is...a light and fun read.
2021 reread: Having enjoyed the Veronica Speedwell series by the same author, I came back to revisit this one. It is clearly...an early prototype of the Veronica Speedwell series. I think she has perfected her craft in the later version. ...more
2021 reread: Having enjoyed the Veronica Speedwell series by the same author, I came back to revisit this one. It is clearly...an early prototype of the Veronica Speedwell series. I think she has perfected her craft in the later version. ...more
Well written, engaging, and hard to put down. Not something I typically read, but it came highly recommended by my boss. The plot twist was one of the most, well, twisted I've come across in quite a while. My only issue with it was that it wasn't until the last page, when I found myself left hanging, that I realized it was the first in a series. You're killing me, Ms. Raybourn.
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The story was fine but I felt other authors had handled this type of plot with more originality. If it were a movie, I would say that the costumes had made it worthwhile. I have heard the second book in the series was better.
Apr 19, 2020
Laurie
rated it
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I only recently discovered this author, accidentally read two of her books from different series in a row, and enjoyed both. Read these for historical mysteries with unconventional heroines.
Nov 27, 2010
Liz
marked it as to-read
Apr 09, 2013
Jennifer
marked it as to-read
Nov 07, 2013
Shante
marked it as to-read
Dec 18, 2013
RachelAnne
marked it as to-read
Mar 01, 2016
Sharon
marked it as to-read
Sep 09, 2018
Janet Whalen
marked it as to-read
May 24, 2020
carrie
marked it as to-read
May 15, 2021
Jennifer
added it
