After many many months of hearing about Lisa Kleypas and being recommended her books, I thought it was about time that I give her writing a try. I am not sure I chose the right book to start with now that I have finished it. I didn't dislike it, but I can't say that I really liked it either. But let me start at the beginning...
I liked the set up for the story. Soulmates torn apart by lies and circumstance only to be thrust back together again by his desire for revenge. That is a good story and I was eager to see how it played out. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I expected. At first I really liked Aline. She was spunky, honest, and full of life. While I didn't agree with her reasons for sending McKenna away initially, I understood the reasoning. But later she seems so pretentious, prideful, and completely non trusting. If he is her soulmate, how can she be so totally uncertain that he will accept her for something that is not her fault to begin with? That's not love honey, you can't love someone completely but not trust them at the same time.
McKenna was another character I liked...at first. I am all for a manly man, I prefer it to the horrendous fad of metrosexual men in romance novels who are most of the way to being women. But there is a difference in manly man and just being an arrogant ass who has serious control issues and stalker tendencies. He's going to have sex with her until she is convinced to trust him whether she protests or not? Um, that's dangerously close to rape and I don't find that sexy or manly at all. Very big cavernous difference between a manly man taking control in the bedroom and coming close to rape. The more McKenna showed up the less I liked him. He's an angry control freak, with serious tendencies toward being a stalker and a rapist.
I also disliked the second romance storyline with Livia. It was a good romance but it felt squeezed in and rushed, and took time away from the main romance which was then left unfinished and hurried into a resolution. It would have worked better as a sideline plot that wasn't fully explored but provided a basis for another story in a different book.
I'm not sure if this last part is the fault of editing or confusion on the author's part but this book has serious issues with time. I had no idea how old anyone was because it kept changing. In the beginning of the book Aline was in her mid teens, 16 or 17. But then later its said that she's 31 and they've been apart for 12 years...but that would have made her 19. And timing in the novel was abrupt and left virtually unexplained and made it difficult to follow. In one chapter its one moment, then its 2 years later, then is 12 years later, then suddenly its a few weeks after that, then its a few days after that, confusing! Finally, the descriptions on this novel were just strange. Apparently Aline "gave her innocence" to McKenna in one passion filled night. But that never actually happened, they messed around but never had sex, and it was way more than just once. So she gave her innocence to him, but then later was a virgin. Sorry Lisa Kleypas, you can only give away your innocence once! So make up your mind, did she become a non virgin during the messing around or the sex 12 years later, because it can't be both ways.
But I will give this book one saving grace, it was actually accurate to the time period. I have read way too many historical romances where somehow Brazilian waxes are all the rage in the 1800s. News flash authors, there was no clean shaven private areas until well into the latter half of the 1900s. So this novel was accurate in that sense, and I appreciated that. Ultimately I would give a Lisa Kleypas book another shot, but this one was a stinker for me.
I liked the set up for the story. Soulmates torn apart by lies and circumstance only to be thrust back together again by his desire for revenge. That is a good story and I was eager to see how it played out. Unfortunately it wasn't quite what I expected. At first I really liked Aline. She was spunky, honest, and full of life. While I didn't agree with her reasons for sending McKenna away initially, I understood the reasoning. But later she seems so pretentious, prideful, and completely non trusting. If he is her soulmate, how can she be so totally uncertain that he will accept her for something that is not her fault to begin with? That's not love honey, you can't love someone completely but not trust them at the same time.
McKenna was another character I liked...at first. I am all for a manly man, I prefer it to the horrendous fad of metrosexual men in romance novels who are most of the way to being women. But there is a difference in manly man and just being an arrogant ass who has serious control issues and stalker tendencies. He's going to have sex with her until she is convinced to trust him whether she protests or not? Um, that's dangerously close to rape and I don't find that sexy or manly at all. Very big cavernous difference between a manly man taking control in the bedroom and coming close to rape. The more McKenna showed up the less I liked him. He's an angry control freak, with serious tendencies toward being a stalker and a rapist.
I also disliked the second romance storyline with Livia. It was a good romance but it felt squeezed in and rushed, and took time away from the main romance which was then left unfinished and hurried into a resolution. It would have worked better as a sideline plot that wasn't fully explored but provided a basis for another story in a different book.
I'm not sure if this last part is the fault of editing or confusion on the author's part but this book has serious issues with time. I had no idea how old anyone was because it kept changing. In the beginning of the book Aline was in her mid teens, 16 or 17. But then later its said that she's 31 and they've been apart for 12 years...but that would have made her 19. And timing in the novel was abrupt and left virtually unexplained and made it difficult to follow. In one chapter its one moment, then its 2 years later, then is 12 years later, then suddenly its a few weeks after that, then its a few days after that, confusing! Finally, the descriptions on this novel were just strange. Apparently Aline "gave her innocence" to McKenna in one passion filled night. But that never actually happened, they messed around but never had sex, and it was way more than just once. So she gave her innocence to him, but then later was a virgin. Sorry Lisa Kleypas, you can only give away your innocence once! So make up your mind, did she become a non virgin during the messing around or the sex 12 years later, because it can't be both ways.
But I will give this book one saving grace, it was actually accurate to the time period. I have read way too many historical romances where somehow Brazilian waxes are all the rage in the 1800s. News flash authors, there was no clean shaven private areas until well into the latter half of the 1900s. So this novel was accurate in that sense, and I appreciated that. Ultimately I would give a Lisa Kleypas book another shot, but this one was a stinker for me.
Back to all reviews by this member
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
Back to all reviews of this book
Back to Book Reviews
Back to Book Details
