Review: Only Regency Romance with a Chinese Tattoo Artist
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 04 3, 2013
What a difference good writing makes! This book contains many of the elements I don't enjoy--and yet because of the author's style, I devoured the book anyway.Here are some of the things I liked:Suspension of Belief: Many situations and scenes in the story are improbable or impossible (take the tattoo-ing, for example). In most romance books, my belief keeps dragging me back to reality by my hair because the tale either takes itself too seriously or the characters become ridiculous. This author manages to use a light enough touch that readers are willing to accept what she says with a smile. The characters often acknowledge their ridiculous situation. They joke and tease, which brings me to . . . .Humor: Lots of authors attempt to amuse and fail. Here, the humor is never forced or grating. That's quite a feat.Characters: I especially liked the heroine, who is truly courageous. Her life has been, and threatens to always remain, difficult. She doesn't whine. She gets up every morning determined to make her life the best it can be and to do her best to provide for those under her care. That is true courage.Big Misunderstanding: I hate those, yet I accepted this one because I was kept amused throughout the ordeal.Suspense: Wisely, the author did not reveal all the details of the tattoo at once, but let readers indulge their imaginations. Romance stories all have the same ending, so there needs to be something to keep readers guessing.As a result of all these factors, I did not shut the book after the last page. Instead, I shuffled through the book, hoping I might have missed a few pages and would be able to continue reading.