Review: Some issues, but I was still enthralled with it
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 14, 2013
The positives:-I really liked this story, right from the beginning.-I loved that the hero fell for the heroine BEFORE she lost so much weight and everyone else decided that she is attractive.-I liked the main characters. I really cared about what happened to them and I felt that the emotion and anguish seemed authentic and not contrived.-The romance really worked for me. It was interesting and genuine. There was enough attraction without being smutty. (As mentioned by a previous reviewer, there was a pretty fantastic kiss at one point.) The author addressed the age difference without making it seem strange or dirty.-When the hero & heroine discovered their feelings early on, I was concerned that I would be strung along with ridiculous, torturously contrived misunderstandings for the rest of the book. The scenario that kept them apart was more acceptable than a lot of what is found in Regency romances. It was still a little frustrating, but not "tear-your-hair-out" annoying.-I liked Lady Olivia better in this book than I did in any of the novellas.-It was really interesting to see Prinny from a more positive perspective then normally shown in Regencies. The author shared a lot of information regarding the politics etc, that involved the Prince of Wales at that time.The negatives:-There were some editing issues in a few places.-Issues with correct peerage title use, although I understand that the author is addressing this.-I struggled with a historical inaccuracy that is quite fundamental to the plot. I imagine that the author made a conscious choice with this one, as I can't really see a clear alternative for pursuing this plot. Right from the beginning I had to decide to ignore it, so as to be able to enjoy the book. The whole premise of the heroine (an Earl's young daughter, albeit, not wealthy or of high standing) being asked to be a "nanny" is bizarre to me. "Nannies" did not really exist in the early 19th century. That role was essentially filled by a "Nurse", which was a woman of lower social standing. A woman of the heroine's standing might become a governess if she lacked other opportunities, but not a nurse. A governess did more teaching with older children, a nurse more day-to-day care of younger children. The author used the modern concept of nanny. It would have been a totally offensive thing for the hero to ask the heroine to do. Besides which, the housekeeper would not normally have been considered a sufficient chaperone for a single young woman and the widowed man that she essentially lives with, whenever he visits the estate.-The situation with the "other woman" did feel a little too dragged out for me.Bottom line: I had some difficulty suspending my disbelief in regards to the "nanny" situation, but once I did, I REALLY enjoyed this one.