Review: Refreshing storyline and endearing heroine!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 01 1, 2014
I really enjoyed this story and love that it's a series.  Overall, it held my interest and I pretty much read the entire book in one day.I LOVED Charlie's character.  She was so refreshing.  I read a lot of Regency-based stories and it's nice to see a character who is not only imperfect on a physical level (tall, thin and wears glasses), but also holds different views than the rest of the crowd.  Having been raised largely at a school in Scotland that was quite "progressive" in its views, Charlie has a hard time fitting in with the London crowd where women are supposed to simper, act stupid and not voice their opinions in order to land a husband.  Charlie is exactly the opposite and how she deals with the London set, makes friends, etc. is quite funny, touching and at times, your heart hurts for her.Griff, on the other hand, bothered me.  As the "Hero" and love interest for Charlie, I just can't imagine Charlie being happy with him in the long run.  Charlie has so much drive, determination, spunk and love of life while Griff never really develops a backbone.  Yes, he's got some baggage and family pressure, but I hate it when the Hero states that he can't live without the Heroine, then in an instant, he's willing to throw away that relationship in order to satisfy a family's wishes.  It's especially aggravating as the family couldn't care less about him and this never changes throughout the book.Griff is completely resigned to never seeing Charlie again.  He goes home to mope, drinks a bit, but that's all he's going to do.  Well boo hoo Griff.  A girl that, according to him, is so young he's surprised he's so attracted to her, has more gumption and bravery in her little finger than he'll ever have.It would have been better if her attitude had rubbed off on Griff and given him courage.  After all, he's in a better position to make major life changes than Charlie who doesn't have money, family or connections.  However, it isn't until someone literally shows up at his front door and "sets him straight" that Griff sees the light.  He never comes to any epiphanies on his own and adding a bit of insult to injury, only changes his mindset when it's nothing but smooth sailing to a relationship with Charlie.  Because he never has to "work" to achieve his happiness or earn Charlie's love, the ending, while funny, was a bit flat for me.As a minor quip, I don't like when I can't get a solid sense of ages.  Griff acts like Charlie is so much younger than himself, but without really knowing either his or Charlie's ages, it's hard to tell.  I thought it was about 10 years (18 vs. 28) but I wasn't quite sure.I loved the secondary characters and want to know more so I'm interested to see future stories.  I assume we'll get Charlie's friend Emma-Lee, as well as Griff's cousin Boo, and sister Isabella's stories.  This author has gone into my keeper pile and I eagerly await her next book to see how the storylines develop.