Review: Awful except for the excellent third book - 2.5 stars
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 26, 2013
It took me almost a year to finish this Trilogy. I read the first book 'Violet' in January of this year but I really disliked it and couldn't bring myself to read the next one 'Lily' until now. I decided to immediately the last one 'Rose' just so I could finish the set and delete it from my Kindle. I have individually reviewed each book here and would recommend that anyone interested in reading this boxed set, should go and read the 1 and 2 star reviews under each book individually here on Amazon before buying it. There are way too many positive reviews for this boxed set for it to be credible.+++Spoilers+++Violet - Book 1Taken from my original review of the book in January 2013:I finished this book yesterday and even after a day I'm still irritated by the h's attitude. Again considering the time period, I found the h's attitude very 21st century. We are told constantly how 'different' her family is and how her mother just wants her to have a love match. I sincerely doubt that any parent of the day would have gone to such trouble to get their daughter alone with a young, handsome and eligible male and expect for them to sleep together.Inevitably the h sleeps with the H but refuses to marry him. Of course the thought of pregnancy never enters her mind (although later it does). The fact that she continually doubted the H's love for her, and he professed it quickly, and if I were him I would have found someone more deserving. The h believed that all the H was interested in was her money and it made her seem shallow and completely unlikable.The book is a 'modern' historical filled with modern attitudes.Lily - Book 2I had hoped this would be an improvement since I disliked the first book so much. I disliked it more in some ways than I did the first book. The H had seen the h four years earlier but she was too young for him at the time. They meet again when he comes to the baptism of his friend's twins, who are the h's nieces. They continue their relationship but the h promises her second sister that she won't go after the H because her sister wants him. Ridiculous, nonsensical promise which is of course a distraction. The H starts off thinking that he doesn't want to be married but then later decides he loves the h and he then proposes and the h accepts, despite the h's sister being thoroughly miserable about it. I already hate the sister and she is the forthcoming h in the final book of the trilogy.So now the H and h are happily betrothed and planning their wedding when the h's older brother dies making him an heir to a title. He returns home with the h where his father, a Marquess, immediately rejects his betrothal saying he has to marry his late brother's fiancee. The other woman doesn't want to marry him because she is in love with the man who killed her late fiancee and she is pregnant with his child. The Marquess blackmails the other woman and the H into getting married in order to save the father of her child. OMG I just couldn't take anymore of this cr*p. No one stands up to the Marquess, the H starts saying he'll protect the other woman's child and acknowledge it. He becomes all wimpy and beta. The h is the only one trying to work out a way for them to be together. What a stupid mess of a story. The modernity of the book also freaked me out because of course there is no way for the H to have gotten out of his betrothal to the H so easily and then be marrying the other woman just one week later.I forgot one other massively creepy factor to this book. The h is besotted with animals and rescuing them, which isn't a problem. However the first night she and the H sleep together, they have an audience of her pets. He is freaked out by this but the h keeps saying that it isn't a problem. The second time they sleep together, the H locks the animals out but they keep interrupting by scratching on the door etc. I am not kidding you. Read this book at your own risk.Rose - Book 3I read this book immediately after finishing the second because I want to delete this boxed set. I already strongly disliked the h because of her selfish, ridiculous behaviour in the second book and I doubted the author had any ability to redeem her in my eyes. She only wanted to marry a title and wasn't interested in the H because he is a commoner.And didn't I get a pleasant surprise. The last book is by far the best and a very good story. The h is shallow, selfish and unlikeable in book 2 and at the beginning of this book. She goes on a journey, literally with her mother to court, but also on one of self-discovery. I loved it honestly. This book was way more romantic than the other 2 and I loved the way the H and h talked to each other. I loved the H's incredible integrity and I loved the way he insisted on more from the h. I loved the way he wouldn't give her more physically until she wanted all of him. The thing preventing this book from the magical 5 stars is once again the modern behaviour of the characters. I love the time period that the author set these books in but very often the sisters behaved and spoke just like modern women today. Interestingly I did enjoy the history aspects of this book very much, obviously the author did a lot of research into the court of King Charles. I definitely can recommend this final book in the trilogy. It's a pity you probably have to read the other 2 before you can read this one else you won't know what's going on.