Review: Gem of a read even though I wish it was much longer.
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 14, 2014
I wish both of the Taming books were longer but this one had a bit more depth. I'm a huge fan of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW and would love to have seen Bianca and Kate's stories expanded with some more back story, but they were both a delight.Kate Mansfield is spoiled, has a fierce temper, and yet truly wishes everyone would take the time to get to know the real her. She also wants to find someone who will fall in love with her and appreciate the real her and make her feel as beautiful as everyone insists she is. Always feeling less than her beautiful sister, Bianca, the only one who seems to truly understands her is her stepmother and perhaps, Peter Colburn. When Peter attempts to court her, she doesn’t take him seriously and quickly believes it's yet another one of his cruel jokes.Peter’s attraction to Kate has been there a long time but he knows she’s a hard one to fathom and certainly a tough one to love, but when she rejects him, he backs off only to become more determined to get Kate to see herself the way some others do - the way he does.I liked Peter's persistence as he tries to understand Kate. At one point, he even asks her to tell him about herself, which she does. It’s at this point when Kate becomes someone the reader can begin to like. It was difficult to like Kate when we met her in WOO’D IN HASTE, but in WED AT LEISURE, we come to understand the pain which she’s carried at feeling the rejection of a mother who called her ugly because she was dark to Bianca’s fairness. She becomes a character we can feel some compassion for as she's feeling less than loved and neglected because her mother favored Bianca.I enjoyed WED AT LEISURE much more than WOO’D IN HASTE, although these stories go together and complement each other in a fashion that make me wish both had been longer with more backstory so that we might enjoy the changes in both of these women. Kate’s transformation to a sweeter, kinder woman in London is obvious to us and what we want to see. We can understand better the reasons why she reverts to her spoiled, angry self upon returning to the Hall and understand her wishing to be the center of attention before Bianca. It's more a need rather than arrogance but we don't really have enough time to truly get to know her. I would love to have seen both of these stories expanded, the characters allowed to grow and mature, as well as allow us to come to like Kate a little bit more. I truly only began to like her toward the end.As with WOO’D IN HASTE, I can recommend WED AT LEISURE to anyone who can appreciate the dynamics of sibling rivalry, and who is looking for a quick afternoon read. Both of these stories are easily read back to back in that amount of time only it's more like getting a bite of a delicious dessert rather than a whole piece.***won ebook copy in a giveaway but am sharing my honest and unscripted review.