Review: A Light-Hearted and Sweet Read!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 20, 2014
Violet Plover is the downstairs maid at Lord Hardcastle's manor. She was forced into taking the position after her father's health was complicated. Although, Violet is now resigned to her lot in life she still manages to try to have some fun. Her curiosity about the Lord of the manor, who also happens to be a magician, is the first thing that gets her into trouble. But through a turn of events Lord Hardcastle discovers that she has a background in the theater and would be a perfect addition to his magic act.I really enjoyed this endearing story about a woman who is down on her luck and ends up having her dreams come true. Etta Stark shows a promising start with her first book. The characters were very believable and Lord Hardcastle and Violet have a chemistry between them from the very beginning. It wasn't a typical historical romance as the hero was a magician and the show business theme was the backdrop. I loved that part of the story, it made it more than just the typical Lord and servant story it could have been.A few things that were true to life that I really appreciated: At one point Lord Hardcastle corrects Violet's behavior during one of their rehearsals and then realizes that if he spanks her before a show, she may have trouble fitting into the tight spaces their act requires. I thought this was a good detail to address, it made it seem more real. And it was a cute device to use to build to the spanking she is promised when their tour is over.Another thing was Violet's relationship with another maid named Franny. They are shown to be very good friends at the beginning of the book and then as Violet's relationship grows with Lord Hardcastle Franny ends up becoming jealous and angry with Violet. I liked this story arc and also thought it seemed very real. I liked how all of the characters changed and grew as the story went on.Overall I found this to be a light-hearted and sweet historical romance. I am looking forward to more great things from Ms. Stark!(c) spankingromance.com