Review: Great prose, mediocre plot and pacing
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 01 17, 2014
Blurb: The heroine was compromised by a man years ago, and forced out of society into a half-life as an apothecary/spinster in Bath. When the opportunity to avenge herself on the man who done her wrong arises, she takes it, and has him tattooed around his, ah, private areas... only to soon discover that the man she had tattooed was the wrong man entirely. Shenanigans and flirtations ensue.Pros: The writing is gorgeous. Really. I am such a picky reader when it comes to prose, and I found the prose here nearly flawless. It's a lovely reading place to be in. If you're a Georgette Heyer fan, this will feel like a really relaxing warm bath of words and witticisms. Delightful.Cons: The writing is so great that it may take you a little while to realize that the book does not actually contain enough plot to fill a whole book, but when you catch on, it's painful. The Hero visits the Heroine at night (in a PG-rated way). Repeatedly. Once a chapter. Nothing else happens. Now, are those visits charming? Is the dialogue fun? Yes. Is there any tension? Do the visits move the story forward? No, and no. At around 50% in, I found myself wondering if it was worth it to keep reading. That's how little tension and plot there is, even though the prose is so wonderful, you do really feel like - well, so we know they like each other, what's left, really? And what is left, unfortunately, is a series of Big Misunderstandings. (YMMV: I know some people must like that style of plot mechanism. I find Misunderstandings, as a way of keeping the H/h apart, pretty frustrating.)Another thing perhaps worth noting is that the book is not great at showing the presumably-intense physical chemistry between the two leads. The sexytimes are surprisingly unsexy, given how excellent the descriptive passages on other topics are.Bottom line: Even though I felt quite frustrated by the slow/circular pacing and the basic not-enough-lot problem, the writing is really, really enjoyable, and I'm going to keep my eye on Ms. Davis.