Review: Author needs Roget's Thesaurus
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 09 23, 2013
It's frustrating to read a book that could be good (content and character) but is dragged down by incorrect usage of the English language.  In the case of Ms. Gayle, it isn't obvious mistakes in punctuation and grammar, but not using the language properly.  To take an example:  ". . ., but his daughter never cowed to his threats."  "To cow" is not a verb .  A person can "be cowed" (intimidated) by threats from someone else.  A person can "cow" (intimidate) someone else by threats.  In this case, it could have been expressed by saying that she never gave in to his threats, or that she never submitted to his threats.  But she didn't "cow" to them. It's not something one does.Then, later in the same paragraph, "when no higher personage than the Duke of Danby had called" is in reverse.  The author seems to have meant that no "lesser" personage than the Duke of Danby had called.This goes on and on and on.  If the book wasn't on my Kindle, I'd be tempted to throw it across the room in exasperation.