Review: Did I read the same book as everyone else?
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 12, 2011
First of all, forgive me... I'm admittedly a complete cynic. Why do all of these reviews appear on or around the same day? With all but 2 or 3 reviewers only having 1 other review to their name, each of which are on or around the same day? And most of these other reviews for free-bie books? I couldn't help but notice this after realizing all of these 4 and 5 star reviews were intentionally brief, all goodnatured, with no criticism...weird. So I'm either reading the reviews to the wrong book, or dare I say the author's tooting her own horn? In either case, I promise the below is not predicated on the cynicism formed after realizing all the above, but rather my own opinion formed as I was reading the book.The book opens with the hero, Declan, berating himself over not coming home in time to help his brother, who there after dies. We're told that Declan is completely distraught over this and he ends up secluding himself for some time. Declan's childhood was extremely happy, and after losing his Father and Brother he's afraid to love again. As a reader, you don't actually feel any of this, but you are told about it.Poppy shows up at first convincing her brother Parker to allow her to invite some friends over for the summer, a house party. He, of course, allows it, because how could you refuse Poppy anything? The relationship between Declan and Poppy literally happened almost immediately, he happened upon her in the garden, he fell in love. She, who was bored to tears with all London suitors, feels something different for him immediately, knows he is the one. That's almost it folks, the rest of the story is him and her sneaking away together, there's no hook, no enticing plot, no mystery...nada.The author wasted pages on innocuous story-lines that only took away from the main story. What about Parker's past? Oh wait, we didn't learn enough about it to care. What's with the aunt who asks a Duke how far his tan goes? How can Poppy and Declan have so much private time together (and you still don't feel them falling in love, though they have passion going for them)? Did Poppy really not care that a surprise wedding was planned for her? And how could the author just jump past Declan explaining that?In my own opinion, these characters were not fully developed. The story was not fully developed. All in all this was a very "loose" story. And by that I don't mean immoral.Just a quick note on the cover, why in the world does it say "Once you meet them you'll do anything to please them"??? I think this book wanted to be a raunchy porn flick.