Review: Enjoyable read
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 08 14, 2012
I immensely enjoyed Civilizing Frances. Even though it's number 3 in the Mad Hatterly series, and I haven't read the first two in the series, at no time did I find myself lost or confused. I was able to follow along just fine and Marguerite Butler did the best job of recapping how Pru came to be married to Charles in just a small little explanation that didn't feel out of place or redundant.Frances and Ainsley are a pair that you would never imagine working well together, but strangely enough, opposites do attract, and they have just the right amount of sexual tension. Where Ainsley is a bit of a stuffed shirt and a bit uptight, Frances is very much the fun-loving hoyden who gets into situations that she can't get out of easily. They end up bringing out the best in each other and play off the other very well. I could relate to both characters, easily seeing the reasons behind the way Frances and Ainsley are portrayed.One of the best things about the book was the menagerie of animals as secondary characters. They all had personalities that fit the moment and added to the humor and romance of the story. The human secondary characters were just as well-placed. Each fit the moment and benefited the overall theme.At no time did I feel as if the story was progressing to fast or too slow. The book was well thought-out and well-written. I would definitely recommend Civilizing Frances to anyone who wants a historical romance that has love and humor.