Review: Sweet but Should be Longer
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 04 7, 2014
This novella introduces characters that will appear later in the series. I liked the Lumley family very much, especially the silly, spunky Hannah. They're all such a loving family and rally around Stephen, yet they're comfortable enough with each other to tell it like it is. Stephen needs to hear that. He's a wounded soul who needs to get back to as normal a life as possible. He's an admirable man and I liked him. I just didn't love him. Jane is sensible and kind. She has scruples and I admire them. I would probably feel the same way and fear the same things in her situation. She seems like a nice girl, but there's no chemistry between she and Stephen. They knew each other as children but there's really nothing that suggests they're in love or why. The story is just too short to build a relationship naturally. Months go by without any plot and suddenly Stephen is his old self trying to woo Jane. I liked the inclusion of the politics of the time but it felt a bit out of place in such a short book. I think the story deserved more than it was given. It is similar to a Carla Kelly plot and could have made a nice full length novel. I liked it well enough but not enough to want to read David's story or any more about the Lumleys.