Review: Mixed Feelings
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 02 5, 2014
This book was reasonably well written. The plot was clever and the dialogue was interesting. The scenes flowed together and there weren't any glaring holes in the plot.  There were two strikes against it for me, the first being a number of story elements that were inconsistent with the Regency era, from the language to the mindset and weird interpretations of the rules of propriety that were central to the story. The greater issues for me were the irreconcilable declarations of the upstanding character and morality of both the earl and Catherine even as they shamelessly carried on in an adulterous relationship. They lied, deceived, snuck around, involved others in their activities and planned to run away together in spite of Catherine's marital status. The implied "morality" in this story was that in the case of the couple, the ends justifies the means, but that the same rule could not in any way excuse the behavior of Catherine's husband. It's an inconsistent message that troubled me throughout the story.