Review: Hero too easily forgiven
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 12 12, 2011
I couldn't believe it when Eve forgave Francis for making love to her in the garden without telling her he was married at the time! Especially since it led to her being forcibly married to an abusive husband for SIX YEARS! And yet when she sees him afterward--when she is a widow and he divorced--all she can remember is how handsome he is and how deeply she felt for him before she realized what a cad he was. And no, the author never truly explained this well enough for me.I have to say that the author does not seem to have much of a feel for the time period. Her characters seem like contemporary girls wearing 19th century clothing. The dialogue is anachronistic (Did young ladies in the 19th century go stomping off in a snit saying, "Fine!"?) I have to say you don't see it often in many historical novels, at least not those that are well-researched. She also doesn't seem to have much of a grip on British titles either. I can't say I've ever seen anyone else say "countess Shaftsbury". Usually they would say "Lady Shaftsbury" or "the Countess of Shaftsbury."The fact that Eve's supposedly indulgent father forced her into her first marriage and indirectly caused her to suffer SIX YEARS of abuse was another oddity. Why would he do that? And why would she not feel resentful about it? I really wanted to see him confronted on this issue, but it never happened.There are a LOT of typos in this book. A few can be forgiven, but it's almost like nobody even read through this book, as if it were a first draft rushed onto the market without the proper care one would normally expect. Well, in today's market, perhaps MOST of them are published prematurely like this, but it is disappointing to see so many "alrights" and missing words and commas, even in a book that is only 99 cents.I must mention the epilogue as well. I always thought the purpose of an epilogue was to show you that the couple is still deliriously happy after the wedding to make the happy-ever-after ending seem more believable. Since when do epilogues contain cliffhangers--an obvious trick to make the reader purchase the next book in the series? This is annoying.In all honesty, I did not completely dislike the book; however, I feel the author needs to become more familiar with the time period and not be in such a hurry to put her books on the market. And she needs to get a PROFESSIONAL editor as well!