Review: A Goldilocks Book: Not Too Hot, Not Too Cold, Not Too...Anything
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 05 9, 2013
I hated to bring down the perfect five star review this book had, but I also have to be honest.  This book was technically well-written and very well researched, but I felt it had a couple of flaws so I gave it four stars instead of a perfect rating.  I'd really consider it a 3.5, but it too well written for me to consider it a three, so I rounded it up to four.It seemed like the author either wanted to put a little of everything into the book, or she just couldn't decide exactly what it was she wanted to write, but I couldn't figure out which one it was.  That's why I ended up describing it as a "Goldilocks" book, though in this case, it didn't quite work out 'just right.'The heroine's situation was initially tense enough to keep me involved, but the plot meandered.  Part of the problem was the lack of a clear cut villain for the hero and heroine to strive against, resulting in no strong goal or motivation to move the plot.  All the characters were a bit too nice and likeable; the closest thing to an antagonist was the hero's brother, but once he made his appearance, he turned out to be a nice guy, too.  This overdose of sweetness robbed the story of true conflict, which is the one element that makes a plot truly riveting.  It's like this book sort of fell between the cracks: the plot wandered too much to call this book 'plot driven' but the characters didn't have enough depth to call it 'character driven.'SPOILER ALERT!The main thing that didn't ring true was the heroine's near death experience.  It just seemed like the story suddenly took a left turn from historical to paranormal without warning, and the predictions made by the heroine's angelic mother stole much of the suspense.  The whole point of any story is to make it seem impossible for the hero and heroine to have a happy ending; they must overcome grave obstacles and suffer in order to EARN their 'Happy Ever After.'  But as soon the reader reaches this part of the book, the promises to the heroine by supernatural beings assures the reader that everything will turn out fine.  I almost didn't see any point in finishing it after that, since the ending had essentially been revealed three quarters through the book.(END OF SPOILER)The bedroom scenes were also a little flat, beyond 'sweet' but falling short of 'hot'.  I just went back to reread the first time they make love, and I think the problem is that the characters spend so much time either talking or thinking during the love scenes that it's hard to believe they're really all that carried away by passion.  Though the author informs the reader that they're feeling this 'searing need', that's not what she's depicting.  The part where they're undressing is overly detailed, but when they actually engage, details suddenly becomes vague.  It seems as if the author wants to write a hot love scene but doesn't really feel comfortable doing so, and the resulting ambiguity causes those scenes to fizzle rather than sizzle.As far as the writing itself went, the author's technical skills were above par, though there were a few issues with the ebook editing.  The research was in-depth, and gave the reader a true sense of the historical period.  The author also made the heroine's emotional change throughout the book seem plausible.  I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves historical romance but doesn't feel comfortable with too much sex--though there's just enough detail in the love scenes that I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone looking for a sweet romance.It's a nice book, and fans of historical novels will enjoy the spot-on period detail, but it's more of a Sunday-drive-in-the-country sort of book than a roller-coaster-edge-of-your-seat experience.  I enjoyed it well enough, but it's not the kind of book I'd keep on my bookshelf to read again.