Review: Vaguely Depressing
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 05 30, 2013
I found this vaguely depressing. If you don't mind uncomfortable settings (war) and circumstances (widowhood, capture & pursuit by the enemy) and relationships that seem destined to go nowhere (regrettable class barriers), then you might enjoy this. It started off nicely, but got steadily gloomier. At about 70%, I gave it up altogether - while it might have had a satisfying ending, by that point I was too discouraged to care.Other reviewers have commented on the similarities to Carla Kelly, but I was disappointed to find the wartime setting was the only thing the novels shared. I absolutely loved Carla Kelly's Marrying the Captain, Royal Marine and Surgeon series. They were gritty portrayals of war as secondary to the romance - yet the romances were heart-warming, uplifting and somehow full of hope. I don't mind angst and tension, but I must feel hopeful. I read for pleasure and this book just struck me as too gloomy. The hero and heroine seemed too willing to accept that they had no future together. Their relationship always focused on imminent separation, so they didn't fully enjoy the present.Just wasn't the book for me, I'm sorry to say. I'm sorry because I would have loved to have found another author who can offer such heartwarming stories as Kelly. The many excellent reviews of this book led me to expect a very different read, and I do hope if you buy this book you will have the experience others have had, and not what I found.