Allison Lane (1)

I so wanted to like this more, but the hero was just such an ass. There are instances where we are told that he is kind and does nice things, but we rarely see it. And we see far more of him being an ass, particularly to the heroine (also wtf is the deal with the quizzing glass?!). In the end, I didn’t find the romance very believable. It had a plain, somewhat insecure heroine, but it didn’t quite nail the trope for me. (2.5 stars)

Afterthought: actually, this really reminds me of the relationship in Twilight by Stephanie Meyer.… (mehr)

50% in.....
Grrrl, DO NOT LEAVE YOUR SKETCHBOOK OF ANIMAL CARICATURES OF THE TON ANYWHERE THAT BITCH LAURA WILL FIND IT. Seriously if that ends up being a major conflict I will be SO annoyed as it is so obvious and that girl is so over the top toxic!

65% in...
“Enough, Frannie. It is not your place to judge your betters. Nor does a proper maid repeat her mistress’s tirades. Not if she wishes to retain her position.” She ignored Frannie’s sudden frown. Never again would a servant intimidate her. It was time to find her own maid.”

Yeah this does not endear me to the heroine. I don’t care if she’s being bitchy, telling a person that they are less than you is reprehensible. Ugh, class society is the worst.

100% read
Ok, I ended up liking this despite reservations. The villains were a little over the top, but I actually enjoyed the minutiae of unraveling the mystery. There was a decent dose of insecurity but it was obscured by the plot. I liked the beta hero. Overall a good read IMO, even if I am questioning my own enjoyment of Laura getting her comeuppance, though I do think allowing her to be assaulted went way too far - she learned her lesson before it got to that point!. It’s that German word about enjoying another’s suffering... I guess I am more spiteful than I thought!… (mehr)