Stuart Shotwell

OMG that was a long book. I have to admit that it was easier to get through than an Anthony Trollope novel of comparable length, even if the first 100 pages were almost as tedious as Trollope might have made them. I am not exactly opposed to long books, and perhaps if I were the sort of reader who loves reading sermons and sporting news, I would have found the long accounts of fox hunts and the verbatim sermons included within this narrative. I am not at all a fan of fox hunting, finding it a barbaric tradition that ought to have been stopped years ago for ecological and moral reasons. And, I was not at all interested in reading the full sermons from the various funerals and other services that Edmund leads in this book.

So, while the story itself was good and captured nicely the depressingly constrained lives men and women led during the 1800's, I was too relieved to be done with it to justify giving this book a full 5 stars. The 1550 page length seemed excessive, and there were enough natural breaks in the story that it seemed like this book might with some editing have become several shorter, less daunting books. Thankfully for the author, not all readers are as annoyed by fox hunts and sermons, and I could definitely see recommending this book to fans of Regency Era historical fiction.

I won my copy of this book through a Goodreads First Reads giveaway.… (plus d'informations)

So the author says he used "Romance" in a playful way when describing this book but do not believe this for it is a lie, this is a romance, one of the very first thoughts that the main character has when he meets a beautiful young women is that "he wanted to taste that face". Is that not the most romantic thing you have ever heard? I dare you to think of one example more romantic than that. But in all seriousness this was a very good story with only a couple flaws in my humble opinion.

Starting with the most important aspect of a book for me is characters, this story had so many great characters weaved with in it. Some of my favorites were Andromeda Alton, Evelyn Brownton, Tomazina Comstock (what a name that is), Janetta, and Mr.Carter even though he had a very small part. A lot of these characters are quick witted and funny, when interacting with other characters that might not be very affable it is still light-hearted and fun to read their reactions. Especially with Christopher, he is the worst, but to see him go back and forth with his brother Edmund was worth having to deal with him. There is also a lot of character development, you will know these characters at the end of this book...no I mean it, you will know them as if you knew them your whole life...it's actually pretty scary.

Edmund Percy (Main Character) was really easy to relate to for me at least, because he does over analyse almost everything he says or does to the point of insanity, but he tries to be a good person but knows that he has to bend the rules a little as long as he has the best intention at heart, that's why I think he makes a great protagonist

Oh man the story, it is a bit difficult to describe since it is 1,550 pages so I think reviewing each volume would be better. Volume 1 has the most action in it but still maintains some strong romance and drama fueled moments with some subtle hints for future events. Besides giving the main character plenty of experience it also cements what kind of person he is in a very detailed manner. In Volume 2 the bulk of the Romance and Drama takes place, there is some action but significantly less. This is where the main character will be dealing with the love interest and why I would call this a romance novel, the amount of time he thinks about this woman is way too much to not be called one. But I do think the drama balances out Volume 2 very nicely to the point where it doesn't seem too mushy...that's right I said mushy. I really enjoyed the ride this story took me on.

But no book is without sins, one issue is that the author does like to drag on with details too much sometimes, one really bad example is when the main character is talking a walk and the author starts describing every flower, insect, tree, and animal that he passes almost as if he was running down a checklist. The few instances that this happened I had to skim through some of it because I felt it took away from the story. Another issue was with the main lost interest Miss de Foye. I like her at first but when she started trying to protect her secret she lost me, but the worst is what secret she protecting. She was protecting it to such an extent (hundreds and hundreds of pages) that I thought it had to be the worst thing ever, like she murdered 15 orphans, feasted on their hearts, then bathed in their blood. But it was something so mundane that the ending was a bit silly to be honest, the level of protection and the secret itself was so off balanced.

It's hard to recommend this book even though I liked it, it is not just the length but also how deep the author goes into detail with the main characters and their thoughts. There are full pages of just speculation and analysis of thoughts. It can be a bit challenging to get through, but I did enjoy it very much and am looking forward to the sequel with a different but very good main character, i do wish it was released on paperback though instead of just as an ebook.

I received this book in a Good Reads First Read giveaway.… (plus d'informations)

So the author says he used "Romance" in a playful way when describing this book but do not believe this for it is a lie, this is a romance, one of the very first thoughts that the main character has when he meets a beautiful young women is that "he wanted to taste that face". Is that not the most romantic thing you have ever heard? I dare you to think of one example more romantic than that. But in all seriousness this was a very good story with only a couple flaws in my humble opinion.

Starting with the most important aspect of a book for me is characters, this story had so many great characters weaved with in it. Some of my favorites were Andromeda Alton, Evelyn Brownton, Tomazina Comstock (what a name that is), Janetta, and Mr.Carter even though he had a very small part. A lot of these characters are quick witted and funny, when interacting with other characters that might not be very affable it is still light-hearted and fun to read their reactions. Especially with Christopher, he is the worst, but to see him go back and forth with his brother Edmund was worth having to deal with him. There is also a lot of character development, you will know these characters at the end of this book...no I mean it, you will know them as if you knew them your whole life...it's actually pretty scary.

Edmund Percy (Main Character) was really easy to relate to for me at least, because he does over analyse almost everything he says or does to the point of insanity, but he tries to be a good person but knows that he has to bend the rules a little as long as he has the best intention at heart, that's why I think he makes a great protagonist

Oh man the story, it is a bit difficult to describe since it is 1,550 pages so I think reviewing each volume would be better. Volume 1 has the most action in it but still maintains some strong romance and drama fueled moments with some subtle hints for future events. Besides giving the main character plenty of experience it also cements what kind of person he is in a very detailed manner. In Volume 2 the bulk of the Romance and Drama takes place, there is some action but significantly less. This is where the main character will be dealing with the love interest and why I would call this a romance novel, the amount of time he thinks about this woman is way too much to not be called one. But I do think the drama balances out Volume 2 very nicely to the point where it doesn't seem too mushy...that's right I said mushy. I really enjoyed the ride this story took me on.

But no book is without sins, one issue is that the author does like to drag on with details too much sometimes, one really bad example is when the main character is talking a walk and the author starts describing every flower, insect, tree, and animal that he passes almost as if he was running down a checklist. The few instances that this happened I had to skim through some of it because I felt it took away from the story. Another issue was with the main lost interest Miss de Foye. I like her at first but when she started trying to protect her secret she lost me, but the worst is what secret she protecting. She was protecting it to such an extent (hundreds and hundreds of pages) that I thought it had to be the worst thing ever, like she murdered 15 orphans, feasted on their hearts, then bathed in their blood. But it was something so mundane that the ending was a bit silly to be honest, the level of protection and the secret itself was so off balanced.

It's hard to recommend this book even though I liked it, it is not just the length but also how deep the author goes into detail with the main characters and their thoughts. There are full pages of just speculation and analysis of thoughts. It can be a bit challenging to get through, but I did enjoy it very much and am looking forward to the sequel with a different but very good main character, i do wish it was released on paperback though instead of just as an ebook.

I received this book in a Good Reads First Read giveaway.… (plus d'informations)

This book came as a surprise to me! I've always enjoyed stories about British nobility, and their lives. So, when I saw this book, even thought it stated it was a romance, it caught my eye. The characters and story drew me in from very early on, and I was hooked! Mr. Shotwell is a master at drawing you in, and getting you invested in the lives of his colorful characters. Not a romance fan? It doesn't matter, the story is so much more than a romance. But, let me not sell the romance angle short either, it is an epic romance to be sure!… (plus d'informations)