Book review : Gentle Conquest by Mary Balogh

Gentle Conquest
by Mary Balogh
My rating: ★★☆☆☆

A regency romance by the famous Mary Balogh.
Here's why I didn't like it and I don't recommend you to spend ( waste ) your time reading it.

THE PLOT IN BRIEF __ Ralph, Earl of Chartleigh, is only 21 years old and has no experience of the world or even with women. However, he has a kind heart, good manners and no malice in his thoughts, always smiling and condescending to everyone, always ready to see the good side of people.
Georgiana Burton, the young 18-year-old bride that his mother found for him, is a smart girl, with several flirtations behind her and with a peppery character, but who in the first dates with Ralph will show herself shy and sweet, as ordered by her father.
Ralph falls in love immediately, however the wedding night is not consummated, due to his inexperience and because of the mocking comments of his young wife.
The result is a misunderstanding that will not be resolved for a long time and will result in actions that will confuse the situation even more.
___________________

The premise of the story interested me a lot because the hero of the story is different from the usual rakes and libertines who suddenly come to their senses thanks to the encounter with special and fantastic women in every way.
The latter is in fact a cliché that may suit women who are passionate about regency love stories, but I am not an avid reader of romances and I find it tiring to always read the same type of story, just with different names.

For almost all my life I disdained romances, especially regency ones, because I found them dull and flat, until a couple of years ago I discovered that some are really funny and full of humor and other romances, which include a little mystery, are intriguing and full of suspense and twists (the dramatic ones, however, I discard out of hand because they make me sad).

---> Well, this book is exactly what I have always avoided: a boring, flat story, without plot twists, without jokes and humorous scenes, without any suspense and without interesting protagonists!!!

Throughout the first half of the book, the author tells the thoughts of the two spouses in the third person: THE BRIDE initially considers her new husband weak, inexperienced and with none of the male "skills" (gambling, go hunting, be a scoundrel full of women... ), too physically beautiful to be considered charming, as if for her beauty made him effeminate.
You will understand that I could not love this girl.
I understand that the rich man's lifestyle back then was to go to the club and play cards and be a complete asshole, BUT I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE ADMIRED THIS IN A MAN! To me she was a complete idiot!
After the failed wedding night, she finally realizes that she has behaved badly and understands that she has inhibited her husband even more.
Little by little he begins to appreciate his kind ways and his generosity towards everyone... the character therefore improves, but throughout the first half of the book I always had to read the same things: first contempt and then repentance... nothing else interesting.

Again throughout the first half of the book, in addition to the same phrases, continually repeated in her head, the reader has to put up with his mental ruminations: THE GROOM, in his naivety and lack of malice, does not feel angry at all with the bride, but he thinks he has scared her and is afraid of "hurting her" because she is a virgin.
The author really exaggerates in describing him as good and altruistic and this becomes far-fetched and tiring.
Furthermore, at a certain point one comes to think that he really is an idiot, since he desires his wife, but no longer makes any attempt to consummate the marriage with her.
However, he tries WARNING SPOILER ___ MAKE SURE YOU WANT TO READ IT !___to build a relationship of affection and mutual respect with his wife, he succeeds and sees her cheerful and happy and yet he only makes another feeble attempt to spend the night with her, he backs down and doesn't try anymore. SPOILER END___ ___ THIS IS ABSURD !

... I understand the writer's intent, but she wrote everything in an absurd and implausible way not even for that time.
I understand that at the time there was embarrassment in talking about sex WARNING SPOILER _____and yet she has no problem talking about it with a stranger (the groom's womanizer cousin), SPOILER END___ so why not talk about it with her husband?
And what to say about her husband: WARNING SPOILER ___ ___after she shouts in his face that he wasn't even capable of "making her his wife", still he doesn't go to her, but he accepts another stupid solution ( to take a mistress just to have experience in sex ). SPOILER END___

In the second part with the arrival of the rogue cousin, I thought that finally there would be some movement in the story, because he interferes in the affairs of the two spouses, bringing havoc to the family due to his reputation.
BUT NO: WE STILL HAVE A FLAT STORY.
This would have been an interesting character because amidst all the boredom of the story, he manages to say a few slightly witty lines, but the character isn't developed enough to bring joy to the reader.
Don't even think that you can read something interesting about misunderstandings, because even family arguments are boring.

WARNING SPOILER ___ ___He is interested in the bride's sister (but here the author inserts a second love story which is ridiculous because it doesn't even have time to develop, so it doesn't give any emotion and makes no sense at all). SPOILER END ______

The icing on the cake of boredom is that "the good boy", known for his fairness, WARNING SPOILER ___ ___decides to take a lover and has sex with her for at least 2 months and decides to end the relationship only because events put him in front of a dilemma.
Honestly as well as feeling disappointed and betrayed by the character, I don't find it plausible with the way of being of the young groom, described so insistently by the author throughout the story.
It matters little that actually the mistress was his wife in disguise.
He has a mistress and he feels he cannot put an end to the relationship with her, he loves her and equally declares himself in love with his wife (and here for me he was a perfect idiot: he has experience by now, but he didn't go to his wife at night, but throughout the book he repeats to himself that he wants his wife, he desires her!)
As I said the lover was the wife disguised (all organized by the bride) and by creating this ruse in the plot, the author can ensure that the protagonist does not commit a real betrayal... well, for me the intentions count and he didn't know that the lover was the wife. To me it wasn't an acceptable solution and even the whole ending where they make up is ridiculous and not at all satisfactory.
SPOILER END___
I would like to explain the spoiler of the ending more, but I feel like I have already wasted too much time both in reading this book and in reviewing it.

Thanks for reading my opinion and sorry for my faulty English, it's not my native language.




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Book review : Courting Dragons by Jeri Westerson

Courting Dragons
King's Fool Mystery Book #1
by Jeri Westerson

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3.7 rounded up to 4 stars.

I'll start by saying that I enjoyed the entire story from start to finish and there was never a point where I felt bored.

---> I immediately fell in love with the character and I already miss him (so I will also read book #2 in the series).

However, there are a few reasons why my score is not a full 4 stars, but 3.7 and it would not be the first book I would recommend to anyone who asked me to suggest a mystery with a "late medieval/early renaissance" setting.

___ THE PLOT____ We are at the court of King Henry VIII, at the time in which his marriage to Catherine of Aragon entered into crisis due to the lack of a male heir and above all due to the king's infatuation with Anne Boleyn.
The "Great Matters" is what everyone whispers about at court, what it is dangerous to talk about openly, why the Spanish ambassador and his diplomats try to find solutions and why the king continually meets with his advisors.
While our narrator, court jester Will Somers, flirts left and right with men and professes his love for the only woman he would like to marry, one day he finds one of the Spanish diplomats having his throat cut.
As it happens, the dead man was the last casual lover with whom he had spent the night two days earlier. A blackmail letter follows that threatens to reveal his bisexuality to the king...circumstances then force him to find the murderer before any more bad consequences ensue.
____________________________

___WHAT I LIKED ___

THE MAIN CHARACTER__ The "hero" of the book is also the narrator of the story: the king's fool, Will Somers.
This 23 year old boy might seem a bit lewd and superficial from what I wrote in the plot, but instead it is easy to become attached to him and feel like he is a little like the friend next door, because from his words and the feelings he tells us, a good heart and great generosity shines through, as well as intelligence and irony.

The story takes place in the present, as events occur, Will shares with us every thought, emotion, hope, fear and suspicion.
Maybe that's what made it all so engaging.
The narrative made me feel like I was at Will's side each second of the story, from the first page to the last one: I walked down every corridor Will went through, I enjoyed every moment of playfulness with the king or with the little dog adopted by our jester, I feared every face-to-face meeting with characters who disagreed with the jester... I experienced all of it firsthand together with Somers.

___ THE PRESENTATION OF THE COURT, OF THE REAL HISTORICAL FIGURES and the few fictional characters ____
In this book I felt as if I was part of an episode of the TV series The Tudors (remember? Year 2007-2010). This is because, by chance, I watched all 8 seasons of the series just a month ago and I must say that it was useful to me so as not to get confused amidst the hundreds of names of real historical figures mentioned (and of which Will explained to us the role) in the story.
King Henry VIII always remained the fickle and capricious man that history tells us and that we have seen in the series, but the author also offers us a warmer facet of the character: a certain paternal affection and a particular tolerance for his jester and understanding of his feelings.
Will loves him like a father and feels that without this emotional warmth he could not live (history tells us that Will Somers remained the king's jester until his death and was also at the court of his 3 children: Edward, Elizabeth and Mary. Looks like he loved them as if they were his family).

I liked the character of Marion, Will's unofficial girlfriend, who knows Will's nature. She is very tolerant, but by her own free choice. She simply loves him as he is, without feeling cuckolded or betrayed.
I liked the courage Will found in himself to stand up to her father, the classic gruff but affectionate man with his daughter, who doesn't want to give his blessing to the engagement.

All the characters around Will (fictional and historical) have few acting lines, but this is enough to fully show us their character traits.

There are no battles and wars in this story.
Only an atmosphere of playfulness and of transformation (of the king's relationships towards his marriage and towards the Church).
It's not a fast-paced "whodunit", but I can assure I never felt bored.

THE REASONS WHY I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND IT TO EVERYONE:

_ _ There is no real investigation. Will Somers asks questions around and tries to understand more about certain situations and characters.
If you think about it, this is totally logical, because Will is neither a detective nor a person who investigates amateurally out of natural curiosity and passion (as in many mysteries where the main character, despite not being a policeman or investigator, has a passion for doing investigations)
Will's job is to make the king and his courtiers laugh and he finds himself forced by events to try to uncover a murderer.
It would have been far-fetched if he had investigated like a real sleuth... so for me the story was perfect like that, however it might not be satisfactory for all readers.

_ _ We are in the Middle Ages and as you can imagine the language among men was not the most refined, nor did they have any problems speaking scurrilously in front of women.
I read this book in English, which is not my native language and although I realized that the "male member" was mentioned several times...reading in a foreign language, the impact of some slightly vulgar words was different... less intense and less annoying.
I admit that if I had read the book in Italian (my country's language), I would have been annoyed and most likely I would have abandoned this reading.

_ _ I have already said that Will Somers, bisexual, continually flirts with all the handsome men who come his way.
Not just flirting, there is kissing and sexual acts. The descriptions are not detailed and vulgar, but I think the author could have avoided "the little services" given to Will by a certain servant.
I'm not bothered by homosexuality, I have no problems with other people's sexual choices... but seeing the protagonist with his underwear down too often... ugh, what a drag!
(Perhaps the author had also watched the series "The Tudors" before writing the book... in fact in that series it seemed that sex was one of the most common and popular pastimes)

Thank you for reading my review, I hope it can be useful to you, but without influencing you too much one way or another.
After all, taste and perception are personal.
---> Sorry for my bad English, as I said I'm Italian.


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Book review : The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick

The Paid Companion
by Amanda Quick
My rating: 4,8 rounded up to 5 stars.
I loved it!
(Here on the left the new paperback cover, below the old one)

A historical mystery-romance where both the mystery-investigative part and the romantic and sensual part are equally well developed and both have the same weight in the story.

___THE PLOT IN SHORT__ The story begins with Elenor's sudden change of fortune: the greedy and hateful step-father has lost everything due to a bad investment and while he died of a stroke, his stepdaughter finds herself thrown out of the house by creditors , with only her clothes in an old trunk of her actress grandmother.
The only chance of survival is to roll up your sleeves and find a job through an agency.

The rich Arthur, Earl of St. Merrin, fresh from a year of gossip about the escape of his girlfriend with another man, has decided to find a fake girlfriend, turning to an agency that employs desperate women looking for a job as a companion. In fact, at the moment he is not interested in falling in love, because his goal is to find his uncle's killer.

Elenor will prove to be much more than a banal cover for his investigations, with her intelligence, in fact, she will help St. Merrin in unraveling a tangled mess of secret identities and harmful obsessions.
_______________________

Like many romances, the "historical" setting is purely superficial.
In fact there is no historical part with historical references and events, the reader only knows, thanks to some elements, that we are probably in the Regency era, but after the defeat of Napoleon or in the Victorian era, before the advent of electricity..
I consider it a "point against" because I love historical references, however the narration was so compelling in the two themes it focused on (the love story and the solution to a mystery, as well as the capture of a killer), that I turned one page after another with great enthusiasm.

I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised, I didn't expect it.

__MYSTERY and LOVE STORY __ I use to read many historical mystery-romances, but they are usually focused more on investigations, while in the background a certain complicity and attraction develops in a "very light way" between the 2 main characters or, in the case of a romance, the development of a feeling of love and passion is in close-up, while a "weak" mystery manages to give a little suspense to the whole story.
This is not the case, indeed this author managed to enthuse the reader on both fronts: investigative and romantic.
It's truly well-crafted and suspenseful mystery and the love story offers just as many twists, with funny scenes alternating with sensual moments.


It's my first book by Amanda Quick and if you need a light but engaging read, I recommend it.

___ THE CHARACTERS ___ I liked both main characters, because the author managed to balance the emotional traits that characterized them well.
Perhaps a woman who always thinks of the good of others seems a little far-fetched, but this is the only thing that is a little over-emphasized.
Other characteristics such as stubbornness and decision, willpower and resilience, anger and playfulness in speeches, feelings of altruism and passion, intelligence and business sense, are never too intense or too forced either in Arthur or in Elenor and this is important because otherwise they might have been unpleasant.

Then there are Bennet and Margaret, two positive secondary characters who support our heroes and add lightness and joy to the story.

A swirl of other minor characters, whose attitudes serve to describe what life was like for both high society and poor workers in the 19th century.

The whole story is made more interesting also thanks to the fact that the killer is not the only "bad guy" in the story. In fact, even if in a more subtle way, over the course of events, a couple of really mean characters will contribute to complicating things.

Nothing of what happens is taken for granted and during the narration there are various small mysteries that are revealed.
This makes the reading lively and encourages the reader to go on to read the next chapter.

The language is fluent and is clean, but there are at least 3 sex scenes, described in detail, but not vulgar, nothing that an adult doesn't already know.

Happy ending guaranteed in all respects:
no villain goes unpunished and every good person gets his reward.

---> I put both the NEW PAPERBACK COVER and the OLD PAPERBACK COVER.
???? Which one do you like best???
In my opinion neither of the two does justice to the story... the first makes you imagine something boring, the second leads you to imagine something too frivolous.

ONE CURIOSITY OF MINE: How much weight do book covers have on your read choices?

I admit that the cover is the first thing that attracts me, I value it highly and it affects my enthusiasm in selecting a reading. If, by chance, I hadn't read the enthusiastic reviews of this mystery-romance, I would never have chosen it because the covers didn't entice me (for the two reasons I wrote above).

Thank for reading my review and please forgive my English, it's not my native language.

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Book review : Sent to the Devil by Laura Lebow

Sent to the Devil
by Laura Lebow
Lorenzo Da Ponte Mysteries Book 2
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

A very nice mystery to read: real historical figures as main characters, all the charm of the setting of the Opera at theater and of the city of Vienna in the late 18th century, no description of bloody scenes and lots of history skillfully intersected with the fiction of the plot.

__THE PLOT __ 1788, Vienna.
The court poet Lorenzo Da Ponte is working as a librettist on Mozart's Don Giovanni, already successfully performed in Prague.
Although the theater is still open, these are hard times because Emperor Joseph II has declared war on the Turks and protest riots often occur in the city. Added to this problem are strange and shocking murders of representatives of the aristocracy and clergy.

Among the victims is also a long-standing good friend of Lorenzo, who for this reason is summoned to the police station and instructed by the police chief to participate in the investigations together with Count Benda (linked to the victim of the first murder).
Determined to help find his friend's killer, Da Ponte agrees to help in the secret investigations and together with another old dear friend, Giacomo Casanova, will find himself entangled in the delusional and paranoid plots of a deranged man obsessed with Dante's verses in the Purgatory of the Divine Comedy.

__________________________
I loved everything about this book because it is a perfect match with my tastes, but it seems right to recommend it only to lovers of light mysteries (for example cozy mysteries and classic mysteries).
Despite the title and the serious cover ( which I approve of ), the mystery itself and the investigation are not suitable for those who love fast-paced thrillers, with dramatic implications and bloody scenes.
On the contrary, if you love mysteries with a welcoming setting, cheerful scenes where you can breathe an air of friendship and complicity, an investigation in small steps and a human protagonist in all his points of view (he is not the fearless hero with investigative and elaborate logical deductions) and continuous historical references, then it's for you!

__ ALL THINGS I LIKE IN THE BOOK and the reason why I will reread it again in the future __

1_ THE MAIN CHARACTERS :
3 figures who really existed and who really knew each other in life and who really shared moments of friendship and complicity.
History books only tell us the facts of their life, while fiction allows us to take part in their joking moments, while they work at the theater, while they have a drink together, while they exchange confidences... Moments of life which, despite being created by the writer, are plausible in the lives of every person at every time.

--- Lorenzo Da Ponte, nearing his 40s, is Mozart's librettist.
Born in Venice, he took his vows as a priest not out of vocation, but because at that time it was a way to study. In fact, in real life he loved several women and even in Lebow's books he never fails to succumb to feminine charm.
The character, cultured, polite and kind, does not investigate by his own will, but finds himself involved in situations despite himself and it is funny to see him awkwardly face dangerous moments against wicked and cunning killers.

--- Giacomo Casanova, also Venetian, actually participated in the insertion of some scenes from Mozart's Don Giovanni, even though in reality he was in Prague.
Here we see him now 60 years old, but still charming in his ways and with a certain inclination for beautiful women.
Perhaps not everyone knows that he was not just a libertine, but rather a cultured and intelligent man, who also wrote several books and was an Italian diplomat and secret agent (among other things!).

--- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart needs no introduction, at least superficially everyone knows who he was.
A great composer, a fascinating genius in many aspects. Like many geniuses he had a restless soul, lived an unruly life (women, gambling, parties, debts... and so on ) and died young and with many debts.
I liked to see him in the very romanticized role of faithful husband (he wasn't) in a daily-life at home with his children and his wife Constance, as if he were in a peaceful period of his life.
I liked to see him at the theater directing the actors and joking with his colleagues.
I liked to forget for a moment all the wildness that was part of him and just see the sunny side of the character.
That's the beauty of fiction.

At the same time, once you leave the "bubble of serenity" of fiction, it is nice to discover what the historical characters were really like and know more about their lives.
This is one of those historical mysteries that reports true facts of that time in many aspects ( characters, literature, opera, politics and of course the beauty of the city ) and encourage me to discover more about true history.

2 _ THE SETTING:
As I already said, the setting is warm and welcoming.
I loved the scenes in the theater, during the actors' rehearsals (there are all the names of the real actors of that time), with their insecurities, their hysterics, their joking jokes and creative moments.
I liked to see how the same opera, already performed in Prague, was adapted by the composer and the librettist, depending on the type of voice and the singing qualities of the actor-singers and the place where it was performed (it was also necessary to take into account of the political climate and the ethical and religious reforms brought by the emperor).

In addition to the opera theater and moments of social life, the writer offers us an overview of the beautiful Habsburg capital.
As Da Ponte moves around the city for work or for his investigations, the book mentions streets, buildings, monuments and places that are still salient and distinctive points of Vienna today and can be visited by travelers and tourists.
I was born in Vienna and have returned many times, but I enjoyed traveling with Lorenzo in the 18th century and searching the web for old lithographs to immerse myself even more in the atmosphere of the time!

_ THE STRONG HISTORICAL COMPONENT which presents itself in various aspects and is perfectly mixed with fiction.
There are so-called "historical" novels where the only historical data is a brief reference to the period in which the story takes place and then there are "true historical novels" where the fiction is perfectly integrated with the events of real history, thanks to profound research and studies by the author and where we readers can enjoy the charm of the past.

- In this murder mystery novel the author offers us a glimpse of life into the political events and feelings of the citizens in that period;
- the author tells us about the protagonist's literary passions, bringing us Dante's verses in the killer's messages and explaining their meaning through Da Ponte's words;
- Laura Lebow talks to us about monuments, buildings and historic cafés, still icons of the city of Vienna, telling us throughout history by who and why they were built (then broadening the discussion in the historical notes at the end of the book);
- the story tells us real life episodes of the 3 main characters;
- we can directly witness the rehearsals and scene changes of one of Mozart's most famous operas and mentions many others created in that same period by other composers in Vienna.

All this is in the plot of the book and it's presented in a light and pleasant way, but incisive enough to tickle the reader's curiosity to find out more.

An applause to the author, who I hope will one day decide to continue this series, telling us about other works on which Da Ponte worked, not only in Vienna, but also in the other cities in which he lived.

---> Clean language, 1 sex scene barely mentioned and without any description.
---> This mystery is also suitable for young adults, lovers of cozy mysteries or classic thrillers.
I recommend it if you are more interested in the overall story of the book and not strictly in the mystery and investigation, which is interesting, but does not offer great tension and pathos. The solution, however, is unexpected and surprising.

This is installment #2 in "Lorenzo Da Ponte series", if you are glad to read my review about book #1 ( The Figaro Murders), you'll find it here :

#BOOK 1 : THE FIGARO MURDERS "Lorenzo Da Ponte Series"

Thanks for reading my review and apologies for my English, it's not my native language.

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Book review : Shadow of the Alchemist by Jeri Westerson

Shadow of the Alchemist
Crispin Guest Book #6
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerson

My rating: ★★★★★
5 full stars ! 😃
Installment #6 in the Crispin Guest series and one more time was an exciting read!

__ THE PLOT IN SHORT__ 1387, London. This time Crispin Guest, a disgraced former knight, now known as the Tracker, the one who finds lost things (or people), is hired by a French master alchemist, secretly staying in London, to find his wife and missing assistant.
One of the two is immediately found dead and the other kidnapped.
No ransom money, but riddles, several strange characters and other crimes, seem to lead Crispin towards a single path...
No holy relic and no parchment is valuable, this time, the historical object at the heart of this story is a legendary object, which tickles the imagination and credulity of people: the "Philosopher's Stone", which can transform objects into gold and can give eternal life.

*************

It is a fast-paced mystery, with more than one crime to solve: a murder and a kidnapping, a mass poisoning, mysterious characters, misunderstandings and liars, against the backdrop of recent political plots.
A race against time to save the kidnapping victim, through puzzles to solve, by a villain full of hatred and skilled in disguises.

___ HISTORICAL EVENTS FORMING THE BACKDROP___ The end of the year 1387 in England was a turbulent time, as Jeri Westerton tells us in the final notes.
Along with the fictional characters, as in every book of this series, we find other characters who were real historical figures.

The king who banished Crispin Guest from court is Richard II and the house to which Crispin was linked when he was a knight is that of Lancaster.
---> While in the previous books we often meet John of Gaunt (father of the future King Henry IV), here, as in book #5, we meet his eldest son, the young Henry, Earl of Darby and future king of England.
While Crispin runs around half of London trying to solve strange riddles and capture the culprit, Henry, very dear to Crispin, participates in the "Lords Appellant" group, aristocrats who impeached five of the king's favorites, to curb what was seen as a tyrannical and capricious government.
Henry finds himself in the crosshairs of those who want to eliminate him as a possible candidate for the throne, but despite being a friend of Crispin, he never fully reveals the truth about his role in the various affairs, so our hero is continually torn between affection and suspicion.

---> Even the alchemist Nicholas Flamel (also present in Harry Potter) and his wife Perenelle, are figures who truly existed in the 14th century, although, as the writer explains in the notes, they were not alchemists.
Actually Flamel was a writer and seller of manuscripts who, thanks to his interest in the Philosopher's Stone and his studies on it, was thought as an alchemist in the following centuries.

Political events appear only marginally during the story of the book, while at the end many points and all developments are clarified.

I really like following Crispin's stories intertwined with the several historical real-life figures.
I use to love, while reading, exploring the true story of those really existed characters on the web and feeling like I am a participant in those historical events, thanks to the dialogues of the characters in the fiction.

___CRISPIN GUEST, THE MAIN CHARACTER ___
I love this character with all my heart!
He is young, courageous and full of ideals, but he doesn't always do or think the right thing... in fact the author also shows his flaws and this makes him feel more real and more human.

While the series begins with Crispin feeling sorry for himself, with each book and adventure, our ex-knight matures as a person, learning to have a more open view of people and facts and while remaining very proud, we discover that he has a very big heart.
Over the course of the books, he earned the appreciation and affection of the poor people and found some true friends at court.
I'm really happy that in this book, he also manages to have a semi-official demonstration of esteem and affection, which he would never have expected.

---> In addition to Crispin, the character of Jack, the little cut-purse, also grows, becoming Crispin's now honest assistant.
As a boy we see him slowly become a man and in each book his affection and loyalty (both reciprocated) for Crispin, manage to move me. I love him too.
Together they are the perfect duo.

NOT a "cozy" mystery : there are no gruesome scenes in this book, but it has happened in other books in the series.
No foul language, but every now and then a bad word can happen by villains (not here that I remember).
Also in this book, as in the others, there is a woman who manages to enchant Crispin and although it is not a serious love story, but more cuddles, sex and physical attraction, I am happy to see Crispin momentarily more satisfied and less "alone" than the moments in which he drowns the sorrows of love in wine.
--> Kisses and a non-explicit sex scene.

___ TO CONCLUSION___
Thank you for reading my review and please be lenient with my English: it is not my native language.
I'm not good at writing reviews, but I hope that my enthusiasm for this series does enough justice to "Crispin Guest" and its author, even if readers' taste is subjective.

I hope you can find the necessary guidance in choosing or not choosing the book.

------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies" :

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns" :

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment" :

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones" :

BOOK #5 "Blood Lance" :



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Book review : Dangerous to Know by Tasha Alexander

Dangerous to Know
by Tasha Alexander
Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries book #5
GENRE : #historical-cozy-mystery

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,7 stars rounded up to 4.

Another mystery very hard to solve, this time set in wonderful Normandy ( France ).

I love to read the "Lady Emily mystery series", because it leads me through the most beautiful places in Europe and through the history, art and real-life historical figures of its charming regions, cities and towns, in the late Victorian era and later in the series in the early 1900s.

__ PLOT IN BRIEF __ 1892. After a disastrous honeymoon in Constantinople, where Lady Emily risked her life and lost the child she was carrying, she is now convalescing, accompanied by her husband Colin, at her mother-in-law's residence in Normandy .
Here Emily not only meets characters of the caliber of Monet and Maurice Leblanc, but she meets the fascinating thief Sebastian and comes across a terrible murder and perhaps even a ghost.

___THINGS I LOVED ___

As you may have guessed from the plot, there's a lot of stuff in this installment #5.

The mystery begins immediately with the gruesome discovery of a corpse, in which the killer's modus operandi brings to mind London's famous Jack the Ripper.
The discoveries regarding the victim's past, however, lead to different paths and Lady Emily, still very sad and sensitive for the loss of the child, finds herself facing other difficult issues: mental disorders and the shame that family members often felt when someone he was affected by it in his family.
The etiquette of good society and the terrible pressure that women underwent at that time in not being able to show their feelings and suffering, the lack of freedom in expressing themselves and the absurd submission that was imposed on wives by their husbands... and despite Emily's modernity and the declared equality of the 2 spouses within the marriage declared by Colin, we will see that this couple in love will also have big problems in this regard.

In addition to the murder, from the beginning of the story, we meet the supporting characters, among which the famous Claude Monet, impressionist painter who had just married his lover of many years Alice Hoschedé and the writer Maurice Leblanc, father of Arsène Lupin and who was then still a young journalist.

Tasha Alexander, the author, allows us to have tea with the famous painter in his beautiful home in Giverny, and it is fantastic to find ourselves immersed in the beautiful gardens that Monet loved so much. We breathe in the enchanting atmosphere of the village of Giverny with its half-timbered houses and rolling hills.
No less enchanting is the atmosphere of the medieval towns of Rouen, in which Lady Emily recalls that Joan of Arc was burned.
Not much is said about personal life of Maurice Leblanc, but is good to watch him to take part from time to time in this investigation.
The author also makes the reader understand that Leblanc was inspired by the friendly and charming gentleman thief Sebastian Capet (fiction obviously, in fact Sebastian is a fictional character) to write the his future novels starring the legendary Arsène Lupin.

As I already said, each historical mystery in the Lady Emily series is a journey through history and different places, interesting to visit and that will make you want to travel right away!
The descriptions range from landscapes to city streets, from historical events to the traditional gastronomy of the place, from habits and customs to the fashion of the time and place.
This does not prevent the author from creating complicated puzzles in each book in which it is really difficult to guess the culprit.

__LITTLE THINGS I LIKED A LITTLE LESS ___

Perhaps the thing that made me lower my rating for the book was the prolonged argument between Emily and her husband Colin. Not because the discussion itself bothered me, on the contrary, I liked seeing the couple with problems of misunderstanding, more similar to reality than a perfect sappy relationship that doesn't exist in any couple in the world...

What bothered me was Colin's unexpected arrogance and his alternation: imposition and "I love you", imposition and prohibitions and then again "you know I love you"... Wow, it really made me nervous and it made me even more angry with Emily, who, despite being dissatisfied, was trying to submit to this... true at the time it was like that, but it really made me nervous and even if they finally made peace... I wasn't satisfied with the motivation.
I like Emily's independent spirit and wish she had done more to be respected.

Another thing that had a negative impact on my rating was the presence of what was believed to be a ghost... Tasha Alexander often includes fake ghosts in her short stories (I have read all those published in the series) and it is a topic which I don't like very much and if it can fascinate me once, if it is repeated in several books of the same series, it tires me.

___ SOMETHING I WOULD LIKE MORE IN THE SERIES ___

The only topic I would like to see more often and I could never get bored is actually a side character: Sebastian, the thief with refined taste... I love him!
He is charming, gallant, always ready with a joke and unpredictable, even if he may look predictable.
He appears for the first time in book #3 (A Fatal Waltz, set in Vienna), where it is impossible not to fall in love with him. He reappears here and will reappear in book #12 ( Death in St. Petersburg ), which I read last year and I highly recommend it, it's a great read.
I already know that Sebastian will not appear in more books than those named by me ( among those already published), but I hope to have the pleasure of his presence in future books in the series.

I've read many books in this series out of chronological order and although the stories are connected to each other by Lady Emily's personal life, they all are readable as a standalone.

Clean language, no sex or kissing scenes, no violence, no gruesome descriptions.
Therefore a historical mystery also suitable for the youngest and those who love cozies.
If you choose to read the book, I hope you will enjoy it the same as me.

Thank you for reading my review and please forgive my bad English, because it is not my native language.

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #2 : A Poisoned Season

BOOK #3 : A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

BOOK #4: Tears of Pearl

BOOK #13.5 : Upon the Midnight Clear ( Christmas novella ) BOOK #17 : A Cold Highland Wind




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Book review : Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Tears of Pearl
by Tasha Alexander
Lady Emily Ashton Mysteries book #4

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,5 stars rounded to 4.

A very intricate mystery!

___ THE PLOT IN SHORT____ Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves, diplomats of the British Empire, are finally married and can't wait to enjoy a relaxing and magnificent honeymoon in an exotic place. Their choice falls on the wonderful Constantinople.
Of course as always, plans don't go as planned and on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered, strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan’s lavish Topkapi Palace.

An Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople is present and recognizes the girl as his daughter, kidnapped twenty years earlier.
Emily and Colin promise the heartbroken man that they will find the girl's killer.
As a woman, Emily has access to the forbidden world of the harem and soon discovers that its mysterious, sheltered walls offer no protection from a ruthless killer.

As the death toll grows, Emily must rely on her sharp wits, putting her life at great risk and possibly with very serious consequences.

***************

The author is skilled at leading the reader to believe they can predict what will happen, but you really can't!
More and more characters enter the scene with each chapter, and any hypothesis you formulate ultimately turns out to be wrong.
You won't figure out what happened until almost the very end.

I really enjoy that Lady Emily's adventures often take place outside of England.The descriptions of the places, important buildings, customs, and traditions are so vivid that you feel like you're actually there.

In each book (this is the fourth in the series, but I've read others out of order), there are mentions of her past adventures and several characters who are part of her life. Some are often involved in her investigations or appear even sporadically, perhaps writing a letter or making a courtesy call, which makes Lady Emily's life and character feel very real.

____CHARACTERS____
The characters are well-defined, each with their own distinct personality traits, both positive and negative.

While I generally like Emily's character, I sometimes get irritated because she rarely follows Colin's well-considered advice. She often acts irresponsibly on her own. In this book, Emily is pregnant; initially, she's unsure about being happy, but regardless, she repeatedly puts herself in dangerous situations, risking the baby's safety.

I'm giving this Lady Emily mystery 3,5 stars for two main reasons:

1)__The complicated mystery is enthralling, but when things drag on without a resolution, it becomes frustrating and I lose interest in the book. I ended up skimming the last few chapters because, for my taste, it felt like the story kept going in circles without reaching a conclusion, and I grew tired of it.

2)_ When I was a child, I was fascinated by the stories of Aladdin's lamp and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, by women dressed in colorful veils, and by sultans with amazing turbans.
But obviously, harems weren't entirely happy places. The women were prisoners, often kidnapped from their families, and even among them, friendships were difficult to form. Instead, they lived in constant rivalry, vying for the sultan's favor and a better life. This reality, also present in the book, prevented me from fully appreciating the setting, and to this day, the Middle East remains a fascinating place for me, but one I'd be reluctant to travel to. because of this the book didn't fully capture me as the other books.
Probably because of this, the book didn't fully captivate me as the other books in the series have.

( I'm Italian and my English isn't perfect, but I hope I've explained my thoughts clearly! )




If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #2 : A Poisoned Season

BOOK #3 : A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander

book #5 : Dangerous to know

BOOK #13.5 : Upon the Midnight Clear ( Christmas novella )




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Book review : Vienna Dawn by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Dawn
by Mary Lancaster
The Imperial Season book #3
GENRE : #regency-suspence-romance

My rating: ★★★★★

Actually 4.6 rounded up to 5 stars.

Another lovely regency romance by Mary Lancaster!
I adored the "Imperial Season" series ( 3 main works ) set in the capital of Austria during the 1814 Congress of Vienna.
The 3 books are all wonderful and well connected to each other. Each book tells the love story of a specific couple with several important side characters that we meet in all 3 books ( sometimes in the  main roles and sometimes in secondary roles ).

There is also a short story as book 4 in the series ( which I haven't read yet ), but it's very very short and with brand new characters that are not connected to the ones in 3 main books. The only thing in common with the other 3 novels in the series is the setting : 1814, Austria :  Congress of Vienna.  

__ PLOT in short __ Autumn 1814, Vanya's family (book 1), mother, 2 sisters and the husband of one of them, are going to Vienna. Following an argument, Dunya, the heroine of this story, runs away but runs into a libertine who tries to take advantage of her.Entering a random room in an inn, she meets the English captain Richard Trelawny, who lost an arm in the war, but has lost no gallantry, no generosity, no courage.
 Together with his faithful servant, he saves the girl and decides to help her in her plan to win back an old boyfriend, thus rediscovering verve and joy of living. Lies, misunderstandings and dishonest people will complicate the whole situation, bringing a whirlwind of negative and positive emotions until the happy ending.

____ WHAT I LIKED IN THE BOOK ___
Speaking of this 3rd installment I loved the main couple: Dunya, a young Russian countess without dowry and sweet and handsome and also penniless Captain Trelawny.

Their falling in love happened slowly and neither of them ever denied it to themselves.

There are only two kisses in the book (while I expected more like in book 2), but the plot, despite being light, completely involved me from the beginning.

---> I liked Dunya's liveliness, resourcefulness and ability to admit that she was wrong about some people.
---> Trelawny made me fall in love right away, not only because he is handsome and doesn't back down when faced with the needs of others, but because despite the horrors of war and the loss of his arm having dulled his desire to heal and live a little, he doesn't cry on himself.
Indeed, he gets involved in the girl's vivacity and without ever having an ulterior motive, he protects her and supports her in his plans so that she can find happiness.
Honor, kindness and honesty are not his only qualities. He's also smart and brave, in fact, the war has taught him to fight and despite not having an arm, he doesn't hold back when it comes to foiling an espionage plan or confronting the arrogant and despicable person with the sword.

---> I loved the fact that the protagonists of the 1st book (Lizzie and Vanya and the children with the dog and other characters) were secondary characters in this 3rd installment and I liked finding again, even if only in small cameos, the protagonist couple of book 2 ( Esther and Zelig).
Finding characters I was already very fond of and seeing them actively participate for most of the narrative allowed me to enjoy the whole story even more.

___ LITTLE THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE so as not to give 5 full stars___
I rated it only 4.6 stars ( rounded to 5 because Goodreads doesn't allow half a star ) and not a full 5 stars, like the 2 previous books, because though the love story is gripping and very sweet to read, there are some open doors ( especially one in the ending ) which not only weren't necessary but they lead the reader to think that some events and adventures will follow ( in this book or in the next one ), but the truth is that the series is closed ( the last book is dated 2017) and the short story written by the author as book 4 is not connected to either the events or to the characters of the previous 3 book.
This means that I finished reading the book with a bit of terrible feeling of dissatisfaction and things left unfinished.

TO PEOPLE WHO DON'T MIND SPOILERS and also TO THE AUTHOR just in case she reads my opinion, I will explain myself a little better :  
There are 3 things that remain open:

__ 1) the most important at the end : ___WARNING : SPOILER____ our couple is stopped by two highwaymen with rifles, who then change their minds and leave. Dunya asks Richard who the villain was with the gun pointed at them, since it was clear that he recognized Richard and therefore let them go without robbing them. Richard doesn't answer and the novel ends with something unfinished which is decidedly annoying for the reader. This cliffhanger would make sense if the series continued, but it didn't and it made me angry. ___SPOILER END ____

__ 2) The second thing is less important, but it seems like the introduction to a new story and instead it leads to nothing: ___ WARNING: SPOILER____in this book we find Misha, Vanya's trusted servant, brother of the novel's heroine. Misha convinces Dunya (the heroine) to take in a maid who was being mistreated and this is because it turns out that he is in love with her.
Maria, the maid and Misha, are mentioned a couple more times and then in the end Dunya and Richard leave on a trip with no definite return, around the world. Dunya says she wants to give Maria time to say goodbye to Misha and hopes that Misha will maybe ask her to marry him, but still he takes the maid with him, separating her from her beloved... BUT WHAT'S THE SENSE? The author could have written that Maria married Misha and they both remained employed by Vanya or another solution for them to be together. What the hell is the point of introducing a newborn love and then separating the characters forever, other than disappointing the reader? Let's remember that these are light romances where there is a happy ending for all the good characters (and here we even had a happy ending for a really bitchy girl, another thing I didn't like) ___SPOILER END ____

__3) This third thing is perhaps not so important, but it bothers me that it doesn't make sense:
___WARNING : SPOILER____ at a certain point in the novel, the heroine's mother says a sentence that has nothing to do with the important events and characters at that moment.
He asks her if she treats her daughter-in-law (Lizzie, heroine of the first book and Vanya's wife) badly. Everyone answers yes in unison, then the whirlwind of events continues its normal course.
THAT PARTICULAR QUESTION and THAT ANSWER make the reader assume that there will be a clarification between the two characters and that Vanya's mother-countess will finally begin to treat her daughter-in-law with affection... NONE OF THIS... nothing happens in this book or in the next one because there is no continuation of the events of these characters.
At the end of the book Vanya says that Lizzie will try to talk to the angry countess... but then nothing more is said, no scene between the two women is described and she will no longer know anything about their relationship.
It seems that the writer thought about improving the relationship between the two characters, but then changed her mind (did she forget? Did she no longer want to dwell on the novel? ) well, in this case, before printing the book she should have deleted that question and that answer from the others... IT MAKES NO SENSE ___SPOILER END____

___ __IN CONCLUSION: do I recommend reading the book? Certainly yes and even if readable as a standalone, I recommend reading the series in order or at least the first book, because you will be better able to enjoy the presence of the side characters and their actions.
---> Book 2 is not important to enjoy book 3, but book 2 for me was absolutely the best, so don't miss it!

:-) Apologies for my faulty English, which is not my native language, thank you for reading my review, I hope it can be useful to you in choosing whether or not  to read the book.


READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 and BOOK #2:
#1 Vienna Waltz
#2 Vienna Woods

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Book review : An Honourable Thief by Douglas Skelton

An Honourable Thief
by Douglas Skelton
Company of Rogues book #1

My rating: ★★★★☆
3.7 rounded up to 4 stars is my actual rating.

It really took me a long time to get into the book and to get fond of the characters but finally, almost halfway through the novel I felt involved in the plot.

The author divided the story into 3 main parts.

-----> Part 1 starts with a lot of action and humorous lines by the main character and the villains and other people around him.
I generally love action and also humorous books. I dare say that action+humour+mystery-or-and-adventure is the perfect mix for me, but I had a great problem with this story.
The humorous lines were indeed so exasperated and the dialogues with jokes so long that they sound ridiculous, it sounded like reading an old hard boiled starring Sam Spade ( do you know The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett ? ) with a fatal female or some comics starring Spider or Batman... I expected to read "boom, splash, boing, gulp, crack and so one " at any moment !

I take the author wrote PART 1 of the book as a sort of introduction to the hero and his way of living... but too many chapters with action and jokes with no real substance...it felt more like a competition between the hero and his adversaries to prove who was the coolest.

___ THE PLOT begins in fact with Jonas Flint, the hero, who despite having been a thief and a scoundrel, works as a sort of secret agent for an important character who in turn works for the monarchy.
The action I was talking about takes place during a mission, in which the character shows off all his James Bond skills, with guns, sword and dagger and during the danger and fighting he also has time to joke non-stop.
We are in 1715 London and the main mission of the book is to recover a document written by the dying queen, which could compromise the future of the throne and the stability of England in a period in which the Jacobite uprisings are already causing unrest and death.

Part 1 also introduces the historical setting of the novel.
When a sovereign has no direct heirs there's always great tension and a great risk of riots, revolts and wars to gain power...

------> PART 2 was a little more serious and far better than the first one.
It takes the reader into the hero's past life and and deeper into the patriotic feelings of the people, especially the Scots towards the English monarchy, in the daily difficulties of common people and in the dullness of thought that, at that time, saw slavery as normal.
The intelligence and sensitivity and goodness of heart of a few people were unfortunately subject to the arrogance of rich people and those of aristocratic rank.

In this second part there is no shortage of moments of lightness or ironic and nice jokes, but here I was able to appreciate them because they were well-dosed (not too many and forced, nor non-existent) and skilfully mixed with deep feelings and emotions.
In this second part I began to grow fond of the characters and suffered with them in difficult moments.

Although Jonas' mission was always important and always his final goal, the second part explores more the introspective side of the main character and his family/friends.

Talking about characters, the main ones are fictional, but they are well blended with real historical figures and you'll find many clarifications on the matter in the author's final notes.

---> Part 3 is also interesting and engaging.
Even if it's more focused on the main mission (to recover the important and dangerous document), all the events of the second part come to a head.
There are a couple of very important twists and if one is a little bit predictable by the reader ( I expected that ), the other one is really surprising and I have to warn you: it's a little bit sad and bitter.

Overall I'm happy to say that I liked the book and I'm thinking of reading the next one in the series too.
The series is named "Company of Rogues" and it includes 3 total works.
Each book is readable as a standalone, but I think that reading all three in a row gives the reader a more complete vision of the soul of Jonas Flint, the hero. This is very important because Jonas is not a hero without reproach and I must admit that at the beginning I wasn't happy to have a protagonist who killed people left and right, even if they were villains... But his past helps the reader to accept him and at least in this first book, we also see the good sides of his soul and the shame he feels in having led a certain kind of life.

WARNING : some crude and bloody scenes are present in the book, just as the language of certain characters is crude and trivial.

Sorry for my bad English, it's not my native language and thanks for reading my review.
I hope my opinion and impressions can be useful to you when deciding whether to read this historical fiction or not.


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Book review : The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley

The Jewel Thief by Jeannie Mobley

My rating: ★★★★☆
Actually 3,7 rounded up to 4 of 5 stars

The French court of the Sun King, a large 115-carat blue diamond, a love story...

I love fiction inspired by true events; if you add romance and an unusual context, such as that of stonecutters, it's the perfect recipe.

The premises of the plot of the book are therefore fascinating and in fact I liked the story in its entirety, unfortunately however the author's narrative style did not allow me to become passionate about the characters or to jump with emotion for what was being told.

The story is narrated by the heroine of the book, while she is in prison and has to give a statement.

__THE PLOT _ Juliette Pitau, sixteen-year-old daughter of King Louis XIV's former jeweler, finds herself in a cell in the Bastille.
She is accused of stealing the Tavernier Violet, a large, deep blue diamond, which her father had been tasked with cutting and making as bright as the sun. Unfortunately, making such a dark diamond shine was an almost impossible task, which only the man who had cut Mazarin's famous diamond collection could have performed with precision.
To go to the aid of her father, Juliette devised a plan that was not entirely legitimate, for this reason she is also accused of treason and of having conspired against France together with a family of Jews, who at that time had been exiled from many European countries including France.
Giving testimony that shows the king her good intentions and that clears her of the charges is the only way she can avoid the death sentence. Unfortunately, her well-intentioned lies and the wickedness of some greedy people have made her guilty even in the eyes of those who loved her, like René, the young man who has to write down her declaration of innocence.
_________________

As I have already said, the story itself is fascinating and took me into a world I knew nothing about: that of precious gems and the different types of cuts to make them more brilliant and precious, in the world of diamonds and jewels of crown and the legends in which they are surrounded.

Some things are explained at the end of the book in the author's notes, others can be read in the hundreds of articles found on the web about the Tavernier Violet, which was cut and then transformed into French Blue, which then disappeared for many years afterwards during the French Revolution and which then reappeared, differently cut, as Hope Diamond.

What didn't allow me to fully enjoy the story was the narration told by Juliette herself.
The story is reported a bit like a "news story" and even if from time to time the dialogues that the protagonist remembers are reported, this is not enough to give emphasis to either the facts or the characters. For me it was all unexciting and lacking in suspense.

Not even the fact that the person who took the deposition was Juliette's lover, who initially believed her to be guilty and greedy, while slowly realizing the suffering that led her to make desperate and catastrophic choices, did not help to excite me.

There are several kisses in the book, some sweet, some more passionate and a sex scene without explicit descriptions... however in my opinion, not only were they not very believable inside a cell where you can be seen from moment to moment 'more from the guards, but the description didn't involve me or make me feel butterflies in my stomach, which often happens to me with other clean romances where the author manages to excite me even just with glances and small stolen kisses.

I liked the characters for better or for worse, but each of them should have been explored more.
I liked the choice of the two protagonists, in love, but fragile in the uncertainty of being loved only for appearances and not for who they really are.
I would have preferred a father who goes out of his way for his daughter and not a cowardly drunk who only knows how to cry about himself while his daughter tries to move mountains to help him, but an involuntary villain could fit in.

I liked the other positive characters and the 2 tyrants of the jewelers' guild (the head of the guild and his wife), I also liked the capricious Sun King in his selfishness and egocentricity...
When I say that I liked the characters, it means that they made sense to me and were in the right place in this story... but for each of them, as a reader I got an idea of their character, but the monotonous way to tell the story chosen by author did not allow me to savor them fully.

I think if the writer had told the facts in real time (and not through a story told afterwards by the protagonist while she is in prison), she would have been able to develop the dialogues and characters more.
If the dialogues had been expanded and the characters more in-depth and with more space, they would have indelibly captured my soul as a reader and the author would have equally had the opportunity to show us the romantic love with ups and downs between René and Juliette.
In fact, the point that I liked most was the ending, when the events finally take place outside that dark and damp cell and we finally perceive the pathos of what could or could not be.

Of course it is a matter of taste, because I have read many nice reviews on this book, but my personal opinion is this and this does not make me want to read the next book in the series, nor I will never reread this.

It is a book suitable for young adults and perhaps it can have a stronger emotional impact on them than it had on me and as I said the story is still a good story.

Sorry for my bad English, it's not my native language and thanks for reading my opinion :-)

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Book review : Vienna Woods by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Woods
The Imperial Season Book 2
by Mary Lancaster
GENRE : #regency-spy-romance

My rating: ★★★★★
5 FULL STARS !! :-D

Wowwwwwwww!!
This was a fabulous read!!

Not only do I give 5 full stars, but I decided to establish a 6th star, i.e. a GOLDEN STAR for those books, like this one, that I would start reading all over again immediately !!

The genre of this novel is: clean romance.

----> The recipe includes :
the right dose of joy and lightness, a nice handful of adventure and a little espionage suspense and a few splashes of drama and tension, just to make our hearts beat faster!
Oh I forgot: fantastic HERO and HEROINE, very different from each other (she is brighter, he is more introverted and mysterious), but they're perfect together.

Before I delve into my opinion, let me introduce you to THE PLOT:

__1814, Congress of Vienna.
Esther Lisle, is the daughter of an English general, now a diplomat in a small European kingdom and unofficially engaged to the heir of the aforementioned kingdom, a man whose bad reputation, meanness and arrogance are known to many.
__ One day Esther wakes up in the woods of Vienna, with an agent of the tough and feared Austrian secret police in front of her, who asks her questions about her relationship with Prince Otto, whose corpse is just a few steps away.
__ Secret Agent Zelig, also called Agent Z, has the task of maintaining security in Vienna and above all foiling any conspiracy and devious plan that could ruin the important congress and peace negotiations that will be discussed by the heads of government of the whole Europe.
__The death of the prince has a heavier weight than it may seem and although Esther and Agent Z don't know if they can trust each other they will try to collaborate to get to the truth.

In a world where you have to pay attention to every word said, because everything can be conspiracy and betrayal, it will not be an easy task.
Between masquerade balls, tournaments and all the "bon ton" prejudices of the time, reality and truth will be even more confused and elusive. To increase the tension and emotions there is a pleasant physical attraction, not foreseen by both, but which, little by little, will transform into a strong feeling and bond.
__________ ________

I REALLY LOVED THE CAST OF CHARACTERS:

1) the HERO of the story is not the usual consummate libertine (as is present in almost all romances) and who when he meets true love magically redeems himself (it's an overused cliché).
He is a very good young man of few words, very mysterious also because of his job, who despite a past of poverty, does not feel sorry for himself and does not resort to alcohol when he is desperate.
He earns his living with his work, which he is really good at and does not solve problems with the bottle, but by throwing himself headlong into his duty.
Put like this, he may seem like a boring boy, but he is not at all devoid of passion.
His icy gaze in contrast with his kind and polite ways, his tender gestures towards Esther and some street kids, whom he takes care of, fascinated me. I loved his hidden and barely visible smiles
And the way he kisses Esther...I wanted to be Esther! 😜😁

2) I also loved the HEROINE of the novel: yes, a beautiful girl, but above all with charisma. A young girl, but with a good head on her shoulders and who knows how to respond with intelligent and playful jokes, even if she is taken by surprise.
Esther is courageous and generous (but without being too saccharine or far-fetched) and the thing I like most about her is that she doesn't classify people based on social rank, but knows how to make friends with every good person.

3) among the complementary characters that I adored, there are the two main characters of book #1, plus 3 street thieves who help Agent Z in some unorthodox missions.
They are just over fifteen years old and like all young people they exude energy, liveliness and spontaneity from every pore.

This is the second book in a series of 4, all romances and with a hint of adventure/mystery.
I really liked installation #1 and rated it 5 stars, but this #2 is absolutely superior to the first.

I LIKED THIS SECOND NOVEL MUCH MORE THAN THE FIRST because the whole story mixes romance, mystery and espionage well, keeping the reader in the tension of "what will happen next?", so much so that it made me turn the pages one after the other with voracity.

Compared to the first novel we have more romantic moments in which the emotion of the couple's attraction and falling in love are truly palpable...indeed, despite being a slow-burn romance, the heartbeat and courtship begin immediately.
The kisses are clean, but described so well that it's like watching a movie.
Final sex scene, also clean with nothing explicit or vulgar and therefore readable even by younger people.

---> I want to remember one thing though: the books are born as romances and even if there's a little mystery adventure, they are not comparable to real "mystery crime or spy stories", if you're looking for that genre , this is not for you).

Each book develops around a different couple, so you can easily choose one as a standalone, but my advice is to read them all in a row, because the main characters of one book become secondary ones in subsequent ones and the stories, in one way or another, are intertwined.
In fact the protagonist of this book, Garin/Agent Zelig, was not a simple extra in installment #1.
He had a small active role, so when I started reading this story I felt already a little fond of the character
As a counterpart, the main characters of book one ( Lizzie, Vanja and family ) have an important role in this adventure

---> UNLIKE THE FIRST NOVEL, here the historical figures of the time are only named and have no active role. However, the plot was so intriguing and engaging that I didn't miss it.
The description of the balls and the display of opulence, the subterfuge, the lust for power, the corridors of the Hofburg and the rides in the Viennese woods, make us imagine the setting and the political context.
Furthermore, if like me, while reading, you listen to the notes of the waltz in the background (you can find hundreds of wonderful playlists on Youtube) then you will feel directly catapulted into 1814 in the glittering Austrian capital!

I will definitely also read books 3 and 4 in the series, but first I have to take a break with a mystery where love has nothing to do with it, because I was so involved in this one that if I read another one I wouldn't be able to enjoy it... I must first get rid of the very pleasant intoxication.

Thanks everybody for reading my review and please be lenient with my English as it's not my mother tongue.
I hope my opinions have been helpful to you and if you read it I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.


READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 and BOOK #3:
BOOK #1 Vienna Waltz
BOOK #3 Vienna Dawn

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