Title: The Captain's Bluestocking Mistress Series: The Dukes of War
Author: Erica Ridley
Read copy: eBook (Kindle)
Published: March 2, 205
Publisher: Intrepid Reads
ASIN: B00QFGP5HG
Captain Xavier Grey’s body is back amongst the Beau Monde, but his mind cannot break free from the horrors of war. His friends try to help him find peace. He knows he doesn’t deserve it. Just like he doesn't deserve the attentions of the sultry bluestocking intent on seducing him into bed...
Spinster Jane Downing wants off the shelf and into the arms of a hot-blooded man. Specifically, the dark and dangerous Captain Grey. She may not be destined to be his wife, but nothing will stop her from being his mistress. She could quote classical Greek by the age of four. How hard can it be to learn the language of love?
My rating:
***copy provided by publisher through NetGalley***
Jane Downing is tired of giving people Janenesia. She's tired of not being memorable, of being forgettable, of passing through life unnoticed. Yes, her predicament might be a little bit her fault, but she's tired of it. Unfortunately, there's nothing she can do about it, but there is something she can do for herself. Like getting rid of her virginity, for example.
But a man or other won't do. She wants someone she likes to do the honors. Someone she desires, someone she respects...And that someone should be the honorable Captain Xavier Grey. He's no longer a vegetable, hiding from the world inside his mind, so Jane's confident he's up to the challenge. Only, it turns out the real challenge is convincing him.
This was another lovely addition to the The Dukes of War series, although I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with the story. I can't really put my finger on what bothered me (not enough, of course, to drastically lower the rating), there was just something off. The pacing was good, the story had just the right amount of humor to start with, the characters were lovely (even the Satan-cat—can a cat be deemed a character?), the plot and story were nice...
I guess what bothered me was what happened after the deed. Not Xavier's confession of what he truly did during the war, but how Jane dealt with it immediately after hearing it, and her thought process afterwards. It somehow didn't quite fit with the Jane we've been introduced to, the Jane that barged in on a gentleman in the middle of the snowstorm. Granted, she needed time to adjust, but it felt discordant with everything else.
Also, I wouldn't have minded a bit more pages after it, because the resolution (Xavier's reasoning and the final "show") seemed a bit rushed.
I know I'm nitpicking, but the last third of the story didn't seem "in harmony" with the rest of it.
4 stars, Erica Ridley, historical, historical romance, regency, romantic comedy, short story/novella
Posts
0 comments:
Post a Comment