The Gilded Web - Web 2 - Mary Balogh
Sept 2, 2018 19:16:48 GMT -7
Samantha K, Banana Boat, and 3 more like this
Post by secretromancejunkie on Sept 2, 2018 19:16:48 GMT -7
The Gilded Web - Web Series book 2 - by Mary Balogh
Rating 2.5 / 5.0
Heat 3 / 10
Genre - HR (Regency)
This book started out very well. The h is mistakenly kidnapped and thereby ruined. The man who was responsible offers her marriage, as does his older brother. She refuses both. When the man she was supposed to become betrothed to rejects her, she is forced to accept the proposal of the older brother. After a few appearances in town, they retire to his country estate (with her mother and older brother) to get to know one another.
I ended up not liking this h. At first I just felt really sorry for her. Her father was horribly strict. He use to whip both his children frequently, using the scriptures to justify his discipline. She keeps herself so carefully controlled she is unable to feel joy or desire. I could sympathize, but not empathize with this h. But as the story progressed I began to actually dislike her. She decides that she wants to be able to make decisions for herself. So she is going to choose to reject her betrothed, in favour of being a governess or a companion. She wants to be "free". Her decision made no sense. She fully admits that the H is nothing like her father and that she will have a great deal of freedom with him. But because she didn't get to make a choice, she's going to end it. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!
The book is 450 pages. I was really looking forward to a good, meaty romance. But over half the pages are taken up with the view points of the H's younger brother and sister, and the h's older brother. Not much of that had anything to do with the story-line of the the H and h. So what I actually read was a pretty slim (~225) story about the H and h with a lot of other stuff thrown in. Most of the last half of that was the inner mental dithering of the h and H, mostly the h.
I generally like Mary Balogh. She's written some amazing HR. This isn't up to her usual standard and I would not read it again.
NOTE: although this appears to be book one, it actually happens after A Promise of Spring. It does spoil a bit of the story that takes place in A Promise of Spring so I recommend reading A Promise of Spring first.
Rating 2.5 / 5.0
Heat 3 / 10
Genre - HR (Regency)
This book started out very well. The h is mistakenly kidnapped and thereby ruined. The man who was responsible offers her marriage, as does his older brother. She refuses both. When the man she was supposed to become betrothed to rejects her, she is forced to accept the proposal of the older brother. After a few appearances in town, they retire to his country estate (with her mother and older brother) to get to know one another.
I ended up not liking this h. At first I just felt really sorry for her. Her father was horribly strict. He use to whip both his children frequently, using the scriptures to justify his discipline. She keeps herself so carefully controlled she is unable to feel joy or desire. I could sympathize, but not empathize with this h. But as the story progressed I began to actually dislike her. She decides that she wants to be able to make decisions for herself. So she is going to choose to reject her betrothed, in favour of being a governess or a companion. She wants to be "free". Her decision made no sense. She fully admits that the H is nothing like her father and that she will have a great deal of freedom with him. But because she didn't get to make a choice, she's going to end it. Talk about cutting off your nose to spite your face!
The book is 450 pages. I was really looking forward to a good, meaty romance. But over half the pages are taken up with the view points of the H's younger brother and sister, and the h's older brother. Not much of that had anything to do with the story-line of the the H and h. So what I actually read was a pretty slim (~225) story about the H and h with a lot of other stuff thrown in. Most of the last half of that was the inner mental dithering of the h and H, mostly the h.
I generally like Mary Balogh. She's written some amazing HR. This isn't up to her usual standard and I would not read it again.
NOTE: although this appears to be book one, it actually happens after A Promise of Spring. It does spoil a bit of the story that takes place in A Promise of Spring so I recommend reading A Promise of Spring first.
