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indolentfop's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
heidenkind's review
I never warmed up to Blake, and I kind of wish he and Minerva had fought more.
balletbookworm's review
4.0
I didn't know this was book 4 in a series until I pulled up the Goodreads page, but having read it through I can see where the previous books would fall. I thought the combination of the marriage plot (marrying after being caught in a compromising position, trying to make it work, misunderstandings, and trust issues) with Blake's secret and his father's death created a very solid plot. I liked the writing so I'd be interested in the other books in this series.
claire_loves_books's review
4.0
I enjoyed this, Minerva and Blakely are so mismatched at the start but it was nice to see them grow to understand and care about each other.
seeinghowitgoes's review
1.0
Miranda Neville finally lost me with this novel. Usually Arranged Marriages are a massive weakness of mine, along with the willfully intelligent female this is a one-two punch that I adore. but the biggest plothole in this novel to me is the fact that I can't fathom why on earth Minerva Montrose would fall in love with Blakeney.
A female with political ambitions who finds herself in a compromising position and married to a man who very intelligence she doubts (this is all explained with dyslexia), what results is possibly the worst start (and continuation!!) of a wedding I've ever seen. Ms Neville seems to have a tendency to throw in as many plot lines as possible, blackmail attempts, family deaths, terrible sex... The end result was just too messy for me to enjoy.
A female with political ambitions who finds herself in a compromising position and married to a man who very intelligence she doubts (this is all explained with dyslexia), what results is possibly the worst start (and continuation!!) of a wedding I've ever seen. Ms Neville seems to have a tendency to throw in as many plot lines as possible, blackmail attempts, family deaths, terrible sex... The end result was just too messy for me to enjoy.
wildflowerz76's review
4.0
I enjoyed reading this one. I haven't been reading a whole lot of historical romances lately. But I liked that we had some different elements in this one.
loverofromance's review
4.0
I am a bit sad to see the series concluded now that I have read the last and final book. I have really enjoyed seeing the variety of sets of stories that have been put in place in this series.I found that the first half was alright, didn't exactly completely draw me into the story, but once I got about halfway, that is when it started to really pick up. Despite the slower start, I definitely had fun with this one.
Minerva has always had ambition and has a passion for the political arena. She wants a marriage with a man that has the same desire to make a difference as she does. She knows that her views can be a bit radical, wanting equality for everyone. But her plans get put on hold when she ends up caught in a compromising position that is no fault of her own, and is forced to marry Lord Blakely or face a horrendeous scandal. She has no desire to marry Blake, since all he cares about is sports and horses. He has no intellectual drive that she knows of, and there couldn't be a worse possible match for her. Blake has never been able to read. He had to force his way through his studies, his brain has never been able to make sense of jumbled letters that make no sense. He is the heir to a Dukedom, and he knows his father is always disappointed in him. He has always known that he will have to marry one day, but he has no clue that drunk one night, that he would end up compromising Minnie, and end up having to marry her. A woman he fears of ever learning his secret. But when they go to Paris, passion is awakened, and he starts to believe that their marriage could turn into something special.
My heart just broke for Blake in this story. I was totally on his side through the whole story. He has struggled with a certain mental condition, that was not known of back in the 1800's. With no help, only criticism and censure from his family and peers. I felt like he did a good job with handling tough situations, and even though he could care less about politics, I loved seeing the way he was with Minnie and what he would do for her. Blake loves sports and women, but he is the honorable kind, sensitive to others and can be very reasonable at times. Minnie wasn't my favorite, I mean she was a average heroine, but I didn't find her too likeable. There were some aspects of her characters I did like, but I felt that she was too judgemental at times, and had politics on the brain almost too obsessive I found at times. But overall I did like how she reacts to finding out about Blake's secret. She did have a sweet nature that I really liked.
Overall I did enjoy this story quite a bit, not my favorite of the series, but it was a fun and it had some interesting look on politics back in this era in England. I liked how this author also put a mental condition into one of the characters that added a certain conflict to the story, that made me like it even more. It was also a fun setting from Paris to London, and seeing this couple interact and see how right they are for each other. Both are clever, just in different areas and I enjoyed seeing how well they complimented each other. A sweet and romantic story that is very moving!! LOVED IT!
Minerva has always had ambition and has a passion for the political arena. She wants a marriage with a man that has the same desire to make a difference as she does. She knows that her views can be a bit radical, wanting equality for everyone. But her plans get put on hold when she ends up caught in a compromising position that is no fault of her own, and is forced to marry Lord Blakely or face a horrendeous scandal. She has no desire to marry Blake, since all he cares about is sports and horses. He has no intellectual drive that she knows of, and there couldn't be a worse possible match for her. Blake has never been able to read. He had to force his way through his studies, his brain has never been able to make sense of jumbled letters that make no sense. He is the heir to a Dukedom, and he knows his father is always disappointed in him. He has always known that he will have to marry one day, but he has no clue that drunk one night, that he would end up compromising Minnie, and end up having to marry her. A woman he fears of ever learning his secret. But when they go to Paris, passion is awakened, and he starts to believe that their marriage could turn into something special.
My heart just broke for Blake in this story. I was totally on his side through the whole story. He has struggled with a certain mental condition, that was not known of back in the 1800's. With no help, only criticism and censure from his family and peers. I felt like he did a good job with handling tough situations, and even though he could care less about politics, I loved seeing the way he was with Minnie and what he would do for her. Blake loves sports and women, but he is the honorable kind, sensitive to others and can be very reasonable at times. Minnie wasn't my favorite, I mean she was a average heroine, but I didn't find her too likeable. There were some aspects of her characters I did like, but I felt that she was too judgemental at times, and had politics on the brain almost too obsessive I found at times. But overall I did like how she reacts to finding out about Blake's secret. She did have a sweet nature that I really liked.
Overall I did enjoy this story quite a bit, not my favorite of the series, but it was a fun and it had some interesting look on politics back in this era in England. I liked how this author also put a mental condition into one of the characters that added a certain conflict to the story, that made me like it even more. It was also a fun setting from Paris to London, and seeing this couple interact and see how right they are for each other. Both are clever, just in different areas and I enjoyed seeing how well they complimented each other. A sweet and romantic story that is very moving!! LOVED IT!
nelsonseye's review against another edition
4.0
The resolution (with the villain) was a bit rushed but still a very enjoyable read. I especially liked Blake's conversation with his father - it was very touching. I will say that, with regards to the theme of dyslexia, I prefer [b:To Pleasure a Prince|1264115|To Pleasure a Prince (Royal Brotherhood, #2)|Sabrina Jeffries|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1182356746s/1264115.jpg|1252985].
b0okcupidity's review
2.0
Oh, but how my love affair with Miranda Neville was brief. Though I didn't think this was terrible (I did finish it, which is more than I can say for some of her stuff), the politics in this book just became overwhelming! And rambling! I think this could have been a lovely story if it weren't for this major misstep.
shadowmaster13's review
3.0
At the beginning of this book I was ready to consider Blake a horrible person. I sided with Iverley and was horrified that the quirky Minerva would be stuck with him.
But I changed my mind, Blake is handsome, arrogant and the son of a duke but beneath all that he is a very vulnerable man. He has dyslexia, is almost unable to read and his writing is atrocious, except for his signature. And I felt myself melting in sympathy for him.
Minerva was harsh and unyielding towards Blake at first, but you can understand it because her whole future's been derailed. She softens to Blake when he shows himself to be quite intelligent in actual fact.
The best scene in the book though, is at the end.
But I changed my mind, Blake is handsome, arrogant and the son of a duke but beneath all that he is a very vulnerable man. He has dyslexia, is almost unable to read and his writing is atrocious, except for his signature. And I felt myself melting in sympathy for him.
Minerva was harsh and unyielding towards Blake at first, but you can understand it because her whole future's been derailed. She softens to Blake when he shows himself to be quite intelligent in actual fact.
The best scene in the book though, is at the end.