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rellaenthia's review
5.0
Oceans of emotion!
Joana Starnes never fails to amaze me. Amazing twists and turns, suspense, angst (a must!), the desired HEA...and an Elizabeth Rocha red by the sea that spoke to me.personally!
Spectacular as ever!
Joana Starnes never fails to amaze me. Amazing twists and turns, suspense, angst (a must!), the desired HEA...and an Elizabeth Rocha red by the sea that spoke to me.personally!
Spectacular as ever!
readundancies's review
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
A classic quality of many of Joana Starnes' works is that they tend to be a bit overly long. She never short changes her readers for a proper ending which is commendable, but you do feel the length. This is definitely the case with this one. She also has her patented emotional angst running strong in this story, but not to the point where I teared up or anything.
I wasn't a big fan of the love triangle, but that’s on par for me. Darcy just normally has enough going on himself that I think adding a romantic rival tends to overcomplicate things.
I wasn't expecting Lydia's romantic arc to end up where it did, but it also kinda worked in a weird way, so I wasn't upset about it. Colonel Fitzwilliam was in fine form in this rendition of himself and I loved the humour and levity he often added with his conversations with Darcy to lighten the mood.
The drama was a bit much, what with the love triangle, Darcy’s need to pull his head out of his arrogant ass for the better part of the first half of this novel, and Wickham's schemes - let alone the inheritance plot line involved as well. Realistically, it was a lot of plot lines that needed to be followed, and while they were all well attended to by the end, a little more brevity would not have been uncalled for in addition to some editing cuts which would not have gone amiss.
Regardless of my few complaints, Joana Starnes has never steered me wrong, so I was entertained throughout. Definitely recommend if you're also a Starnes' fan or just looking for a Pride and Prejudice variation to read.
I wasn't a big fan of the love triangle, but that’s on par for me. Darcy just normally has enough going on himself that I think adding a romantic rival tends to overcomplicate things.
I wasn't expecting Lydia's romantic arc to end up where it did, but it also kinda worked in a weird way, so I wasn't upset about it. Colonel Fitzwilliam was in fine form in this rendition of himself and I loved the humour and levity he often added with his conversations with Darcy to lighten the mood.
The drama was a bit much, what with the love triangle, Darcy’s need to pull his head out of his arrogant ass for the better part of the first half of this novel, and Wickham's schemes - let alone the inheritance plot line involved as well. Realistically, it was a lot of plot lines that needed to be followed, and while they were all well attended to by the end, a little more brevity would not have been uncalled for in addition to some editing cuts which would not have gone amiss.
Regardless of my few complaints, Joana Starnes has never steered me wrong, so I was entertained throughout. Definitely recommend if you're also a Starnes' fan or just looking for a Pride and Prejudice variation to read.
vesper1931's review
4.0
In this Pride and Prejudice variation Darcy is spared his proposal by Elizabeth being recalled by her family to visit new found relations in Cornwall. Thinking that Elizabeth welcomes his attentions he offers to transport her and the Colonel to meet the Bennets as they travel from Longbourn.
This is third of Joana's books I have read and have loved them all.
This is third of Joana's books I have read and have loved them all.
elizabaum's review
5.0
This is my second Joana Starnes book (the first being [b:Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter|32871456|Mr Bennet's Dutiful Daughter|Joana Starnes|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1478275053s/32871456.jpg|53479432]), and I was once again impressed by the sheer quality of the writing. The way she paints Darcy's emotional turmoil makes it beautiful, in spite of its sadness. I loved how you could follow the gradual change from his arrogant confidence to that rock bottom place he faces later. Elizabeth was also nicely portrayed, but hers simply wasn't as poignant.
My one complaint is that Elizabeth's change of heart felt very quick. I realize that quite a bit of time passed between their start in Kent and the end, but a large portion of that time was spentwith Darcy trying to find Elizabeth. By the time he did, it was a quick road to his first, refused, proposal...and then only 24 hours until Elizabeth does a complete flip and accepts him. I think the intention was to show that her feelings had gradually been changing, and she simply hadn't realized it--and, admittedly, her refusal was very soft and almost caring--but it still seemed quick. Even if it had been another day or two, I think that would have helped my suspension of disbelief.
However, I can easily forgive that, because the rest of the story was fabulous. Also, I adore a good hurt/comfort plot, so having Elizabethcare for Darcy after Wickham injures him in a sword fight is right up my alley. There wasn't quite enough substance to the Wickham plotline in general, but I found I didn't care.
Oh. I did find the Lydia/Fitzwilliam romance a little silly, but it wasn't enough to detract from my enjoyment.
And, as always, Stevie Zimmerman is a fabulous narrator. She's the reason I chose to download this book on audible next.
My one complaint is that Elizabeth's change of heart felt very quick. I realize that quite a bit of time passed between their start in Kent and the end, but a large portion of that time was spent
However, I can easily forgive that, because the rest of the story was fabulous. Also, I adore a good hurt/comfort plot, so having Elizabeth
Oh. I did find the Lydia
And, as always, Stevie Zimmerman is a fabulous narrator. She's the reason I chose to download this book on audible next.
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