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meepfest8346's review
2.0
I cannot bear it when a protagonist lies about such enormous things like their identity, it makes me so cross!! When someone claims they adore another, but then lies to them constantly without any particularly good reason, it doesn’t endear them to me AT ALL.
jbeen21's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 Stars. Thank you to the Goodreads First Reads giveaways program for a copy of Valerie Bowman’s “The Accidental Countess.”
The second in Bowman’s “Playful Brides” series, “The Accidental Countess” is a silly Regency romp full of mistaken identities, misunderstandings and sassy female characters. Lady Cassandra Monroe has loved Captain Julian Swift for seven years, despite his imminent betrothal to her friend, Penelope, upon his return from the Napoleonic War. Those years on the battlefields have made Julian realize that he loves Cassie, his reliable friend who has written him a letter every day that he’s been away. He hasn’t seen her since she was sixteen years old, and doesn’t know what she looks like. This makes it easier for Cassie to give into her friend Lucy’s scheme to invent identities for the two of them and find out Julian’s true feelings for Cassie. And so, Cassie re-imagines herself as the sweet and sassy Patience Bunbury, with plans to seduce Julian at a country house party.
Readers of Oscar Wilde will enjoy the similarities between Bowman’s book and “The Importance of Being Earnest,” though at times, I found the amount of misunderstandings to be a bit excessive. The relationship between Julian and Cassie was very sweet, and I truly loved that Julian began to cherish Cassie because of her written words of comfort and inspiration, not her physical appearance. Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read, with enjoyable characters.
The second in Bowman’s “Playful Brides” series, “The Accidental Countess” is a silly Regency romp full of mistaken identities, misunderstandings and sassy female characters. Lady Cassandra Monroe has loved Captain Julian Swift for seven years, despite his imminent betrothal to her friend, Penelope, upon his return from the Napoleonic War. Those years on the battlefields have made Julian realize that he loves Cassie, his reliable friend who has written him a letter every day that he’s been away. He hasn’t seen her since she was sixteen years old, and doesn’t know what she looks like. This makes it easier for Cassie to give into her friend Lucy’s scheme to invent identities for the two of them and find out Julian’s true feelings for Cassie. And so, Cassie re-imagines herself as the sweet and sassy Patience Bunbury, with plans to seduce Julian at a country house party.
Readers of Oscar Wilde will enjoy the similarities between Bowman’s book and “The Importance of Being Earnest,” though at times, I found the amount of misunderstandings to be a bit excessive. The relationship between Julian and Cassie was very sweet, and I truly loved that Julian began to cherish Cassie because of her written words of comfort and inspiration, not her physical appearance. Overall, this was a fun, lighthearted read, with enjoyable characters.
nellesnightstand1's review against another edition
3.0
Cassandra wasn't my favorite character in the first book. I had high hopes she would redeem herself here. When Julian doesn't recognize her, Lucy introduces Cass as a fictitious person for some madcap reason. Much of the first part of the book was a farce. The mistaken identity of went on for too long and the dramatic discovery of it was heart-wrenching. I'd have admired Cass so much more if she could have done what she wanted, which was to tell Julian the truth. It was very frustrating.
Julian a battle-worn soldier, deserved someone better, in my opinion. Someone who could stand up for herself. She dews eventually but it's rather a case of "too little, too late" in my book. The romance truly starts after the discovery of the charade and that was so much more enjoyable
Julian a battle-worn soldier, deserved someone better, in my opinion. Someone who could stand up for herself. She dews eventually but it's rather a case of "too little, too late" in my book. The romance truly starts after the discovery of the charade and that was so much more enjoyable
nellesnightstand's review against another edition
3.0
Cassandra wasn't my favorite character in the first book. I had high hopes she would redeem herself here. When Julian doesn't recognize her, Lucy introduces Cass as a fictitious person for some madcap reason. Much of the first part of the book was a farce. The mistaken identity of went on for too long and the dramatic discovery of it was heart-wrenching. I'd have admired Cass so much more if she could have done what she wanted, which was to tell Julian the truth. It was very frustrating.
Julian a battle-worn soldier, deserved someone better, in my opinion. Someone who could stand up for herself. She dews eventually but it's rather a case of "too little, too late" in my book. The romance truly starts after the discovery of the charade and that was so much more enjoyable
Julian a battle-worn soldier, deserved someone better, in my opinion. Someone who could stand up for herself. She dews eventually but it's rather a case of "too little, too late" in my book. The romance truly starts after the discovery of the charade and that was so much more enjoyable
laurenjodi's review against another edition
1.0
The Accident Countess
1 Star
Unfortunately, this follow-up to the delightful first book, The Unexpected Duchess, is exceedingly disappointing. A retelling of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, it has none of the wit, humor or charm of the original piece.
***Warning: Rant and spoilers ahead***
To begin with, the book contains a trope that I despise - a heroine who lies constantly and consistently to the man she claims to love beyond measure. Unlike Wilde's play in which the absurd shenanigans of all of the characters are clearly farcical and meant as social criticism, Cass's actions are cruel and harmful. She not only deceives Julian about her identity for two-thirds of the book but actively encourages others to do so as well. Whether intended or not, her pretense hurts and humiliates him a great deal. Personally, he is far too forgiving in my opinion.
In addition, neither Julian nor Cass are particularly interesting characters, and they have very little chemistry. Julian has survived a near-death experience, yet seems to suffer no ill effects from his wounds either physically or psychologically. Cass is weak and insipid, allowing her parents, cousin, and friends to walk all over her. There is absolutely no spark or emotion in Julian and Cass's romance.
Finally, the writing is completely anachronistic. The dialogue, behavior, and demeanor of the various characters are so far from the norms of the Regency period that they make the setting irrelevant. This could have been set in 21st century New York, and the plot would have made more sense.
In sum, this book is an agony to read with the heroine constantly bemoaning the situation that her deceit has led to, and the reader forced to endure the constant tension of waiting for the other shoe to drop. To be honest, the only reason this was not a DNF is that it fits into the Seasonal Reading Challenge so perfectly. This book is not recommended for anyone who enjoys history, or romance or Oscar Wilde!
1 Star
Unfortunately, this follow-up to the delightful first book, The Unexpected Duchess, is exceedingly disappointing. A retelling of Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest, it has none of the wit, humor or charm of the original piece.
***Warning: Rant and spoilers ahead***
To begin with, the book contains a trope that I despise - a heroine who lies constantly and consistently to the man she claims to love beyond measure. Unlike Wilde's play in which the absurd shenanigans of all of the characters are clearly farcical and meant as social criticism, Cass's actions are cruel and harmful. She not only deceives Julian about her identity for two-thirds of the book but actively encourages others to do so as well. Whether intended or not, her pretense hurts and humiliates him a great deal. Personally, he is far too forgiving in my opinion.
In addition, neither Julian nor Cass are particularly interesting characters, and they have very little chemistry. Julian has survived a near-death experience, yet seems to suffer no ill effects from his wounds either physically or psychologically. Cass is weak and insipid, allowing her parents, cousin, and friends to walk all over her. There is absolutely no spark or emotion in Julian and Cass's romance.
Finally, the writing is completely anachronistic. The dialogue, behavior, and demeanor of the various characters are so far from the norms of the Regency period that they make the setting irrelevant. This could have been set in 21st century New York, and the plot would have made more sense.
In sum, this book is an agony to read with the heroine constantly bemoaning the situation that her deceit has led to, and the reader forced to endure the constant tension of waiting for the other shoe to drop. To be honest, the only reason this was not a DNF is that it fits into the Seasonal Reading Challenge so perfectly. This book is not recommended for anyone who enjoys history, or romance or Oscar Wilde!
geo_ix's review against another edition
5.0
So while the constant miscommunication was frustrating, it was the GOOD kind of frustrating that makes things a little more interesting. I'm really loving this series, each character (even though Lucy was even MORE unbearably annoying at times in this book than she was in book two, he schemes are seriously silly) interests me and I'm really eager for the next book AND to see more of Daphne!
I love when I start a series and I'm eager for side characters because I know that means the story wasn't just focusing on the main characters but a whole crew of people. I don't find the side characters to be just little pawns to make this story work, but they're pieces that make the whole series work. We SEE the friendships and it really makes me feel more like I'm part of their groups rather than a bystander looking in.
I loved the party, I loved that everyone played along even if it was silly. I found the very few sexual moments (including the kissing) to be steamy enough to appease me. The build up was just enough that I wasn't frustrated and waiting for it to happen and I appreciated that.
I plan to read book three after I read two shorter books that just came out, so sometime tonight or when I get to it
I love when I start a series and I'm eager for side characters because I know that means the story wasn't just focusing on the main characters but a whole crew of people. I don't find the side characters to be just little pawns to make this story work, but they're pieces that make the whole series work. We SEE the friendships and it really makes me feel more like I'm part of their groups rather than a bystander looking in.
I loved the party, I loved that everyone played along even if it was silly. I found the very few sexual moments (including the kissing) to be steamy enough to appease me. The build up was just enough that I wasn't frustrated and waiting for it to happen and I appreciated that.
I plan to read book three after I read two shorter books that just came out, so sometime tonight or when I get to it
ria_mhrj's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not a big fan of lies. When someone is lying in a book, I get daftly anxious about when the truth will inevitably come out.
Sometimes it works - in The Flame in the Mist, Mariko lies a lot, but her reasons make sense and the prospect of revelation kept me reading. Sadly, in this book, Cassandra's lies just made me uncomfortable. I couldn't quite work out why she went along with the shenanigans, lying to the man she loved.
I did enjoy the ending though. A bit bonkers but I found myself a bit more forgiving come the finale. I am also exceedingly excited for the next book, bluestocking heroines for the win.
Sometimes it works - in The Flame in the Mist, Mariko lies a lot, but her reasons make sense and the prospect of revelation kept me reading. Sadly, in this book, Cassandra's lies just made me uncomfortable. I couldn't quite work out why she went along with the shenanigans, lying to the man she loved.
I did enjoy the ending though. A bit bonkers but I found myself a bit more forgiving come the finale. I am also exceedingly excited for the next book, bluestocking heroines for the win.