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kathydavie's review against another edition
4.0
Sixth in the De Piaget time-traveling, historical paranormal romance series. Chronologically, it should come after Stardust of Yesterday, 11, which is all about Kendrick's adventures and how his romantic life completes itself. After all, if Kendrick is going to be showing up at contemporary Artane, with 13-year-old triplets…
My Take
The "4" is my compromise between the "3" I wanted to plant on it for Pippa allowing Cindi to be such a bitch and the "5" I felt for the rest of the story. It really irritated me that Pippa ran around serving Cindi and letting her get away with it. I thought Kurland's excuse that Pippa would need Cindi to be able to get back through the gate was pretty lame. As for the rest of Cindi's behavior, I don't know how Pippa could have been so stupid as to be taken in by it all her life!
I suspect Kurland was in a bit of a hurry as she kept leaving out crucial words. Or, at least, not connecting the dots in even a transparent manner. I know it's bad when I have to keep going back and re-reading the material trying to figure out what I missed. And, still missing it.
The Story
At last, Pippa has her chance at creating her line of medieval-inspired fashions for ladies both young and older. Tess' friend, Stephen de Piaget, is interested in her designs and has the funds to get her started. Doing this while living in Tess' newly inherited castle, Sedgwick, is simply the icing on the cake as far as Pippa is concerned.
The one negative. And, it is a huge one, is Cindi has decided to come along. All her life, Cindi has been sabotaging her efforts, and this visit to Sedgwick is no different.
The results of Cindi's maneuvering do result in a trip into a fresh, clean moat that unexpectedly becomes a medieval cesspit with an even more unexpected audience of one Montgomery de Piaget, newly-arrived Lord of Sedgwick. Newly-arrived in 1241 that is.
The Characters
Persephone "Pippa" Josephine Alexander has been working behind the scenes, sewing and eventually designing costumes for theatrical groups. Her goal in life is to create a line of her own work and go on to "fashion world domination". Cinderella "Cindi" Alexander is Pippa's sister and a professional beauty queen with a history of taking and ordering anything and anyone she wants from her sisters and anyone else. Their other sisters include the twins, Peaches and Tess, Moonbeam and Valerie.
Montgomery de Piaget, youngest son of Rhys and Gwen de Piaget (Another Chance to Dream, 1), has just been given Sedgwick Castle for his own. A serious man of 28, he wonders why his parents hate him so much. Robin, his oldest brother, teases him unmercifully even as he leaves his son, Phillip, with Montgomery as his squire. Ranulf is captain of his garrison.
Hugh McKinnon, the ghost, makes an appearance with plans of making a match between Pippa and Stephen de Piaget, the son of the current Earl of Artane, who is interested in investing in Pippa's designs. Various other members of the de Piaget family show up including a modern-day Kendrick, Zach Smith, Megan, Gideon, and Mary with 13th-century Robin de Piaget and Anne (If I Had You, 2), Amanda and Jackson Kilchurn IV (Dreams of Stardust, 3) with Jackson V, Nicholas and Jennifer (When I Fall in Love, 4), and an 11-year-old Kendrick and James. Everard of Chevington, a former squire to Rhys de Piaget, has also come to help Montgomery settle in to his not-so-welcoming castle.
Lord Denys hasn't much to say in this as he has just died, causing Sedgwick Castle to revert to Rhys' hands who has chosen to place it in Montgomery's, bypassing Denys' wife, Gunnild, and his children: Boydin, Martin, and Ada. For some reason, the Sedgwicks object…
The Cover and Title
The cover is a bit doom-and-gloomish with its black-and-white atmosphere of a castle on a hill hunkered down in the mist and surrounded by forest. Rather appropriate for what Montgomery encounters when he first arrives at Sedgwick with its broken and holey walls, a drawbridge that exists more in name, a suspect garrison, and definitely hostile Sedgwick cousins.
The title is appropriate if somewhat contradictory when applied to the One Enchanted Evening when the wing-clad Pippa and Cindi accidentally fall through one of the time gates from contemporary Sedgwick to the Sedgwick of 1241. From a fairy-themed birthday party to a medieval celebration "welcoming" Montgomery to his new holding.
My Take
The "4" is my compromise between the "3" I wanted to plant on it for Pippa allowing Cindi to be such a bitch and the "5" I felt for the rest of the story. It really irritated me that Pippa ran around serving Cindi and letting her get away with it. I thought Kurland's excuse that Pippa would need Cindi to be able to get back through the gate was pretty lame. As for the rest of Cindi's behavior, I don't know how Pippa could have been so stupid as to be taken in by it all her life!
I suspect Kurland was in a bit of a hurry as she kept leaving out crucial words. Or, at least, not connecting the dots in even a transparent manner. I know it's bad when I have to keep going back and re-reading the material trying to figure out what I missed. And, still missing it.
The Story
At last, Pippa has her chance at creating her line of medieval-inspired fashions for ladies both young and older. Tess' friend, Stephen de Piaget, is interested in her designs and has the funds to get her started. Doing this while living in Tess' newly inherited castle, Sedgwick, is simply the icing on the cake as far as Pippa is concerned.
The one negative. And, it is a huge one, is Cindi has decided to come along. All her life, Cindi has been sabotaging her efforts, and this visit to Sedgwick is no different.
The results of Cindi's maneuvering do result in a trip into a fresh, clean moat that unexpectedly becomes a medieval cesspit with an even more unexpected audience of one Montgomery de Piaget, newly-arrived Lord of Sedgwick. Newly-arrived in 1241 that is.
The Characters
Persephone "Pippa" Josephine Alexander has been working behind the scenes, sewing and eventually designing costumes for theatrical groups. Her goal in life is to create a line of her own work and go on to "fashion world domination". Cinderella "Cindi" Alexander is Pippa's sister and a professional beauty queen with a history of taking and ordering anything and anyone she wants from her sisters and anyone else. Their other sisters include the twins, Peaches and Tess, Moonbeam and Valerie.
Montgomery de Piaget, youngest son of Rhys and Gwen de Piaget (Another Chance to Dream, 1), has just been given Sedgwick Castle for his own. A serious man of 28, he wonders why his parents hate him so much. Robin, his oldest brother, teases him unmercifully even as he leaves his son, Phillip, with Montgomery as his squire. Ranulf is captain of his garrison.
Hugh McKinnon, the ghost, makes an appearance with plans of making a match between Pippa and Stephen de Piaget, the son of the current Earl of Artane, who is interested in investing in Pippa's designs. Various other members of the de Piaget family show up including a modern-day Kendrick, Zach Smith, Megan, Gideon, and Mary with 13th-century Robin de Piaget and Anne (If I Had You, 2), Amanda and Jackson Kilchurn IV (Dreams of Stardust, 3) with Jackson V, Nicholas and Jennifer (When I Fall in Love, 4), and an 11-year-old Kendrick and James. Everard of Chevington, a former squire to Rhys de Piaget, has also come to help Montgomery settle in to his not-so-welcoming castle.
Lord Denys hasn't much to say in this as he has just died, causing Sedgwick Castle to revert to Rhys' hands who has chosen to place it in Montgomery's, bypassing Denys' wife, Gunnild, and his children: Boydin, Martin, and Ada. For some reason, the Sedgwicks object…
The Cover and Title
The cover is a bit doom-and-gloomish with its black-and-white atmosphere of a castle on a hill hunkered down in the mist and surrounded by forest. Rather appropriate for what Montgomery encounters when he first arrives at Sedgwick with its broken and holey walls, a drawbridge that exists more in name, a suspect garrison, and definitely hostile Sedgwick cousins.
The title is appropriate if somewhat contradictory when applied to the One Enchanted Evening when the wing-clad Pippa and Cindi accidentally fall through one of the time gates from contemporary Sedgwick to the Sedgwick of 1241. From a fairy-themed birthday party to a medieval celebration "welcoming" Montgomery to his new holding.
mamap's review against another edition
2.0
A romance novel without the smut. So -- not that wonderful.
People traveling through time to find the ones they love. Personally, I would never pick to live in the middle ages. Nasty.
People traveling through time to find the ones they love. Personally, I would never pick to live in the middle ages. Nasty.
jazzrizz's review against another edition
5.0
What can I say. I'm a huge sap for any Kurland book, especially her time travel ones.
I loved this book from start to finish. I fell in love with Pippa from the get go, and I was so happy to see Montgomery get his Happy Ever After ending.
There have been a lot of stories in Kurland's Time Travel series, and I love when past characters pop in the current story. There's loads of appearances in this book that really make this book stand out for me. There's humor, chivalry, romance, lists, battles, and ghosts!
Just a charming, feel-good book. I loved it.
I loved this book from start to finish. I fell in love with Pippa from the get go, and I was so happy to see Montgomery get his Happy Ever After ending.
There have been a lot of stories in Kurland's Time Travel series, and I love when past characters pop in the current story. There's loads of appearances in this book that really make this book stand out for me. There's humor, chivalry, romance, lists, battles, and ghosts!
Just a charming, feel-good book. I loved it.
escapist's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
msm33's review
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
reanne's review
3.0
I was somewhat disappointed that Montgomery was so different than he was in the previous book I read, in which he was 14. In that one, he came across as such a charming, idealistic, almost dreamy sort of guy, but the author makes a point of having him intentionally reject any sort of belief in fairies or such things, so when we meet him in this book (after the prologue), he's your standard strong romantic hero and not really very recognizable as the young version of himself I met in the earlier book. Still, the book was entertaining in itself, though I could never really buy the reasoning for everyone indulging Cinderella's delusions so thoroughly. I skipped over a few pages' worth of description and set-up at the beginning, which I don't normally do, so I think the author could have trimmed some parts of this book a bit more. I like that she keeps the same characters coming back in the novels of this series. A lot of series romances don't do that, and they really should.
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