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jackiehorne's review against another edition
3.0
FYI, the author is a fellow member of the New England Chapter of Romance Writers of America, but did not ask me to read or review this book.
A fascinating look at a time and place not usually featured in romance or historical fiction: turn of the 20th century The Philippines, when the islands and their inhabitants are trying to adjust to the ejection of one western occupier (Spain) and the arrival of another (the United States). Our hero, Javier de Altarejos, is part Filipino, part Spanish; he's struggling to maintain his sugar plantation in the face of a steep drop in prices due to American trade restrictions. He encounters a redheaded American on the Manila streets during a fire (deliberately set by the Americans to rid the city of spirilla), and again later, when his cousin befriends her during a shopping trip, and finds her fascinating. Georgie, our stubborn American girl, has come to the Philippines ostensibly to teach the natives how to read and write English and to marry a fellow teacher, but her real goal is to find her brother, who has gone missing from the Army (really interesting and shocking facts about the families of common soldiers not being informed if their loved ones died during battle). Georgie finds the mestizo man attractive, but her own prejudices, as well as her already-set life plans, do not allow her to imagine anything might come of her feelings.
After this long introductory section, Georgie moves to the Philippine town of Bais, on the island of Negros, to take up her teaching position. Bais just happens to be the closest town to Javier's plantation. Georgie gradually becomes disenchanted with her fiancé (a pretty cardboard villain), and eventually the two break their ties. Leaving the field clear for hot Javier to woo his headstrong American. But when Javier sets out to discover Georgie's brother's whereabouts, will the protective streak that leads him to keep secrets about the search from Georgie lead to trouble in romance-land?
The first half of the novel reads like historical fiction, the second half like historical romance; I wish the two had felt more integrated, or that the author had chosen one genre or the other to focus on. Javier made for an appealing hero, with his combination of charm, family loyalty, and dogged pursuit of Georgie, and their romantic scenes (when they finally occur, not until mid-book) are touching. Georgie, with her intelligence and strong will, was also an appealing character, at least until the last quarter of the novel. By book's end, though, her pigheadedness moved from admirable to dangerously, and stupidly, naive. I especially disliked the position the heroine found herself in before she reunited with her lover; her choice and agency were distinctly lacking.
The racism throughout the book, though likely historically accurate, was very hard for me to read. Because it was not just the villain who spouted racist insults; almost all of the white characters, including our heroine, are prone to unthinkingly giving voice to disparaging comments about the Filipinos. I didn't feel Georgie struggling with her own racist assumptions at all during the novel; she just simply starts feeling and acting less racist towards her students, and towards Javier. Would also have loved to see Javier grappling more with, or at least thinking more about, his mixed heritage, part Spanish oppressor, part Filipino oppressed.
A promising debut. Definitely looking forward to future books from this author.
A fascinating look at a time and place not usually featured in romance or historical fiction: turn of the 20th century The Philippines, when the islands and their inhabitants are trying to adjust to the ejection of one western occupier (Spain) and the arrival of another (the United States). Our hero, Javier de Altarejos, is part Filipino, part Spanish; he's struggling to maintain his sugar plantation in the face of a steep drop in prices due to American trade restrictions. He encounters a redheaded American on the Manila streets during a fire (deliberately set by the Americans to rid the city of spirilla), and again later, when his cousin befriends her during a shopping trip, and finds her fascinating. Georgie, our stubborn American girl, has come to the Philippines ostensibly to teach the natives how to read and write English and to marry a fellow teacher, but her real goal is to find her brother, who has gone missing from the Army (really interesting and shocking facts about the families of common soldiers not being informed if their loved ones died during battle). Georgie finds the mestizo man attractive, but her own prejudices, as well as her already-set life plans, do not allow her to imagine anything might come of her feelings.
After this long introductory section, Georgie moves to the Philippine town of Bais, on the island of Negros, to take up her teaching position. Bais just happens to be the closest town to Javier's plantation. Georgie gradually becomes disenchanted with her fiancé (a pretty cardboard villain), and eventually the two break their ties. Leaving the field clear for hot Javier to woo his headstrong American. But when Javier sets out to discover Georgie's brother's whereabouts, will the protective streak that leads him to keep secrets about the search from Georgie lead to trouble in romance-land?
The first half of the novel reads like historical fiction, the second half like historical romance; I wish the two had felt more integrated, or that the author had chosen one genre or the other to focus on. Javier made for an appealing hero, with his combination of charm, family loyalty, and dogged pursuit of Georgie, and their romantic scenes (when they finally occur, not until mid-book) are touching. Georgie, with her intelligence and strong will, was also an appealing character, at least until the last quarter of the novel. By book's end, though, her pigheadedness moved from admirable to dangerously, and stupidly, naive. I especially disliked the position the heroine found herself in before she reunited with her lover; her choice and agency were distinctly lacking.
The racism throughout the book, though likely historically accurate, was very hard for me to read. Because it was not just the villain who spouted racist insults; almost all of the white characters, including our heroine, are prone to unthinkingly giving voice to disparaging comments about the Filipinos. I didn't feel Georgie struggling with her own racist assumptions at all during the novel; she just simply starts feeling and acting less racist towards her students, and towards Javier. Would also have loved to see Javier grappling more with, or at least thinking more about, his mixed heritage, part Spanish oppressor, part Filipino oppressed.
A promising debut. Definitely looking forward to future books from this author.
sducharme's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this historical romance, set in turn of the century Phillipines. It's packed with details in language, setting, and cultural references to make the story come alive. And what a story! Georgina of Boston background travels to Manila to retrace the steps of her brother who's gone MIA. She's not venturing out alone, however - she's there under the auspices of marrying Archie, another expatriate. As she gets to know her surroundings, she literally keeps bumping into the dashing Javier, a local sugar cane baron - and Hello, Chemistry! Really a fun (and informative!) read.
tessisreading2's review
5.0
Incredibly vivid, well-researched historical romance set in the early twentieth century Philippines. The heroine is a tall, red-haired schoolteacher from the wilds of Roxbury (occasionally a little TSTL); the hero is an over-mortgaged Filipino sugar baron in the caretaking alpha mode. This was really wonderful - both a good historical romance and engrossing historical fiction, which is frequently a hard balance to find. Content warning for on-page racism (from negatively-coded characters, but still there) and some graphic details about drug addiction.
jendoyleink's review
5.0
This is not the book to pick up if you want a quick, frothy summer beach read. No. This is the book you pick up when you are ready to stake out that place in the sand, pack a sandwich and extra snacks, bring extra sunscreen because you're going to need it, and then settle in for a nice, long, glorious read with each chapter peeling back another petal of the rose. For days after finishing it I would just say the name Javier to myself so that I could conjure up this beautiful man. A wonderful read and highly recommended.
innae's review against another edition
Nothing bad about this book..just a little slow and not hooking me at this moment in time.
rkoz's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
bibliobeka's review
3.0
I thought the heroine was TSTL for much of the book, and found the brother plot line annoying and distracting. However, I wish more people write romances in diverse historical settings.
sararo's review
3.0
I loved the rich and textured world, but I thought the two main characters were TSTL at some points.
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