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A review by ristaylor
Indiscreet by Carolyn Jewel
3.0
Short Review: Overall, Indiscreet was a book I enjoyed; however, I found the plot a bit too simplistic. The writing is extremely well done and the characters are worth the read. If you’re new to Carolyn Jewel’s books and love historical romance, I think you’ve found yourself a new author. For those of you who loved Ms. Jewel’s first book Scandal, I’d be curious to know what you think about this one.
Long Review: A hero who is unattractive? Huh, who’d a thunk it, but in Carolyn Jewel’s latest release Indiscreet, that’s just what we have. Now I must admit that I had a hard time picturing him at first. I mean so many of the romances I read paint the hero as tall dark and handsome. They are certainly not described as: “…his nose was hooked, and the remainder of his features were set irregularly in his face, as if someone had put the parts together and then given him a hard shake before everything had quite settled into place.” No, that’s not the kind of hero I often read about. But due to Ms. Jewel’s ability to immerse the reader in the nuances of language and feeling, it wasn’t long before I got past this particular peccadillo and found myself liking the Marquess of Foye for the man he was, not the man he looked like. Well done.
Many Regency romances take place in the drawing rooms of Bath or Brighton, or on the streets of London, but this one travels from London to Constantinople to Syria and back giving the story a flavor of the exotic and a context for the hero to save the heroine. In this case for Edward, Marquess of Foye to save Sabine Godard. Again, well done.
For both Edward and Sabine, life has not been fair. They’ve both seen their share of troubles and heartache; Edward was jilted by his fiancé, and Sabine is haunted by scandal. She never thought to meet him in Turkey – as far away from a London drawing room as one can get. But there you have it. They meet, they fall in love and then trouble ensues. The trouble is rather typical of a romance plot; Sabine is kidnapped by Nazim Pasha with the intent of keeping her in his harem. Edward is bound and determined to rescue the woman he loves. Actually, it’s really not that cut and dry, and I don’t mean to make light of the plot, but the plot, in general, is a simple one. However, in the talented hands of Ms. Jewel, the plot becomes a device for us to really get to know both Edward and Sabine. And that really is the heart of this book; getting to know the motivations behind the characters and allowing us, the reader, to want to know more about them.
Ms. Jewel paints vivid pictures that unfold like a BBC television production. You can see Sabine and Edward in the market places of Turkey, you can smell the sea, hear the clatter of tea cups against their saucers, and feel the tension between the two protagonists as they get to know one another and fight to stay together. The tentativeness in Sabine’s words and thoughts due to her youth, yet the strength of her courage due to her intelligence give her credit as a heroine. Edward’s strength lies in his character, a character that is part and parcel of his station in life and his belief that power and respect are automatically due him. Together I’m not so sure they make the most likely couple, that I had a hard time believing in. And yet, I must confess, I did keep reading. I believe that is a testament to Ms. Jewell’s writing style. It is engaging.
So dear reader, if you’re looking for a Regency romance, with a Marquess who is not typical (and I mean that in the very best sense of the word), a heroine who is young and courageous, exotic travel, simple and straight forward plot devices and yes, a happy ending, might I suggest Indiscreet.
Long Review: A hero who is unattractive? Huh, who’d a thunk it, but in Carolyn Jewel’s latest release Indiscreet, that’s just what we have. Now I must admit that I had a hard time picturing him at first. I mean so many of the romances I read paint the hero as tall dark and handsome. They are certainly not described as: “…his nose was hooked, and the remainder of his features were set irregularly in his face, as if someone had put the parts together and then given him a hard shake before everything had quite settled into place.” No, that’s not the kind of hero I often read about. But due to Ms. Jewel’s ability to immerse the reader in the nuances of language and feeling, it wasn’t long before I got past this particular peccadillo and found myself liking the Marquess of Foye for the man he was, not the man he looked like. Well done.
Many Regency romances take place in the drawing rooms of Bath or Brighton, or on the streets of London, but this one travels from London to Constantinople to Syria and back giving the story a flavor of the exotic and a context for the hero to save the heroine. In this case for Edward, Marquess of Foye to save Sabine Godard. Again, well done.
For both Edward and Sabine, life has not been fair. They’ve both seen their share of troubles and heartache; Edward was jilted by his fiancé, and Sabine is haunted by scandal. She never thought to meet him in Turkey – as far away from a London drawing room as one can get. But there you have it. They meet, they fall in love and then trouble ensues. The trouble is rather typical of a romance plot; Sabine is kidnapped by Nazim Pasha with the intent of keeping her in his harem. Edward is bound and determined to rescue the woman he loves. Actually, it’s really not that cut and dry, and I don’t mean to make light of the plot, but the plot, in general, is a simple one. However, in the talented hands of Ms. Jewel, the plot becomes a device for us to really get to know both Edward and Sabine. And that really is the heart of this book; getting to know the motivations behind the characters and allowing us, the reader, to want to know more about them.
Ms. Jewel paints vivid pictures that unfold like a BBC television production. You can see Sabine and Edward in the market places of Turkey, you can smell the sea, hear the clatter of tea cups against their saucers, and feel the tension between the two protagonists as they get to know one another and fight to stay together. The tentativeness in Sabine’s words and thoughts due to her youth, yet the strength of her courage due to her intelligence give her credit as a heroine. Edward’s strength lies in his character, a character that is part and parcel of his station in life and his belief that power and respect are automatically due him. Together I’m not so sure they make the most likely couple, that I had a hard time believing in. And yet, I must confess, I did keep reading. I believe that is a testament to Ms. Jewell’s writing style. It is engaging.
So dear reader, if you’re looking for a Regency romance, with a Marquess who is not typical (and I mean that in the very best sense of the word), a heroine who is young and courageous, exotic travel, simple and straight forward plot devices and yes, a happy ending, might I suggest Indiscreet.