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A review by lassarina
Echoes in the Mist by Andrea Kane
3.0
I can't quite decide how I want to rate this book. I am of many minds about most of it. The writing is, in general, quite excellent (though in the edition I read, which was the Kindle version, there was at least one significant copyediting error that had me hissing at the screen, namely when it specified that our heroine Ariana "peaked" around a door.) I liked the lead characters well enough, and the plot was well-constructed.
However, in a lot of ways the book felt uneven to me. I realize romance is the genre of better-than-life lead characters, but Ariana felt too forgiving and too trusting for me, especially given that she had been raised by her brother, who vehemently hated the hero, Trenton. I would have expected at least a little more distrust, even with the inexplicably psychic lady's maid pushing Ariana in the direction of trust. (The inexplicably psychic lady's maid combined with the magically appearing white owl for symbolism were two of the things that really rather put me off about the book.) Also, while I understood Trenton's bitterness and his need for revenge, it made it hard for me to sympathize with him as the hero, rather than simply as a character; I much preferred his brother.
The sex scenes, too, were rather uneven; some of them were fantastically hot, and then others sent my suspension of disbelief in an unanticipated swan-dive off a cliff. It became very strange to realize they were headed to bed again and to be unsure whether I should read it in hopes of well-written sex or skip ahead because I might start making too many faces of disbelief.
I realize that some of what I find off-putting about this book is in fact a function of romance convention, but I think I'm frustrated because I see where it could have been significantly better and didn't quite get there.
However, in a lot of ways the book felt uneven to me. I realize romance is the genre of better-than-life lead characters, but Ariana felt too forgiving and too trusting for me, especially given that she had been raised by her brother, who vehemently hated the hero, Trenton. I would have expected at least a little more distrust, even with the inexplicably psychic lady's maid pushing Ariana in the direction of trust. (The inexplicably psychic lady's maid combined with the magically appearing white owl for symbolism were two of the things that really rather put me off about the book.) Also, while I understood Trenton's bitterness and his need for revenge, it made it hard for me to sympathize with him as the hero, rather than simply as a character; I much preferred his brother.
The sex scenes, too, were rather uneven; some of them were fantastically hot, and then others sent my suspension of disbelief in an unanticipated swan-dive off a cliff. It became very strange to realize they were headed to bed again and to be unsure whether I should read it in hopes of well-written sex or skip ahead because I might start making too many faces of disbelief.
I realize that some of what I find off-putting about this book is in fact a function of romance convention, but I think I'm frustrated because I see where it could have been significantly better and didn't quite get there.