A Beastly Kind of Ear by Mia Vincy

December 23, 2014
Take a Deep Breath and Write Your Thoughts

https://www.miavincy.com/
Mia Vincy's debut novel, A Wicked Kind of Husband was a breath of fresh air in Romanceland. I loved it and was looking forward to her second release, which is loosely connected to the first. While I liked A Beastly Kind of Earl, I was not as impressed with it as I was Ms. Vincy's first book.

I admit that I finished reading the story a few weeks ago, but I've been procrastinating writing my review because I wasn't sure how to acknowledge my disappointment. I believe Ms. Vincy has one of the brightest voices I've heard/read in a long time. All through the book I kept hoping that I would connect with it. But as much as I loved our lead characters, Thea and Rafe, the world they lived in didn't seem to have any focus.

This story has a number of themes, including a marriage of convenience, pretending to be someone else, revenge, and guilt over a wife's death. There were also a number of secondary character plots revolving around some of the secondary characters medicinal experiments, a missing actress, mental illness, and same sex relationships. All of these themes were toooo much, and for me, this caused a disjointed narrative.

What I loved. Ms. Vincy's narrative sparkles when it is focused on the chemistry between Thea and Rafe. Their banter was funny and at the same time insightful. There were even some laugh out loud moments between the two of them. Extremely funny was a scene where Thea sits back and listens to Rafe expound on his manly-man knowledge. They were a perfect match. He was a grumpy bear and she was a bright cheerleader. Their different personalities complimented each other. If only they had a better setting. 

Overall, I loved the lead characters of Thea and Rafe. I think Ms. Vincy has an intriguing way of writing people. She's given us characters that sparkle. Where she failed for me was the space she had Thea and Rafe occupy. I'm still looking forward to the next book in the series. And, I still feel Ms. Vincy is a bright star on the horizon.

Time/Place: Regency England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot