October 23, 2020
I Feel a Glom Coming On!
https://vivlorret.net/Well, this was a surprise! I’m not sure why I’ve never read Vivienne Lorret, but I haven’t. That is going to change after reading My Kind of Earl. And, do you know why? It has a fun story, with a heroine who actually made me smile. You know how much I like books that make me smile. Well this one did. So, I will be going back and reading more of Ms Lorret’s books. Lucky for me, Ms Lorret has a rather large library of stories, and I think some of them even connect to this one. How exciting is that!!
I have pondered this before, and I still do. What makes us choose one author and not another. You know I’ve been reading romance novels for a long, long time, and in the beginning I would often read reviews to find the plot lines that I liked. Then I would pick that book, and maybe I’d find an auto-buy author. Then I started building a large group of auto-buys. But times have changed, and I don’t use reviews to select a book anymore. I don’t read the promos on the book, but what I find myself doing a lot lately is basing my choices on the cover art. I used to be one of those I-don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover snobs. But after some deep pondering as to why I pick one author over another, it finally dawned on me. I am basing my choices on the cover art! That was a shocker! So, authors beware…no naked chest guys standing in the snow. I looked closely at the cover of this book, I don’t think the man with the naked chest is standing in snow, I think those may be stones. What a relief. Stones are better than snow…aren’t they?
My Kind of Earl is the second book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series, and it was fun. I especially loved the heroine, Jane. Jane is a blue-stocking. However, she is not just any kind of blue-stocking. Jane is a researching blue-stocking, and she takes notes in her handy-dandy notebook. She’s always eager to learn, investigate, understand what makes things tick, which is why when this story begins she’s in a brothel. Now, before anyone groans about not being historically accurate, or an unbelievable premise, what can I say? You’re right, but the Marx brothers never made too much sense either. Not that Jane is like a Marx brother, but sometimes you have to flow with the narrative, put your feet up and enter a land where the heroine is just a little quirky. Most of all, relax and have fun with Dick and Jane. Of course, the heroes name is not Dick, I just threw that in. The heroes name is Raven. See, Fun with Raven and Jane doesn’t quite have the same feel to it.
Raven. First of all I was not fond of the name, but hey there have been sillier romance hero names in other books. I got over that. Raven grew up as an orphan, one who wasn’t treated very well. He’s pulled himself up, struggled to make something of himself. One of the things I liked about Raven was, unlike a lot of other heroes who have a childhood of deprivation, he hadn’t made it to the top of the heap yet. He didn’t have tons of money dripping out of his pockets, he was still collecting his “stuff.” So, he’s hanging out at the brothel when he spots Jane. She is trying to hide in a dark corner and observe, but he’s very astute, and it’s obvious to him that Jane should not be where she is. He becomes more and more fascinated with her, and her continual note taking. He is captivated, he can’t seem to control himself around her, and he tries. It’s fun to watch him struggle against the inevitable.
The dialog between Jane and Raven was smart, witty and entertaining. She questions everything, and sees a mystery lurking in Raven. Yes, Raven has a mystery and Jane is bound and determined to solve his secrets (even if he doesn’t want her to). No matter how hard he tries, Raven just cannot resist the pull of Jane. Now, was this book perfect? Nope. I did have a few small issues, Jane’s parents, Raven’s explosion, and the ending.
I didn’t like Jane’s parents. They managed to have a huge amount of children, and then totally ignored all of those children. They reminded me a little of the parents in Home Alone, a movie I have never been fond of. Her parents were self-centered, narcissistic people who should never have had any children. Jane plays surrogate parent to her siblings, and the relationship between she and her siblings was lovely. But here’s the deal. Jane was portrayed for most of the book as a smart, determined woman, but because of her parents neglect she felt unloved. This served as an explanation for some of Jane’s later actions. I’m not sure if that story line had to be added. I guess I’m just a little tired of the number of horrible parents in books.
Nasty-man. There was a scene close to the end where Raven turns into a nasty-man. He’s says some pretty horrible things to Jane, and it comes out of left field. Up to that point he was a great hero He did all the things a hero should do: the tumble into love, the struggle against the tumble, and the realization of love. But then, for just a short time, he releases his inner petulance. I think him turning nasty so close to the end was the problem. There wasn’t enough time to turn him back into the charming guy he was before. I don’t believe his temper tantrum was needed.
The end. I think I’m spoiled. Way back in the beginning, romance books very rarely gave us epilogues, they would just end with a smile, a hug, a kiss, and a promise. Then author’s started adding those wrap-ups. They give us those chapter long epilogues letting us know that yes Matilda, our couple will have a happily-ever after. I like those epilogues, at least the short ones. I’ve grown used to having an epilogue. I have never liked the fade-out-it’s-over endings. On the other hand, I’m not particularly fond of all the butterfly, unicorn, everyone in a series showing up for a picnic epilogue either. You just can’t make me happy, can you? I’m sure there is a middle size epilogue out there somewhere. Regardless, I neeeeed an epilogue.
Bottom line. Even with a few minor issues, this book was a winner for me. It introduced me to a smart heroine, a sexy hero, and a talented author. I highly recommend My Kind of Earl.
https://vivlorret.net/Well, this was a surprise! I’m not sure why I’ve never read Vivienne Lorret, but I haven’t. That is going to change after reading My Kind of Earl. And, do you know why? It has a fun story, with a heroine who actually made me smile. You know how much I like books that make me smile. Well this one did. So, I will be going back and reading more of Ms Lorret’s books. Lucky for me, Ms Lorret has a rather large library of stories, and I think some of them even connect to this one. How exciting is that!!
I have pondered this before, and I still do. What makes us choose one author and not another. You know I’ve been reading romance novels for a long, long time, and in the beginning I would often read reviews to find the plot lines that I liked. Then I would pick that book, and maybe I’d find an auto-buy author. Then I started building a large group of auto-buys. But times have changed, and I don’t use reviews to select a book anymore. I don’t read the promos on the book, but what I find myself doing a lot lately is basing my choices on the cover art. I used to be one of those I-don’t-judge-a-book-by-its-cover snobs. But after some deep pondering as to why I pick one author over another, it finally dawned on me. I am basing my choices on the cover art! That was a shocker! So, authors beware…no naked chest guys standing in the snow. I looked closely at the cover of this book, I don’t think the man with the naked chest is standing in snow, I think those may be stones. What a relief. Stones are better than snow…aren’t they?
My Kind of Earl is the second book in the Mating Habits of Scoundrels series, and it was fun. I especially loved the heroine, Jane. Jane is a blue-stocking. However, she is not just any kind of blue-stocking. Jane is a researching blue-stocking, and she takes notes in her handy-dandy notebook. She’s always eager to learn, investigate, understand what makes things tick, which is why when this story begins she’s in a brothel. Now, before anyone groans about not being historically accurate, or an unbelievable premise, what can I say? You’re right, but the Marx brothers never made too much sense either. Not that Jane is like a Marx brother, but sometimes you have to flow with the narrative, put your feet up and enter a land where the heroine is just a little quirky. Most of all, relax and have fun with Dick and Jane. Of course, the heroes name is not Dick, I just threw that in. The heroes name is Raven. See, Fun with Raven and Jane doesn’t quite have the same feel to it.
Raven. First of all I was not fond of the name, but hey there have been sillier romance hero names in other books. I got over that. Raven grew up as an orphan, one who wasn’t treated very well. He’s pulled himself up, struggled to make something of himself. One of the things I liked about Raven was, unlike a lot of other heroes who have a childhood of deprivation, he hadn’t made it to the top of the heap yet. He didn’t have tons of money dripping out of his pockets, he was still collecting his “stuff.” So, he’s hanging out at the brothel when he spots Jane. She is trying to hide in a dark corner and observe, but he’s very astute, and it’s obvious to him that Jane should not be where she is. He becomes more and more fascinated with her, and her continual note taking. He is captivated, he can’t seem to control himself around her, and he tries. It’s fun to watch him struggle against the inevitable.
The dialog between Jane and Raven was smart, witty and entertaining. She questions everything, and sees a mystery lurking in Raven. Yes, Raven has a mystery and Jane is bound and determined to solve his secrets (even if he doesn’t want her to). No matter how hard he tries, Raven just cannot resist the pull of Jane. Now, was this book perfect? Nope. I did have a few small issues, Jane’s parents, Raven’s explosion, and the ending.
I didn’t like Jane’s parents. They managed to have a huge amount of children, and then totally ignored all of those children. They reminded me a little of the parents in Home Alone, a movie I have never been fond of. Her parents were self-centered, narcissistic people who should never have had any children. Jane plays surrogate parent to her siblings, and the relationship between she and her siblings was lovely. But here’s the deal. Jane was portrayed for most of the book as a smart, determined woman, but because of her parents neglect she felt unloved. This served as an explanation for some of Jane’s later actions. I’m not sure if that story line had to be added. I guess I’m just a little tired of the number of horrible parents in books.
Nasty-man. There was a scene close to the end where Raven turns into a nasty-man. He’s says some pretty horrible things to Jane, and it comes out of left field. Up to that point he was a great hero He did all the things a hero should do: the tumble into love, the struggle against the tumble, and the realization of love. But then, for just a short time, he releases his inner petulance. I think him turning nasty so close to the end was the problem. There wasn’t enough time to turn him back into the charming guy he was before. I don’t believe his temper tantrum was needed.
The end. I think I’m spoiled. Way back in the beginning, romance books very rarely gave us epilogues, they would just end with a smile, a hug, a kiss, and a promise. Then author’s started adding those wrap-ups. They give us those chapter long epilogues letting us know that yes Matilda, our couple will have a happily-ever after. I like those epilogues, at least the short ones. I’ve grown used to having an epilogue. I have never liked the fade-out-it’s-over endings. On the other hand, I’m not particularly fond of all the butterfly, unicorn, everyone in a series showing up for a picnic epilogue either. You just can’t make me happy, can you? I’m sure there is a middle size epilogue out there somewhere. Regardless, I neeeeed an epilogue.
Bottom line. Even with a few minor issues, this book was a winner for me. It introduced me to a smart heroine, a sexy hero, and a talented author. I highly recommend My Kind of Earl.
Time/Place: 1820s England
Sensuality: Warm/Hot
No comments:
Post a Comment