Lynn

Such Fun!

Reviewed: 09-09-2023

If you loved Jane Austen and ran out of her books to read, Heyer is a good substitute, or even start with her. She writes in the same humanity loving observational style. Plus she is so subtly funny! I find myself laughing out loud! Her characters are so individual and real. You won't go wrong with this book or most of the many other Heyer novels.

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The best part is the epilogue

Reviewed: 09-09-2023

Everyone who is dating loves to hear the dating disasters of others. But Rebekah seemed to have many great dates which didn't become second dates. I would be asking myself why, and it isn't because she didn't touch their arms or flirt. I think perhaps men guessed that she was rather busy with her business and went on to find someone with more leisure time.
Her voice isn't great, but this is her own story, so she should be the one telling it.
Six weeks of dating before sex is allowed? Who does that!
I didn't understand much of the business talk, it was interesting to know that it was all real though.
If this was just a novel, I wouldn't believe that she knew she had met 'the one' on their first date. Seemed a bit high school, but it was really true! I would advise anyone else not to wait for that fantasy feeling, but stick with someone who seems quite nice and fun to be with and that feeling can still happen as you get to know each other. Give it six months at least.
The Epilogue was the best part - full of sage advice and new ideas for me, age 70. Particularly - don't be afraid of therapy to help you figure yourself out!

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3 people found this helpful

Was this book even edited?

Reviewed: 15-08-2021

I've read the previous Bridgerton Family stories and enjoyed them all. But what happened wtith Gregory, the youngest brother's story? I don't know - I felt like it had either never been edited, or the writer was paid by the word!
There was so much wordage, and so little action - I kept waiting for the story to get started. It was like it was on a loop of repeated, unlikely situations with a rather sweet but limp heroine.

Sorry Gregory - you deserved more. I think I will skip the remaining books about the next Bridgerton generation. They might be losing their genetic strength.

I suspect the professional reviewers didn't actually read this, but assumed that book #8 would be as good as the previous stories. Sorry to say it is not . . . .

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The narrator couldn't have been more perfect!

Reviewed: 16-08-2020

I can't tell you what a delight this book was! But I'll try. The story was absorbing, characters strong, and dialogue witty and thoughtful. Imagine hearing about what people are eating and drinking every day in a fancy hotel. Perfect food porn for the lockdown. I could just picture the rooms, the faces, and what people were wearing. There is enough action to make it a good candidate for a movie. A little mystery, too, until the end of the story explains all.
The narrator had that aristocratic drawl that the Count certainly would have had if he spoke English. Very even tempered, unflappable, no matter what happened, The Count is an example of how simple it is to always have good manners.
This book is one that will live in my imagination for a long while.

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3 people found this helpful

Pure Magic and History

Reviewed: 01-03-2020

This story is like an Irish fairy tale, and there is a fairy tale told, but I am thinking of the Silkies - seals who come out of the sea as beautiful women. But this story takes place in modern times, and if, like me, you didn't understand the origin of the Irish troubles, when you read this, you will understand it on a human level.
The narrartion was superb and gave credence to the story.
One thing I highly recommend is that, when you get to the end of the story, you listen again to the starting few chapters. You will appreciate so much more.
I'm now headed off to look for another Amy Harmon book!

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1 person found this helpful

Too much War, Not Enough Alien details

Reviewed: 17-11-2019

In Sc Fi books about aliens. I like to know a lot about the alien culture, what their own planet is like, what they really look like, and what their social interesctions are like. In this book, the aliens presented as human replica robots, hard to detect apart from thier incredible strength and weapons. They carried the personalities of actual alien minds, but these were very one dimensional.

I could imagine them as a modern Roman leigion and imperial society, but as for alienness - it was sadly lacking.

What was left was a lot of violence, killings (which were labouriously justified) and brinksmanship more like that in a spy novel.
I kept hoping for more aliend details, but these aliends were all too earth-like.

Others here seemed quite happy with the book, but for me, there was not enough sci-fi.

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Best not to compare it to the Handmaid's Tale

Reviewed: 04-11-2019

This was really more like Hunger Games meets Lord of the Flies, it doesn't bear comparison to The Handmaid's Tale. The Handmaid's Tale. was so believable that it gave me nightmares in which I was in! On the other hand, The Grace Year was difficult to take seriously and went from bad to worse in the believability range. The situation of the girls in the woods was so poorly described and illogical, and the injuries received, and survived, was a little hard to accept as possible. The society did not seem to be a sustainable one.

However, it does move along well, a real page turner. The narrator is excellent, certainly the true voice of Tierney, and Tierney herself is a strong and very appealing character.

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Did the reviewer read this book?

Reviewed: 14-06-2019

I ask that because I found the book neither wickedly funny, nor a satire. Also, Evelina is not poor nor illegitimate. Instead, this is a straightforward story set in the highly mannered times of Regency England, concerning a girl who's father did not raise her (for mysterious reasons). Instead, she is gently raised by a loving parson and has proof of the marriage of her mother. She also has prospects and expectations of income from her grandmother, so no worries there!
But Evelina is very innocent, and unaware of her own beauty. We only become aware of her beauty through the reactions of other characters, male and female. The letter format of the whole book makes it very slow with a lack of any real action. And yet it is still fascinating and engaging.
It is also interesting to know that Jane Austen was inspired and influenced by the writer. This book has a similar feel to hers but without the humour and wit of Jan Austen's stories.
Best of all is the narration - perfect choices in well-loved actors.

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1 person found this helpful

A pleasure from start to finish

Reviewed: 04-06-2019

You can count on Liane Moriarty and this book was no exception. Now I have read, or listened to them all and await the next one eagerly. Very sympathetic characters in this book. Unusual to have no harsh judgements or unrealistically good and bad characters, all were quite human,

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