Started Reading: March 15, 2008
Finished Reading: March 15, 2008

Definitely not one of Julia Quinn’s best novels. I didn’t really like this. A bit of a waste of time. I’m pretty sure she hasn’t got some of the details right with the timeline — a fact that annoyed me. And — SPOILER — when Miranda lost her baby, I was expecting a more sensitive approach to that. And if her reaction (or lack thereof) was uncomfortably unusual, Turner didn’t pay attention to that little detail either. He just went on with his anger/persuasion. Gah. I expected Miranda to be more level-headed too, and in many cases she wasn’t. This book wasn’t just worth my time.

Started/Finished Reading: March 2, 2008

The story is not as gripping as other books I’ve read before but what I appreciate most in this novel is that the plot is no fairy tale. It does not delude the readers about one-true-loves. In fact, it illustrates two different kinds of love: the passionate and the long-lasting, comfortable sort.

Adam, faced with a ruined estate and debts left by his father, the late Viscount, sacrifices his love for Julia in order to marry the heiress Jenny. Jenny, though rich, is plain and practical and is no beauty. Even Adam, though with his merits, is not the handsomest man that walked upon the earth. There had to be something other than attraction to make their relationship work because even though Jenny loved Adam, it was one-sided. He came to treasure her as someone whom he learned to trust and depend on and not as the woman he wished he could have made his wife. I think that it is this unusual circumstance — a marriage of convenience that did not grow mutual passion between the hero and heroine — is what kept me interested in the story.

I like the way the book ends. The relationship between Jenny and Adam has developed and changed greatly, though it seems it will never be lust-filled like other historical romances I’ve read. This is reality. Adam is no Prince-upon-a-white-horse and Jenny is no beautiful damsel. Their relationship is not perfect, their marriage not the most ideal either, but it works out because everyone knows that we can’t have everything we want and in reality, we have to make do with what we have.

Started Reading: January 8, 2008
Finished Reading: January 9, 2008

This book starts with a great potential because it attempts to do something different with time travel and literary classics. An actress time-traveling to the 1810’s is definitely a good plot to work with. The way C.J. experienced, too, both the fortunate and unfortunate aspects of the Regency period is also something favorable. Lady Dalrymple was a nice enough person, though conveniently eccentric, Lady Oliver a mirror of Lady Catherine, and Percy…was the lover straight out of a historical romance novel (unfortunately).

The book was good, its characters were quite entertaining. I’m glad C.J. knew, most of the time, what should and should not be done but, as the common error of ladies in historical romances, she makes love before the wedding. Henceforth, things are pretty much predictable — which is the only disappointing aspect of this novel. I’m not a big fan of what transpired somewhere in the middle and the latter part of the book. I would have liked it better if things turned out differently with C.J. Like, if she gave solution to some other kind of problem or a different sort of bad fortune befell her. These parts of the story just makes By a Lady more like a historical romance novel instead of something Jane Austen-ish.

This was OK but I lament what-could-have-been.

Started Reading: August 25, 2007
Finished Reading: August 25, 2007

I’m not always reading historical romances as of late, but when the title says, “by Amanda Quick,” it has got to be a must. I’ve read most of her books to say that Amanda Quick had been overusing the phrase, “fresh out of the schoolroom,” but it doesn’t overshadow the quality that I like most from her books: humor and wit.

It isn’t surprising, therefore, that Louisa Bryce is as clever and witty as her predecessors. I absolutely love her and Anthony Stalbridge’s lines (when she’s being so artlessly innocent and Stalbridge so cynical). Foregoing the fact that all men in historical romance novels seems to know how to have sex and Amanda Quick always has distinct similarities of her heroes and heroines in the story (i.e. recycling of characters), Stalbridge’s dry humor and his lack of a too-angsty nature still makes him a character that amuses. I didn’t mind that his talent with locks came too handy.

Though, despite all these, I still wish that relationships in these books aren’t initially based on lust and attraction. I understand that yes, it is a factor, but I’d really rather see more interaction between the characters first before realizations on their physical magnetism. But, anyway, all the banters and funny moments they have together makes up for it anyhow. It was just so amusing to find Louisa sticking her nose into all kinds of things and Anthony not being against everything. I can’t help but admire Louisa’s luck in her connections, actually. She’s got people of wealth on her left and people of information on her right. o_o

Overall, I liked the book almost as much as the first that pulled me into all the Amanda Quick novels, I Thee Wed. It’s really not much to learn, and Amanda Quick usually has a repetition of style, but I’m glad I read it nevertheless considering it’s one of the few books that actually make me LOL.

Started Reading: August 2, 2007
Finished Reading: August 3, 2007

This is a romance set in the 14th century, where we also have murder, betrayal, madmen, soldiers, and politics weaved into a single story. I enjoyed it, yes. =) It had been a wonderful read since I thoroughly enjoyed and liked the characters.

Elise was an orphaned young woman but was abused by her husband. She had been enduring the abusive marriage for two years until one night, in defense she almost killed him. She and her faithful servant, Annora, threw the good-for-nothing man into the river and started a journey to a faraway town.

Of course, all heroines have a hero and for this novel, hers is a rake and a rogue, dark and tall, stereotypically, who’s out for revenge. They meet, fall in love - or in lust, get into trouble, bleed, almost die, and then finally the two live happily ever after.

The end.

But, more than that, the best parts of the novel and the main reason I loved it is when Sir Nicolas was involved (and, no, it has nothing to do with the name, LOL). He’s probably one of the few villains I actually came to like and love. In this case, I might have been more interested to to read what had happened if things actually went the way he wanted them too. And he isn’t even actually the Master villain - he’s more like another pawn of a worse character. But because he was actually insane, I liked him even more. I just had to laugh at the contradictory aspects of his dynamic character.

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