Thursday 29 November 2007

"Lord Stanhope's Proposal" by Jessica Benson

Lord Stanhope's Proposal by Jessica Benson 2000

Description from back of book:
"Determined to clean up the mess his cousin Ossie has created, Tristan, Earl of Stanhope, finds himself taking an unscheduled trip to the country. His mission: Rescue a spinster from certain scandal as the object of a tasteless wager. But much to Tristan's suprise, Callista Ashton is more sharp-tongued free spirit than raw country gril - and more attractive than he ever imagined. Twenty-four and determinedly unwed, she's nobody's fool, and perfectly capable of taking care of herself, thank you very much. It's soon abundantly clear to Tristan that although rescuing a damsel in distress might actually have been an easier plan to carry out, sharing kisses - and more - with a strong, sensual woman is far more satisfying. Now all he has to do is convince Callista that she's fallen as hard as he has..."

Egh. I am singularly unimpressed with this book. The characters are flat, the reader feels very little emotional connection to them, and the story's dead dull. I found myself confusing almost all the characters and couldn't tell what was going on half the time. The love story feels forced, and there's about as much heat between Tristan and Callista as you'd find on a January day in Alaska. I wanted to like this book, I really did. The prologue was witty and fun, and it got my hopes up. Too bad they were so brutally let down.

RATING:

1/2
FAMILY FRIENDLY RATING:

No comments:

RATING RUBRICS

OVERALL RATING

(or less)
Seriously. Don't waste your time. The author could spell and put together a sentence, but not a whole lot else.

This book might be worth reading, but it had some major flaws. Perhaps there were a lot of anachronisms, or plot elements that were not resolved. Perhaps the heroes were one-dimensional. Perhaps the love story was not believable. Perhaps the writing style left a great deal to be desired. Perhaps the plot was so complex that you got laden down with it about halfway through. These books are worth reading if you're really, really bored, but I wouldn't buy them at full-price.

This is a good book. There is a strong story line, the book is well written, and there aren't too many anachronisms. Still, there is something missing. Perhaps there are holes in the story. Perhaps one of the heroes is insanely annoying. Perhaps there are unrealistic elements in the plot. All in all, worth reading, and perhaps even buying, but there are better ones to be had.

This is an excellent book. Strong characters, good reader connection. The book is well written, interesting, and stays true to the time period. The heroes are engaging and three-dimensional. These books are worth having on your shelf.

These are books that are phenomenal, above and beyond the call of duty. They have everything that exists in a four-star rating, plus that extra little something that just throws them over the top. These books are worth having in hard-cover.

FAMILY-FRIENDLY RATING

(or below)
There is very little to no sex in this book. What little that exists is not the least bit graphic. There is very little, if any, innuendo.

There is a small amount of sex in this book (one or two scenes). The scenes are loving and not incredibly graphic.

There is a moderate amount of sex and innuendo in this book. It is moderately graphic, but consensual and not violent.

There is a lot of sex and innuendo in this book. The sex is quite graphic, but not violent. The innuendo is quite coarse and descriptive.

This book is inappropriate for children. There is a good deal of graphic sex, some of which may be violent or non-consensual. The innuendo is very coarse and descriptive, and found quite frequently. The sex is the over-riding purpose of this book.

Historical Romance Novel Reviews

Thursday 29 November 2007

"Lord Stanhope's Proposal" by Jessica Benson

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