Journal Entry 1 by Sidney1220 from McLean, Virginia USA on Thursday, April 26, 2007

Received from pbs.

_____________________________

From Booklist
Emmaline Dove has been the perfect secretary for publisher Harrison Marlowe. Keeping the rakish viscount's professional and personal lives running smoothly is challenging, but Emma hopes that, some day, working for Harry will lead to getting her own book published. But so far Harry has rejected Emma's literary efforts, claiming "etiquette books don't sell." When Emma discovers Harrison didn't even bother reading her work, she snaps. Resigning her position, Emma sets out to find someone who will appreciate both her and her writing. RITA Award-winning Guhrke crafts a sparkling and deliciously fun romantic battle of wits in the first in a new Victorian series, and it is an irresistible, laughter-laced treat. John Charles
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

 

Journal Entry 2 by Sidney1220 from McLean, Virginia USA on Wednesday, January 21, 2009

This book started out strong but lost its way towards the end. The author did a good job depicting how Emma and Harry came to know each other and how they gradually threw aside their misconceptions and started seeing each other in a different light after having worked side by side for 5 years. Harry is a charming and likable hero and Emma an intelligent heroine. Some of their dialogue during the first part of the book sparkled, and the sexual tension was palpable.

But then it all went down hill. Harry, while likable, never really became a full-fledged character despite his backstory because the author never bothered to explore his motivations and tell us what he's really thinking other than the fact that he lusts after the heroine. And the about face both he and Emma did - she being willing to set aside her ingrained sense of propriety and he being willing to reverse his stance on marriage - was too abrupt for it to be believable. It is as if the author suddenly discovered that she's already more than 300 pages in and needs to close things off, and so did it by tacking on a cliched and convenient ending. This stalled the book's momentum and prevented the readers from experiencing the emotional payoff that is so essential to a good romance, and ultimately made this a somewhat unsatisfying read.


1/27/09 Reserved for romance vbb.

2/17/09 Reserved for CharmedKim.