I have just signed up for Netgalley and this is the first book I’ve received from them. So, standard terms and conditions apply, I received a free copy in exchange for a review.
I loved about half the book and was annoyed by about half the book. I loved Duncan and Matilda. I loved them individually. I loved them together. They were lovely and reading as they came to like and trust each other and then fall in love was like sinking into a warm hug. At the end of the book, I completely believed that they will have a happily ever after.
I like order.” Matilda craved order, now especially. “I apologize for presuming, but you were off center.”
He swirled her shawl from his shoulders and settled it over hers. The gesture was as graceful as a dancer’s and much more alluring.
“That I am,” he said, “off center. The condition is of long standing. You needn’t trouble yourself over it.”
I also liked the relationships they had with Stephen, Duncan’s younger cousin and former pupil. He brought a richness to the story and fleshed out both Duncan and Matilda.
The half I didn’t love was the Big Dramatic Intrigue, the external obstacle which must be overcome and all of the characters associated with that drama. Without getting into spoilers, Matilda is on the run from a fiance for a reason that Duncan gradually extracts from her. I found the antagonist fiance and the big drama annoying for a few reasons. The main reason was because the big drama plot regularly interrupted my enjoyment of the love story. This was particularly frustrating as Matilda and Duncan were working their way towards consummating their relationship. It was to read about their growing emotional and physical intimacy, jump to a scene with the antagonists, back to the love scenes, back to the antagonists, back to the love scene. By the time they got to the afterglow I was confused by the timeline and wondering if they had been embracing for a few days. Second, it invariably involves something overly complicated and not that interesting. Third, in order for there to be the final confrontation, Matilda had to do something stupid. And that’s why I usually find Big Dramatic Intrigue plots annoying – in order for them to be resolved someone, usually the heroine has to do something uncharacteristically stupid.
One thing that I don’t really know how to address is the housekeeper, and I don’t think Burrowes really knew what to do with her either. The housekeeper is of African descent, but we don’t really know anything else about her. She gets sick, the doctor won’t come, and then she gets better and the whole issue disappears. She never really exists as anything other than a lines only character sketch.
After a fantastic start, I found myself somewhat disappointed by the book. There’s a great love story stuck in a bunch of nonsense. It’s fine though.