Customer Reviews

Almost a Lady

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I understand the need for romance writers to make their heroines more appealing to the 21st century reader, but it's a mistake for them to do so. Too many times, romance writers make their heroines promiscuous, and it is just not believeable in an historical time frame. Meg is supposed to have been raised in a strict society home and life, and yet she has had many affairs while still being an unmarried young woman. It turned me off. I enjoy the chase and seduction theme as much as the next person, but I need the plot to remain true to the historical context as much as possible. This just didn't do that. And, to top it off, Bonaparte himself is a character in the novel. Ridiculous. Don't bother with Feather's latest book.

This is Jane Feather's worst book ever. I am more than halfway through it, and I can already see where this is going.

Meg Barratt is a relatively well-off young spinster living in Folkstone, England. Gradually the reader is expected to gather that she is somewhat intelligent, well-read, unconventional, and "free-thinking." At least that is what we are supposed to think. She comes across as short-sighted and thoughtless to me when she is suddenly brouhgt aboard a privateer's ship when she is accidentally knocked unconscious one night. She just kind of allows herself to be sweet-talked into staying on board with the good-looking but shifty captain, Cosimo.

From moment one, I didn't like this guy. It doesn't help that he is an assassin and spy for England during their war with France, under Napoleon's rule. He comes across as arrogant and just kind of selfishly drags Meg into the life of a spy to replace his former lover, Ana. Meg should have known better. Good sex doesn't excuse flaws like working as an assassin, lying, and holding her on a boat against her will. This isn't love. It's Stockholm Syndrome.

I agree with a couple of the other readers on this site that her seeming sensuality and sexual proclivity toward being loose is uncharacteristic of the time, and does nothing to enhance the story. Sometimes, the best things about historical romances are "deflowerings," and the build-up toward the heroine "becoming a woman." That should happen when the heroine decides to fall in love with the hero. It shouldn't just happen because the heroine is "just along for the ride," literally and figuratively.

Cosimo is passive-aggressive; all throughout the book he plays games with Meg, acts hostile when he doesn't get his way, and he never apologizes to her when he is in the wrong. I HATE that.

The only likable character in the story was Cosimo's macaw, Gus. That's sad.

I can't believe the hero fell for the heroine. I thought Ana sounded like a real heroine by all the comparisons made by Cosimo. The idea that a woman during the time period was only supportive of killing a man that was a monster to her country out of love, vs. a woman that hated the tyranny Napolean represented was a joke. I felt that all the comparison's made between Ana and Meg were supposed to make us see that Meg was a better person for the hero, except they only made me see Meg as a shallow and self-absorbed woman by comparison and made me wish the hero to have Ana. Meg has got to be one of the most unlikable heroines I've ever seen in a historical romance. I was digusted by how it was foreplay when Meg flirted with other men in front of Cosimo.

I am sorry I wasted the money on the book, it was a terrible disappointment. The author has written a number of books that I've liked, but she is hit or miss. And this is definitely a miss on her part.

The hero puts England second to his "love", until she tells him a little late that he should continue. What a joke.

This was very lazy writing, poor history, modern cliches, and just plain awful.

As in my other reviews, I have always found Jane Feather an auto buy and purchased this after being quite pleased with Almost a Bride. But as most the other reviews state, I have to agree this is a sleeper and a dud. I usually can't put her books down but this one I kept down and up for 3 days and still only got to page 94 before finally giving up and tossing it in my give away pile. I just have too many other books to read without spending days trying to find out why I just can't get into this one.

It seems that Jane Feather books are really good or really bad, and this one is BAD. Neither character is enjoyable. The plot kicks in somewhere around page 300; before that is just boring talk about the ship. The heroine is apparently a sex-crazed idiot who's willing to sacrifice her own safety in order to "enjoy" a man she's known for days. This same man basically kidnapped her, lied to her, and she suspects (rightly so) that he is a cold-blooded murderer. So by all means abandon your worried friends and family for "adventure." Just stupid.

While this book was an OK read, there are way too many unanswered questions. Who is Cosimo? What's his story? All unknown. The author never really gave me a reason to bond with the hero. Also, I had a bit of trouble believing that the heroine would forgive the hero his deceptions so seemingly easily. The ending was odd, as well. Not quite...

I have been very disappointed with Ms. Feather's last books. It seems as if she is putting 21st century feminist values into a historical setting and it doesn't work. It stretches believability that a woman brought up in the sheltered environment of the early 1800's would be so promiscuous. This book was a total turnoff and I didn't finish it. Don't waste your time reading it.

I have read near every book Jane Feather has written and was looking forward to the release of this book. I was very disappointed. Neither the hero nor the heroine were appealing and too many questions remained unanswered. Who was Cosimo? How did Meg give up her cosseted life so easily?

I still would recommend Ms. Feather's "V" book series (Vixen, Valentine, etc.), but skip this one.

this was the worst jane feather book ever, and i have read most of her books. i've been slightly disappointed here and there but never like this! this book was terrible!. it was boring, it went on for days with nothing happening. by chapter 3 i was thinking "when is something going to happen?" by chapter 10 i was thinking "this is crap! and i want my money back!"

save yourself some money. i think i'm so disappointed because i bought and enjoyed "almost a bride". it was good! so i was looking forward to this one. what a waste of money!

jennifer jones phila, pa

I am a long time fan of Jane Feather. I have even gone out of my way to hunt down and purchase books by her that are out of print. I bought this title with joyful anticipation of another great read, but what a let-down! I couldn't find anything redeeming in either the slutty leading lady nor the sociopath leading man. It was an absolute struggle to get through the ending of the book - I put it down and came back to it a dozen times before I could choke it down. The parrot, Gus, was the most interesting and sympathetic character. Pity he couldn't find a nice female bird.