Customer Reviews

Kiss Me, Annabel (Center Point Platinum Romance (Large Print))

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the second in the Essex sisters series about four beautiful orphaned young women who are sent to England and placed under the guardianship of Rafe Jourdain, the Duke of Holbrook, after the untimely death of their father, a Scottish viscount. Each sister was left a prize racehorse as her only dowry. This book focuses the second sister, Annabel. She is determined to marry a wealthy and titled Englishman, stemming from her impoverished upbringing in Scotland where her reckless father spent all the family's money on horse breeding and racing. She is just at the point of being proposed to by a wealthy but stuffy English lord when Ewan Poley, the very manly Scottish Earl of Ardmore, shows up in London in search of a bride. They are instantly drawn to one another, and Ewan proposes immediately, but Annabel turns him down. She explains that she simply cannot live in Scotland, which holds too many bad memories for her, and that she will marry only a titled Englishman. Annabel neglects to tell Ewan that the main reason she will not marry him is that he is poor. Soon after, however, Annabel and Ewan's lives take an unexpected turn. As the result of a misunderstanding involving her troublesome younger sister Imogen, Annabel is put in a compromising position with Ewan. She must face the prospect of either public disgrace, or of marrying Ewan and giving up her dream of a comfortable life in England.

I enjoyed this story and the humor and drama involving the supporting cast, including Annabel's two younger sisters. Ewan and Annabel's road trip was fun and romantic, and had a nice buildup of sexual tension. Ewan was at times a little clueless, but this did not make him any less charming. However, Annabel's completely unjustified assumption about Ewan towards the end was very annoying. It detracted from the romance and made Annabel's character less attractive. Although the book had a nice ending, it might have been so much better without this unnecessary obstacle. I liked the book's assortment of interesting characters well enough to read the next installments, and will hope for a satisfying road to wedded bliss for Imogen and Josie.

I caution readers to read the first book in the series first because there is a lot references to the plot from that book in this one and you will feel confused if you don't have that background in place first.
In this latest addition to the Essex sister series the story is actually about the third sister, Annabel because of part of the plot for the first book in the series, Much Ado About You, it is not yet time for the second sister to have her own book. Maybe it's just me, but more and more it seems like Eloisa James books are really hit and miss. I say this because the romance between Annabel and the Earl of of Ardmore is a thin plot that never really developed beyond a short novella size romance. Annabel and the Earl never have a strong conflict that needs to be resolved in order to get to their HEA (Happily Ever After). The romance is more less Annabel wants a rich English man and forced to marry what she believes to be a poor Scottish Earl. As our couple heads off for the wild highlands, they come to share a passion between them. Annabel then finds, much to her surprise, that her poor Earl is actually one of the richest men in Scottland.
Anyone who reads romance could see where this plot was going from chapter two on. For the most part this book was way too predictable. After reading this review, you might be wondering why I went with a four star rating. There are two reasons for this: one- the sub characters were good for a few out loud laughs the youngest sisiter, Josie, is very funny and has a great witty personality that makes me exicted for her book. Imogen, the second Essex sister plays such a big part in this book, that at times you aren't sure that it is even about Annabel. Her exploits with Mayne, from the first book, are some of the shinning moments in this book. Reason two- there was no great mystery in this story. Too often these days in romance the mystery plot over shadows the romance, so I am always glad to see a romance that is just that a romance.

Annabel has always known she was beautiful. As she was growing up, she watched her father spend all the family money on his stables, horses and the racetrack. Since she has a head for numbers, she takes the household accounts in hand, and manages the financial aspect of her family's life. One coin could make the difference between eating meat or having beans for dinner. After this childhood, she, naturally, has a fear of poverty and decides that her beauty will compensate for a lack of a real dowry.

As the book opens, Annabel is on the verge of accepting a marriage proposal from exactly the man she is looking for - a titled, pleasant, wealthy man with whom she can have a pleasant, worry-free life. She meets Lord Ardmore - a Scottish earl that is embodiment of everything she DOESN'T want in a future husband. Although intrigued by him and attracted to him, she does not even consider him as a potential suitor and rejects his offer of marriage and his pursuit of her.

Her sister, Imogen, has other plans for Lord Ardmore. Imogen, who is recovering from the death of her young husband, decides to have an affair with Lord Ardmore (without consulting him first!!) and this decision sparks a series of events that lead to Annabel's reputation being damaged. Lord Ardmore immediately proposes marriage, because of the scandal, and she has no choice but to accept. Even though Lord Ardmore has a special license that will allow them to marry immediately, he asks her to wait until they reach Scotland because he there is a specific monk that Ardmore wants to perform their marriage ceremony. She agrees to this and the rest of the story details how they fall in love (and lust) with each other as they travel to Scotland (without being really married) and what they must each overcome to have a happy life together.

The book is wonderfully written, with great secondary characters. The great thing about Eloisa James' novels is that the dialogue and story just flows... you can feel the tension in the air when Imogen and Annabel fight. You can feel how sad the sisters are when gathered around together before Annabel leaves for Scotland. The chemistry between Ardmore and Annabel sizzles (love scenes = steamy hot), as does the chemistry between some of the secondary characters. Josie, the youngest sister, steals every scene she's in - her dialogues are down-right hilarious and I'm really looking forward to her story now (which will be the last one.) Those you that have followed the (mis)adventures of the Earl of Mayne will be happy to see him figure prominently in this book.

I've given it 5 stars because I'm rounding up -- I would really give it 4 1/2 stars. The only reason I would deduct half a star is because, sometimes, James veers too much away from the main characters. As a result, I felt that Annabel and Ardmore were not as well sketched out as they could have been, and that their courtship (during the journey to Scotland) was a bit rushed. The book is set up so every other chapter is about Imogen, and that can be distracting at times because it seems that the book is focusing on Imogen more than Annabel.

Other than that tiny gripe, it is a flawless book & very highly recommended. If you haven't, though, you should read "Much Ado About You" before reading this book. "Kiss Me, Annabel" works as a stand-alone read, but would be more enjoyable, I think, if read as part of the series.

One of the things that I've noticed about historical romance novels is that when they are good, they tend to fall into the very good category. But when they are bad, oh how they flop! Such has been my experience with the novels of Eloisa James. Several I've enjoyed immensely, finding the blend of characters and plot to be just about right for an enjoyable evening's read.

And then there are the ones that had me muttering oh come on! and wanting to fling the book away. But I've resolved to finish whatever book I start, unless it is so awful that I simply can't take it anymore. And it was between these two extremes that I have found myself in this latest series by this author.

Kiss Me, Annabel tells the story of the second eldest of the four Essex sisters. Annabel has seen two of her sisters marry, one very successfully, and one with a disaster of a union. But Annabel isn't trusting on fate to win her the husband that she wants; no, she knows exactly what she wants -- a husband who is wealthy, compliant, and above all, not Scottish. Her memories of Scotland and life with her father, who gambled and spent every cent he had on horses, are so scarring and traumatic that Annabel is certain that she could not find any sort of happiness there.

Not that Annabel honestly has anything to worry about when it comes to finding a husband. She's beautiful and blond, and she already has several suitors who are just waiting for her to say 'yes.' But while their offers are certainly tempting, none of them have managed to stir any sort of passion in her. That is, until she meets Ewan, the Earl of Ardmore, a handsome red-head who dresses most unfashionably all in black, and tends to be blunt and manner-of-fact. Worst of all, he's a Scot, and Annabel wants nothing to do with him.

Intertwined with Annabel's story is that of her sister Imogen, a mourning, unhappy widow who is dressing in skin-tight black gowns with daring decolletage. She's also making a fool of herself and bringing scandal upon herself and her sisters, and ruining Annabel's chances for a good match. Things have gotten so difficult that the other sisters come up with a plan to have Ardmore marry Imogen -- or at least become her lover.

But the plan backfires badly, and it's Annabel who soon finds herself engaged to marry Ewan, and trapped in a carriage with him all the way back to Scotland. The one place she doesn't want to go. Once again her life is going to be one of poverty, and uncertainty. But it turns out that her sisters have a plan to rescue Annabel from her unwanted marriage if they can reach her in time...

Unlike the previous novel, Much Ado About You, where the characters of Tess and Lucian are interesting and involved with one another, this one falls apart rather quickly. Indeed, nearly the first hundred pages or so has hardly any mention of Annabel at all -- most of it is taken up with Imogen and her wayward ways. If that isn't bad enough, the romance between Annabel and her Scotsman never rises above a simmer, if that much. The suitor decides to be juvenile about things, and plays kissing games with her for the first week, and then we get the musty old "let's-trap-them-somewhere-isolated-until-they-have-sex" ploy. While James likes using Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew for the basis of this, the coyness of this becomes so sticky and dull that I was falling asleep over the book rather than finding it to be of any interest.

And that's fatal for a novel like this. The other problem is that she has set this somewhat in the Regency period of English history, but is entirely unconvincing in her descriptions of clothing, attitudes and the use of what is known as a 'special license' for marriages. The idioms tend to be modern, Imogen's behavior thoughtless and stupid, and the fact that the story has a hard time settling down as to which character is going to be the heroine just ruined the read for me.

Barely two stars, and that's pushing it. Not recommended.

I could care less about Annabel and Ewen. He was apparently so self absorbed that he never understood that not all people were rich, had linen closets in thier cottages, and he needed to be told to go get a wife. He was a nice guy, but completely unbelievable.
Annabel apparently spent all her free time (that she didn't have doing the finances) practicing how to snag a rich man, for a cold traditional English marriage that included infidelity. There was no angst for this couple once she discovered he was rich, even though she assumed he would allow her to use him to snag the rich guy she wanted.

The highlights of the book were the scenes with Imogen/Rafe and Josie/Mayne. Although all the scenes with Imogen and Josie were good. I look forward to the books with the other Essex sisters in them. This one seems to be a "filler" book until Imogen is over her mourning period and Josie ages to be able to romance.

Although Annabel Essex's sisters, Tess and Imogen, have managed to marry well and for love (even though in Imogen's case her happiness was short lived since her husband died soon after their marriage), Annabel is determined to marry a well heeled gentleman. Too many years spent trying to scrimp and save while their father went his own merry way has left its mark on Annabel and she's determined not to live that life again! So what if she finds herself almost unnaturally drawn to the impoverished and handsome Earl of Ardmore (Ewan). Unfortunately, scandal and sister Imogen between them seem to have thrown Annabel and Ewan together. And the only way out seems to be marriage. Does Annabel have it in her to face a life of poverty with the good natured and handsome Ewan? Or will opt to desert her husband and return to London and her sisters after a suitable length of time...

Somewhere in the 1980s, one of my favourite Regency-era romance novelists, Marion Chesney (who went on to write the famous Hamish MacBeth & Agatha Raisin mystery novels as M. C. Beaton) penned one of the best, in my opinion anyway, Regency-era series of all time, The Six Sisters series. This series featured six sisters, of varying degrees of beauty and temperament, all who had to marry for money because their father was a hunting mad impoverished vicar. Eloisa James' The Essex sisters series reminds me quite a bit of that series. Like Chesney's series, James' novels feature impoverished sisters who are beautiful and charming and who desire to marry money for security's and stability's sake. The thing I liked most about the Chesney's series was the author's sardonic tone and biting wit. And while this tone and wit was sadly absent in "Kiss Me Annabel," the book still turned out to be a rather pleasant and enjoyable read. Both Annabel and Ewan turned out to be perfectly nice and likable characters so that it was quite easy for one to root for them to end up happily ever-after. However, in spite of this likable pair, the book did suffer from not having enough conflict (Annabel's fear of living in poverty didn't quite cut it esp since this particular conflict dematerializes about halfway through the book), and from the fact that the more flamboyant Essex sister, Imogen, more or less hijacks the story in almost the same way that she hijacked the first book in the series, "Much Ado About You." Imogen may be a pain and, at times, not very likable, but obviously Eloisa James has a rather soft spot for her since she is featured quite prominently in two novels already. As it stands, Imogen's grief and bad behaviour quite over powers Annabel's and Ewan's sweet love story, and the message about judging books by their covers and of prizing wealth above all else gets lost somehow. Which was a shame because this is a well written and rather absorbing read -- it's just that the love story between the hero and heroine didn't quite measure up to the antics of the heroine's sister.

The second instalment in the Eloisa James' series about the impoverished Essex sisters, this is the story of the beautiful and ambitious, Annabel.

For most of her life, Annabel has dreamt of marrying well to escape poverty. Tired of playing accountant to her horse-mad father, she went to bed dreaming of living in a mansion, wearing silk gowns and never worrying about how to stretch the few coins they had. Now in London for her first season, she thinks that she may have finally found the answer to her prayers; never mind that there doesn't to be much to her chosen spouse in terms of personality. Until the night she finds herself in a compromising position with a titled, yet penniless Scot.

Ewan Poley, Earl of Ardmore, is on a mission to find a wife. Rumored to be impoverished, he seems to nevertheless be in demand in the English ton. As soon as he lays eyes on the beautiful Annabel, he knows that she's the one. When they were accidentally found in a compromising position at his hotel, Ewan finally gets his chance when Annabel agrees to marry him. Not too long after, they were in a carriage all the way back to Scotland.

Though Annabel is disappointed to find herself going back to the country that only serves to remind her of her impoverished upbringing, she cannot deny the mutual attraction that draws them together. And there starts the kissing game...

While I initially enjoyed the playfulness that started between the main characters, I felt that the whole kissing game was dragged on a bit too much. I found myself skimming over the pages, wishing that the whole game would stop. I thought it was a bit of an overkill and wish that the author had spent more time delving deeper into the main characters' personality, especially Annabel. I could appreciate her fear of going hungry again and not being able to keep warm during the cold winter months, but because of the lack of focus on her, her fears sometimes made her appear shallow and greedy. That's why I was rather surprised when Ewan declares his love for her so suddenly, making me ask myself: how and when?

Overall, KISS ME, ANNABEL, is a nice read, but could have been quite a wonderful story if the romance between the main characters were fleshed out a little more. Just like the first book, MUCH ADO ABOUT YOU, the other characters, particularly Imogen, has overshadowed the protagonists in this story.

The first book I read of this series was Imogen's story, and I found that one painful to finish. I didn't like Imogen, and I didn't like Rafe, and I didn't like them together. The story was rather boring, truth to tell. However, due to the reviews for this book I decided to give it a go. I'm so glad I did! It got off to a slow start, but once Ewan and Annabel are on their way to Scotland, things really kick off, in my opinion. I still hated Imogen's character throughout this book, and quickly skimmed chapters that had Mayne and Imogen going back and forth. It did not enhance the plot, but rather sets up Imogen's book which was a failure. So, I know I didn't miss much!

I thought it was refreshing that Annabel found out before the end of the book that he was rich. How many times have I read a romance novel where in the last two chapters all of the obstacles are neatly overcome, the characters kiss, have a baby, the end. All that turmoil throughout the book and only a measly epilogue to let me know that there future is bright and happy. Finally we can get past the obstacle and focus on the relationship development and banter that occurs between two people even when there is no misunderstanding or tragedy that occurs.

Therefore, I thought it only natural that a conflict of tension occur between Ewan and Annabel when he discovers that her plan was to leave him after six months. He wants to be sure that she will be faithful to him. This is where we find out if they love each other. It was strange to me that she wasn't pleading her case to Ewan that she would never leave him now that she knew him. I mean for goodness sakes, all she's wanted was a rich man, and she's got one, so what could possibly be the problem? But that did add for more tension and anxiousness throughout the end of the book.

On the negative side, they didn't talk to each other much towards the end of the book, which I thought was rather odd and would have been rectified by another chapter or two. Another negative was the whole traumatized Rosie. Please. She added nothing to the story whatsoever, except to show that Ewan has a heart big enough to care for his previous fiance who went crazy. No thank you.

Aside from the Imogen chapters, I thought the book read very well. I felt that Annabel and Ewan really got to know each other and therefore, their chemistry was believable. Ewan was attracted to her the most, so it wasn't a surprise to me that he fell in love quicker when he realized just why Annabel was so money-hungry. Especially when they lived in poverty for a day or two. He began to realize just how difficult it was, and how she would do anything not to have to be put in that situation again. Annabel, on the other hand, had to open up as she brought herself up to be rather cold and seductive. She was afraid that Ewan was mistaking love for desire, when really she only feels this way because that's what she taught herself. She never wanted love, only her husband's desire. In the end we see that she instead, does want his love and is afraid that all of the things she taught herself gave her a husband that isn't in love with her, but rather who she made herself be. I can see that for some this is over the top, but to me it's a rather believable problem when she's thought/felt this way her whole life.

You won't be disappointed in this one! It has definite rereadability! But skip the next book.

I love the way Eloisa James writes. I love her sweeping images and elaborate descriptions. This book was no different.

Annabel Essex is determined to marry a rich man. After all, she grew up poor, and she intends to trade her beauty for a wealthy, titled man. But one night at a ball, she meets a handsome Scotsman who is titled but rumored to be broke. As such, Annabel wants nothing to do with the Earl of Ardmore, Ewan Poley. When a scandal erupts by mere accident, Annabel is forced to travel with Ewan to Scotland under the pretense of marriage. Along the way, Annabel manages to lose her heart--and finds herself fighting it tooth and nail.

By the end of this book, I was sighing in pure happiness. Why not five stars? At times, I disliked Annabel's propensity to feel sorry for herself. I wanted her to face her fears, and instead, she ran from them time and again. She cried and whine, and when she finally discovered she was in the wrong, she still cried. I liked her, but I thought she acted as a weak heroine at times.

Kiss me; Annabel is the second book in Eloisa James's hot Essex sister's series. In addition, I can say without a doubt that it does not disappoint. I came upon this series accidentally and read the third book before I knew it was a series. However, finding out that it was I happily picked up the others. In addition, have yet to be disappointed.

Annabel is by far the most greedy of the Essex sisters, seeking to trade her good looks much like a courtesan does for a mans favor. Nevertheless, she is not content to be improper about it she will give her beauty only to a rich Englishman who will marry her. But she gets a shock when a handsome Scotsmen not only gets in her path but there is a scandal and she must marry him.

This book was so fun and so touching, I really enjoyed it and had a fun time reading it. The author even states that it is loosely based on Shakespeare taming of the shrew and I do not have a bit of trouble believing that. When you read it, you will know what I mean. However, in all honestly it is a very easy to follow read, in the historical romance genre Eloisa James stands out.

The writing has a fun flare to it, and you find some mysteries wrapped in. Nothing to deep but still a little something to make it fun. Moreover, the secondary characters of this story are just as fun to follow around as the main characters. If you are a fan of historical romance, and England and Scotland, you really do need to read this book. You follow the women around from country to country, and see just what Annabel ends up marrying for. Love? Money? Or both.