Customer Reviews

The Beleaguered Earl

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

 

 

When I read the plot summary of this book I looked forward to reading it. The summary seems to indicate this is about a earl who wants to farm who runs into a young lady tenant and things happen from there. If this was the plot, I would have been much happier than what actually came out.

Max indeed wins an estate in a card game and goes off to see his property. But first he arranges to have a house party of his rakish friends and ladies of the night join him. When he arrives, he finds the house has two tenants with an unbreakable lease. Since the two are ladies of quality, Max "nobly" decides to divide the house in half and keep the other tenants' presence a secret. As the house party unfolds, Max learns more about himself and his "friends" and finds love with Hope, the lovely young tenant.

This book is simply fraught with problems. Max is very unlikeable, especially when he doesn't have the backbone or honor to cancel the house party but lets it continue. This image of Max is never completely dispelled, even when he begins to mend his ways. Hope comes out as a self-sufficient, smart lady but doesn't have the brains to investigate the circumstances that have robbed her of her fortune. Even though the writing is very good, it just cannot make up for the lack of the plot. The sexual references are embarrassing to both the reader and the author's talent. And the confrontational climax about dastardly deeds and hidden agendas is absurd and out of place.

This book had great potential. But Ms. Lane simply didn't carry it through. I would recommend skipping this book and finding something else to read that might be enjoyable.

Well, I simply cannot finish this book - it's so boring and slow moving that I cannot bring myself to carry on any further. The hero is immature (at 30 he really ought to be a bit more of a man and not chafing under his daddy's thumb!) and the heroine really is off-putting and unlikeable to the point that I just can't empathise at all! So, sorry, this one is going to the charity bookshop forthwith!

A big disappointment!

This was a very enjoyable book because the characters and plot were so entertaining. Two things detracted from it being a great book. First, the sexual ennuendos were poorly written. Instead of arousing interest, I was thinking, "How lame, enough already." Secondly, the plot was very busy, which necessitated the author quickly wrapping up all the loose ends at the end of the book. However, these two problems were relatively minor, and I could recommend this book heartily.