Customer Reviews

Beloved Enemy - New 7200

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

 

 

There were many parts of this story I loved, and many others I disliked emencely. The two cancel each other out, which is why I rated this with a three star. First and foremost, I loved the time period in which this story was written. So few writers choose to write about Parlimentary England. Ms. Feather does a wonderful job in depicting the time period, the thoughts of the antagonists, the clothing, and everyday life. The story was filled with rich details and smooth writing. Life was so much different then, as compaired to today and this is wonderfully shown in the story. Our characters are well formed and very likable. Virginia and Alex mix well together.

I did not like, however, the 'I-hate-you-becuase-you-are-the-enemy,-but-can't-help-but-loving-you' storyline. I realize that is the title of the book and the whole premise of the relationship, but I didn't like it. The pretext Virginia keeps putting up, just didn't seem believable. If she hated Alex so much she could never have done what whe did, if she loved him, she could never have done what she did. I felt that you couldn't have it both ways, or atleast not the way THIS story was written. I also didn't appreciate what happens with Virginia's personal life. I don't want to give too much of the story away, but I felt that the second half of this story went WAY beyond credibility. After Virginia leaves England, there is not too much of the story I found redeming. It was an enjoyable read becuase the writting style was so fluid, but I had a pretty hard time getting into the plot.

This book was so very good that I hated to see it end. The characters are vividly drawn, beautifully written and unforgettable. Beloved Enemy is so much better than any book I have read by this author. Ms. Feather was truly inspired when she wrote this. Alex will live on in my daydreams.

I have read other books by Jane Feather that were very good. My favorite Vanity and Emerald Swan. But this book has too much spousal abuse and depressing description of war. I was a teenager during WWII and I can do without both. I have several of her books that I haven't read yet and am now a bit leery of her stories. I am retired and read for enjoyment, entertainment and, as most of us, to escape reality. If I wanted this I could subscribe to a paper or watch CNN. I will perserve though as I can always use them for trading if I can't take anymore.

The premise of the story and the characters were strong and commendable. With all that I really appreciated Alex Marshall and what he was going through. Shades of our own Civil War with torn families.

This book was the perfect combination of historical narrative and romance. Alex and Ginny are well developed characters whose conflicting emotions of love and hostility make for a great read. You should definitely buy this book if you enjoy historical romances spiced with lots of action.

I liked it. I didn't expect to like this book as much as i did. A lot of people don't like the dark aspect of the husband but that is really blown out of proportion. Ive seen much worse behavior from a hero or two. Anyway the story was filling. That is the only way i could describe it. Not really romantic but satisfying all the same. ginny was annoying sometimes but I still liked her. It's one of "those cold winter nights" kind of books. Makes you feel toasty.

Jane Feather is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her books are extremely well-constructed and her characters are richly drawn and three-dimensional. Beloved Enemy is probably my favorite novel of hers, and I have read most of her work. I realize it was written some time ago but I think it more than withstands the test of time and sort of exemplies for me what a good historical romance should be. The love story and the surrounding plots are epic, and I felt emotionally invested in the characters and their stories. I was almost in tears when I finished because it was so good, I didn't want it to end. Jane Feather also does meticulous research and her details, speech patterns, and historical references ring true - adding credibility and poignancy to the story. Kudos to Jane Feather for this romantic masterpiece!

I was slow getting into the story, but as time went on and I kept reading, I was enjoying this book immensely. I had not read any of Jane Feather's novels before, but since this book, I have been looking for more of them to read. She did an excellent job on location and time and the people involved. Each book must be measured on itself, not compared to others. I thought that she wrote a believable story. The characters kept me going back and reading more and more each evening. And I learned a few things about the English and their wars and it made me look up information on the world wide web so that I could understand it better. All in all, this was a delightful read.

I read this book when it was first (I think) issued. I loved it. The dichotomy between the words "Beloved" and "Enemy" is developed perfectly by Jane Feather in this enthralling book. What a love story; what a pair of lovers! I am writing this years later because: (1) It was one of my favorite books at the time I read it, and (2) it seems to be getting an unfavorable rating from several reviewers, so I thought I would try to bring more balance to the negative reviews. This is a beautifully written book and the story has a depth of emotion that is missing in so many more superficial writings.

Jane Feather is one of my favorite authors but there are always the "Dark Side" to her stories: death, regicide, separation, death again, etc. "Beloved Enemy" was my favorite until the parting of the hero and heroine. Too much bitterness, and not enough sunshine! The English Civil War created too much darkness! I wish she would write more of sunshine and light as our own lives have enough of this. Too little was made of the Epilogue. So sad.

I loved this book but it just seemed to go on and on and on. I almost didn't buy it because it was so thick and I like to read a book in 1 or 2 days (Otherwise, I'm up all night reading). But I decided to give it a try because the plot sounded so great and the reviews on here were encouraging. Virginia was a wonderful character and contrary to other reviews, I thought her falling for the enemy only too easy to believe esp. after the husband she had before. If Ms. Feather had cut out the witch part and whiddled down the colony storyline, I think this book would have been the better for it. It was almost as though she had so many ideas and try to cram all of them into one book. They didn't add to the character development or the story enough to warrant the extra pages. I ended up skimming through almost a quarter of the book to get to the end.

Jane Feather seems to be a hit and miss author for me. I've read two that were wonderful (this one included) and two that I couldn't even finish they were so bad. So if you are trying Ms. Feather for the first time, try this one or one of her spy novels (To Kiss a Spy) but I would skip the Bride series (very disappointing).