Customer Reviews

To The Castle

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

 

 

I must admit, first of all, that I did not finish this book. I also must admit that it has, so far, been the only romance that I have ever read that made me throw the book across the room in frustration. Not only once, but TWICE. I stopped reading it the first time after the heroine simply snuggled up to the man after he just took what he wanted when I, personally, deemed that she still wasn't ready for it and felt that the consummation of the marriage should have been withheld until she was more comfortable with herself. And that it happened that very same evening that he had committed adultery was just another added sucker punch to my stomache.

I picked it up again the next day because I was curios of the heroine's reaction to finding out that the affair had happened and I will say that I was impressed with it, but not with how long it held. When she forgave him after what I, again personally, felt was by FAR too short a period I threw it across the room again and only picked it up to close it and put it back on my bookshelf, never to be picked up again unless I am truly desperate for something new to read and do not have time to go by the bookstore.

For those of you who love strong heroines who don't just give in because the man they love gives them a deep and passionate kiss, I don't believe, from as much as I read, that you would like this book anymore than I did and might just find yourselves as equally frustrated. If you do, go ahead and give it a try. It was pretty well written if rushed and infuriating.

Wolf, used to be one of the best regency writers around. She's changed - suddenly her heros are beta males with no attractive qualities. Her heroines are wishy washy whiny babies. Her stories are watered down. Skip this one.

I have to agree with previous reviews. This storyline was mediocre, somewhat boring, and one dimensional. Nell especially bored me. There were no undercurrents or tension or anything very complex like the emotions we experienced in Golden Girl or Guardian. I forced myself to finish this book, believing that it would improve. It didn't. And what happened to all the subtle humor JW used to sprinkle in her novels? At least this one was better than the disastrous last few contemporary novels JW wrote, as well as the historical White Horses which I thought was one of her worst romance novels yet.

The Author appears to be trying to strike several balances in this historical romance, the first between history and romance. Because the characters she creates are rather shallow and lifeless, the emphasis veers toward the history...which she informs us at the end of the novel that she's *changed,* for the purposes of the book. That's one big problem. There is also an attempt to balance the physical passion of the couple with a strong attempt to make the heroine's Christian spirituality a major presence in the story. That doesn't quite work, either. If the reader isn't Christian, it's simply an annoying distraction, like a commercial for the same product that keeps interrupting the show.
Religious agendas have no place in this product. There are far better historical romances out there for the price of this one. Hunt them down.

Depressing . . . She has no one who loves her, he only has his grandfather. Later on in the book we find his father & mother. I don't want to give away the plot but this book I did not enjoy. I tried, several times . . . I thought it would be good but it just kept going back toward depressing situations. His father, her father, his adultery, never could get a feel for where this book was going. It ends with a good conclusion but I did not enjoy the ride.

Another disappointing effort by Joan Wolf, written in the same voice as White Horses. Cardboard characters with little emotional development and a hackneyed plot written as history for dummies. Don't waste your time.

This novel isn't in the same league as her other novels, especially her Dark Ages Series and NO DARK PLACE & THE POISONED SERPENT. The story follows Nell de Bonvile and Roger de Roche and how and why they came to be together in the era of the War of the Roses between King Stephen and Maude. They were thrown together by chance when Roger's original betrothed, Sybilla de Bonvile, Nell's older sister dies. Her father continues the wedding plans with Nell as her replacement. Never mind that she has been convent raised from a young age.

The story continues to follow their lives together in a rather mundane fashion. Parts of the book seemed unrealistic such as the husband waiting for the bride to be ready to consummate the marriage. It story moved rather slowly with no real surprises in the plot. Not one of Joan Wolf's best!

This is the least favorite of historical romances by Joan Wolf. It was competently done, but the characters, unfortunately, just are not interesting...I was surprised and a little disappointed.

I have read the other reviews and don't agree. I read almost every night a love story and most are good but they are all the same. The woman is mean and the man is arragant. I got this book and started reading it and couldn't put it down because gone was the anamosity and hate and in its place was a couple becoming friends. It was refreshing to read a book with out all the hate and working through the bad times to get to the good times. Yes I was dissapointed in him going to his mistress but that turned out to be not so bad when you think of how he realized how much he hurt her. Nell was the most important thing to him and they had not gotten physical and he used his old mistress but Nell forgave him. It was a good story and I felt the true love and how it came to be.

Although not deep in any way it was a relaxing and enjoyable break from reality. Based on this book I will be buying more of her work.