Customer Reviews

The Countess

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

Catherine Coulter admitted that her first book, a Regency romance, was really a "Gothic masquerading as a Regency." Now, she turns the tables by expanding the original novel and making it into a full-blown Gothic.

Don't expect an earth-shattering romance, however. The heroine, Andie, marries an older man. (More insight into why she did this would've been nice.) Only later does she fall in love with his nephew, John. (Don't worry, there's no adultery.)

I loved the Gothic elements -- I'm biased where those are concerned. Melodrama, mysterious suspects, atmosphere... However, I could have done without the Cute Quotient. Too much cute dialogue, combined with quips about Andie's dog peeing on the armor. Bleh.

I gave this a B- at All About Romance.

This was my first Catherine Coulter book and I absolutley loved it! It gave me a deep, gothic-like feel to the book and I found the twists and character plots very sufficient. One thing that could've used some changes was the way the characters talked to the dog, George. I found that sort of weird. But other than that it was perfect! The sense of tension and lust between Andy and John was very romantic, but forbidding. I loved the quote from John "You see what you do to me? Jesus, it un-mans me," I found it desirable. I definatley reccomend this book. I would love it if it was adapted on screen. That would make a good movie.

i know he was given a few details on the first part. but after that, he seems to have vanished completely---everything was centered on andrea and what she sees around her. i dont even know how she came to fall in love with john (no offence, but his name is simply unremarkable for someone in the regency times--i know that this isnt a basis for judgement, i just cant help expressing my opinion on that one).

the story is sadly lacking. im sorry now that it was the book i've picked up on the store since it destroyed my opinion on coulter's writing. now i'm afraid to buy another one in fear of having to read something as drab as this. dont mistake me---the suspense and sinister atmosphere was magnificently portrayed. but for the romance part....it's nil.

This was not one of Catherine Coulter's better books. The mystery was passable, but if you blinked you missed the romance. The main character, Andy, did some very stupid things for someone who is supposedly smart, and John was weak and ineffectual at best. I do not recommend this book to any true romance fan.

I really enjoyed reading The Countess. I liked the clean relationship between Andy and John, although I would have liked to read more about John, he seemed a mystery. I loved the little dog George, he stole the story! I will gladly recommend this book.

I have read many of Coulter's historical romances and normally find myself wanting the stories to go on and on. The Bride Trilogy (Hellion Bride, Heiress Bride, and whatever the first one was) were by far my favorites and examples of my wanting the stories to continue. With The Countess, I was OK with the plot but agree that the characters could have been developed better. I got the best kick out of Andy's relationship with John's horse! Andy's character does come out with typical Coulter-style dialog which thankfully never portrays the female lead in the role of "airhead." Her heroines are whitty and of strong character and this was the perfect book for a long plane ride. Just what I needed before facing a week-long convention. Definitely not her finest work but still a pleasant read.

Come on. This book is great. I don't understand why people think that it (...). This book is filled with laughter and love. People in this book care about each other. I dare you to give this book a try. The beginning might be alittle boring but the book is really interesting from the middle to the end. Take the risk to read this book.

Since this is a rewrite of an earlier book, I am going to assume that Ms. Coulter has honed her writing skills as she has matured. I have always preferred historical romances over contemporaries, but Ms. Coulter's contemporaries have always seemed better written to me than her historicals. This book is no exception. I can appreciate what she is trying to do in writing this story as a Gothic novel, and actually applaud her attempt at innovation, but it falls somewhat flat. Written in the first person, we should then gain a thorough knowledge of everything that is going on in Andy's mind (our heroine). Although there are some insights, we mostly just see what she is seeing as opposed to feeling and living what she is living.

We are also left adrift, looking for details about the other characters. One big criticism I have heard numerous times about this book is that we never really get to know John, our hero. This is true. There are one or two scenes where he is talking to Andy and reveals his feelings, and in a book written in the first person this is the only way Andy and the reader are going to be able to know these feelings, but there was so little interaction between these two characters that I felt we never got to know him. The way the story is set up, I am not sure if there could have been much more interaction, but it detracts from the overall plot.

The plot itself is a little over melodramatic, though Gothic novels are supposed to be. I just found it hard to believe the villain did all that they did, in the single-minded purpose of exacting the revenge they craved. A long time had passed and what if things didn't turn out they way they had? It is easy to make things happen in a story, but in life, the steps that lead to the main plot could easily not have happened, then what would our villain have done? I think they would have/should have, extracted their revenge much earlier and in a different manner. Too many factors were just too coincidental for the story to be a comfortable read. All in all, this is not a bad story, I just recommend picking up ANY other Catherine Coulter book, preferably her contemporaries, over this story.

Utterly unbelievable convoluted and stumbling plot. Awful first person dialogue. The heroine sounds like a Turing machine built by a first year undergrad. Extensive recreational drug use or English is not the authors first language are the only excuse for this bilge. This is bad even for Coulter.

In the 3 books by Catherine Coulter that I have read including The CountessThe Countess, I have found most of the book to suspenseful and interesting. A main character is threatened almost form the first word, but the romance is saved for the last few chapters. The romance itself is not offensive and is well written but is quite limited in amount. If you are into suspense, buy this book and Coulter's others