Customer Reviews

Entwined

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yet again, I find that the summary posted above doesn't really represent the book adequately. This put me off buying this book for some time, and yet when I started to read it I was unable to put it down.

Emma Jensen is a very talented writer, and her knowledge not just of the Regency period in England, but of Scottish and Irish culture, history, language and mores, is very impressive. I loved Isobel, and Nathan was a delight as a hero. I love brooding, tortured men!

Isobel, despite being caught very much at a disadvantage the first time she encounters the Marquess of Oriel (she's returning the purse her father stole, with coins missing), doesn't allow him to intimidate her. She gives him as good as she gets, and is equally strong-willed when she meets him again the following day... and guesses the secret he's tried so hard to hide from everyone. And because of that, he insists that she come to work for him, and later persuades her to marry him. He claims that it's a business arrangement, but he's wanted her since he first grabbed hold of her in his study. She, on the other hand, quickly comes to be very fond of him - later falls in love with him - but has no idea of his feelings for her. (As I am Irish, and Scots Gaelic isn't too dissimilar to Irish, I was highly amused by Isobel telling Nathan 'ta grath agam ort' and his musings as to what particular curse this represented, since I knew what it meant all along!)

The backdrop to this story - apart from the comic secondary characters, Nathan's and Isobel's respective families - is a plot against the lives of Nathan and his former spy colleagues. This was a well-worked plot, only spoiled for me by the fact that I'd recently read a Regency by another author with a similar plot and the same ultimate 'bad guy', so I wasn't at all surprised when I discovered who was behind the murder attempts. But that wasn't Jensen's fault: had I read this first, she would have fooled me! (Oh, and there's a *very* nice twist at the end.)

The motif Jensen uses in the book, symbolism involving the entwined white and the red roses at Nathan's country home, works extremely well; I had a lump in my throat when Nathan left red and white roses awkwardly entwined on his pillow the night after they'd made love.

This is another wonderful Emma Jensen book. I still prefer His Grace Endures - an even greater angst-wallow - but love this one.

I agree with other reviewers that "Entwined" is Jensen's best work, though by reading some of her other Regencies it's pretty clear that she uses the same elements in each novel. Oh, the circumstances vary slightly, but anyone who's read enough of Jensen's works can say that there's always: 1) the not-too-pretty, unappreciated, tomboyish, very intelligent heroine, labeled an Original by London society, often with Scottish or Irish roots; 2) the staid, reserved hero who holds logic and reason very dear; 3) the intially-disapproving parents (hero's) that includes the grand, fashionable mother and the slightly buffoonish, crisply English father (who learns to appreciate the heroine through a mutual like for fishing); 4) the cute party-going playboy of a younger brother (hero's) who takes a brotherly liking to the heroine and helps her out; 5) the pretty, innocent teenager of a younger sister (hero's) who, despite being shy, takes steps to befriend the heroine. Oh, and 6) hero has a past in the army, doing various intrigues.

But these things aren't important. Jensen's still better than most.

But I digress; back to "Entwined." Aside from the basic, um, foundation above, Isobel is a fun, spirited, sympathetic character. Jensen *shows* us that she's intelligent and strong, instead of just *telling* us. Nathan is by far the best hero I've ever come across in romance and transcends his earlier Jensen clones: he may appear staid and controlled on the outside, but Jensen does a great job of clearly painting his internal pains and struggles, not to mention his feelings for Isobel. Their relationship is strong and colorful, full of emotion and intelligence, not to mention excitement (including the sex, which was hot, but still pretty classy). This book is not static, and for any romance reader, or even those who don't usually read these things--including myself--it's something fun and interesting to read.

Jamie Mcleod stole from Lord Oriel. Nathan Oriel demands in return, his daughter Isobel Mcleod. So she becomes Nathan's secretary, and his eyes - for Isobel knows the secret - Nathan is blind. Every night Nathan asks Isobel to marry him for she has become more than his eyes. She has become his life. How he comes to love her and how she accepts and loves him is a wonderful tale.

There is some intrigue in this novel also. A select group of men (ten) who were spies for England during the Napoleonic war are being killed off one by one. Nathan lost his best friend when he lost his sight and being one of the ten men, his days are numbered. How he is able to hide his infirmity and flush out the traitor is very interesting!

The side characters are well fleshed out and sometimes annoying. I felt sorry for Isobel who was saddled with such a horrible selfish family! Her brothers and father appeared to be worthless drunkards. I loved it when Nathan tells her (regarding her father) "I will not tolerate his deliberate idiocy, and you will no longer take responsibility for it." Not the last time we are exposed to them but...

A wonderful story in all aspects. On the spicy side at times - loved it!

I don't know how I stumbled onto this book but I'm so glad I did! After reading the reviews I just had to have it and I had to order it used since it's sadly out of print. Though some liken it to "Beauty and the Beast" I could never think of Nathan as a beast! I fell in love with him almost from the start. He was incredible in his determination to rebuild his life after being wounded in Portugal. He's learned how to do so much for himself again, but there are still some things he cannot do and he decides that Isobel will do those for him. Her father had been Nathan's secretary, but when Isobel discovers he has stolen from the Marquis and tries to return the money, she is caught by Nathan and winds up taking her father's place as his secretary. But that's not all Nathan has in mind! When he proposes to her she is stunned!

But Nathan has "seen" Isobel's loyalty first hand - she is constantly trying to keep her wayward father and brothers out of trouble and loves them deeply no matter how obnoxious they are. Though he has no illusions that she can love him (but he finds himself hoping!), he knows that he will have at least her loyalty. And he will need it if he is to re-enter Society and his spy work for the government.

Isobel was so great - fiercely loyal, smart and selfconscious about her looks. She's not afraid of Nathan and soon proves him correct in her loyalty to him. I loved how his family took to her immediately, much to Nathan's surprise! And the developing relationship between Nathan and Isobel is so sweet. I could go on and on, but the bottom line is read this book! Though the two other books in the series, "Fallen" and "Moonlit" have gotten mixed reviews, I find that I still want to read them for myself. I know that they can't be as great as this one, but I'm willing to give them a chance.

Far superior to her ordinary Regencies - much more complex characters and plot. She has taken her writing to a new level; let's hope she continues to produce such well-crafted stories.

Isobel MacLeod is a caring, sensitive, intelligent heroine, trying to keep her family together despite their, generally unthinking, attempts to the contrary. Nathan Paget, Marquis of Oriel, is a deliciously dark, brooding hero. He has been an intelligence officer, a member of an elite -- and highly secret -- group known as "The Ten". Nathan and Isobel meet when Isobel attempts to return the money her drunken father stole from Lord Oriel while working as his secretary. She agrees to work for Nathan in her father's place, and soon realizes that he has a secret -- a secret he tries very hard to conceal. Nathen needs her help her for many reasons, especially in keeping his secret. When Nathan offers to marry Isobel, she agrees, not realizing what she is getting into. Someone is trying to kill all the members of "the Ten", and Nathan is committed to finding the person responsible, even though it means he must leave his home, travel to London, and resume his place in Society. Isobel loves Nathan, but circumstances cause her to leave him for a short time. Sensing that he needs her, she quickly returns to London, only to learn that Nathan has disappeared. She finds him, with some assistance, but has she arrived in time to save him?

This is a great story, fast paced and intensely suspenseful, with terrific characters. The dramatic contrast between the dark, brooding, reclusive Nathan and the outgoing, sensitive Isobel and the sparkling, witty conversations demonstrate Emma Jensen's gifts for characterization and dialogue. With ENTWINED, Emma Jensen has shown that she can write wonderful historical romances as well as delightful Regency romances!

Don't start this book too late in the day or you'll be up all night. I disagree with one review calling this a classic "Beauty and the Beast" scenario. First, Nathan is not a beast (in personality or looks) and second, Isobel is not a classic beauty. Instead this is a classic (and original) love story, a good mystery (with a surprise at the end), and a story that is not compromised by the ending. This is great story telling! I would also recommend Liz Carlyle as an author to check out if you enjoyed this book.

I liked "Entwined" well enough..but i didnt love it. It started out fantastically, but I felt like it lost its way somewhere towards the last third of the book. I enjoyed the characters of Isobel and Nathan , but thought that they lacked chemistry.I also found it annoying the way that Isobel just accepted her familys drunken irresponsible behavior as if it were only a slight annoyance. I would have liked to have gotten to know some of the secondary characters better..especially some of Nathans spy friends. All in all not bad, but not one Id read again.

When Isobel McLeod returns the money that her father has stolen from the Marquess of Oriel, she doesn't expect that Nathan Oriel will offer to forget about the thievery if she agrees to live with him and work as his secretary. Officially, what motivates him is Isobel's quick discovery his deepest secret: keeping her at his side is the only way for him to preserve this secret and escape from a killer who seems intent on eliminating all members of the secret group formed by Nathan and a few others during the Napoleonic wars. But when he convinces her to marry him to preserve her reputation even though she's not his mistress, it becomes clear that his teasing comment to her ("And what if I wish you to love me?") holds some truth.

Even after they're married, though, Nathan doesn't expect her to be more to him than a secretary who will help him move around the circles of society. Everything remains quite platonic between them until the feeling of life hanging onto a thread that can be cut any moment pushes them to acknowledge an attraction that has developed through the first few weeks of their marriage.

The book is a demonstration of Emma Jensen's skill for witty and funny dialogue. This aspect remains the most interesting of Entwined. Indeed, the first encounter between Isobel and Nathan, although set in a dramatic atmosphere, is full of humorous lines. The continual teasing banter between the two heroes reinforces the feeling that they're getting closer and will share more than simple friendship after a while.

The poetic leitmotivs that follow Nathan and Isobel throughout the story, such as Isobel's "ta grath agam ort", which Nathan (and the reader) think is a curse in Scots Gaelic (a language Isobel uses specifically for cursing purposes) or the symbolism of entwined roses play a great part in the beauty of Entwined.

My main regret with this book was the outcome, which seemed way too rushed to me. There were too many revelations piling up on top of one another in only just one scene. I wish Ms Jensen had given her characters (and her readers) more time to digest them. And so the end, somehow, didn't impress me as much as the rest of the novel.

This is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast, set in Regency England and has all the wonderful elements of the best fairy tales: a brooding hero transformed by the love of a smart woman, an almost-as-smart villain, great supporting characters, and a happy ending that really leaves you satisfied.

Nathan is as good a hero as they come. He's pretty irresistible. Isobel is a very appealing heroine and definitely deserves the love of this man.

I just finished the sequel to this book ("Fallen") and can't decide which one I liked better. Maybe I'll just have to reread them both and try to decide then!