9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Satisfying read, July 12, 2005
This review is from: The Finer Things (Mass Market Paperback)
This was my first Brenda Joyce novel, and I must say I was very impressed. The story was fun and captivating, the characters were decently likable, and it was easy to become emotionally involved --- which I think is essential in any novel but a romance especially.
I tend to be wary of most romance novels, simply because many of them have little or no intelligible story, and just as many are simply excuses to have the characters jump in bed together. This novel kept the sex scenes to a minimum, and they were more tastefully done than most. It was more a story of LOVE, not LUST. The story's progression was satisfying and the tension came from more than just ONE area. It was a more three-dimensional novel than most in the genre.
"The Finer Things" tells the story of Violet Cooper, a street urchin from St. Giles who vows to change her life and end up as one of the fancy "nobs" who grace the floors of fancy ballrooms. At 18, she marries an aging knight, Sir Thomas Goodwin, and becomes Lady Goodwin. She and her lifelong friend and practically-brother Ralph move into Goodwin Manor and Violet --- now Violette --- enters high society. But she is hardly well-received, thanks to her low-born background and her obviously low-class existence. Even her own daughter-in-law, a woman older than Violette, can't stand her and does nothing to promote goodwill toward her. When Sir Thomas dies six months after their marriage, she does everything in her power to put the blame on Violette.
The only people kind to Violette are the Harding family. The chemistry between Violette and the youngest Harding son, Blake, is undeniable, and she soon falls in love with him. But he has vowed, after being cruelly rejected eight years previously by a woman he loved, never to marry.
When official charges come against Violette for the murder of her husband, however, Blake cannot think of anything else to protect Violette than to marry her. But what he gets is NOT what he expected.
I really felt for the main character, Violette. I could FEEL everything she went through, thanks to the skill of the author. She wasn't a non-entity heroine, nor was she a flat, cookie-cutter character like thousands we've seen in other novels. She had guts to her that made her more real, more fleshed-out and not quite so stereotypical. There were times I even found myself close to tears in anguish for her.
There were some surprises, my favorite being the intentions of a well-known rake towards Violette. The minor characters --- including Blake's older brother Jon and their dear friend Catherine Dearfield --- are as charming as the main characters, and as interesting.
I WAS able to figure out long before it was revealed who was ACTUALLY responsible for Sir Thomas's death, but that was only a small part of that novel and didn't ruin anything for me. The rest of the story was incredibly satisfying. I can't wait to read more of Brenda Joyce's work!
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An excellent story, September 28, 2004
This review is from: The Finer Things (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the only Brenda Joyce book thus far that has made me cry.
I thought Violet Cooper was an endearing heroine. She never had opportunities for education and such, but when they were offered to her she didn't turn them down. Her goal throughout was to better herself. Some of the situations were implausible, yes, but isn't that why they call it fiction?
I was somewhat surprised by the ending although it was hinted at several times throughout the story.
I have enjoyed all of Brenda Joyce's books thus far, my favorite being "The Third Heiress," but I especially like the time and place of books like "The Finer Things."
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not Her Best, March 12, 2000
This review is from: The Finer Things (Mass Market Paperback)
The Finer Things was deffinatly not one of Brenda Joyce's better books. But, I did read it front to back. I kept waiting for the two main characters to get together and it was a little frustrating. I would suggest you read any one of the many other Brenda Joyce books....she has so many good ones. I have read worse. Just not by Brenda Joyce.
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