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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Disappointing sequel to Devotion, June 1, 2004
By A Customer
This book was a disappointment to any reader who loved Devotion for its strong characters and romance plot. Although I was initially thrown off by that book's abrupt ending, it still satisfied, as it left the reunion between Trey and Maria to the reader's imagination, with some positive prompting by the novelist's conclusion. However, not only does this sequel lack any romance (the steamy cover and blurb are ludicrously misleading), but specifically, it lacks any romantic tension between the two principals, which is what necessarily drives any great romance novel. Not only do the hero and heroine never kiss, but never even have a decent conversation. Had I not read Miracle and Devotion, I would have been uninterested and confused by all the secondary characters dominating the plot. Luckily, I cared enough for them and my memory of Maria and Trey to keep reading. But Maria seemed distant and cruel, while Trey seemed alternatively compelling and repulsive in his weakness. I loved his weaknesses in Devotion because of his circumstances and consistent character development, but not here. The plot twisted about haphazardly as well. After so much time lapsed between the two books, I was hoping for a finely crafted and satisfying conclusion to their story. Like most other reviewers, I wish I hadn't read this sequel. Try Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale for a similar plot to Devotion, which still stands as one of my favorites.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Where are you Katherine Sutcliffe?, May 17, 2006
I refuse to believe that Ms. Sutcliffe wrote this god awful mess. I think this was one of the biggest disappointments I've ever had with a book. This was an author I would automatically buy as soon as her books came out and I feel almost tricked. This was not a romance. The hero and heroine have about 5 pages of actual dialogue together. I don't mind dark gothic styled stories, they're actually my favorite, but this story was just depressing.
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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't Waste Your Money or Time, November 23, 2005
I have read a few books by this author, many years ago, that I enjoyed. I picked this one up at a used book store for $1. Thank goodness I did not spend full or half price on it. The beginning seemed so promising, but by the first 3rd of book, I could tell it was not up to the usual standards for romance novels.
This paragraph is a spoiler so skip it and go to the next one if you don't want to know a few details about the book. It starts off with Trey at the altar about to marry Edwina, a wealthy widow. Someone burst in to tell him his one true love who disappeared 6 months prior has been in an asylum which was orchestrated by his manipulative, hateful grandmother. From there the writing becomes very amateurish. Very unrealistic scenarios follow (not unexpected in a romance), but quite unlikely. Two examples: 1) the previously selfish, rude, debauched duke decides to work in a mine, voluntarily 2) the woman he left at the altar stays in his home after he jilted her. He allows it even though he shouts, threatens and tells her to leave every few pages AND she remains through all this even though he professes to love Maria every few paragraphs.
Even though it was a quick read, I realized it was because the text was in a larger than usual size. There really wasn't a lot of substance to this book. Quite disappointing, mainly because it had so much potential.
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