9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Dashing Hero - Perfectly Romantic - 4-1/2*, September 1, 2004
This review is from: A Scandal to Remember (Mass Market Paperback)
Setting - Victorian England 1851 --- In the second installment of Needham's Gentlemen Rogue series, the very sexy master spy, Andrew Chase, Earl of Wexford has uncovered an assassination plot against the exiled Princess Caroline Marguerite Marie Isabella of Boratania. Because he was the one to uncover the plot, his superiors decided that he would be the one assigned to protect her and Drew wanted no part of being a bodyguard to any more spoiled and cosseted royals. What he hadn't expected was for the Princess to be one of the most amazingly beautiful women he'd ever seen and that finding the assassins just might be easier than trying to protect the very stubborn Princess who had a mind and a mission of her own.
This was a totally delightful romance from beginning to end. The author immediately engages your imagination with the plausible plot of an exiled royal orphan who was brought up with the dream of one day returning and restoring the looted treasures of her miniscule kingdom back to their rightful place. The fact that the Princess was so adept at regaining Boratanias treasures through whatever means possible made for some very amusing situations.
Having recently finished research on Prince Albert and Queen Victorias Great Exhibition of 1851, I totally enjoyed the references to, and prominence it played in this plot. The romance was totally palatable and poignant as both Drew and Caro, so attracted to each other, realized that she had a destiny to fulfill and that their time together would be so short. The many references to Drew's `partners in crime' Ross and Jared, already have me looking for the first and looking forward to the third books in this very well written and exciting Victorian historical romance. Bottom line - With a believable plot, crisp writing, wonderfully developed characters and of course, a perfectly dashing and brave hero, what more could a romance lover want? --- Marilyn Rondeau, for www.historicalromancewriters.com ---
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
wonderful!, November 23, 2004
This review is from: A Scandal to Remember (Mass Market Paperback)
This is the first Linda Needham book I've read, and I absolutely love it! The characters were incredibly likeable, and the story line was unique. There was intrigue, mystery, humor, and most of all, great romance. The reader can see why the two main characters fell in love with each other. There was an obvious obstacle that kept the reader guessing. Also, it is not full of gratuitous sex scenes, and yet one felt the sexual tension. I liked the fact that it was not a predictable book at all, but quite gripping. The only problem is that in that day and age, wouldn't the young Princess have a chaperone or guardian or something? But this problem was not enough to ruin the book for me. I read it in one day. Couldn't put it down! I loved the secondary characters as well. I can't wait to read my next Needham book!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Not at all what I expected, November 10, 2007
This review is from: A Scandal to Remember (Mass Market Paperback)
I love romance novels. I love the characters. I love their interactions and conversations. I often don't mind hard to believe plotlines, but I love the story of a man and a woman falling in love. But this is honestly one of the first books I've picked up from a new author that I've wanted to toss away almost within the first few pages.
I bought the book from the positive reviews I read and thought it might be nice to try out new authors as I have exhausted my two favorite authors' books to death with multiple readings. But after just the first few pages I honestly wanted to stop reading this book. I don't know if I'll ever pick it up again or even read any of her other books if they are anything like this one. This style of writing just wasn't for me.
The dialogue was seriously lacking any fire or even imagination. It didn't crackle off the pages with a delicious "I must keep reading" feel to them. Half the conversations were inane and simply boring. I kept waiting for the heroine to become something she wasn't being labeled as from the get-go. She was supposed to be an exiled princess and as the hero stated she was probably arrogant, spoiled and silly as any other royal he knew. And he was right. I kept waiting for Princess Caroline to become a character I could actually root for. She spent most of the book being obstinate and spoiled and trying her hardest to just cause a headache for the hero and the reader. She didn't seem the least concerned that death was knocking at the door and although I know the hero is supposed to be the reassuring force to give her the strength to continue her good-hearted personal crusades, I didn't get that impression at all. She seemed to find him an inconvenience most of the time and didn't seem overly concerned about much except her dead kingdom. I can see being a princess and all and wanting to restore your ancestral kingdom, but honestly, if someone said they marked you for death, I would be a bit more worried than she appeared to be. She didn't seem to be as plucky as the writer may have wanted her to be, instead she came off as annoying and bratty.
I didn't mind the hero as much though. Some of my favorite books has the hero being a heel for a good portion of it which can be frustrating. Although some actual depth is written into that aggravating male protagonist, he can come off as really high-handed and arrogant, but Drew didn't actually seem as rude and bull-headed as the heroine tried to make him out to be. He was probably the only one of the two who seemed to make much sense through most of the book. I could see why he would be initially attracted to Caroline as she is obviously beautiful and regal, but after the first few conversations, her beauty was about all I could see him staying attracted to.
The story was interesting enough and was a bit more believable than most stories out there, but it wasn't enough to save this book. From the annoying way everyone gained a nickname which ended up being only a four letter shortened version of their actual name, to the oversimplified dialogue, it was tiresome. The interactions just didn't have much going on, and even though sex is not a requirement in romance novels, even that seemed forced or poorly written. I don't go for the "Ohhhhhhh.." as a descriptor of a moment of passion. I like to read a scene laced with passion and sensuality without having to see the actual word that might be uttered in such a moment. It doesn't seem to do the scene any justice.
I might consider giving her books another chance down the road, but I doubt I'll be so quick to buy them without giving them a read through first. I can tolerate a lot of badly written characters, badly written plots, and even badly staged romances, but sometimes when it's all in one book, it makes it difficult to keep reading it.
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